Autumn 2013

Emily and her new dog, Crockett. He is

3 yrs old Jack Russell Terrier 

 

 

 

a big fat praying mantis Emily found

out in our garden

Emily and Jon with new school books





Jon and Emily and Crockett

 



Crockett and Alamo, son and Father

 Caleb and Andrew dressed up for the HBC

Anniversary Meeting

 

Caleb is 16 and Andrew is almost 15, pretty close in height

They are doing the James Bond or model pose.....

 

 

Tree in our back yard Oct 20- Love those colors!!

 

Goal Board/Dream Board

Race Bib numbers for 2013

 

In business, some people inspire workers to make DREAM BOARDS.

This is a tool to encourage and challenge the worker in their

efforts. To put those goals visually in front of the worker day by day.

I was encouraged to make one for my Avon business last year and I did

I felt it was a help to me, so this year I created one for my Avon and Personal life combined.

I also encouraged my children to all make a dream/goal board for 2013 of things they would

like to accomplish in 2013. It was very uplifting and interesting to see the things they put on their boards.

Some of the childrens goals:

to pray for someone other than myself each day

to keep my room clean

to practice the piano more

and other.....

 

 

helps and encouragement in homeschooling

Here is a list of books I recommend to any Christian mom considering homeschooling or in the midst of homeschooling. As they say, you gotta "eat the meat and spit out the bones" . I do not endorse or agree with every suggestion in these books, but there are some good ideas. That is for you and your family to pray about and pick and choose.

A seminar by Carole Joy Seid. I went to this back in 2004 . Some notes you may be able to find online. (or you can borrow mine)
Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe, by Todd Wilson
How to be a great wife (even though you homeschool) by Todd Wilson
Anything by Karen Andreola
The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
To Train Up a Child by the Pearls
The Strong Willed Child by Dr Dobson
101 Devotions for Homeschool Moms by Jackie Wellwood
Better Late than Early by the Moores
Anything by Raymond Moore (esp if you have boys)
Homeschooling, the Right Choice by Christopher Klicka
A Survivor's Guide to Home Schooling by L. Shackleford and S. White
Beyond Survival - A Guide to Abundant Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring
Life Skills for Kids by Christine Field
The Heart of Home Schooling- Teaching and living what really matters by Christopher Klicka
ANd
The Vaccine Guide by R Neustaeder
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch

homeschool misperceptions

I have been homeschooling for about 17 yrs. I read alot about homeschooling. I have read about How to homeschool,  how to teach boys, how to teach girls, right brain learners, etc.  I am not a college graduate. I do not have a teaching degree. I am not the best reader. Sometimes people look at my kids and say wow. They have this perception that I am this SUPER  Teacher. Well I am not. I am just a woman trying to do what God called me to do.

When I got saved, I was 21 yrs old, with a 2 yr old daughter. A single mom, working my way up the corporate ladder, so to speak. One of my first friends at church was a mother of 3 boys and she homeschooled. This was the first I had ever heard of it. I had been in public school K-12 and taken some community college classes . The Lord started working on me about this and I was interested, my spirit was curious and my flesh didnt want to give up the business work that i had been doing. The Lord allowed circumstances that caused me to come home from work for 3 months, and after 3 months home with my daughter, I didnt want to go back. =-)

Fast forward a few years. I got married, had a few more children. Before Greg and I got married, we discussed children, how we would raise them and school them. We both believed that God wanted us to homeschool.
When we moved to Idaho, we had 5 children - ages 11, 5, 4, 1 1/2 yrs, and an 8 month old. We started our day reading the Bible and praying.
That is my #1 prescription for homeschooling. Read the Bible with the children and Pray. All 5 of my children learned to read using a basic phonics program and a King James Bible. Glory to God.

Now, the misperceptions I am talking about are many.
Here is one of them : "I am not smart enough to teach them. "
Now the public schools and other people would love for you to believe this. Just quit thinking you can do it and throw those kids out for the yellow bus to pick up. Its just not true. God gave you (and your husband) the wisdom to do what needs to be done with your kids.
There are so many I can't write about them all in one post. Todd Wilson hits alot of them in his book, Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe.  I know that many people home school today without any type of spiritual guidance or direction. Many of them are unhappy with what they are getting in the public school setting. As a Christian, I believe if God wants you to do something, then He will help you do it. I have told the Lord many days, I dont know how to do this and I need your help and He helps me.

school days

Emily teaching Chloe

        

Liberty Boy gets the bad guy!!!

The Lootigan club (aka The Marachan Resistance Club- Only eat Top RAMEN)

Rachel, Alamo and Caleb going for a ride in Rachel's truck

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
I homeschool because I believe its what God wants me to do. As I seek Him, He helps me with the task that I am taking on.
I have learned some things while home educating my children. I have learned that homeschooling is not for everyone. I have learned that in the beginning, some family members were uneasy about it, but as the years go by, it is more accepted and understood. I have learned that God gave Moms and Dads the wisdom to teach THEIR OWN children and that Families can do it differently and still be pleasing the Lord.
 I went to a seminar in 2003 and heard a lady speak and she said this- Homeschooling should be like a 3 legged stool- those 3 legs being Study/Work/Service. Any one of these overdone can be a problem, but using all three legs keeps your family in balance.

Study- Reading, writing, Bible, Math, Science, Art all the usual classes, plus Sunday school, church services and I like to include Special Preaching meetings- traveling to Revivals/Missions conferences etc. (Bible learning and SOCIALIZATION! LOL)  Too much of this and none of the other can make the children all puffed up, conceited and without consideration for others.

Work- as in housework, yardwork, play work- (like Legos, dolls, playdough, and other play- this is the kind of work children like BEST!) crafts,  wood work, hunting work, fishing, sewing, exercise work, cooking, laundry, etc . Too much of this and no Study- well, lets just say Bartholomew cant read.....???

Service- serving others- Nursing home ministry, 4H programs- community service, church clean up, Fair Booth ministry, Food Bank, raking leaves for a neighbor , you fill in what your family does to serve.  Children learn manners and kindness and to think of someone besides SELF.

One other thing she said- You cant homeschool if youre not HOME. Meaning, too many field trips, parties, vacations and other interruptions take away from their education.

I thought this was very wise counsel from this lady. The only thing I would add to it is PRAYER.

RMCA Gazette October 10, 2011

This free newsletter design generated with Smilebox

Rathdrum Mountain Christian Academy is a home school.

Back to School - Homeschool that is

its here ....time to get ready for school


There are also some great deals right now on www.Amazon.com and www.CBD.com      and dont forget your crayons and markers at Walmart......
Here is a homeschool blog that I like:

Currclick and business school

Currclick is having a special Presidents Day sale this weekend, many lapbooking and special project packs discounted and some FREE!! We find lots of fun resources at Currclick to add fun and enrichment to our school. So check it out, click on the Currclick link below or on the side bar..


I started my Avon business in August 2010. I really didnt plan on doing much with it, except for selling to family and friends, and using it my own personal purchases. It is going so well I have decided to really "work" on it part time. I set my hours Tues 2-5 and Thurs 2-5 and sometimes Friday or Sat 2-5. We have been so busy with basketball the last few months, I havent worked all of those days, but I do fit in customers/deliveries in between times.

So now I have entered business school. It is not thru the community college or university, it is the school of learning by doing and learning by free books from the Library.
So my reading list is now changed and I am learning some new things about business and how to run it etc.
Here are a few of the interesting titles I have been reading in 2011.
Mompreneurs,  What they dont teach you at Harvard Business School, Microsoft Office for Dummies,  and Mommy Millionaire.

LEAH,LEAH GRUMPY DOG

Leah,Leah grumpy dog

Digs until her paws are sog

Sleeps real soundly like a log

Eats her food like shes a hog

Sometimes Mo gets her to jog

No, she doesnt have a blog

Groans like she just ate a frog

Breath smells like a yucky bog

 Yawns will make your glasses fog

Leah,Leah grumpy dog*

*In spite of this she is very lovable.

Would you like to buy her?

She is only $10 Billion(A very good price,I might add!)

                                           -Andrew Stedman

                                                        with special thanks to-

                                                                       Caleb Stedman

                                                                              And ......

                                                LEAH, THE GRUMPY DOG!!

                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                               

the ball

its round
its orange
its
a
basketball.

they bounce it
they dunk it
they shoot it
they SCREAM and yell when they make a 3pt shot.We cheered. =-) We love it.


(It helps that the children are all
TALL
as in
"off the chart"
that's what the Dr says they are.......
but not me. I am the shortest of the bunch besides Jon and Emily and it wont be long til they pass me up.)

Thanksgiving and More

giving

AND

We have so much to be Thankful for . Well really "I" have so much to be Thankful for. Our family had a cozy and quiet day at home. In our Pajamas. Watching the snow fall. Eating yummy food. Watching Veggie Tales "Its a Meaningful Life" and Les Miserables (with Liam Neeson- not the musical). We all have been rushing around and so busy and chaotic around here it was very nice to just stay home and relax. We needed it. I needed it. God sure has been good to us.

Lego Thanksgiving dinner

Barbie Thanksgiving dinner

All of my graphics goodies come from Emma's Home

www.wtv-zone.com/emma/home.html

PS- Does anybody else think that Blogger is difficult to manage with all this graphics and designs? It sure is for me....I have access to all kinds of pretty stuff, but I cant seem to be able to add them on here the way I want to...

Snow Nov 27,2010

Pretty snow in our backyard.

Recipes this year: Stuffing recipe from Last years blog post. Pumpkin Pie recipe was off the side of the Libby's Pumpkin can, it was the BEST pumpkin pie I have ever made. Apple Pie recipe was from BetterHomes and Garden Cookbook(yes the red and white one). Green bean casserole-the one with the French's crispy onions.

Currclick is having some great specials for CYBER Monday, check it out for some extra fun and learning to spice up your homeschooling.=-)

Specials available on my Avon website:

www.youravon.com/astedman