Simple Homeschool Planning

by heidijo on June 14, 2013

I have to be honest, my favorite thing about homeschooling besides spending time with my kids is planning out the new school year(notice note a mention of anything “schooly”). I just love everything about it. I love the new books, the new curriculum guides, the new planner, just the NEW NEW NEW!!!  The new school year is likes God’s grace, new every morning, or in this case, new every year. So every year I dig my toes in the sand relax, reflect and refresh before the big planning begins.  I am off in two weeks to enjoy this RRR time. BUT I thought I would give you a peek into what my planning week (or two) will look like when I come back.

First off your planning needs to start with a GREAT planner. I have tried many planners, including creating my own (which ends up being very costly to print up). I have come to discover that the only thing I want or need in a planner is simple and basic planning sheets designed for multiple homeschool children.  I have finally found a planner that I really really LOVE and which works PERFECTLY for me. So here it is -

planner

 A Simple Plan Homeschool Family Planner

http://www.mardel.com/A-Simple-Plan-Homeschool-Lesson-Planner-2013-2014-5917349.aspx

Check it out, you will be glad you did.

So on to one of the ways that I have used to plan out our learning time over the years. (Last year was quite a break from the norm, as we moved countries). I have written a great Easy Homeschool planning course. Check it out below :-)

  1. Easy Homeschool Planning – Intro http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-intro/
  2. Easy Homeschool Planning – SET http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-set/
  3. Easy Homeschool Planning – CHOOSE http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-choose/
  4. Easy Homeschool Planning – PLAN http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-plan/
  5. Easy Homeschool Planning – PREP http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-prep/
  6. Easy Homeschool Planning – REVIEW http://www.heidijokemp.com/2011/07/easy-homeschool-planning-review/ 

This is a very simple but workable plan for getting it all together easily. You can hold your plans as tightly or loosely as you like.  Enjoy!

 


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My Walk with God

by heidijo on May 20, 2013

 

When I think about giving my testimony it really scares me!  For years I didn’t think I really had a testimony to share.  I was “saved” at age 8 in an AWANA meeting.  I have always gone to church and probable would have been born in church if my birth happened on a Sunday!  My parents were youth leaders and I walked along the Christian path for most of my life.  For all intensive purposes I was “Christian” in every sense of the word.

 

As I moved through the years the walk became so much harder and I wondered why?  What was it that I wasn’t getting?  Then the real questions surfaced, “What does it really mean to be a Christian?”  “What does Christ require of us?” and “Am I willing to give Him what He wants” I came to a point where I was so unsure of what I was and what I wanted to become.

 

My parents are radical Christians and truly love God.  I had all the knowledge that they had instilled in me about Christianity and Religion.  But, after all of the years I had never taken that knowledge to heart.  I was living their “religion”.  I had not made it my own and now I was lost and searching for a way back to God.

 

I know for a fact that if you seek after God he is right there waiting for you.  God put so many things in my life to draw me back to Him.  My parents were encouraging me all along the way without judgment or pressure.  I met the perfect man for me.  God used our relationship to draw us both back to Him.  God provided each of my four children at the perfect time to draw me even closer to Him.

 

The road has been long and very hard at times.  It seems that as soon as I would actively seek after God, Satan would fight his hardest to bring me back into the existence of ineffective complacence in my Christian walk.  I have fought many battles but with Christ have won the victory for HIM.

 

Once I embraced Christ and His Way I threw myself whole heartedly into “working” for Him (or so I thought).  I started homeschooling my girls, teaching Sunday school, leading a ladies Bible Study, leading an after school Bible Club and of course saying YES to everything I was asked to do.  As you can imagine, I became absolutely exhausted, in body, spirit and mind.  Now I was at a loss for what to do.  That is when God used my husband to step in and say “no more!”  I prayed thinking “God would never want me to give up any ministry, would He?”  God spoke very clearly for me to obey my husband!  I dropped everything, and I mean everything but homeschooling my kids.  All of a sudden God’s love surrounded my life and I knew I was walking in His way, down the path that He had for ME.

 

As I have walked each day in obedience to God, everything has changed.  Through seeking Him through His Word and prayer my view of the Christian life has changed.  I have developed a great knowledge of what God has called me to be as a women, wife and mother.  The funny thing is that it is not what I thought it would be.  It is not a life of self-denial or misery serving others.  It is actually a joy and a lightning of my load to love and obey God, love and obey my husband, love, train and disciple my children.  It is only when I let the world dictate what I am suppose to be or what my life is suppose to look like that I get overwhelmed and frustrated.  God’s way is truly easy and His burden light.  The trick is to keep my eyes focused on Him and His ways.

 

My testimony is not one of radical salvation from some horrible life.  Although His salvation in my life is has been just as real and radical.  It is one of finding the path that God has laid out for me.  I am blessed to share my heart in my walk with God.


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Egan’s Boiled Fish

by heidijo on May 16, 2013

Egan’s Boiled Fish

8 -10 cups water or more if you like juice
3 large onions, sliced
5 potatoes diced chunks
1/2 cup butter
1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce (not Tabasco!)
1 cup lime juice (can be bottled)
White fish filets seasoned with salt and pepper

Bring water, onions, potatoes, butter, hot sauce, lime juice to a boil. Cook in med/low until potatoes test done. Add fish and bring to a boil, cook boiling for 5-10 mins.
Enjoy with grits and cheese.


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Barefoot Curriculum 2013

May 15, 2013

School Curriculum 2013-2014  Anri (age 15)  Bible               Psalms – New Inductive Study Series  Math               Geometry – Math U See  Language Arts               English 101- taken at Polk State College Science           [...]

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Confessions of a Homeschool Mom

May 12, 2013

I just read the best blog post by Amy Storm who just happens to be our associate pastors daughter in love. She has been doing a Mothers Day confession the past few years. You know the ones that look nothing like your Facebook posts or Twitter feeds. Words that reflect a little more reality and [...]

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Greek Salmon with Sautéd Kale

May 10, 2013

I was super blessed with 4 nice bunches of Fresh Kale. So I got busy creating a yummy meal to use it up. This is my very quick one pan solution. It was so good I made it 2 days in a row. And yes I ate this whole recipe myself Greek Salmon with Sautéd [...]

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Learning Paces and Spaces

May 8, 2013

Our homeschool has gone through many changes over the past 11 years. What started out as a mirror school at home, has metaphorically turned into a delight directed adventure. Sure we do Math, Language Arts, Science, History, PE and oh so much more, sometimes it comes in the package of a workbook, a notebook, a Living Book, [...]

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Change, Change, Change

May 6, 2013

Life is full of change. I am unusually good with change. I embrace it. I relish in it. I conquer it. It might be my easy-going style, or it could be my fearless nature, or most likely my peace in knowing that God’s plan and purpose is always best. With all this easy-going, fearless, peace [...]

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Barefoot in the Rain

May 4, 2013

Rain makes me happy. Rain comforts me. Rain warms my soul. In the rain I can just be ME. As the rain falls outside my window it reflects my very soul.  I see my life peaceful and silent in each drizzle. I pause to pray for strength as each drop conforms into tears. As the [...]

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39 years

April 8, 2013

Happy Birthday to me! As I sit here reflecting on my life this morning I am happy and blessed. Today my house is quite (at this moment) but vey soon will be filled with life, giggles, messes, and so much more. Looking back 20 years I would have never imagined my life as it is [...]

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