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 Crazy Homeschool mom is asking for our school outside the classroom experiences.

Today, after we finished our lessons, after I fetched Meg to and fro for riding lessons, and after we had lunch...we packed up and headed for the skateboard park.  I love skateboard park days, because for my 3 youngest students, I count this as p.e.  We stay for 2 hours or more.  That's 2 hours of playing, riding, balancing, running, jumping, sweating. 
  



and hey, do you see how empty this very popular skateboard park is?  We try to hit it as early as we can, homeschool = wide open playing most days!

click over to Crazy Homeschool Mama if you'd like to link up your awesome world classroom days.

Labels: homeschool, memes

The LEarning Never Stops photo challenge



I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a bloggy secret project... well, here it is, bloggy friends.

I will be hosting The LEarning Never Stops photo challenge each Saturday here at
Home is Where You Start From. To play, enter your photo each week. Hopefully they will highlight learning happening in some form-but I know that some weeks it's just not realistic, so focus on the challenge part, and make sure you link up!

The Challenge part? - each week I will give a challenge that your entry needs to use/or highlight.

Entries will be accepted Saturday morning through Sunday-ending at 10 p.m. pacific time.

Two winners will be announced Tuesday evening. The winners will have their winning photo displayed here on my blog with links to the winner's blogs. (some weeks I might even have tangible prizes..we'll have to see how that works out..)

To enter, simply sign in with the linky I will set up, please enter the link to your specific entry only, not to your main page. Entries that do not meet the challenge subject, or are inappropriate will be deleted. This is a family-friendly blog, only G rated photos are allowed.
Feel free to grab the photo above, if you'd like to use it in your post-I will have a button soon.

Two important details:

1. please do not set up separate linkies at your own site, I want the entries to all be in one centralized place...here.
2. each week's photo entry needs to be a new photo(new to this contest photo), please do not re-submit photos already entered.

To Be eligable to win:

• you must post the the name of the challenge at your blog, and link back here.
• your photo must follow the subject/theme of that week
  
• you must visit 3 other entries...and please try to leave an encouraging comment. This contest is not only about improving our photography skills and promoting family learning, but it is also about connecting to other bloggers.

The L.E.N.S. photo challenge is all about highlighting education and learning together as family. I also hope we can work together, learning new photography skills as we progress through each challenge. If you edit your photo, please share a little about what you did in your blog post.
Blogging is all about community and connections, I hope we will all discover new favorite blogs.

I hope you will join me next Saturday, May 29, 2010.

The challenge subject will be : A love of reading
Submit a photo that speaks to you about a love of reading, or about sharing a love of reading, what a love of reading looks like, or something along these lines. Get creative!

Labels: Lens, memes, photo challenge

I Heart Faces Photography Challenge: Dramatic Black & White



this was taken with my iphone, not perfect, but a pretty good shot, her face said "drama" to me!


I Heart Faces hosts a weekly photo challenge, this is my very first entry. Click on over to see many talented/creative/interesting entries. Pick up your camera next week and join up!

Labels: family, memes

Labels: memes

7 Quick Takes Friday is hosted over at Conversion Diary.

Labels: family, fencing, memes

7 Quick Takes, a day- late edition...February 13

Labels: memes

Labels: Emma-doodle dog, memes

Janae, from Moss Family blog gave me this Beautiful Blogger award.

I heart you, Janae!

Janae is my new blog-friend..I think we found eachother through Blog-frog...She has a beautiful family of girls! Lots of blond and pink over at her place!

okay, now that I have this award...here are the rules:



7 interesting things about me...

1. I can skate backwards

2. I have raynaud's syndrome (very cold feet and hands most of the time) and so I am usually wearing gloves. If it's colder than 73 degrees, I'll be wearing gloves. In church, In July, even. (the air conditioner is not my friend). I wear fuzzy socks to bed, too.

3. My plane was put under quarantine for 3 or 4 hours in Japan during the swine-flu pandemic, spring of 2009. It was like being in the middle of that Monsters Inc. movie, where they come in dressed as haz-mat suits...crazy. Missed my plane out and had to stay overnight.
I only have a face mask and memories to remember Tokyo fondly.

4. I've eaten fish and chips in a pub in Dublin, Ireland

5. My last baby was over 10 lbs at birth

6. I met my husband in high school

7. I worked at a Christian Bookstore, during my highschool and college years.

okay, now comes the part I really struggle with, giving this to 7 bloggers. Lately, I've been reading some big bloggers, who are sort of new to me...and most big bloggers don't have the time to do these awards...so, I'm going to come short of 7 I think. But, here goes...

Jen at Two become One

Gapgirl at If only everyone thought this way

Courtney at Storing up Treasures

Kris Ann at Mom's on Fire

Cop mama

have a blessed Lord's day, bloggy friends. :)

Labels: memes

Here goes:

1) Would you ever vacation alone?
No, not by choice. I prefer to have new/fun/interesting experiences with Sky. I hate doing anything neat and not sharing it with him, not being able to talk to him about it.

I can be brave and independent on occasion...I did travel alone to Singapore (got stranded in Japan overnight, even) because I wanted to visit my friend, Gracefulmom- and it was by far less expensive for one person to travel, rather than two...and, what would we have done with our kids?

2. Do you go the speed limit?

skip.
I am a good driver, and have never caused an accident.

3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?
Well, years ago...I had heard about blogging but didn't really get it or get why anyone would read blogs. Then, on an online message board for homeschoolers, I heard about how a mom had been interviewed by a big paper about her blog. I was curious about what the fuss was all about and I clicked the link. Just wow! - What I found was not the online journal/diary I was expecting, but almost a family newsletter page. I really liked it. I started reading daily. It didn't take me long to make my own blog.

4. Where do you shop for yourself?

I tend to buy most of my clothes from J.Jill, Banana Republic, Gap. Mostly. I love Banana Republic but only buy things on sale..it's a little pricey. Who can put a price tag on trying on pants/jeans that don't make you burst into tears when you see your reflection though? Really?

5. What was the song you danced your first dance at your wedding?
It was "Heaven", and Sky picked it out, which made it special...having an actual opinion on something wedding related. We have several 'us' songs now, but one that I think says 'us' most is "when you say nothing at all".

Labels: memes

Labels: memes

Labels: memes, Wordless Wednesday

I found this fun Monday meme called "Muffin Tin Monday" and I thought I would join up.

This meme is hosted by
Muffin Tin Mom, and you can hop on over every Monday and add your link if you want to participate. Here is a link to her FAQ page, if you are trying to figure out how this works.

The idea, is to serve up lunch to our kids in muffin tins, or even muffin liners...which is the direction I went today, since my only muffin tin is old and beat up...blush. Planning lunch in muffin-size portions stretched my creativity a bit, I found. It was a fun/different meal for the kids, Amie and Demi were surprised and pleased with this meal.

-better living through blogging, internets!!

Labels: memes

Here is a new-to-me meme, I haven't done this one before on the blawg...looks like fun, so I thought I join the party...

this meme is hosted by My Little Life


1.Which boygroup did you like most in your teens?
Well, I'm older then the time when New Kids on the block were the big thing...so, I've got nothing, unless Duran Duran counts as a boyband...? Do they? They were kind of grown-up, I think...

2. Do you do Christmas cards, letters, photos, nuthin', all of the above?
We do nuthn' and I have to tell you all, it is very freeing! I do enjoy getting Christmas letters from other families, and I love those photo cards, too.

3. If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?
The first person that popped into my head is Condalisa Rice..I guess homeschool mom-nerd coming out in me...she speaks several languages and is an accomplished pianist, she played with Yo-Yo Ma!

4. Favorite thing to cook with (i.e. stainless, non-stick, Dutch oven, microwave, debit card...or, perhaps, a cauldron, etc.)?
I'd have to say my cauldron pans, which were given to me when my BFF, Graceful Mom moved to Singapore. I didn't have any 'real' pans before these, and I can see the difference, and I love using them!

5. What is the one thing you wear the most, besides your unmentionables?
my brown Mary Jane shoes, they are real comfortable and have replaced
my chicken wife shoes... next would have to be my long-sleeved p.j.'s and fuzzy socks, because I'm always cold.

If you'd like to play along, go over to My Little Life and sign her mclinky...if you don't have a blog, feel free to answer the questions in my comment section! :)

Labels: memes

The Carnival Of Homeschool is up this week at The Common Room.

What is a carnival?

Well, it is a blog event that moves each week. Different bloggers take turns hosting it. Bloggers submit posts pertaining to the subject, and the host arranges the posts in a pleasing or interesting order, with links and usually a small explanation...you can then click through and read about Homeschooling at all of these amazing blogs. Fun! Click on over, many interesting articles.

Labels: homeschool, memes

KeptWoman from Jumped the Ditch was sweet enough to pass along this Awe-summm award to me! I am truly honored...

In order to accept this award I need to:

1. List Seven Things That Make You Awe-Summm!
2. Pass the award on to seven bloggers you read religiously.
3. Tag those seven bloggers


This is no easy assignment!...it would be easier to list 7 things I need to improve on, or 7 things I stink at, or hey, 7 most embarrassing moments... it's really hard to toot your own horn....! So, here I go:

Labels: memes

I was tagged for this photo meme over at
The Dewey Hafta Academy for unfairly mistreated children, which is a private blog, sorry I can't link...

Anyways, here are the rules;

The directions: Go to the fourth picture folder you have and go to the fourth picture. Explain what it is and don't crop or edit it. Then tag four more people to do the same.


My photos are arranged by event on my computer, so this photo is the 4th event...and my mac is fairly new, so this picture is from the summer of 2007, it is of Demi-Sky, playing at Corona Del Mar beach. We went to the beach with the OC Sitcom gang.

Soo, I am going to tag...

More to this life
From California to Singapore
Barefoot Cowboys
At a Hen's pace


you are welcome to play along, let me know if you do!

Labels: memes

My friend, Starlene, over at From California to Singapore tagged me for this meme. I did this one a year or so ago, It is 7 weird or random things about me...so I will try to give some that are different from last time, here goes;

Labels: memes

The carnival of homeschooling is up over at Principled discovery, her theme is
"The Carnival of homeschooling honors the homeschool bag-lady" -go on over to read great posts by other homeschool bloggers.
(I have an entry posted there)



For those of you wondering what a "Carnival" is...a carnival is a weekly (usually) event hosted by a different blogger every week- (so it moves to a new blog every week).
The host will gather together several articles posted by other bloggers at their individual blogs and place them in her post with descriptions of each piece, often woven around a theme. Carnivals are theme specific, such as this one for home-schoolers, you can also find carnivals for subjects such as Unschooling, education, recipes, etc.

Labels: homeschool, memes

So, do you remember my "Project 2008" post? You can click over to refresh your memory...
I'll wait...

Well, my hallway looks exactly the same...3 months later.

But, wait, drum-roll please... I did come up with a project for April (I'm going to go back to small accomplishments-that I can maybe actually finish...)


I actually started this concept in March,

First- I had to work up a daily homeschool schedule (gasp- I am really an unstructured person).

Then, once I had my schedule...which I had to re-write 2 weeks later when we added our new bonus student...procrastination actually paid off that time, somewhat, I put together these folders for my younger students.




Here they are, -The schedule folders- for my 3 youngest students. This was actually Gracefulmom's idea...and we sat together last month and put together what you see in the first photo.

The idea is to have the table-time books and subjects for the week on these little pockets in the folder. I right clicked little thumb-nails of the books we use, printed them and glued them to the pockets. A file card goes in each pocket, and I can either list the pages the student needs to do for the day- and use it as a record of sorts, or put in a card that says how many pages to do that day. I had to complete a master schedule first, so I would know which order to put the books in...
Little kids do thrive on routine, I thought it would be soothing to know what books we were going to use each day, in what order.

I will share my re-worked daily schedules in a later post...I'm back on the schedule wagon again, now that I will have 5 students, I have to do it or we won't get through everything...

Did I mention I am schedule-phobic??

Labels: homeschool, homeschool planning, memes

{{This blog is under construction, a new update about us page is coming soon! }}

Welcome to our little spot on the internet!

This is the week for The Ultimate Blog Party '08
hosted over at 5 Minutes for Mom. Click to hop on over and visit other parties!

Make yourselves at home, grab a diet coke and feel free to look around the place.

We are a Southern California homeschooling family;
Jenny is the blogger and homeschool-mom,
Sky is resident principal, handyman/visionary, building inspector by trade (specializing in schools and hospitals) and farmer wanna-be. Our Children are; Meg 12-loves horses and plays the violin, Josie 11- plays the piano, paints and is very into The Warrior series, Demi-Sky 8- very into dragons, Wii and beginner skateboarder (also known as The boy wonder and Snackman) and Amie 6-inhouse personality, budding Irish dancer and always very "sewerious".



This blog is mostly about our family, the things we find humorous, our homeschool adventures, homeschooling methods and books, our faith, our love of reading, travels and projects around the house.

Things around here are kind of scattered, kind of eclectic- a reflection of our house and
homeschool style.



In some ways, we are a typical Orange County family....and in many ways we are probably not.


We currently have 4 hens as pets, this one is Dapples- click on over to see her musings on a perfect day...
We also have a cat named Oliver and a guinea pig named Guinea-Guinea.

We joke that we are farmer wanna-bes...and dream sometimes of having a farm somewhere. But then we come back to reality and realize we are city folks...we love our Barnes & Nobles date nights,
our Indian food, our libraries and our days at the Skate park and Disneyland.

So glad to meet you! Drop a comment so I know you were here...
and stay and visit a while!

Labels: family, memes