Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ 2013 - 2014 Curriculum

Hello out there in blogger world! Are you soaking up the sun every chance you get just as I am?

With all of this glorious hot weather & these lazy pool days, I really don't want to start thinking about school. But C'est la vie. Think, I do & plan, I must soon.

So let's talk about what curriculum choices we will be using for the upcoming year.

 Let's start with the obvious here. This will be our 4th year with Tapestry of Grace & Story of the World. Do you KNOW what that means? (come on history cycle users, help me out here...) I DON'T HAVE TO BUY HISTORY ANYMORE!!! **happy dance**

That's right TOG is on a 4 year cycle. So next year I start back with teaching year 2 (which I have already purchased!) Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I will find something to use that , um, extra money on.

We love using TOG. I even found the Pop Quiz CDs at The Homeschool Gathering Place while we were in Raleigh last week. WE have also been blessed to be able to get copies of SOTW on CD. This is a great alternative to me having to read everything!

We will continue memorizing important events in history with the timeline cards by Veritas Press. This is a fun way for the kids (& myself) to remember those events. And you WILL be amazed at how much they learn!

Since we are studying Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, & Bible Times, I picked up a few art books to go along with it. Draw and Write Through History is filled with art lessons, information, & copywork. They have 6 different books that cover the different eras through out history.

The next easy choice was science. We LOVE Apologia Science. It is one of the few Creationist curriculums out there. I let the kids choose between swimming creatures & land animals this year. They were both good choices, but swimming had my vote as well.

I don't personally use the notebooks. Austin hated it the first year & Makenzie really isn't old enough for it yet.

Hold up! Before you ask. Yes, this is the same Latin that we used last year. Unfortunately Latin wasn't a priority for us last year, so we didn't learn much. Oh well. Let's try it again.

Austin will continue using Teaching Textbooks this year. He still has some of 6 to complete, then he will start on 7. Makenzie will work on Horizons 2. We have never used Horizons before, so we will see how this goes.

We will go back to Easy Grammar with Austin. Learning Language Arts Through Literature just wasn't working for us. He will finish Daily Grams 5 because I didn't enough difference in the 5 & 6 books. Besides he still had plenty of lessons left in 5 to complete.

He will also complete the second half of Jump In by Apologia. This is meant to last over 2 years. I am sort of on the fence with this one. I haven't seen much improvement in his writing this year, but I hate to just give up. I am still praying about Institute for Excellence in Writing's Bible Based Lessons. We tried IEW a few years ago, but he resisted so much. It was our first year homeschooling & I was really trying to pick my battles. IEW was not one I chose to fight over, so we dropped it. I wonder now if he really disliked it, disliked writing in general, or was just pushing my buttons. I don't have a clear answer yet, but I can't get it out of my head, so don't be surprised if we switch to that.

He is also using Wordly Wise 300 again this year. Last year was the first time we used it and he didn't fight it much, so that's a good thing!

Makenzie will be using All About Spelling & All About Reading this year. These are both BRAND NEW to her & me too! (I'm scared! They look so intimidating!) She is still struggling to read, so pray for us both!!

Austin has used Explode the Code before & enjoyed it so I thought I would try it with her this year. They even have an online version that I need to look into.

I have a generic 2nd grade work book for her. She seems to like those. I also found an easy writing curriculum to introduce her to the concept.

So, there you have it in a nutshell.

Welcome to Tapestry of Grace & a Look Inside This Crazy Thing I Call Life

Hello everyone! I am sitting here in western North Carolina enjoying the bright blue skies, the puffy white clouds, & the cooling breeze. I tell you this because yesterday was nothing like this. This is taken from my Facebook status...

"I know many people suffered from the storms that tore not only through North Carolina, but all across the country. I was getting ready to walk out the door headed to town when it started pouring rain. I looked out the back door & I have NEVER seen that much debris flying through the air (except on TV). The sky was filled with limbs, leaves & stuff. We watched several trees snap just over the hill & it looked like the others (very tall skinny trees) were almost touching the ground. These are the same trees that blocked Austin Traphill Rd & our firemen spent all night & part of the morning cutting out of the road. As we went to the front door for a different view, pieces of tin from our building sailed by. The door was almost impossible to open due to the wind. My father in law saw "something" & heard it - call it a small twister, whirling dervish, whatever - spinning over our house. It all happened too fast for me to have processed the fear that probably should have come. I was just in awe at the power. After driving around surveying the path & the damage, I am thankful for those trees down on Austin Traphill Rd. I believe they put up enough block to save my house. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones & suffered more damage than we did. Trees can be replaced, lives cannot."

Now, that I have told you the where, let my tell you the who & why.

My name is Tracie. I am just a county girl with big dreams for the future. I have been married for almost 14 years to my best friend. He is a pastor, EMT, & firefighter. We have 3 (for now - maybe I can talk him into the 4th) of the most beautiful kids in the history of the world. I'm just a little biased. Austin is 11 and entering the 6th grade. He loves football, dirt bikes, & hunting. Makenzie is 7 and entering 2nd grade. She plays soccer, cheer leads, & has the most tender heart I have ever seen (except towards her older brother). Logan is 2. He is loving, mischievous & gets into everything. My family is starting our 4th year on this homeschool journey. It hasn't been easy, but the harvest will be worth it!

We started out in a co-op, but learned very quickly that wasn't for us. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the people, but I didn't like the demands of "their" schedule. One of the joys of homeschool is setting your own pace. It wasn't a waste of time, we made good friends, learned many lessons in a short amount of time, and stumbled onto Tapestry of Grace.

In our short time homeschooling, I have tried, tossed, tried again, hated, loved, & settled into several different curriculum. There are SO MANY to choose from!! Tapestry has been one of the constants. Now while many people use Tapestry of Grace in many different ways, we only use the history & geography. Occasionally, we throw in the art projects. I also use it very loosely. I don't buy every single book that they recommend  I would LOVE to, but we don't have the finances or the room. I do still buy more than I need to, I'm sure! If I can't find a book from their list, I gladly substitute something from the library. I am also an avid Story of the World user. We have the CDs & my kids LOVE them! Hey, it makes my job easier too.

I wanted to homeschool my kids from day 1. I worked at a local credit union and had good hours, but as my  son got closer to Kindergarten, I started to panic. My 2 oldest have always been in day care, so that wasn't the issue. I fast forwarded many years & saw me leaving work, fixing supper, doing homework, baths, & bed. I imagined missing many extracurricular events & never having time for fun. It probably didn't help that I realized day care was raising my daughter. I only saw her 2 hours a day (she went to bed early).

My husband thought I was NUTS! No way did he want his kids to be unsocialized & unaccepted. (He laughs at that now! We are so involved, its crazy at times!)

I started praying desperately! James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Two weeks before my son started kindergarten, I accepted a position with the same school system. God is so good!

Long story short.......My husband announced his call to preach. His attitude toward home school changed. I left my job (Another long story you can read here, but PLEASE don't judge me. God is using my failure to encourage others so I am ok with people knowing. Please start at the beginning of August 2010 so you may understand a little more.) and we brought my 2nd grader home in order to teach him & his siblings the way we wanted to.

I use blogging as part therapy, part diary, part proof, & part ministry. You never know when I'm going to have an epiphany or find something that completely ticks me off. I've never been good at holding my tongue, have been known to eat my foot repeatedly, & will cry at the drop of a hat. If you want to join me in this life that I affectionately refer to as The Insane Asylum, feel free to check out my personal blog at G.R.A.C.E., follow it on Facebook, & drop by my home business.