Notebooking Pages

I have a great website for you if you like Notebooking. Notebooking is a way to get your kids to write and have fun.

http://www.notebookingpages.com

This site has so many things to choose from. Some things are free to print off while others have a fee. Usually the fee is under $5.

My kids love these pages.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. I love the excitement in the air. I love the music. I love hiding presents. (Although everyone in the house knows where I hide stuff). This year I took the girls shopping with me. It was so nice to see them so interested in finding gifts for each other. Taylor had a gift in mind for me but didn't have enough money. Well dear Shelby didn't want her to not be able to get it so she gave her some of her babysitting money to buy it. When I found out I almost cried. Love.

Rick got a kit for the kids to make a ginger bread house this year. Ricky and Taylor decided they were going to do it all on their own. It turned out awesome. Ricky also got to make one at scouts so he figured he knew what he was doing.

It snowed just after Thanksgiving and the kids couldn't wait to go out and play. Snow angels and forts are their favorite things to make. The snow didn't last long though. And we weren't lucky enough to have fresh snow for Christmas. Last year we had over a foot.

Christmas Eve came and the kids asked all day if they could open a present. Grandma Susie usually calls to tell us to let them open one of her presents. But this year they had to wait until after dinner. We opened presents from my side of the family and from each other on Christmas Eve this year.

We played our new favorite game "Qwirkle". Rick asks everyday if we can play. I have to admit it is a lot of fun.
We also played new games we got. Shelby and Taylor got dad Mario Kart for Wii.

There is always one person who seems to get all the presents they were hoping for. We say "it's so and so's year". We this year it was Rick's year! (it is always the kids year). We said we weren't getting each other big presents this year. We put a porch on the house and got new cell phones. Well I knew he wanted a new leather jacket, sooo...
He got me a very nice pair of earrings.

Christmas morning came and everyone wanted to see what 'Santa' had left them.
We had so much fun together just us this year. We played games together, watched movies, laughed and hugged. Rick played a joke on Ricky and kept his Santa present in the garage. After the girls opened their gift, we waited to see what Ricky's expressions would be with no gift for him. He was so wonderful. He didn't say a thing, and was excited for Taylor to finally get the phone she had been asking for. Rick then asked Ricky to help him get something in the garage, and took him out to see his gift. He was pleasantly surprised to see a Trampoline.
Christmas morning we had the kids pack up their favorite toys and we headed over to Rick's parents house for the day. Al had made a big breakfast, and we watched a movie and played games. Around 2 the other family members started showing up and we had dinner with everyone.Thanks to everyone who gave us treats and sent us their family Christmas Cards. You helped make us feel special and loved this Christmas Season!

That's not fair

How many times a day do we hear from our kids "that's not fair", or "sister/brother got to do it, why can't I"? At our house...more times than I'd like.

My response every time is life isn't fair. You wouldn't want to live your brother's life and he wouldn't want to live yours. (They love that response.)

One of the benefits of homeschooling is we get to teach our children that life isn't fair, and they shouldn't expect it to be. Along with learning styles being different in each child, they have different talents and interests. One child is great at story telling, another is great at cooking, and another is a great athlete. They'll all probably chase after different interests in their lives. They'll have different friends, different types of spouses, different income levels, etc. So getting the same thing all the time wouldn't be satisfying at all.

I'm glad we get to discuss this frequently and often at our house. No one will be getting the same gifts for Christmas this year. They are different people with different interests and wants. I didn't spend the same amount of money. A teenager often needs and wants more expensive things than a 9 year old. But they won't care, because we don't keep score.

Unwrapping gifts is an event at our house. We unwrap one at a time. We want to see what the other person got. We want to see their excitement. It is loud and there are a lot of 'uhhh's and Ahhs and Cool!'s". We hope the other person really got what they hoped for. We really love to see the smiles and hear the laughter.

May this year we understand that things aren't and shouldn't be fair, and we Bloom where we are planted and love the garden we are in.

Whistle while we work

http://thetaleofourquest.blogspot.com/2009/10/teaching-kids-to-work-part-1-why.html

This is a great article that goes along with this months ensign talks about the value of work.

Finding a good tool to teach children to work is always hard. We have daily chores and we expect the kids to help out when we ask, without fussing. I like the idea of "kid of the week". Maybe you'll see a post of who made it.

Tis the season

I love Christmas. I love shopping, I love decorating, I love wrapping, I love the music, I love the stories, I love it all.

I was blessed this year to get tickets to see the Christmas Devotional in Salt Lake City this year. I have tried for 3 years with no luck. I know you can see it televised. But I have always wanted to go. It was so worth it. The kids really took everything in. And after we walked on Temple Square and enjoyed the nativity scene and the beautiful lights.

The words spoken by the kids is what was priceless to me. I have seen the lights. I have been in the Conference Center. But to hear Shelby say.."I'm gonna pay more attention to Conference now that I have been here. It will seem more real and meaningful". Or have Taylor and Ricky so excited to get their picture taken in front of the SLC temple and the lights. Priceless. Or having Ricky ask me why the Shepherds are important in the Christmas story and seeing this wonderful scene and telling him on Temple Square..Priceless.

Christmas is the same way. I know who santa is. I have read the story of the Savior's birth many times. I get you a gift...you get me one. But to see the excitement in a child's eye is Priceless.

Some say Christmas is to commercial and don't want to participate. Bah Hum Bug! But I know the effort you put into getting a present for that special someone makes them feel loved. That you took the time to make, buy, or share something with them, makes them feel loved and cared about.

The Christmas spirit is sharing Christ's love with others. A dozen cookies to your neighbor you generally just wave to, a Christmas card to cousins and uncles you rarely see, taking the time to find exactly what you daughter and mother wanted this year, doing you visiting teaching for the first time this year, all show people around you that you love them. That the world would be empty without them. I know how special I feel when someone goes out of their way and does any of these things. I feel special. I feel Christ's love.

Merry Christmas

Much Ado About Nothing

Friday I took the kids to Utah Valley University (UVU) to see Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". I knew my 13 yr old would enjoy it. But wasn't sure about the other two. My 11 year old went down to Cedar City for the Shakespeare festival and came back wanting to take a Shakespeare class next year. So this would be a good time to see if she was still interested. HeHe.

The actors/actresses did a wonderful job. We laughed so hard at Benedict and Beatrice. All three kids had their favorite parts. There was a study guide given out at Intermission. My 9 year old loved the page with Shakespearean insults. Later that weekend he and his sister sat in the back seat of the van and showed dad how it is done. LOL.

From now on I'm not going to be afraid to do things, or wonder if they will enjoy it. Life is learning, and you learn from all the experiences you have.

Alice in Wonderland, ballroom dance, and Shakespeare!

Taylor and Ricky were lucky enough to be in Keystone Arts Academy's Children s play "Alice in Wonderland". The kids were "wonderful"!

Ricky played Louis Carrol and had a big part in the beginning and at the end of the play. He had a lot of lines to memorize. He dug right in and memorized them all on his own. 9 years old. Such a big boy. wink.

Taylor was a story teller. She sat on a stool and had lines all through the play. She also had a lot of lines to memorize, and did it all on her own.

Shelby and Taylor took a ballroom dance class on Thursdays at Keystone. We had the best teacher. Angela Davis agreed to teach our class and it was a favorite by far. I must say Shelby is quite the dancer.

Shelby's Shakespeare group performed for the parents after the ballroom demo. They were great. Even if a few lines were dropped...hehehehehe.

Math tools

Last year we were fortune enough to come across an online math program that really fit for our family. We have tried a variety of programs. But never felt the warm fuzzy we were looking for.

Here is the link http://www.aleks.com/ .

My kids don't fuss about doing their math anymore. We have a set number of "areas" the kids must finish in a day, but they always do more. The program offers K - 12 with Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus, as well as Statistics for high school.

Keystone Arts Academy offers the material at a big discount. You don't have to be a member of the school to participate. Here is their website http://keystone.m3th.org/ .

Blast off.....allmost.

In our Astronomy class Tuesday we tried to launch rockets. I say tried because the plastic containers wouldn't cooperate. We managed to get 3 rockets to go up as they were designed to. The best laid plans....

I wish I had taken some cool pictures. But I was frantically trying to get the rockets to launch.

I am so thankful for the experience of teaching this class. I always say I learn more than the kids do. Not just the book stuff, but planning and being flexible. Type A personalities don't really like to be flexible. LOL.

Skating parties are so much fun!

Shelby is the very tall girl on the left. She does have skates on though. No costume for her. She was still deciding if she had out grown dressing up for Halloween or not. She ended up throwing on a costume and going out with a friend trick or treating.



Taylor and Ricky seem to like to dress up alike. They both went as soldiers this year. No picture of Ricky. His to busy playing arcade games.

Thank you to Kim Kehrer for planning this years Halloween skating party at Classic Skate in Orem. We always have a great time.

Knights of Freedom

Ricky really enjoys this group. They do a lot of really fun "boy" activities.

What is Knights of Freedom you ask? If you google it you will find a video game with that name. That is not what I am talking about.

Knights of Freedom offers boys ages 8-12 an exciting opportunity to study the lives of American leaders through colloquia, learn about virtues through the model of knighthood, and statesmanship through hands-on experiences.

Ricky's favorite part is sparing. His leader has them write every week in a journal about what they did in their last meeting and about the book they are studying. If they do this they get to spare. It has been a great motivator! The boys also take turns with presentations of things they are learning or have an interest in.

This is a picture of Ricky and his friends bread they made. Creative minds thought "lets make BYU in bread dough and eat it". Very fun group!

Football Season!

I had to post this video of Ricky playing football.




Ricky is #3 in the gold jersey.

Shakespeare Rocks!

If you ever get a chance to study Shakespeare..DO IT!. The last two years Shelby has taken a class and participated in a group doing Shakespeare pieces. She has learned so much!

This weekend we were blessed to travel to Cedar City and perform at the High School Shakespeare competition. We had such a great time. Our partner was so much fun to spend the afternoon with Friday as we waited in three different place to perform in front of 3 different judges. The judges were so wonderful. We got the best feedback. They really want the kids to enjoy Shakespeare.

Now our group is looking into becoming a Troupe that performs during the year for various groups.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139–143

We love Astronomy Class!

The boys in the group sitting down to work on their journals.


This summer as I was trying to decide what we were going to be doing in the Fall, Taylor told me she wanted to study the Solar System. So I started looking around. I had seen this great book at a friends house before so I went online to get a better look.

I decided to expand on what Taylor wanted. We were going to study Astronomy! Then I got this great idea. Let's invite some kids over to do the labs and projects together. It's always more fun to do that stuff in a group. Not to mention, makes me follow throw and not just "forget about it".

I posted to our favorite groups that I wanted to have a class with 10 kids. I got back double that. I had to go with the first families that replied. (It pays to watch your email like a hawk around July-Sept). We have a group of 12 kids and we LOVE IT!

We are using Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy. The writers of this curriculum are wonderful. It was just what we were looking for. It is written for the kids to read on their own. There is a Journal that goes with it. A must have. It has great questions to answer, writing opportunities, projects to do, word puzzles, and more.

Next time I will definitely look at this curriculum for our next class. You can join us if you want!
Yesterday we studied Mars. We explored the atmosphere there and ideas of what we would need to survive if we build an EcoSphere there. The kids made their own EcoSphere. They were so creative. Not only did they have a water source, but they build water purification systems. Not only did they have gardens, but they had chickens for eggs. Then someone mentioned Ostrich eggs were bigger and could feed more people so they added that. Some things they came up with were shelter for privacy, a bathroom with a purification system to reuse "all liquids" , gardens, trees for more oxygen, flowers, torches for light, and bees to polinate.

This was a simple project we did when we did the section on the Moon. We dropped "meteorites" from "space" and watched at the "craters" they made on the "moon". (pebbles in a bowl of flower).

Great Stuff!

I want to start blogging about the wonderful things we are doing this year, and the wonderful webpages that inspire me. We are going to be making Mini Office's for the kids and I found a great website to share.

http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/search/label/Mini%20Office%20Lapbook

I spent half an hour just looking at all her great ideas!

Did you stand?

Did You Stand? May 20, 2005

I was sitting the other day in a crowded airport, waiting for a boarding call on my flight to As I sat there , I noticed an old man sitting across from me facing the large picture window that gave passengers a view of the runway. The history of a life of hardship traced the old mans eyes as they stared into the twilight of his years, and as I watched, I saw tears rolling from those ancient steel gray eyes, leaving a trail of sadness that tore at my heart. I got up and walked to him and asked if I could join him. Without even looking up to identify me, he nodded, and I sat down, feeling awkward but intensely drawn to him in compassion for his quiet tears. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice you sitting here alone. Are you ok?" I asked. There was a deafening silence suddenly between us, for what seemed a long time, and finally he spoke in a voice that was worn and weary with age."Did you stand when she walked by?" he asked. I was confused by his question, and a bit taken off guard by the tone of his voice that sounded almost accusatory. "I don't understand sir, , I answered."Did you stand when she walked by?" he asked again, staring straight into my eyes. "Who?" I asked him. But he turned away from me, staring again at the tarmac just outside our window. I waited for an answer, but there was not going to be any. Our conversation was over it seemed, and I got up to leave, hearing the call to board that by this time, was welcome as an excuse to get out of an awkward situation. I started walking away, but was troubled and torn by his question. I boarded my plane after clearing the gate, found my seat , and settled into it, looking back at the terminal I had just left. He was there as I had left him, sitting alone facing the tarmac. I watched for several minutes, and in that time I noticed a number of people stop to visit with him, presumably to ask if he was ok, and then walk away, some of them shaking there heads, others just gone from view at a brisk pace. And still he sat , fixated on a plane that was resting about 300 yards away, surrounded by military personnel. As I watched, a small procession of 6 men carried a flag draped coffin away from the plane to a waiting hearse, where they stood after the rear door of the black car had been closed and they offer a salute as the car slowly drove away. I looked back toward the window of the terminal, and instantly my tears nearly blinded me when I saw the old man I had been talking to also offering a salute, but from his wheel chair now parked next to the window. Since our craft had used a rolling stair gantry for passenger access, I got up, and made my way to the door of the plane, and got off. I walked deliberately, heading for the terminal, making my way through the crowds to the old man at the window. I walked up beside him, faced the plane as yet another coffin draped with Old Glory was placed in a waiting hearse, and I slowly raised my hand in salute, allowing my hand to drop only when the hearse rolled out of view around a security fence. I turned slowly to the old man who by now was looking solidly into my soul with eyes of countless memories. "I know her name now sir, and I stood when she walked by." He was visibly moved, and he said to me in quavering voice ,"Thank you sir . . . for what you did. My greatest wish these days is to stand again for her, but I can't." I gave my legs in '43 and my oldest son in '67 to that Lady, so she could keep walking. It hurts when no one cares that she walks by. I missed my flight that day, but my heart and soul found wings to the heavens on the words of an 90 year old man who dared to share a heart full of memories with me and dared to remind me why Old Glory stills waves as the beacon of Hope in a lost world.

By Robert VanDerslice Copyright 2003

Summer has gone by so fast. We have been blessed to do so much this year. It is so wonderful to have so many opportunities for the kids to experience the world around them.

One of the things I didnt' blog about this summer were the birds. A robin laid 4 eggs in a nice nest in our tree out in front of the house. The kids were so excited to watch the eggs every day to see if they had hatched. The magical day arrived. The little babies were out. Ricky first saw them and right away said "Oh! They are ugly...well...that's nature." Every day we would go out the front door to look at the eggs. Mom and Dad Robin would dive bomb us the first week or so. But soon got accustomed to our family and trusted we were not a harm to their babies. Next, the babies heads popped up with mouths wide open. Just waiting to be fed. (This gave more meaning to the camp song we would sing at girls camp when I was young.."Here we sit like birds in the wilderness..birds in the wilderness..birds in the wilderness..waiting to be fed.") We were very fortunate to be outside in the swing when one of the birds took a nice leap and flew out of the nest. It was so exciting. We had to watch it for a while to make sure it was okay, and curiosity wanted to know where it would go.

Summer time is wonderful here in Utah. A simple game of spies, or tag, or riding scooters and skateboards is like a dream come true. Green grass, flowers beds, and the sprinklers that water them are the best playgrounds. Friendship is rekindled with those we don't see during the snow bound months. May we all keep these wonderful memories to keep us warm inside during the long winter.

Here is a fun poem

I'm dreaming of warm sandy beaches.
I'm dreaming of days by the pool.
I'm dreaming of fun in the afternoon sun,
and week after week of no school.

I'm thinking of swim suits and sprinklers,
imagining lemonade stands.
I'm lost in a daydream of squirt guns and ice cream
and plenty of time on my hands.

I'm picturing baseball and hot dogs,
Envisioning games at the park,
and how it stays light until late every night,
and seems like it never gets dark.

I long to ride skateboards and scooters.
I want to wear t-shirts and shorts.
I'd go for a hike, or I'd ride on my bike,
or play lots of summertime sports.

My revery turns to a yearning
to draw on the driveway with chalk.
It's really a bummer to daydream of summer
while shoveling snow from the walk.

We love to celebrate the 4th!

I have always loved the 4th of July. Here in Utah Valley it is huge. This year we purchased tickets to the Stadium of Fire once again. It is a huge show put on by the Freedom Festival here in Provo. It is put on in BYU's football stadium. We had such a great time!Shelby looking for her seat after singing back up for Glen Beck

This year Shelby had the opportunity to sing in the Stadium of Fire choir. The sang back up to Glen Becks commentary at the beginning, and sang while the fireworks went off. She had a great time and met a few new people, which is always fun.

Oh yeah..and the Jonas Brothers performed! It was the best concert ever. We had Taylor and Ricky in the stands with us and Shelby was on the field with her choir. We sang almost every song. I don't remember having more fun with the kids.

You can just tell how amazing it was by the big smiles on our faces.Happy Birthday America!

Our vacation with Mom and Dad

From the time we left the house for the airport we had a great time. Thanks to the Davis' for taking us to the airport at the last minute :P We enjoyed the hotel in Orlando. It was exciting to be in Florida. We woke up and called grandma to find out where they were. Took the rental to Cape Canaveral. Did a bit of shopping before we went to the boat. Forgot suntan lotion and sunglasses. Looked for grandma and grandpa the whole time we were in line checking in on the boat. Met them up on deck 9 for lunch. After lunch went to our rooms to get luggage out of the hallways and unpack. It was awesome to see our rooms. The kids got two bunk beds. Not to worry...Shelby gave the top bunks to Taylor and Ricky. Thanks for sharing! We had so much fun checking things out the first day, the kids didn't even go to Camp Carnival that first night. Our waiter was from Romania. At first we thought he was a bit stiff. But not to worry..we loosened him up.

Our waiters got Taylor and Shelby up to dance with them during the show at dinner time on the 3rd night.

The next day was a day at sea. The kids went to their Camps and had a great time meeting new people from all over. Of course when they found out we were from Utah, the next question was...Are you Mormon? Ricky made a friend from Atlanta who turned out to be LDS, too. They didn't find that out until like the 3rd day. On the first day at sea the kids also discovered the water slide. The line was short so they stayed outside a good part of the afternoon.



On Monday we stopped in Grand Turks. Of course we made our way to the buffet for breakfast first. Had a great morning eating with Grandma and Grandpa. Then we all went down to get off and go explore Grand Turks. We did a little shopping first. Grandpa felt bad for Ricky because his shoes were giving him a blister. So he got him a nice pair of flip flops. Everything here was over priced so we did a lot of looking. We went to Margaritaville there. We got there early. Hardly anyone there yet. The kids had a great spot in the pool, while we got a nice table with an umbrella and sat and drank in the atmosphere. We were there about an hour or so. Then we went to the beach and mom and dad went back on the boat. Right after we left it really filled up. The pool ended up being standing room only. LOL. At the beach the Taylor and Ricky found some big shells. The video guy from the boat was there and they ended up on the video of the trip. Rick took the kids snorkling a little bit there. The water was so clear. This is when I realized my camera battery was dead. So no picks.

Oh...did we get sunburned!

Tuesday was in Jamaica. This stop for me was wonderful. I didn't expect Jamaica to be so colorful and beautiful. Our driver took us up into the rain forest called Fern Gully. I didn't even know Jamaica had a rain forest. It was such an education for us. Ricky asked a lot of questions about the poverty he saw. I think for the first time he realized just how much we have. He said he was glad to live in America.

We went shopping at the Flea Market. Wow! You could hardly take a step without venders in your face trying to get you to come to their "booth". Ricky found a wooden turtle he wanted. The man carved his name on it. I found tshirts and a nice trivet, and Rick found a beautiful wooden box. We also got some necklaces they locals had made.
On Wednesday was probably one of the most memorable days of the trip. We were in Grand Cayman. We of course went and had breakfast with grandma and grandpa. We then made our way down to disembark with them. We found a small little "park". It was Ft. George. I was so proud of my kids. They went on their own and read the signs to find out what happened there. I get teased all the time because no matter where we go, I turn it into some kind of learning trip. We have to read all the signs with information on them. Now they are stopping on their own. (snif, wink).Taylor even video taped it!

We wanted to get some great deals while we were in the Caymans. We went with grandma and grandpa to a handbag store. I found a great purse! Can't wait to show everyone. Mom found some really great buys, and got Shelby and bag. And of course we had to get t shirts!


We went swimming with stingrays. Our tour guide was amazing. He would catch them and give you a chance to hold one. Ricky was very scared at first. But after a while Rick was able to calm him down and get him to swim with him.Here I am holding one. I was a bit scared. Rick did a great job getting this shot from the boat. I however didn't do as great of job when it was his turn.
I couldn't get my camera to focus that far away. But he was great with the kids. He deserves the best dad award. He made sure all three kids got a great opportunity to hold the stingrays. He was always right there with them, encouraging them, cheering for them, and helping them.
Thanks honey for all you did for us on this trip. You made dreams come true!

The next two days were days at sea. We went to art auctions and learned a lot about the art work. Came home with a few catch phrases. Who's the artist, who's the artist? We also did a bit of putt putt golf with the kids.Shelby enjoyed a little bit of freedom and enjoyed spending time with new friends in her camp. Here is a picture of them taking a lunch break.
This was the best vacation ever! I was so sad to have it all end.