Homeschooling for 3

Sometimes in our quest to give our children the highest educational standards possible, we overlook really simple ways for the kids to drill that they will enjoy. My daughters of Nintendo DS systems and I've looked through the catalog of games and found a few that will end some of my frustration, while giving them the practice they need to reach proficiency in spelling and math. One of the game was an instant hit with the adult population, but also has great games for the kids. It's called Brain Age. Here's the blurb from the box: "Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for Nintendo DS is a fun, rewarding form of entertainment everyone can enjoy, as it helps players flex their mental muscles. Brain Age is inspired by the research of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the impact of performing certain reading and mathematics exercises to help stimulate the brain." Another great game is Big Brain Academy...

On this cloudy Sunday my family and I were busy being rock detectives. We discovered a rock that was black and fuzzy. Although, at this time, we still haven't discovered its name, we did come across a great website that helps children to identify what types of rocks they've found by answering a few questions. Enjoy! Rock Key

I've just signed my daughter up for Kidzui and she absolutely loves it. A few months ago I saw an advertisement for it on the internet and took a look. At the time there was a mandatory membership fee, and being a parent I like to see the number zero immediately following the dollar sign. So, I bookmarked it, but didn't go any further with it. Well today I got notification that the basic membership is free with the ability to upgrade if we want to later on. So, Jade and I signed up and she's been busy ever since. I love their signup process --- you create an avatar, clothe them and then pick the name. You have full creative license with the avatar since they give you the complete color palette to create realistic (or alien) coloration for your avatar. So, if you have young ones that you want to protect from the internet predators and other sickos that lurk about, you should definitely consider Kidzui. The websites and content were chosen and moderated by a panel of tea...

My life is an upside down mess. For the first time in our marriage we have bought furniture for our home. That sounds strange when you take into account that we've been together for a decade, but there were circumstances. The small apartment I escaped to when I left my first husband didn't require anything more than a bed – the landlady provided a kitchen table and that's about all that could fit in there. Then we moved to our new home and lost our jobs. So, that kind of put a damper on any home shopping sprees. We bought what we needed for the children and made due with hand-me-downs and furniture left by the previous owners. But now we've bought a houseful of furniture. I am ecstatic because for the first time, before having furniture that conforms to some kind of theme, I will have the storage that I desperately need for my sanity. Homeschooling, working from home and having 3 children with 3 sets of toys can be challenging, especially when you don't real...

a This has been a great week of learning for me. After listening to the many calls one of my realizations is that I need to change my "Motto" or self-talk. I adapted mine from Michael's and it has been great, but I need to work on one that is a little more personal now. I guess that shows growth. I realize that there are a few little flies buzzing inside of my head that I need to get a fly swatter (e.g., self-talk) after so that I can move forward with my goals. One thing that I have realized is that I need to reassure myself that regardless of what I do or say, love exists in abundance and if I alienate one person because of my firm stand to do what I know to be right, then so be it. I don't know how I could have forgotten so easily the words that Jesus spoke to his would-be-disciples. He told them that even if their mother or brothers renounced them for putting faith in him, they would receive a plethora of mothers and brothers exercising their right to belie...

Well, this is my second trip through the book, and to be honest, I was thinking about not reviewing the book again.  Life's gotten really crazy and that just seemed to be just one more thing that has to get done.  And now I'm glad that I didn't listen to myself.  The lack of follow through would indicate that my Desire to attain my rightful place in the world is weak and subject to deflection whenever life gets in the way.  The lack of persistence would spell my doom as I allowed myself to be sidetracked by everyone else's drama and problems to once again squeeze out what I'm trying to attain.  That would indicate that I had a lack of a Definite Purpose and was just a leaf being blown from one great idea to another.  And it would mean that I am willing to throw away my future riches for a few coins today. And so, I am here and ready to review what I think I know and learn more about what I need to know to make my dreams come to fruition. The thoughts I allow to ente...

  Well, if I ever had a doubt in my mind that I should continue doing the mental cleanse, Chapter 2 totally dispelled my self-delusion. I remembered the stories of Mr. Barnes, Mr. Fields and Mr. Ford without the loss of the details involved. I definitely remember the facts about their successes and struggles. What I forgot to remember (and since this is the entire point of reading the chapter) were the six steps to MY roadmap to success. Now isn't that just crazy? So, for the entire world to see (and remind me!), I am outlining the six points that are the key to my family's success. I want to generate $120,000 each year I intend to help people to achieve their goals through education and to provide assistance I want to the $120,000 by February 2009 I need to write a daily To Do List and working out a schedule that will allow me to work my business on a consistent basis. I cannot afford to allow other pressures to stop me from doing taking at least one step a day towards f...