This school year is wrapping up, and the end of April means one thing, it's time to start planning the next homeschool year.  Last year I wrote that for the 3rd year in a row I was trying a new homeschool planner.  But once, this year I am again using what I used last year.  I really love the Erin Condren Teacher planner.  It's so pretty that I want to do the school work, and in a year like this year that is especially useful.  The homeschooling community refers to years like these as "Homeschooling through Hardship" or a "Sabbatical year." And while it's been a hard year, one of the benefits to homeschooling this year was the flexibility we had.  And surprisingly enough  we have accomplished alot this year, much of what I planned, just not exactly the way I had planned.  But more on that in my end of school year post later.








Of course the bulk of the planner is the lesson planning pages.  There are only 40 weeks worth, which is a little bit of a problem for me since we school year round.  Of course there are breaks, but I like to have 52 weeks because I like to document alot of things that I find educational, but aren't strictly academic.  I am removing, very carefully, the pages I will have left over this year to add into the end incase I need them.  Not sure if they will hold up since I didn't want to uncoil the planner, but just snipped and added.  But I can try it. I will again change the top seven headers to the days of the week, and relabel the days down the side with our subject areas.  I just haven't printed up my labels yet, since Gary's not had time to fix the printer.


Last year I ultimately decided to use the checklist pages primarily for the kids chore charts.  They have a list of chores, some weekly and some daily that I check off if they do them.  And they get paid a quarter a job at the end of the week.  It is a great way for me to keep up with everything.  It allows them to take responsibility.  And it's a way for us to integrate some money management skills in our schooling.  I'm planning to start out Rebecca with her own chores soon, and so I revamped the layout a bit.  I went ahead and blocked off Monday through Friday of every week of our school year July-June.  There will be some weeks that they are gone, and others that they don't do their jobs, but this way I already have everything roughed out.  Toward the end of this year, I have started doing some testing, and wanting to be able to chart their progress that way.  So following the chore chart, I used the end of the page to chart the remaining Alpha test that Ruth will complete into next school year, and then under it the math test through the lesson I'm projecting us to finish in the new Beta book.  On the following page I've already listed the spelling test.  At two a week, we should have at least that many.  I still have a number of pages after that incase there is anything else I feel the need to add or chart to follow.





And of course there are still all the monthly spreads.  I really like that each day has it's own box now, before Saturday and Sunday shared a box at the end of the week, which constantly had me off on my days because the first day of the week isn't Monday.  But there are no longer 6 weeks, so there are the occasional months where two days are in one box, which is a pain for me.  In the past I have used these to track days and hours.  That isn't required in Florida, but I may continue to track for my use.  There is only one note page at the end of each month instead of two, so I'll have to see if that leaves me plenty of room for my monthly notes.  I probably won't have alot of extra room for doodles and things I've added in there.  However, I've also taken all the extra checklist out of this year's planner, again by carefully snipping and moving them.  I may need to use them for extra notes or documentation.  I've kind thought about using them with each month to add pictures of what the kids are doing, kinda like a scrapbook, instead of just their's and my drawings.  Since I will use this along with a small notebook with samples of their work, this is part of their portfolio, and the pictures would just be another fun way to document our days.

Some of you may know that we went back to Old Carroll for our spring meeting.  If you are ever in the general DC area on Sunday morning you should definitely head out to Point of Rocks.  Some of the best people you'll ever meet are there.  The Church is an interesting group, since many of them are transplants.  Some of us came from Florida, some from Texas, some from the Appalachian mountains, a few are local originally.  But even better than who you see there, the Lord is there.  He has blessed the Church immeasurable over the last several years, and we've seen alot of growth spiritually, and had new members join as well.














Fourth Sunday in March this year, also happened to be Easter, so we had a great weekend together, followed by communion.  Bro. Ronnie Loudermilk and Bro. Chris Crouse were the invited ministers.  Gary and I left South Florida about 6 pm Thursday night, and after an all night drive and a short 45 minute nap in a Waffle House parking lot we arrived at Sis. Bonnie's house around noon.  Gary got him a couple hour nap in a chair and I got a shower and then for the rest of the weekend we crammed in all the fellowship with all the people that we could.  Friday afternoon and evening there were some good scriptural conversations and debates.  Saturday afternoon there was lots of catching up and goofing off while the kids all played.  And Sunday time to leave came too soon.  We had a great time.














Friday night Bro. Ronnie preached first on our "Common Salvation." After traveling all over the Bible to establish that the word common means something that we all share, he used Jude 3 to prove that the common salvation means all who have it get it in the same way, and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, without any effort on our part.  He then showed us if we have that common salvation, it should lead us to live a fruitful life.  We have to get in the fight by being baptized.  We learn what we fight for by reading and studying.  We fight against our sinful nature. And we fight using the spiritual weapons we have by putting on the whole armor of God.  Bro. Chris followed him by preaching on "Moses: a picture of Christ." Deu 18:18 "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." He showed 9 parallels between the two 1) at their births many children died, 2) but their lives were preserved, 3) tried over 40 years and 40 days, 5) endured murmurings, 6) displayed power over the sea, 6) fed many, 7) at times they couldn't be viewed due to the glory of God on them, 8) had 70 helpers, and 9) both reappeared after their deaths.  But in all the ways that Moses was a picture of Christ who would come, there was a key difference.  Moses fell short and didn't enter into the land, but Christ accomplished his work entirely and he entered into his rest.  And that is grounds for great celebration on our part.



Saturday morning Bro. Chris spoke first on the topic of "Communion with Christ."  He encouraged us to consider out uplook, and not be only looking in.  That when we focus on our selves and our problems and troubles we easily become discouraged.  However we should have a common union with Christ, and that is our fellowship with him.  He is a faithful high priest and we can have a relationship with God thanks to him.  Bro. Ronnie then followed him on the "Suffering of Christ."  He laid out three types of suffering that Christ experienced emotional/mental, physical, and spiritual.  He experienced emotional and mental pain when he was lonely and again when he was betrayed by a kiss.  The physical pain is something that horrifies us all when the Bible describes the crown of thorns, his body beaten, furrows of a whip, driving nails, and hung on a cross so marred that he didn't even look like a man anymore.  But the greatest suffering was his spiritual pain on the cross he suffered our hell, he was forsaken of God and for the first and only time, there was a break in communion with God.  And all to accomplish salvation for us.  Bro. Ronnie told us that we should respond to this with greater obedience, a looser grip on the world, a tighter grip on Jesus, and be constrained not to sin.



Saturday afternoon only Bro. Ronnie preached since he needed to catch a plane.  His subject was "Israel and all that He Hath."  In a very short time, he preached from Genesis 46, showing Jacob/Israel as a picture of Christ and us.  He showed how Israel took all that he had on the journey, none were left behind.  Just like one day Christ will take all of his people to heaven, there will not be a single child of God lost or forgotten or left behind on that journey.  Just like Joseph and his children were already in the land of Egypt, some of God's people are already in Heaven, but one day we will all be there together.  He also showed that Jacob was carried there, being old and unable to carry himself, and we will be carried there, since we are unable to carry ourselves.  He also showed how Jacob was satisfied when he arrived and saw Joseph.  When we all arrive in Heaven and see our Savior's face we too will be satisfied!


Sunday morning Bro. Chris preached on "God of the Hills and the Valleys"  beginning in I Kings 20:20.  Over several Sundays now (a few months at least) he has been preaching on the attributes of God at Little Union: God of hope, God of Peace, God of Love, God of All Comfort, etc.  I've really enjoyed the sermons, and gone back to listen to many of the ones that I had missed when we visited other places.  This sermon just fit right with those.  He showed us how God is with us in the valley of tears and cares for us when we are weeping and mourning (Psa 84:5 among other verses),  He is also with us in the valley of bravery, when though afraid we go forward in trust (Num 13).  He can bless the valley of trouble to bring peace and hope (Joshua 7).  He goes with us in the valley of the shadow of death (Psa 23).  In the "valley of the mighty oak" He becomes our defender and gives us strength (I Sam 17).  He also is in the valley of blessing, where we see through no power or strength of our own he defeats our enemies.  It is easy to see God when we are on the mountain when we are in the middle of the best Church sermon we've ever heard, when we have no problems, plenty of money, no stress or illness, but God is with us through all the miserable parts of life as well, and because of that I've found they aren't so miserable as I initially feared.



Immediately following morning services we had communion.  It was very special for Gary.  Many of the Churches in the Northern Virginia area, for whatever reason do not wash feet.  There is a very dear brother down there that visits us a lot at Old Carroll, and Gary has begged him every communion for the last few years to allow Gary to wash his feet.  He has always said no, but for the first time ever he washed feet with Gary that Sunday, and it made our day.  It was also very sweet for me to again sit in communion together with Old Carroll.  Last time we had communion, was in October and it was the weekend after Gary interviewed for the job here in Florida, but before they made an offer.  I picked him up from the airport on Friday and we booked to Old Carroll for the weekend.  It is unbelievable what has changed in that length of time.  It was good not only to think on all the Lord has done for us in taking the Lord's supper, but it was also a great blessing to think of all this little Church has done for us as we served one another and washed feet.  And then before I knew it service was over.














After services, we inhaled lunch, and got on the road about 2.  We caravaned with the Crouses as far as Savannah, GA about midnight.  We waved to them as they got off their exit, and we continued south.  We pulled in our driveway at 6:15, and Gary had just long enough to clean up before hopping back in the truck to go to work.  That evening after work and baseball games, I told him we are getting to old to be doing this.  But we both agreed we were VERY glad we went.

On Saturday, I sowed lots of buttons.  Two buttons.  They were pink and orange.  I used a real needle that was pointy and sharp for the buttons.  And the bigger kids got to sew dresses with sewing machines.  I liked it because there was even a little plastic heart I was making.  I learned how to stitch a button on,  I made a running stitch in that thing in my hand there.  I made zig zags too.  I was using pink for the heart.  I like to sew, because it is fun.  One day I'll get to make a big one like Momma's sewing kit.  I want to sew my own stocking too or a dress.  I'm going to go to town, and use some of my spending money and money from Ahna and buy me a little sewing kit to start.

Last weekend, I went with Memaw and Mister to Granddaddy Garland's house.  The mound of dirt was fun.  There is a mound of dirt because they used a kind of tractor and a wheel burrow to dig.  They dug a hole, to put in Granddaddy Garland's swimming pool.  It became a pile of dirt.  The first day, Ruth and Rebecca played in the mound with me.  The second day I had to play alone.  Memaw got Mister's special spoon and a bunch of tractors for me to play with.  I pretended I was king of the mountain.  I was fighting for my mountain castle, like the dwarves in the Hobbit.  I had a special spoon, so that when I threw it, and I put my hand out, it would come back to me, like Thor's hammer.  I fought a great battle.  Then I took a pause and got a drink of Mister's big bottle of coke.  Then I put my gloves on and went back on the mountain.  I helped them with the construction part a little, I gave them the instructions when they needed it.  When there was lightening I was on the mountain, so Mister said to get all the toys and leave.  I got almost all the tractors, and the spoon.  And I accidently left my gloves.  I put an x there, but it washed away in the rain.  I had a good day with Mister, and I even got to eat a few oreos with Granddaddy Garland.