A few months ago, we began noticing subtle changes in one of our cats, Paul Revere. The litter box started seeming more full than normal. Paul was sipping from the water dish more often than usual. When we returned from an out-of-state trip in July, he seemed to have lost weight.
Initially, we assumed our 9-year-old kitty was simply showing signs of his age. But when he began leaving puddles around the litter box and walking with an uncomfortably arched back, we called the vet.
When a family friend invited us to spend the weekend in his mountain cabin, how could we say no? Although modern conveniences like cell signals would be inaccessible, quality time as a family would be worth the sacrifice.
At about this time every year, the inevitable question arises: What grade are your kids going into? For the twins this year, the answer is a bit tricky. They are gearing up for a second year of eighth grade.
Did the girls perform so poorly last year that our only recourse is to repeat the 8th grade? Nothing could be further from the truth. Both of the twins are outstanding students who have already earned high school credit in science and math. Read on to find out why they are waiting an extra year before beginning high school.
I am not a gardener. Contentedly blossoming plants tremble in fear when they see me coming. They are destined for death. I’ll either overwater them or forget them entirely—often alternating between those two extremes. The plants don’t stand a chance.
Because I have such a black thumb, I had never dared to trim the bushes around our house, for fear I would utterly obliterate them. This year, however, we are saving money for a family trip. One of the casualties of our newly discovered frugality was our landscaping service. At first, we didn’t notice much of a difference. But by the end of May, the bushes were threatening to block the path to our front door.
Do you remember the Bible story of Naaman, the Syrian soldier who contracted leprosy? A Jewish slave girl urged him to go see the prophet Elisha in Israel. Perhaps Elisha could heal him.
Who was this unnamed slave girl? What was she like? And how did she become enslaved? The Bible is silent on these questions, but Jarm Del Boccio, Author, explores possible answers in her debut book, The Heart Changer.
While visiting my parents in Maryland, my husband and I were discussing possible places to visit. Historical sites abound in that area, making the decision difficult. We finally settled on an excursion to Mount Vernon, the home of our nation’s first President.
When my 15-year-old puts her mind to something, she is unstoppable! At the beginning of February, I introduced her to the CLEP program, which allows her to study a topic and then take an exam to earn college credit. Her efforts would also count for high school credit. She could hardly wait to get started.
As the school year drew to a close for my tenth-grade daughter, I began to worry. After completing ninth grade, she only had 5½ credits. She had bounced from one curriculum to another in many of her subjects this year. Has she earned enough credits to be a junior in the fall?
When a review opportunity for Hewitt Homeschooling Resources came up, I was hesitant at first. One of my friends uses their curriculum to teach high school English at a local homeschool hybrid school. She advised that their courses effectively teach literary analysis but may not provide enough writing instruction. Should we take the plunge anyway? My daughter would make the final decision.
Skeptically, I sat down with her and looked at some of the sample pages. Since she is not a fan of English, I expected her to take one look at the curriculum and reject it. She didn’t. As we examined the various high school options, she gravitated to the American Early-Mid 19th Century Lightning Lit course.
Knowing she would need to study American Literature at some point, she reasoned, why not use this? It would complement the US History course she was wrapping up. To finish out our homeschool year, she could complete the first six weeks of American Lit.
Even though English, Math, Social Studies, and Science form the foundation of what most people consider school, electives are equally essential. Our homeschool electives reflect our Christian faith and my children’s unique interests. This year, the twins studied Bible, Apologetics, Art, Computer Programming, and two Foreign Languages. Read on to explore the resources we used.
