COOL!

We found this zipper spider(aka black and yellow garden spider) in our front yard yesterday, near the porch. I really HATE spiders, but this one is just amazing!

This spider it has its own unique web, that may be more than two feet in diameter. At the center of the web, this spider makes a dense area of silk that often gives the appearance of a zipper or a zigzag bulk of silk.


Shortly after I took this picture, a fly got caught in its web. Here's a short video of it wrapping it up.

Deployment Day

"I will say of the Lord, He is refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;Because He hath set His love upon me; therefore will I be with Him in trouble will deliver Him and honor Him."

Psalm 91:2

Dear Precious Heavenly Father, today I pray your continued guidance and blessing on our son-in-law Tex, and all those who have been deployed this morning, as well as those who are already on active duty, serving our country in the military. We thank you for their leadership, their skills and their determination. Keep them ever under your protection as they move through places of danger.

Thank you for their teamwork Father, as they work together as a unit. Grant them rest and refreshment daily and the strength of knowing that we are eternally grateful for their service to us all. Please bring them all safely home again. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Thank you for your courage and for all the sacrifices you are making to protect and defend our country, Tex. May God bless you every day, and ALWAYS bring you safely home!

My son-in-law....My soldier....My Hero!

NOI and Scope & Sequence

Well, it was that time of year again for us on Friday, when our NOI was due. I always get a kick out of this, especially when I get a letter back from the school board office giving me "permission" to homeschool Kiddo. Just makes me laugh.

I included a partial list of our Scope & Sequence for the year in L/A and Mathematics, as that is all that they require. I know there will need to be changes and things deleted during the school year as we work our way through. What I sent them is as follows:

Language Arts
Standard English
Effective Sentencing
Poetry
Sentence Workshop
English Literature
Vocabulary
Writing/Short Story
Power of Words
Listening Skills

Mathematics
Sets, Structure, & Function
Numbers, Sentences, & Problems
Linear Equations and Inequalities
Polynomials
Radical Expressions
Real Numbers
Quadratic Relations & Systems
Exponential Functions
Counting Principles

I'm still working on some of our curriculum on the rest. Talk about PROCRASTINATING! lol

We are probably going to start school either just before or just after Labor Day. Have you started already?

One Day at a Time

If the responsibility of facing another year of homeschooling is causing you to run and hide, be encouraged. Although you can't see the way through the work right now, the Lord promises to uphold you with His wisdom and strength when you need them (Isaiah 41:10). As you obediently follow His will in homeschooling, He continues to guide you with the next step tomorrow. Step by step, day by day, you will get through the work and accomplish all He has planned for your homeschooling family.

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).

Heavenly Father, the responsibility of homeschooling is weighing me down. Please give me the courage I need to face the new year, and show me how to lead the precious children You've given me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

A Little Humor

Test Results

Well, we took Kiddo's end of the year test in yesterday to be graded and I am PROUD to say, his overall composite score was. . . . . .(drum roll please). . . . . . 89.

WOO HOO! WAY TO GO, KIDDO!
You did a GREAT JOB!

He scored average in one section of L/A and one in Math, but the rest of his L/A and Math he scored above average in. Oh, and I also found out that they do use the same test for grades 9 & 10, (that's why it was familiar to us) and then the same test for grades 11 & 12. I'm not sure I agree with that, but what can ya do?

Now it's time to get things in order for this coming school year. I have been looking and I'm not sure what we'll use. We've been using an eclectic mix and have tried different methods. Just not sure which we like better yet. Oh, well....we'll keep looking.

Testing

"Lord, help me to remember You are everything I need. Show me again how to claim Your strength to homeschool and sense Your encouragement every day. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

Today we are finishing up our end of year testing. (I know, I have procrastinated - see post HERE) Our "Proof of Progress" testing has to be submitted by August 1st and our NOI (Notice of Intent) by August 15th, to that will be done next week.

While we have been testing, both Kiddo and I noticed something. At first I thought maybe a question or two was the same, which is common, but when we got to the comprehension part of the L/A section, we both went....THIS IS THE SAME TEST! So I went back to my order sheet to check, and I indeed do have the 10th grade test which is level 19. What I am wondering now is if last year we received the wrong test. I will definitely find out tomorrow when I take his test to be graded. If by some chance we do have the wrong one, we will have tomorrow afternoon and Friday morning to complete a new one. Pray that we do have the RIGHT ONE!

I have also been looking for a curriculum for 11th grade. I'm not sure what I am going to use yet. There are so many different styles and curriculum to choose from that it boggles my mind. I am praying that God will give me wisdom and guide me in the right direction we should go.

Well, off to transpose his answers and fill in aaaaaalllllll those little bubbles! lol

Blessings~
Laura