A Stable Beginning: random thoughts

Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts

Friday, December 12, 2014

Weekly Wrap Up ~ Random 5 on Friday, December 12th {style}

Happy Friday Friends!

It is so good to be back in health after last weeks sickness. Seriously, I thought my head was going to explode. Now that I am back in health I have a lot of pictures to share with you and some exciting news!

1 ~ I am so happy to say that I have been nominated for a Home School Blog Award in the Best Photos category. I am humbled and thankful! Can I ask a favor? Can you click HERE and vote for this little blog of mine, I would truly appreciate your daily vote until 12/29.

2 ~ school has been going great. This week we finished up week 15 for Marie and week 14 for the rest of us. I was able to make up work from last week without to much stress with the three youngest. Madison & Marie continued their studies, last week on their own, so I only needed to correct for them. Montana finished book one of her Saxon 2 Math yesterday. That means no math for her until January, She's pretty excited about that!

Madison did misplace the math instructional CD's (both sets) so I have been teaching her the lesson one on one. So far this week it is working smoothly and her comprehension is a lot better. She will need a lot of math in her future studies, so having a firm grasp of Algebra is an important goal for her. Next week we will finish up writing assignments any any tests so that we can start the year fresh come January.

In science club we are learning about the earths crust and making volcano's. I had planned to do some fun extra hands-on projects like a play dough earth layers or a paper mâché earth, but it just never happened. Good thing I will make my way back through this Earth Science curriculum a few more times so we will get to pick up the projects we missed.

Today, we tackled making volcano's with our two groups of girls. The Logic girls were very methodical in construction while the younger grammar girls did a great job on theirs and had a blast. And is there some kind of glue shortage? I searched high and low in my town this morning and only managed to find 3 bottles of glue. The Dollar Tree is my normal go to store for liquid glue when doing paper mâché and they were cleared out. Luckily Mr. M found those three bottles at Big Lots.

3 ~ last Tuesday we received our "big" food co-op order. Huge is more like it. The coordinator actually called and said my order may be too big to get home in one vehicle. Gulp! I knew Mr. M would not be home in time to help this month, so I cut down my order a bit and I am so thankful that I did because our new freezer is JAM-PACKED to the gills! Turns out Mr.m was able to get home early enough to help me and we fit 90% of the order in the van (with the all seats removed except for Micah's).

I can not even think of putting another thing in the garage or inside freezer. We were able to order lots of nutritious foods and juices. I was so thankful to have those juices and foods on Wednesday afternoon when the sickness took ahold of me. My older three girls were able to feed the younger two girls without me worrying. Plus we got three cases of orange juice that I have been guzzling down. The orange juice was especially helpful when I had an extremely sore throat and no appetite to eat and I was still able to nurse Micah.

The best part of our food order is that it is a cash only business and with the help and encouragement of my friend, Valerie, I have been able to cut down my grocery bill by $400 a month! Yes, you read that right. I have saved $400.00 each month since October, dropping my weekly budget to just $100.00 a week for food only for our family of 8! I am excited, and that's saying something considering my love/hate relationship with food and grocery shopping.

4 ~ this week we found out that Mr. M is in zone for promotion, yahoo! So excited for this opportunity and what it will bring for our family and his career. God is good and we are thankful to be in zone. I will keep you posted as we will not know anything until summer 2015. Last week, Mr.M went to the Strike Fighter Ball, a huge deal in our current community, and sat at the table with the XO, CO, and Wing Commodore. He almost didn't go because he felt bad for me being sick, but I am glad he got all dolled up and had a good time. Next year we both will spend the night out on the town all gussied up.

5 ~ last Thursday Madison & Mikayla had the opportunity to rise at the crack of dawn and join their fabulous Girl Scout leader at a local Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation to watch the broadcast of the Orion launch. This was right up my Future astrophysicists/aerospace engineer's alley! Even though the launch was scrubbed, they both had a blast and learned a lot. Madison's favorite part was the space helicopter simulator.

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So, this blog post has you all caught up on life in our side of the world. Next week is Mikayla's first gymnastics meet of the season. Our gym is hosting the meet and it is always a lot of fun. I am excited and looking forward to meet season as well as a brief break in our homeschooling to celebrate Christmas!

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ August 29

1 ~ if I had to describe this week for me in one word, it would be frazzled. There have been a lot of interruptions to our week, some good, some not so good. But we are finishing strong!

image credit

2 ~ I have had a hard time the past few days rising at 530AM with the alarm. I am learning to cut myself some slack.

3 ~ our science class starts next Friday. We have 6 other families joining us to study Earth Science. Excited!

4 ~ The next three weeks are birthday weeks in our house. McKenzie turned 5 yesterday, Montana turns 8 on the 13th and the Lt will be the big 4-0 this year!

5 ~ my desk always seems to be the catch-all for everyone’s stuff. Not sure I like that so much :-)

That’s what’s on my mind. Do you have anything to share? Link up with Miranda at The Pebble Pond.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ August 22

1 ~ McKenzie turns 5 in just six short days. I don’t think I am fully ready for that, but she is!

2 ~ Montana started fall ball yesterday. It turns out that there are 3 other homeschooling families on the team. YAY!

3 ~ The mosquitos ate me alive at the ball field.

4 ~ Carpool for the gym starts again on Tuesday, whohoo! Really excited about that since it works out that I will be driving more at drop off than pick up so I hope to get the littles in bed at a decent hour.

5 ~ I have been making sure to go to bed and lights out by 10PM the last two nights, I wake up so refreshed even before the 5AM alarm.

That’s my randomness for the night. Have you linked up with Miranda at The Pebble Pond?

Friday, August 15, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ August 15th

1 ~ I am excited to start back to school on Monday! I just need to finalize a few plans.

2 ~ Cookies will be in our near future since my girls are getting back into Girl Scouts.

3 ~ Marie’s new laptop came this week. Our new UPS guy delivered it to our neighbors even though it has our house number on it.

4 ~ I have a giveaway going on that has low entries. Click here to read about it and enter.

5 ~ Madison just informed me that this year is her triple golden birthday. She will turn 14, on the 14 of Nov. in the year 2014.

That’s my randomness of the day. Check out what others have to say over at The Pebble Pond.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ August 8th

1 ~ Micah had an immunization on Wednesday. Early Thursday morning he awoke with a fever of 101.5. I rummaged through the house at 3AM searching for the rectal thermometer and Children’s Tylenol. I really dislike immunizations. Thankfully my boy was back to his normal happy self by Thursday evening.

2 ~ we start school on the 18th. I am not fully prepared yet, but hope to be by Thursday of next week. I ordered our school supplies online from Amazon this week. They arrived today so this weekend I plan to log in our new books into the book catalog and also color coordinate, dot, the books.

3 ~ Montana went to a playdate this afternoon and stayed for dinner. She raved and raved about the mashed potatoes Mrs. Meshel made for dinner. I think I need to get the recipe because she normally does not eat potatoes at home :-)

4 ~ eating “cleanly” for the last 12 days has helped me isolate what makes Micah’s belly hurt. I have been sporting a lovely Eau de Vomit smell lately, but I have narrowed down that watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple don't do well for his belly. Sigh! I love each of those fruits, but I can refrain from eating them until later.

5 ~ we started our gymnastics carpool today with another family, hooray! As much as I love driving to and from the gym I won’t be driving daily next week. After next week I will be back to daily driving until school schedule practices start after Labor Day.

That’s my randomness for the day, do you have anything to share? Check out what others have to say over at The Pebble Pond.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ August 1st

1 ~ August 1st already? Wowzers, the year is flying by!

2 ~ We started eating “clean” on Monday. It is definitely a learning curve but I have already started to see the benefits.

3 ~ I played college guidance counselor this week when Marie decided she wanted to major in Computer Science with a Gaming Technologies concentration and minor in Graphic Design. On paper it looks like an amazing line up up classes she will need to complete. We have a meeting with a real academic advisor in October when we will travel to Liberty University for a tour. Yes, she has already been admitted to Calvin College, where she completed her summer scholarship program, but she wants to keep her options open for scholarships and all.

She now has to take PreCalculus for her Senior year, which she doesn’t mind. We are going to use the program from Teaching Textbooks.

Plus, she now wants to try out for the cheer team at each perspective school. I am thrilled that she wants to get back into the sport as she is a good cheerleader and it helps her come out of her shell. First step is to get her back in shape after being off a team for almost a year. Each school requires a timed mile as part of the tryout process.

4 ~ I am going to be hosting a science class in my home on Fridays starting in Sept. God put this idea into my head when the doors kept closing for us to return to co-op this year. So far, I have 6 kids who have confirmed they will attend. I am so excited!

5 ~ McKenzie loves her new Hot Shots gymnastics class. She has been learning so much in the 3 weeks she has been enrolled. On Wednesday, she did a back bend onto a map and last night at home she conquered the cartwheel. Go McKenzie!

Be sure to check out others randomness over at The Pebble Pond.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ July 25th

1 ~ we picked up Marie last Friday in Michigan. Its so great to have her home again. She was so tired after the graduation ceremony that she slept the entire 3 hours back to our hotel in Ohio.

2 ~ my two middle girls are at STEM camp this week at George Mason University. They are having a blast learning and spending some bonding time with Aunt Joyce.

3 ~ we went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the way home. the Lt is still on cloud 9. I will share more next week.

4 ~ we officially will not be attending co-op this school year. After much prayer and listening to God’s voice we are staying home. Instead we are having a group of girls over to join us in our Earth Science studies. I am really excited about it! Also, Marie will be attending a small group class for US Government.

5 ~ I am trying to find a planner and I’m not having any luck. Normally I make the girls their own but this year I would like one already made. I have narrowed down my options but can you suggest one?

Be sure to check out others randomness over at The Pebble Pond

Friday, July 11, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ July 11th

photo credit

1. I finally have all my thank you cards written out from Micah’s baby shower. I am glad to have them finished.

2. Lately procrastination has been my middle name, I need to change it ASAP!

3. Today is 7/11 so that means free Slurpee’s.

4. It took me 45 minutes to get to Mikayla’s carpool house this afternoon because of traffic on the main pass through. It normally takes 10 minutes…

5. We go to Marie’s graduation ceremony next Friday and bring her home. Everyone is excited to see her again! {can you find her?}

Friday, July 4, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ July 4th

I am back for another week of Random 5 on Friday hosted by Miranda at The Pebble Pond.

1. Early this morning Hurricane Arthur barreled through the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Because we live not too far from this area we received some winds and rain early this morning. The storm is gone now and the sun is shining and we are ready to enjoy the 4th!

2.Micah is 6 weeks {already}. He is now topping the scale at 9 lbs. We are slowly getting into a nice routine to our day so that has been great.

3. Also, this morning the Lt surprised the girls with front row seats to Disney on Ice tickets to see Frozen in September. Montana & McKenzie are over the moon excited!

4. Madison, Mikayla, and Montana officially completed this school year now that the required yearly testing is done. {happy dance}. It was like pulling teeth with a certain someone to get it done, but its done and will be on its way for grading Saturday.

5. I popped the inner tube on my jogger this week. Waiting on the Lt. to buy another one since the rip can not be patched. I look forward to hitting the road again next week.

So, those are just a few of the random thoughts swirling through my head this morning. Do you have anything to share?

Friday, June 27, 2014

Random 5 on Friday ~ June 27th

It’s Friday and that means it is time for some random thoughts. This is my first Random 5 on Friday post hosted by Miranda over at The Pebble Pond. So here I go…

1. We drove to Michigan this pass weekend and dropped off Marie to her pre-college scholarship program. It was bittersweet leaving her there. {I didn’t cry though}

2. Traveling with a 1 month old is an adventure in and of itself. It took us 15 hours, 44 minutes, 48 seconds, and 5 milliseconds to drive home on Monday according to Madison’s iPod timer.

{we had to stop 30 minutes from our house, this little guy was done sitting in his carseat}.

3. McKenzie has been playing Wheel of Fortune on the Wii lately. She loves to spin the wheel and guess letters. I make sure she says the letter before pressing it so that I know she is actually recognizing the letter correctly.

4. Like most other homeschooling moms I am in the midst of planning our 6th year of school. That involves lots of praying and re-reading books like The Well Trained Mind.

5. I am not a huge fan of grocery shopping, but since we have to eat I am trying to get back into being frugal. I seem to have lost my frugal mojo while I was pregnant. Do you have any tips besides using coupons?

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Ultimate Homemaking

Be sure to check out the wonderful 97 eBooks being offered in the Ultimate Homemaking eBook bundle.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Special discount

Remember back in February when I shared with you a review on A+ TutorSoft Interactive Math? Well, I just wanted to give you a gentle reminder that if you plan on using this curriculum anytime soon to take advantage of the special 50% off offer by using the Coupon Code: SPOFFER50.

Check out these quick YouTube demonstration videos to see the program in action.

~ Homeschool MATH Online

~ Homeschool CD Software

The special code will provide significant savings on the Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH curriculum. But hurry this special pricing is only good until March 31st!

Find A+TutorSoft on:

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

A little helping hand

Back in 2011 we were given the opportunity to review for Emealz (they have since changed their name to Emeals). It was fantastic to have all the legwork done for me as far as meal planning. After awhile I had built up a good rotation for meals and felt comfortable letting them go.

Well, life has me spinning and I feel as if we are eating the same old food and often times I am scrambling to figure out what we are going to have for dinner on the drive to practice, at 330PM. Not the best planning on my part, especially when the Lt. calls and asks for dinner on his way home. Not to mention the mad dash I make to the grocery store and then rush home to cook before having to head back to the gym.

I recognize the need for a little helping hand right now, so I am heading back to Emeals to help me. I was quite pleased to find that they now offer breakfast and lunch menus too. I got a great coupon in my inbox this morning offering 33% off a combo of their breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus and I jumped on it. Right now for a 3 month service of the 3 menu combo costs just under $30.00. Money well spent in my book.

I also plan on implementing having dinner for lunch. I stopped doing this in the past because I felt that the girls were not getting a good after practice meal and were losing weight. Now that I have the lunch menu to choose from, I feel that they will get that balance of food they need to fuel their bodies after practice. It’s worth a shot in my book to add a bit of simplicity to our lives.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Twenty-twelve in a nutshell

2012 was a blessed year for us at A Stable Beginning! From visits from Grandma and Cousin Danielle, graduations, state championships, and field trips with friends it was a joy filled year! For this look back I have taken the first post of the month and added a favorite picture to go with it. On Monday, Dec. 31st see how my Crewmates are reflecting on their blogging year as we Look Back at 2012 by clicking HERE. Without further ado here is a look back at our year.

January ~ Happy New Year