Time to clear the homeschooling shelves....

I have been busy sorting through our curriculm shelves and have some that would love new homes. In case any of you readers might be in search of some of these excellent resources I will list them here. Prices do not include shipping, I will ship media mail and will calculate any shipping charges based on your purchase and location. I do accept non-credit card paypal.

Learning Language Arts through Literature Green Book 7^th to 8^th Grade Skills, this is an older version (1992 copyright)

Condition: used, spiral bound, some light pencil markings.

$2.00

Learning Language Arts through Literature Gray Book 7^th to 8^th Grade Skills (?) this is an older version (1991 copyright)

Condition: used, spiral bound, some (partial) separation of binding, light pencil markings.

$2.00

Ray’s Arithmetic this is the complete series on CD-ROM SOLD

Read more about this series here: http://www.mottmedia.com/pages/publications.asp?Pub=rays

Basic Math:

Primary Arithmetic

Intellectual Arithmetic*

Practical Arithmetic*

Higher Arithmetic*

Intermediate Math:

Ray’s Elementary Algebra*

Ray’s Higher Algebra*

Ray’s Plane and solid Geometry

Ray’s Geometry and Trigonometry

Advanced Math:

Ray’s Analytic Geometry

Ray’s Differential and Integral Calculus

Ray’s Elements of Astronomy

Ray’s Surveying and Navigation

*includes Answer Keys and/or Test Problems text

Also Includes Ruth Beechick’s Parent Teacher Guide (separate book)

Condition: Excellent, no markings.

$45.00

The Complete Book of World History (McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing) Grades 4-8 SOLD

Condition: Excellent

$8.00

Phonics Pathways

Two Book set: Phonics Pathways and Pyramid Book to be uses with PP. Spiral bound. Includes some laminated game cards.

Condition: Good (one corner of cover to PP slightly bent)

$25.00

Discovering Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew A workbook for Students and Teachers

Condition: Paperback, Good (no markings)

$10.00

Teaching Beginning Writing Creative Teaching Press K-2

Condition: Paperback, Good (name on front in permanent marker, no marking inside)

$6.00

Horizons Mathematics 3 Teachers Handbook Part 1 and 2 (Copyright 1993)

Includes Book 2 of student book, Lessons 110-160 unmarked

Condition: spiral bound, Good (some light pencil marking)

$10.00

BJU Biblical Truths for Christian Schools Learning from the Life of Christ Level A. second edition

Condition: Used (some pencil notes and highlighting)

$6.00

Home Educator’s Tutor SOLD

This is a “magazine” Charlotte Mason curriculum which includes Nature Study, Shakespeare, Character, Art, Literature, Composer, and more, each unit also contains a CD of selections for the term’s composer, Folk Songs and Hymns.

Includes: Term 1 (September 2005)

Term 2 (December 2005)

Term 3 (Spring 2006)

Term 4 (Summer 2006)

Term 1 (Fall 2006)

Condition: Good

This is an excellent CM curriculum, the publisher was unable to maintain the high quality of curriculum for the price and is no longer publishing.

$25.00

Abeka God’s Gift of Language B SOLD

Teacher’s Edition, Student Tests and Teacher’s Test Key

Condition: Spiral Bound, Good (name in ink on front of student test book)

$18.00

Math Fables by Greg Tang

Condition: Paperback, Excellent

$2.00

Poems and Prayers for the Very Young Selected and Illustrated by Martha Alexander

Condition: Paperback, Excellent

$1.50

Poems to Read to the Very Young Selected by Josette Frank

Condition: Paperback, Good (name in ink in front cover)

$1.50

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Condition: Paperback, Good (name in ink in front cover)

$1.50

Feel free to message me with any questions.

In addition to cleaning off the school shelves to make room for the coming school year I have been doing my best to stay cool in the desert heat. The local TV weather today said that this June was one of the eight hottest on record. Like I really needed to hear that!

The girls and I are enjoying the free family movies that Regal Cinnemas are showing on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. We have seen Artic Tale and The Bee Movie. Fun, cool entertainment for just the right price!

Mikayla has returned from camp and it is oh so good to have her home. As suspected, she had a great time, learned that she needs God more than she realized, made some awesome new friends, played fun games, and learned archery. She arrived home exhausted, mosquito bitten, scratched, bruised and happy . Already she is planning to return next year. Thanks to all who prayed for her (and me) while she was gone.

This week has been busy getting Mikayla ready for camp, getting Mercedes to and from Tae Kwon Do camp and getting Bill off to the office. Me? I feel like I am gliding along on auto-pilot (that's not necessarily a "bad" thing).

Shhhhh, listen...do you hear the quiet?

My home is quiet this morning with just the hum of the computer, a bit of noise from the passing traffic through the open door and the tap, tap, tap of Mercedes playing on her computer next to me on mine. 

It wasn't so quiet around here when the alarm rang at 3:45 so that we could get Mikayla to the airport at 5AM to meet up with her youth group and fly off to Missoula MT for camp. This camp experience is a HUGE, HUGE HUGE thing for us (me). She has never been away from home for more than one night at a time, and she has only been away from home for one night three different times. The first one doesn't count because it was the night her sister was born. Not only has she never been away, I LIKE my girls and I LOVE spending time with them. They are great people and friends... companions. So, last night when I tucked them into bed, Mercedes was sobbing at the fact that her sister was leaving this morning for TEN WHOLE DAYS (that practically seems like forever). And, as I checked in on Mikayla before she finally drifted off to sleep she admitted "I'm going to miss you guys."  

My prayer for Mikayla while she is gone, in the words of Paul in his prayer for the Ephesian believers (Ephesians 3:14-19) "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts thrugh faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." AMEN!

Guess I'm not the only one missing our oldest, Bill just called from the office to see if I had heard from her. Since the plane was scheduled to land just less than an hour ago, we can't really expects a call yet. But, we wait...not nearly as patiently as we should.

For Mercedes, Tae Kwon Do camp has been fun this week. The "camp" is done by the city and is run by our TKD instructor, Master G. He is great with the kids, the surroundings are familiar and there are other kids that take classes with us participating. This is Mercedes' first "on her own" experience. Until now, she has been very happy to reside in the shadow of her sister, not really venturing out for activities on her own. The timing of this just before sister goes away for camp is good preparation for the next ten days as an "only child."

Well household chores await...

Until next blog, may God bless you in ways that continue to amaze you and point to His Goodness and Love! 

Burning the school work...

Today marks one week since we finished our school work for the 2007/2008 school year. The girls did awesome. I have an informal reading assessment that I give at the end of each year to help us mark improvement. Both girls did extremely well and showed good improvement. I only grade a few classes, just so the girls can get a feel for how they are doing. Mikayla received 2 A's and 2 B's and Mercedes received 1 A.

I posted earlier that they wanted to burn the homework, like some of their friends said they did. We sorted through the work and saved the big projects and special work and the rest went to the barbeque.

The burning ceremony turned out to be bitter sweet. It was much harder than expected to see all of the hard work go up in flames and we decided that next year we would not repeat this ceremony.

This has been a rather quiet week for us, settling into summer routines. Mercedes will be attending Tae Kwon Do camp next week, Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 PM. Mikayla leaves on Friday, June 13th for camp in Montana. She is very excited and we have lots of preparations to do next week.

Have a lovely weekend!

Today was another Paws and Read at our library. Mercedes treasures these times to read to the therapy dogs. Maggie is a real sweetheart and you can tell by the way she just plops her head down that she loves story time.

Some snuggle time is always included.

Maggie's "mom" always comments on what a good reader Mercedes is.

Stop back tomorrow, our last day of school report is coming....

Mother's Day "Tea"

We had a lovely Mother's Day tea with Mom in Alaska. She enjoyed a cup of Orange Jasmine, the girls and I opted for rootbeer floats (hey! it was HOT here)

and we chatted on the phone. That's the best solution to spending Mother's Day miles away from Mom.

My Mother's Day was special. We went out for dinner at a new, and very good Chinese restaurant Saturday evening. Sunday is way too crowded and the waits are long, food is usually mediocre and servers are tired and grouchy. Mikayla bought me a beautiful coffee mug and Mercedes bought me a Prayers and Thoughts Journal. They each made me beautiful cards (Mercedes made 3!)

After church we had restful and relaxing day.