Almost back to school time

School begins August 8th, so in less than a month.

On Friday afternoon I received the curriculum and materials for Nicholas who is going to be in 3rd Grade.

I don't know about other homeschooling mama's but I actually get really excited when I see all the stuff and I want to jump right in and start right away, matter of fact Nicholas wanted to go ahead and start already, but I told him no, we still have about 2 weeks of summer and we're going to finish enjoying it.

Tomorrow Jasmine's materials arrive, she's going to be in 7th grade.  Goodness how time flies, I feel like she just started Kindergarten the other day.

So along with the set curriculum, I'm also going to be doing a Bible Study with the kids and adding a few more materials here and there, and I thought I would share some links with you all in case you don't have them yet and could find them useful.  If you have any other websites that I don't mention in this post, please feel free to leave them in the comments, I would love to know what else you are using.

Nicholas:::::::::: 3rd Grade

Art 3
This course focuses on arts and crafts inspired by the four seasons. The student will examine and create artwork based on seasonal characteristics or common cultural trends. The student will be exposed to art history, art criticism, and art production activities with a multicultural focus.   Educational Technology and Online LearningSkills covered in this course include: keyboarding, creating and editing a word processing document, adding graphics to a document, using the Internet to research various curriculum areas, sending and receiving e-mail messages, using a database, creating a multimedia project, and creating, saving, and printing a document.  Language Arts 3AThe student will read daily, practicing comprehension and fluency skills as she reads. Skills and strategies for reading comprehension and vocabulary development are introduced in the context of brief reading selections presented in Scott Foresman’s Reading Street. The student then has the opportunity to practice these skills while reading longer selections in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres.
Language Arts 3BThe student will learn to structure and write complete sentences and then create paragraphs and longer compositions. After learning the five stages of the writing process—prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing—the student will master this process through weekly writing assignments. The student will also write for different purposes and use a variety of writing forms, including letters, narrative and expository compositions, research reports, poems, and summaries.   Math 3AIn Math 3 A, the student will learn mathematical concepts that are organized according to the following categories: number and operations, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Within each category, concepts are developed through the mathematical processes of problem-solving, reasoning, communication, connections, and representations.  Math 3BIn Math 3 B, the student will continue to expand upon his understanding of mathematical concepts, which are organized according to the following categories: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, and probability. Within each category, concepts are developed through the mathematical processes of problem-solving, reasoning, communication, connections, and representations.  Physical Education 3 Each week the student will learn one or more new activities. In addition, the student will learn the importance of nutrition as it relates to health and physical fitness. The student will learn life skills throughout the curriculum.  Science 3AIn this course, the student will design an experiment to discover what plants need to survive, make a model of a cave, and delve into many more exciting experiments. The lessons in this course are designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles and to provide a variety of opportunities for the entire family to participate in the student’s education.   Science 3B Throughout this course the student will continue to perform hands-on activities to explore organisms, investigate changes, and examine the solar system.   In this course, the student will create a model to investigate how simple machines work, investigate why the moon's shape appears to change during the month, and delve into many more exciting experiments.   Skills for Success Skills for Success is a web-based learning program that provides skill building and practice to acquire their state’s learning standards.  Social Studies 3A  This Social Studies course focuses on the theme of community through the study of geography, history, government, and economics. The course text is Scott Foresman’s Communities. In this course, the student will explore a variety of communities, past and present, from around the world.  Social Studies 3BShort stories, biographies, poetry, case studies, songs, and other resources emphasize the role of the individual in the community, as well as the influence of geography on communities.   What I'm adding to the curriculum is the following:  -----  We'll be using Children's Bible Studies throughout the year, Old Testament and New Testament, each lesson includes a coloring picture, memory verse, true or false, fill in the blank, word search and crossword and much more.  -----  Whit's End which concentrates on character building stories.  Audio stories which I think the kids will really enjoy listening to.  -----   National Geographic Expeditions....geography lesson plans for K-12.  Really awesome tools to use with the kids and all lessons are printable.  -----  Homemaking, Crafts, studies on wildflowers, birds etc.  Plan on getting a few of these, they are pretty cheap.     -----   Now this is a great one, PBS American Experience Teacher Resources.  You can browse the history topics, for example Colonial and early American Life.    Are you homeschooling your children too?  Do you have any great websites to share with me and the rest of our homeschooling families?
Would love to hear what you are doing this year, whether using an online homeschool, or getting the curriculum yourself.

HALO Comfortluxe Review

HALO® ComfortLuxe™ helps little ones with sensitive skin stay comfortable.  This innovative fabric outperforms cotton by wicking away moisture and regulating your little one’s temperature. It’s breathable, it dries twice as fast as cotton and most of all it is comfortable. In fact, ComfortLuxe™ Sleepwear is the only sleepwear to be awarded the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association. With ComfortLuxe, little ones stay cooler when it’s warm and warmer when it’s cool, for healthier skin and ore comfortable sleep.

ComfortLuxe Sleepwear is available for newborns to children size 4T in the following styles: ComfortLuxe™ Base Layer, coverall and two piece set.  The two piece set is available in two lightweight fabric styles: Silky (smooth texture) and flannel‐feel (soft and fuzzy texture).

Product Features

• It’s lightweight and breathable.
ComfortLuxe is a smart fabric, lightweight and knit to allow fresh air to circulate to keep the skin cool, dry and comfortable, regardless of the time of year.
  
• It wicks moisture.
ComfortLuxe has unique properties to release moisture from your little one’s skin in exchange for fresh air helping to maintain a stable body temperature which helps prevent the onset of triggers (usually heat and perspiration) which cause the itch/scratch cycle to begin among many children who suffer from atopic dermatitis, a common form of eczema.  ComfortLuxe fabric helps to manage this trigger and help control discomfort and minimize eczema flares to protect baby’s delicate skin.

• Dries twice as fast as cotton.
ComfortLuxe outperforms cotton, the current standard for children’s wear by releasing moisture to dry twice as fast as cotton.

• Thoughtful details to prevent irritation.
Designed for little with sensitive skin, ComfortLuxe Sleepwear is constructed thoughtfully to help prevent the onset of the “itch‐scratch” cycle when skin is irritated.  These details include: rollover cuffs on the coverall and Base Layer to prevent scratching and flat interior seams to reduce abrasion.
• Recommended for sensitive skin.
With its unique moisture wicking properties ComfortLuxe is the only sleepwear to be awarded the Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association.  Check out Halo ComfortLuxe for more information.

• 100% Chemical‐free.
ComfortLuxe is chemical free so its unique benefits will never “washout” in the wash.

You can purchase HALO ComfortLuxe Sleepwear on their website for $21.95 for the two-piece set!

I was recently given the opportunity to review this amazing product and being that I don't have any little ones, I sent it along to a friend of mine, in the meantime I talked to another friend who was trying it for the first time and asked for her opinion.

She quickly told me that the first thing that caught her attention was the fact that it's great for sensitive skin.  Having a 3 year old that usually suffers with skin irritations and having to be extremely careful with laundry products that tend to worsen her condition, she was really excited to find sleepwear that is wonderful for the little one's skin.


She loves the fabric, says that it's very comfortable and that her daughter considers these one of her favorite pj's.  


I only wish I had toddlers, I remember when my children were little it wasn't always easy to find the perfect fitting, comfortable pajamas for them.  

Thank you to HALO Sleepwear for providing me with a set to review. 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Had an amazing week and now it's back to reality.  :)

(New HHM button)

The weather in my neck of the woods:
90 degrees right now and a 20 % chance of rain.  Oh if only it would rain.  Highest is supposed to be 108 today, perfect weather for staying inside.


Things that make me happy:
Being with my family, road trips and just talking


Book I'm reading:
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E Turner


What's on my TV today:
Catching up on my DVR shows from last week


On the menu for dinner:
Chicken wings in a tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and corn.


On my To Do List:
Two more loads of laundry
Mopping the floors
Bathroom cleaning


New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
While in Tombstone I picked up a cookbook of cowboy food and inside I found a recipe for Old West Ranch Style Barbecue Sauce.  I made it yesterday and used it with the ribs for dinner.  SO good.

In the craft basket:

Blankies, pillows and all sorts of projects that I need to finish.


Looking forward to this week:
Getting Jasmine's school materials and curriculum and getting things set up for school


Tips and Tricks:
Having a little one that gets car sick, I always have to be careful when we're on the road somewhere.  I make sure that he is not allowed any kind of milk, cheese or any dairy because that just seems to make him really sick.  I keep sprite with me and some crackers handy, I also pack plastic bags for when/if he gets sick and an extra change of clothes, plus wipes.  I think the thing that works the best though is once we're out on open road, I let him lay down in the back seat, he still keeps his seat belt on but laying down definitely helps settle his tummy.




My favorite blog post this week:
Didn't get any blog reading done last week.


Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
^^^^^^^^ read above



No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:
That you don't need to travel thousands of miles or pay a lot of money to stay in fancy hotels, when you can have an amazing vacation close to home.  All you have to do is research the area, talk to the locals and go out and have fun.


On my mind:
Beginning of school
Posts I need to make on the blog, so many things running through my mind and not enough time for everything


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9

All good things must come to an end...........

but boy do I wish they didn't.

We had a wonderful week, time spent together, traveling close to home but far enough where we can completely unwind and relax and recharge.  I don't know why we don't do this more often, we definitely need to.

The beginning of the week we started by going North to Prescott for 2 days and then ended the week with a pit stop at home on Wednesday and then on to Tombstone on Thursday and Friday.

I really enjoyed Prescott, matter of fact we all did but NOTHING could have prepared us for how much we would enjoy Tombstone, not only enjoy but we all fell in love with the "Town too tough to die".

It's like stepping back in time, immersing yourself into the 1880's and learning all about the history of this amazing place, walking the same wooden sidewalks that infamous people like Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and so many others walked.

Let me show you a little of what we did, I wish I could post all the pictures but that would be ridiculous since I took over 400.  Hahah, yeah, over 400 pictures and I could have taken so many more, matter of fact we plan on going back because we didn't get to see and do everything we wanted to.

Our Thursday started early, we set off at 10am and headed south towards Tombstone which is 3 and a half hours away.

Arriving in Tombstone..........

Our first sight was the O.K. Corral  Gunfight Site.

First thing we did was take the Stagecoach Tour.  I wish I had the words to explain what it feels like stepping inside one of those wagons and actually riding inside it.....it just makes you stop and take in everything and really realize that this is how people would get around.

The kids absolutely loved the ride and so did we, our tour guide was very friendly and took us around for 25 minutes, showing us all the main buildings, what happened in what, who stayed where etc.  Very informative and interesting.

Then I made a beeline for the ONE place in Tombstone I was determined to see and NOT miss out on.  The Bird Cage Theater and that was I think for me, one of my favorite things to do in Tombstone.  There is SO much rich history, it literally looks like they closed the doors in 1889 and just re-opened them for us to step inside.

The Black Moriah, the hearse that took all the bodies from Tombstone to the Boothill Graveyard.

Inside the bird cage, if you look at the ceiling you can see the bullet holes.  The ceiling is riddled with them.  You can also see the cribs, the areas where the soiled doves would do *business* with the rich paying customers.

Downstairs in the basement is where the gambling area was, these tables were the original ones used during the 8 year long poker game.  Unbelievable isn't it?  Everything has been left as it was.

Across from the poker tables are the bedrooms that were used by the soiled doves.  These have just recently been opened to the public and nothing has been touched, dusted or cleaned in any way.

At 2pm and 4pm, the O.K. Corral actors put on a show, a reenactment of the gunfight.  At 2pm they just go straight to the area and do the little play, but the 4pm one is the one we went to and that one actually starts outside in the streets, right outside the Bird Cage Theater and then  moves down to the actual area where the gunfight took place.

There's Wyatt Earp on the left and his younger brother Morgan Earp on the right.

The Earp Brothers.....from the right:  Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton, Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury and Billy the Kid.

Morgan Earp in the background and Doc Holliday in the front.

We walked around a little more but it was getting late, so we decided to go check in at our cabin and then come back for some dinner at the Crystal Palace Saloon.

I don't think there is anything that can prepare you for what it's like being inside these buildings, there is this electricity in the air, this feeling that is indescribable.

The next morning we started bright and early at 7:30am.  Stopped over at The Longhorn Restaurant for some breakfast.  The tables are filled with all sorts of interesting things to read, like this Reward poster for Billy the Kid.

We had a great breakfast, really yummy food and very affordable prices.  You can see the rest of the pictures on my Flickr Tombstone Album.

I had to take a quick pic of the inside of the Big Nose Kate's Saloon which was previously the Grand Hotel.

Walking down Allen Street......

Stopping over at the Tombstone Epitaph for a free copy of the newspaper from the day AFTER the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.   There is also a museum inside which is free of charge and you can see all the machinery used as well as tons of articles and old newspapers, including the last edition of 1886.

Now let me quickly show you the cabin we stayed at.  If you ever head to Tombstone, DO yourself a favor and stay at Katie's Cozy Cabins, I promise you, you will not regret it.  We are in love with these cabins, they are very affordable and have all the amenities you could need, they are also pet friendly.

For the rest of the pictures of the inside, which you HAVE to see, just go to my Flickr Katie's Cozy Cabins album.

Friday morning before setting off for home, we had to stop at the Boothill Graveyard.  Another place I absolutely loved visiting.  Again to see all the photos I took at the graveyard, just go here to my album.

If you go to my album, there are descriptions of each grave, including the story of how these people died.

I'm sure you all know who these men are, the famous O.K. Corral shoot out.

And with that came to an end our visit to Tombstone.  We left feeling sad, we wanted to stay longer, we wanted to visit every single building and do every single tour, one day was just not enough to see everything we wanted to so we are already planning to return very soon.

But I didn't leave without stocking up on some souvenirs, it just wouldn't be right you know?

 

Now  I think I'll go watch Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. 

Hello from beautiful Prescott

I'm sitting here surrounded by trees, in this cute little cottage and just breathing in the purest of airs and pine scents.

It's rejuvenating for the soul and it's just what we needed, a getaway where we are not in a rush to do anything, not surrounded by the busy and noisiness that make up our day to day.

But let me tell you, the getaway didn't start without hiccups, matter of fact, an hour away from our cottage our truck broke down, in the middle of nowhere.  Our fan belt stripped and frayed, getting caught up on the motor, so we were overheating and lost power steering.  It was SCARY.

I think the worst part for me is watching other cars drive by and not one single one stopped and asked if we were ok, if we needed help or needed for them to call someone.  NOTHING.  Unbelievable.

Using just the tools we had on hand hubby was able to remove the belt, remove the frayed parts and then reposition the belt again to just get us to the nearest town.  We turned the truck on and set off back down the highway but within 5 minutes the belt snapped completely off and we were once again left overheating and without power steering, managed to maneuver the truck to the nearest place which thankfully had an auto parts store right off the highway.  Bought a new belt, hubby put that in place and we were finally on our way to vacation.

Not exactly how you want to start off but we had the Lord on our side and he saw us through, it was scary though and having the two kids and the two pugs with us just made it worse, especially when the pugs started finding it hard to breathe, I was dumping water bottles on them and praying for the best.  What a mess.

Anyway, enough of the bad things....we're having a wonderful time, we are relaxed, we are enjoying the fresh air and I've taken many many photos.  I will share them all with you when we get back home to high speed internet, this internet is much too slow and takes forever to upload anything. 

Just to show you where we spent the day....so much fun.

We head back home tomorrow and then on to Tombstone on Thursday :)