Coffee for Breakfast

It's that time of year...again, except this time will be the last time. I'm planning for our last year of homeschooling. My youngest will be starting her senior year. I have many mixed emotions about this. I've known this day would be arriving. I've scrambled my brain with thoughts of, "What will I do with myself when we graduate her?" amongst other frantic ponderings. This has been my life for 20 years. Twenty. TWENTY!!! I have a hard time wrapping my head around this number. Thankfully, I have put some thought into transitioning into another stage in life. Of course, she will still need me. She graduates at 17. Since I have four other children who are grown ups, and they still need me, I know she will also. I'm not completely sad. I'm only somewhat sad. It's actually exciting. I'm excited to see her mature over the next year. I'm even excited to see myself mature. My plan is to enjoy every last moment of teaching my daughter at home...

A busy mom needs a way to unwind. For me that usually means it's time for a project. I spent the week homeschooling, driving teens to and from work, running the household (or maybe it was running me), and trying hard to complete my very ambitious to-do list. I wasn't able to check off everything on my list this week, but I've decided to be satisfied with the things I managed to accomplish. Sometimes a girl just needs to create. I spent the better part of an evening embroidering the first of three pictures that will hang in my laundry room. They were all free patterns I found online.  The above project was found on one of my  favorite sites . I'm loving it.

Sometimes you just have to mix it up a bit. After admittedly stumbling through this school year, we are making some big changes. I have tried this and that, with nothing really feeling just right. The funny thing is... I always tend to go right back to where my heart was all along. When we first started homeschooling, many moons ago, I read a lot about the Charlotte Mason Method. Even though we stray occasionally, we always include some aspects of this teaching method. For example, narration is always a part of whatever curriculum we may be using. I've bounced around with unit studies, textbooks, ect. without really getting excited about any of it. The girls have recently been even less enthused.  I'm not happy with what has seemed to be a floundering year. Then, just as I had determined to just muddle through, making the best of the remainder of this school year, I happened upon an old friend. Ambleside Online! Not only is this curriculum everything I love, ...

I'm not totally sure what this says about me (or the rest of my family), but it took a move across Texas to help us find a way to regroup. I'm also not sure what this says about us since this isn't the first time a major move has been necessary to jump start a major family regrouping. Perhaps we are a stubborn people...? We are currently reading through A Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos. In my opinion, this is THE best children's Bible in story form, available. Don't be deceived by the title. Each time we read through it I find new treasures to look up in my King James Version. Little tidbits of detail that I may have overlooked just seem to jump off the pages. I find myself asking, "Does the Bible really say that?" So far, I have not found an inaccuracy. This book is not just for children. I have bought several forms of Bible curriculum for my kids in our last fifteen years of homeschooling. I find myself drawn to this book year after year. ...

Feeling SUCH an urge to update my blog... Just wanted to let any curious readers know that all is well at the Bracknell home. (just in case you were wondering) I have another urge to say: "The truth is... I'm with a wonderful Christian man, living the dream...wonderful family, wonderful job, fabulous life!" LOL So, let's keep it REAL here. The real honest truth is this... I am married to an awesome husband who loves the Lord. He is wonderful because I am not living in a fantasy world. He is wonderful because he loves me so much he admits his shortcomings. He can do this, as can I, because our love is unconditional. I am definitely living out my dreams. Is this because everything is perfect? No. It's because everything is imperfect and I don't live under the pressure of having to pretend. My wonderful family... Yes I have a wonderful family! They are wonderful to me because they are mine. If you knew them like I do, you would have to agree! I'm ve...

Today, Aubree and I visited the Western Heritage Museum Complex & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. She loved all of the Indian artifacts. Also a big hit was Gus the animated robotic cowboy thingy. (how was that for a description?) He was very life-like. You can ask him questions about ranch life and things. He will answer you by computer controlled technology. Pretty neat, but a little creepy. We even found out the ingredients for Son-Of-A-Gun Stew. Don't ask! I was able to buy a coloring book in the gift shop about New Mexico. Being the sneaky homeschool mom I am, she "did" school today without even realizing it! I picked up a few free brochures also. Sometime during our NM stay we will work on her notebook. She is learning alot about the wildlife, plants, and NM state symbols. I love homeschooling. Then we enjoyed the pool here at the RV park all to ourselves. I would have to say we had a wonderful week.

The Lady Titans enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating an awesome year of basketball. Basketball season is always very hectic, but full of memories. I love the night of the banquet. Not only because it signifies the close of the season and the hope to catch up on life, but remembering why we spend our time doing this. Throughout the season, I often wonder why! Basketball consumes too much of our lives at times. I love to watch my girls play, but it is just sooooo daily! On the other hand, devoted practice time is necessary to compete at the level they play. Another reason the banquet is so enjoyable for me is to see just how beautiful and girly these awesome athletes really are. They work so hard at practice and during games. We see them all year sweaty, red-faced, and dressed in athletic wear. They are beautiful girls always, but it's nice to see them all dressed up! We enjoyed a delicious fajita dinner, celebrated their accomplishments, and absolutley enjoyed the company.

I just realized I haven't written anything about our homeschool in quite a while. Other than our basics, Aubree is hugely interested in Native Americans. I went to one of my favorite free resources to supplement our studies. This is a site we turn to often to find lapbooking/notebooking pages. Her interest in studying Indians or Native Americans began with a penmanship book (Draw*Write*Now) that we started around Thanksgiving. After completing the lessons she still wanted to know more. Currently we are working on a lapbook based on the story, The Courage of Sarah Noble. We will follow with book studies on Pocahontas and Sign of the Beaver. We plan to make a teepee (Barbie size) and other crafts from the book More than Moccasins. This site also has a free resource based on the Iriquois Indians. We are having alot of fun and will continue our studies throughout the remainder of the school year, or until interests change. One of the most enjoyable aspects of homeschooling is the abil...

Today was the last day of an eight week volleyball camp. Aubree attended each week for an hour long class. They were the "Tween Titans". She had a great time and made some new friends. Her coach was awesome and we look forward to working with her in the future. We may have found a new sport for Aubree. Today for their final class they showed off all the new skills they learned. Afterwards we enjoyed a reception with punch and cookies. The girls were also invited to attend the volleyball banquet in November. Good times.

As I was browsing a few blogs I enjoy last night, I came across an idea that inspired me to my core. We who homeschool do it for a variety of reasons. Some for religious convictions, shelter from ideas that we don't agree with, children with giftedness or learning disabilites that can be better served in a home environment, or too many others to list. Some of us homeschool for a combination of reasons. However, one common thread I have observed is a homeschooling parent's desire to learn. We love to learn and want to instill a love for learning in our children. So when I came across Bev's plan last night on her blog, I was completely caught off guard by the emotions stirred within me. I guess I have been on a journey of sorts lately. I am in the process of rediscovering who God created me to be. Sometimes we moms get a little lost in the shuffle of helping our families in discovering who they are meant to be. I discovered that you can literally wake up one morning, look in ...

Today marks our our 12th year of homeschooling. Kaitlyn is a Freshman this year, Kyla is starting 7th/8th grade, and Aubree is in 4th grade. I realize that homeschooling isn't "for" everyone, but we can't imagine life any other way. I remember our first year. I felt so insecure . I told my husband, "I don't know if I can do this." He always encouraged me and never doubted my abilities. (thank you for believing in me) Homeschooling isn't something you "do". It truly becomes a lifestyle. Our year begins in September. Each new year is filled with possibilities. I look forward to the adventure this school year brings. We are geared up for the next twelve weeks (our 1st term) when we take our 1st break. I will post some of our projects, adventures, and outside activities as I get a chance. Happy New Year to all you fellow homeschoolers. I hope you have a blessed year.

We began our school year last week. My camera is broken so I didn't get the "1st day of school" pictures this year. Maybe in a couple of weeks. We started out busy, but that's great. Kaitlyn and Kyla are playing homeschool basketball this year. Yay! They have started practice and love it. Aubree just completed a 3-day basketball camp. She had a blast. She can't wait to be on a team. Aubree is also involved in a homechool class this year. She is studying Europe and famous artists this semester. We have a fun year planned full of field trips, science projects with Dad, and lots of just enjoying being together!

For the next two weeks our studies have us in Mexico. The girls will be making yarn art, paper flowers, and hopefully a pinata. We are reading about Cameron Townsend, the missionary. We are also learning Mexico's current events. We will wrap up our study with a fiesta. Then...on to Canada for a couple of weeks. Exploring Countries and Cultures from here is wonderful. Happy Homeschooling

I'm adding a link to a wonderful new blog I discovered. My husband and I attended a marriage retreat last weekend. It was the Extreme Marriage Makeover Homeschool Edition. It was awesome. The speakers were Steve & Jane Lambert and Jay & Heidi St. John. The following link is Heidi's blog. Confessions of a Homeschool Mom Here is the link to the marriage retreat: http://www.extrememarriagemakeover.com/

Disney Princesses Cardinal Family (2nd place) Horse in the Wind (1st place) Trotting Buckeye Rearing Mustang (3rd place) Paint Colt Resting Our three youngest daughters participated in an art show/contest at a local county fair. This is a family tradition of several years. They save art projects all year and pick their favorites.The titles are listed below each drawing. We were very proud of them.

These pictures are from our second day (in a row!) at the zoo.

Today we enjoyed our first trip to the zoo this school year. Kaitlyn (12), and Kyla (11) participated in a homeschool class at the zoo. This series of classes will last through March, 2008. Each month a different animal habitat will be covered. Today the class covered desert animals. Aubree (7), Courtney (19), and I enjoyed walking through the zoo while the other girls attended their two hour class. We especially liked the educational presentation and feeding of the penguins.

We started our new year of school early this year. We usually start after (or on) Labor Day. This year the girls were ready to begin a week early. Summer activities are coming to a close and we are all ready for a change of pace. Kaitlyn is beginning 7th grade, Kyla is beginning 5th grade, and Aubree is a 2nd grader this year. We have spent the first two weeks as an introductory period. We are learning alot of new map skills with our new curriculum, My Father's World. We will begin studying North America next week. We will begin with the U.S., Mexico, then Canada. Some of our new activities for the school year will begin next week also. Kyla will begin her new dance class on Monday. Aubree will begin soccer practice on Tuesday. Her first game will be next Saturday. Kaitlyn is patiently waiting for basketball season. Another activity we are all excited about are Zoo classes. These will be held monthly throughout the school year.