Live + Love + Laugh = Learn

How to find the right music teacher

2010-08-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

I am feeling compelled to write a blog about how to find a worthwhile music teacher. You usually can't spot a bad teacher right away without musical experience. So how do you pick the right teacher for your child?

After having taught private lessons for 17 years I often have friends ask for help in finding a private music instructor. I love it when I'm asked, but I'm not sure I always give the answers they want to hear. People want simple answers, and for something that I have devoted my life to, there are no simple answers. Your answer will depend on how you answer the questions that I ask.

Here is an example of a recent email correspondence with a friend:

Hi Christine! Questions on lessons:
with recital or without?
group, private, both?
in home or at studio or at someone else's home?
what to look for in an instructor?

My answer:
Before I can answer, my question to you would be...What do you want out of lessons?

As I leave you to ponder, it may, or may not help to explain my own family's feelings on music and why we do what we do:

For my family, my objective in all that we do is to give my children a "key". They get a key in music, math, LA, Science and so on. When they get to the point in which they decide what it is that they want to do in life they have all of these "doors" in front of them of which to decide which one, or ones, they will open and walk through. However, these doors are locked and can only be opened with a key. A key which is the knowledge they were given earlier in life. The key has to fit the door, it has to be enough to open whatever path my children choose.

For music, that key can be enjoyment and a hobby or it can turn into a career. I have no idea what my children will choose, and frankly I don't care if they choose music or not. But I understand all too well in paying for lessons (of any kind) there are some that give a key at the end of it all, and some that give a false hope that looks like a key. Music lessons are SO much more than music. They are for building character, perseverance, and understanding personal responsibility. They should push a child to practice daily so that they understand that each day gets them closer to a goal and that hard work pays off. The rewards for these personal traits are endless and as you can see another key within itself.

This is the way I have taught my students. I am a kind and compassionate teacher, yet I am firm. I will not except less than what a child can give through daily practice. Students that continually do not practice will be asked to find another teacher. This is not because of my own impatience, but because I know I have nothing to give to those students who give nothing. In my honest opinion this always reflects on the parents. It is the parents responsibility to schedule a young child's day so that music practice is as close to the same time daily. Only a parent can teach a child to be consistent. Yes it is hard, but it is worth everything.

So after writing this novel... LOL.... I ask again, "What do you want out of lessons?" When you can answer this, I can answer all your questions;)

Now depending on the answer I receive, I would advise my friend on how to find a teacher that fits her family. If she answers that she just wants to see if her child is interested, then I would say almost any teacher would fit. If she knows her child is interested and wants to seek a "key" then my answer would be more like this:
The best teacher is always kind and never impatient in front of the student. You or your child should never be uncomfortable (unless they didn't practice for the third week in a row). For young children the teacher should require that the parent sit in on all lessons so that they know the parent can help the child follow through with what is assigned for practice each week. After the basics are learned the teacher should include music theory as a part of each lesson and have a separate workbook just for theory. There is no understanding in music without the understanding of basic music theory. I also like to include music history as a part of my lessons and require my high school students to research the composer of each of the solos they play.

There are many music teachers that simply love music and want to teach. My advice here is to be careful. Love of music is a beautiful gift, but a parent could end up paying a lot of money to a teacher that will give false hope to you and your child. I can personally count all of the high school seniors that have come to me from just such teachers. The student would be so excited about how great of a player they were, only to find out they had wrong fingerings, bad posture and breathing techniques, and incorrect rhythm. These students were preparing for their college auditions with high hopes of scholarships.. and why wouldn't they? They had spent years of private lessons and their parents has spent $1000's of dollars in the hope that it would be returned to them in the form of scholarship money. Their teacher praised the students efforts without correcting the mistakes (or perhaps even worse; without understanding the mistakes). All the while raking in their money from many students lured in by low prices.

My best advice is call the high school band director in your area. (Yes, even if your child is just 5 or 7) The high school music director will have experience with the best teachers and understand where to direct you. Ask your teachers to provide references, experience, and background checks. Your teacher should specialize in one or two instruments. Beware of teachers who teach guitar, piano, flute, violin, and trumpet for example. Sure there is a rare teacher who is a master at all, but like I said...rare!

I'm sure I didn't cover all the bases here in this simple blog so post your questions and I'll be happy to help if I can. Remember these are my honest opinions based on 17 years of teaching and 7 years of finding music teachers for my own children. I've made many mistakes and earned my knowledge! I sincerely hope to save you some heartache and money along the way!

Blessings!

Simple Sunday

2010-07-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Blogging and writing has always been a passion of mine. So as I work to breathe life back into my dead blog I will be adding some new elements. As you may have guessed, one of those new elements will be "Simple Sunday". You can journey with me as I discover, struggle, and learn about how living simply will work for me and my family. I fully desire with my whole heart to live a Christ centered, simple life. I've discovered a lot of things that don't work for my life and heart, so through much prayer I've come to the idea of simplicity. LOL... remember K.I.S.S. from elementary school? I guess it takes some of us longer to figure it all out:)

Psalm 19:7 The Law of the Lord is perfect; it gives us new life. His teachings last forever,and they give wisdom to simple people.

Get Me Out of the Box!!

2010-07-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seemingly lost a year of homeschooling? Maybe even more than one year?

You look back and think.. "I'm sure I home schooled last year, but where oh where is the light and passion for learning in my children's eyes?" "When did my HOME school become SCHOOL at home?"

I admittedly stuffed my children and myself into "the" box slowly over the last few years. I gave in to the pressure to conform and I'm very sorry for it. I guess I should be thankful I'm realizing it before my kids graduate! I'm now moving out of the the dark narrow tunnel I've been in and letting my mind freely roam the lush and comforting hills of non conformity once again! So come with me the weather is fine:)

The first thing I have done to break the chains (or should I say the seal on our box?) is to sit down with my children to discuss how they feel about school, co-op, and the other million activities that are sucking the life out of us. Thank goodness for children and their ability say exactly how they feel. I have to admit to temporary societal insanity and bought into the idea that the "more" my kids were involved in different activities the better off they were. (So what if it sucked the life and happiness out of them and our family? They would get into a better college and be more "well rounded" right?)

Now armed with that knowledge I am getting ready to sit down with my family to talk about our values. I want to understand what we as a family consider "success" or a "life with no regrets" to be. Once we understand what our family values are we can begin to move towards real success. This new definition is the key to setting us free. I doubt any of my family members will consider a "big house" or several expensive new cars to be on the top of their achievement list when they are breathing their last breath. I strongly feel that my family, and virtually all of the human race, would say the love of family, internal peace, helping others, and a happy simple life where I gave time to those that mattered most were their most prized "possessions".

Don't get me wrong, I will still hold my children to a high academic standard. However, with our long term values and goals defined, we will have the freedom to explore, inspire, volunteer, and find our passions once again. After all, my passion is learning with and inspiring my family!

I can't wait for this new school year to start!

Memories of Melody

2009-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

After thirteen wonderful years with our friend Melody she passed away today. Words cannot express our sadness. We are grateful for the time we had with her. She taught us all about unconditional love and what it truly means to be devoted.

Rest in Peace Melody... we will meet again someday:)

Penny's From Heaven

2009-07-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

We have welcomed a new addition to our family last week. Her name is Penny. Penny had a rough start in life as she was found with her sister dropped off in front of an Ohio Hospital. Luckily the person that found her was my Mom. Now, if you don't know it already, my mom is one of the most caring and giving people you'll ever meet. She could never walk by and not help a person or animal to the best of her ability. So she took the time to get both frightened kittens into her car before they ran into the busy nearby traffic. I was blessed she asked me if I could care for one of the kittens. At first I didn't think we could have time for another animal, but when I saw Penny and her little eyes meet mine it was love at first sight! She is truly a once in a lifetime cat. Already she has purred her way into our hearts and is one of the family.

It took longer than we expected to name her. There were many ideas but none seemed to be the "purrfect" fit. One day the boys were spinning pennies on the floor and she ran over to join in the play. She loved stomping on the pennies and chasing them across the floor. Penny just seemed to fit! She also has a copper circle on her head the same size as a penny. It's almost as if she was giving us a clue all along:) We are blessed to have her in our lives and are thankful she and her sister are safe and off the streets.

When Life gives you Lemons....

2009-06-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

...Make lemonade!! Summer is here and it's time for simple family fun. Making lemonade is a blast for my kids and working together is the best part:)

I've found a fool proof lemonade that comes out perfect every time. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice. (Making silly lemon eyes is required for laughing purposes only)

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate or add ice. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Serves 6.

Enjoy your summer!

Finally a Patio!

2009-05-26T09:42:00.001-07:00

As most of you know we started building a patio in early April. I pulled out my back the first week moving the 100lb stones that orignally were in our patio. The end of April ended with Joe slipping a disk in his back and me with bronchitis. We needed to call in the big guns to help by the second week in May and were blessed that my oldest brother Ken came out to help! Within one week we had brought all the material to the back yard and finished the walls and leveled the gravel. This was a family job and we are very blessed to have Joe's mom Kay, his brother's Jim and Mike out to help when they could! We owe all the thanks to you:) This has been one monster of a job and took two months to complete. Finally yesterday we put our patio furniture and grill on and had a wonderful BBQ! Here are the pics of the before, during, and after:)

Joey on our school Video!

2009-05-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest video from our school! See if you can find Joey and his robotics team at Discovery Days! We LOVE our school:)

Discovery Days - Colony Clues #8 from PA Virtual Video on Vimeo.

spring Recital 2009

2009-05-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's been WAY too long since I've had time to update our blog! I have so many things to post about so check in often. Now that school is almost over I can catch up here:)

Here are the latest videos for Joey and Ethan's spring recital! We are so proud of all the hard work and long hours of practice they have put in! Isaac also just recently took his piano interview to get into the beginning piano program and will be starting next January! Great job Isaac:)

Geocaching

2009-04-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went on our first geocaching adventure! We had been talking about going geocaching for over a year and finally went today. It was a blast! The boys had a wonderful time searching for "treasure"! It was a beautiful day and quite a long walk to get to the spot where the geocache was. Luckly we took Jaxson who seemed to be an expert geocache finder:) He also seemed to be having just as much fun as the kids were!

If you don't know what geocaching is, or want to find out where some are hidden around you, click my "geocaching" title link to go to the geocaching website!

YAY STEELERS!

2009-02-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! That was an exciting game!! Time for bed Six-burgh!

Where were you when history was made today?

2009-01-20T11:27:00.001-08:00

New Year's on the Slopes!

2009-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

New Year Day 2009! We decided to start our new year of right with a bit of ski/snowboarding action! It was a wonderful family day together filled with laughter and wonderful memories

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!!

The Christmas Story of Road dog

2008-12-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

I had to write a blog about a wonderful Christmas miracle. On Thursday I was headed to do some last minute Christmas shopping. As I was heading home on the dark and twisty roads a little dog popped out in front of me! I was able to stop and avoid the dog but the dog was so scared she ran to the other side of the street between two cars that were coming in the opposite direction. My heart was pounding and I was praying that I was not going to see this little dog get run over. Lucky the other drivers also stopped in time. I put on my flashers and was going to get out to see if I could grab the dog, but thought for a second. It was very dangerous for me to get out. I was on the top of a hill and another driver coming behind me would not see my stopped car until the last second. I was afraid to get hit or cause a bigger accident. I took a breath and reached for my door anyway. I was going to try to grab the dog quickly but if she ran away I would have to leave her.
I opened the door and to my surprise this little white dog jumped into my lap and started licking my face. I laughed and put her on the passenger seat and drove around to the houses in the area hoping to find her owner.
After trying several houses with no luck I took "Road Dog" home. She was crying so much I thought she may be hurt. I checked her out at home and she seemed to just be terribly frightened.
I called the local police to see if someone had reported the dog missing. The dog had to belong to someone that loved her because she was impeccably groomed and very well mannered. To my delight, the police officer had said they were looking for the dog I described and put me in contact with the owners.
I drove "Road Dog" home a few minutes after I got off the phone, and she was so happy to see her Momma! The lady that owned "Lucy" was crying as I returned her beloved pet and proceeded to tell me she had just learned of a friends death and put the dog out absentmindedly and forgot to let her back in. She was so upset with her grief and then the realization that her beautiful companion was missing. She was grateful beyond words and we exchanged a hug before I left.
Now, I feel it was my human duty to help in that situation. I love animals first and foremost, but secondly I have an escape artist Jack Russell of my own that we been blessed by many to have found him for us. I know first hand the mental torture of a missing pet.
On Saturday afternoon while we were hosting the Lego Robotics team I heard barking outside in the front yard. It was a distinct whine-bark that I have heard before...could it be??
I opened the front door and there was "Road Dog" and her Mommy with a beautiful gift of amazingly made printed/stamped cookies. We hugged and she told the team of how I saved her pet and of how she considered me her Christmas Miracle. As she left that day I couldn't help but think of how I didn't do much that shouldn't be expected of every human lucky enough to be sharing this planet. Saving "Road Dog" became my Christmas miracle and the gift of blessing someone else will live in my memory as a blessing of my own.

~ Wishing all of you a Christmas Miracle of your own this holiday season ~

Mindstorm Mavericks ~ Challenge 2

2008-12-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today was our second meeting of the famous Mindstorm Mavericks! Our challenge today was to design, build, and program a robot that would draw a perfect square.
(Angles + or - 5 degrees)
As usual they finished within the 3 hour time we had allotted and even had time for snacks and chatting!
Great job team!

"Don't just brainstorm...Mindstorm!" ~Mavericks Motto

Winter Piano Recital

2008-12-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today Joey and Ethan played in their winter piano recital. The both did a fantastic job. I uploaded the videos to the blog. If you want to check them out they are on the right side column. Isaac wanted to wear a suit too, so I couldn't resist taking pics of my three handsome dudes:)

Snowboarding

2008-12-13T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today Joe took Joey snowboarding for some "big guys" time together! Joey had an absolute blast!! I was worried he'd break a finger and not be able to play in his piano recital tomorrow!! He did wonderful and even went down the big hill! I asked Joe to take some pictures but the only time he had a moment to take a pic was when Joey fell! So here are two "on the butt" pics from the day!!

The Nutcracker

2008-12-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today we took the boys downtown to view a student performance of the Nutcracker. At first Ethan said he wasn't going to watch that "girly stuff", but came when I told him he didn't have a choice. Well, it was no surprise that they all loved the show. It was very beautiful set and fantastic performance.

After the show we ate downtown in a beautiful place that had life size Santas decorated in traditional clothing from many cultures from around the world. It was amazing!

Grandpa's Birthday

2008-12-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Grandpa's birthday!! Happy Birthday to you :)
We won't mention any age here!

Co-op

2008-12-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures from our homeschool co-op. The kids just love their time there!

My Isaac and his buddy during Kindergarten Art

K-Art!

Tin can Phone Call...and YES it works!! (2nd Grade Science)

Discovering Pitch and Sound (2nd grade Science)

Decorating the tree

2008-12-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

We decided after 11 years with our old tree that it was time to officially retire it. Here's pics of our new tree and the boys decorating!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to have both sets of Grandparents come for our Thanksgiving Dinner! Joe, of course, made his famous NC fried turkey, and I loved spending the day with my Mom baking pies and making side dishes.

Belt testing

2008-11-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

The boys love Tae Kwon Do and have learned so much. Today they had belt testing and did such a wonderful job!!

Joey receiving a Black Belt mid-term certificate.

Ethan receiving his Black Belt Recommended

Isaac receiving his purple belt.

Isaac Sparring (Just SO cute!)

Our First Lego Robotics Meeting

2008-11-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

Today we had our first Lego Robotics team meeting! We had to come up with a name for our group, and build a simple robot. The kids were amazing! I have a certification from Carnegie Mellon to teach robotics and I swear these kids are going to be teaching ME before the year is done! These are the children assigned to our group through our school. Amazingly, some drive up to three hours to my home for team meetings. I am blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to teach these brilliant children!

Team Name: Mindstorm Mavericks

Just the Guys

2008-11-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

I just had to take this picture of the guys all reading together. They were loving the Spiderwick Chronciles so I went out and bought them the rest of the series. As soon as Daddy came home from work they begged him to read! Sooo Cute :)

Field Trip to the Symphony!

2008-11-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went with our friends on our first ever trolley ride into the city! We saw the symphony and the boys loved it! Ethan especially commented on the percussion section. We need to get him a drum set!! Another wonderful "ears on" learning experience!

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today we carved pumpkins and went trick or treating with cousins! Joey was Obi Wan, Ethan was Indiana Jones and Isaac was dark spiderman!
Happy Halloween!

2nd Annual Haunted House Halloween Spooktacular

2008-10-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone had a fantastic time tonight! We only had a few haunted house scares and a few little ones that refused to go through:) We played wrap the mummy, Trick for treats, and pass the touch. It ended with a backyard pumpkin hunt! We hid little plastic pumpkin filled with candy for the kids to find! Such fun:)
Thanks everyone for coming! Happy Halloween!

(Before candy)

(After candy)

Halloween Party Set Up

2008-10-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today I'm getting ready for my world famous haunted house halloween spooktacular! Ok, Ok, I admit I'm only famous on my street and with my kids friends, but that's ok with me! I started this afternoon and am done tonight! Time to party!!

Thursday's Thoughts

2008-10-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well another Thursday has come and it's time to update my blog. Unfortunately there was not much to update this week:) However, I will have a lot to update after this weekend. It is our 2nd annual Halloween Haunted House party! I will be taking lots of pictures to post.

It was another wonderful week of school and I'm amazed how much we've been able to accomplish so far this year. Isaac is beginning to read and is so proud of himself! It puts a smile in my heart to know I've now taught all three of my boys to become such great readers. Teaching my children to read has been the most rewarding experience I've felt in home schooling. Somewhere along the way I've also fostered a love of reading in all of them, that is a blessing!

With the leaves changing and the cold air giving a fresh new feeling to my days. I can't help but feel God's abundance. In this harvest season where we thank our Lord for giving us another year for our crops to thrive, I also feel the need to thank Him for allowing our family and our children's learning to thrive. In this economic recession, I feel thankful that my family made good choices with our money and did not spend over our means. So this edition of Thursday's Thoughts is to thank God for our abundance as a family. We have an abundance of love, family, and friends. As I work hard to "choose joy" in my daily life it is becoming clear to me that there is so much to be joyful about.

I challenge all of you to also make a list of the abundance in your lives. You can post it here to share, or keep it to yourselves. Let these lists be a tool to help us choose joy in our daily lives.

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.--John 10:10

… my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.--Psalm 23:5,6

Theme In Yellow

2008-10-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Isaac and I have been working on poetry this past week in Kindergarten Language Arts. A picture I took on our farm field trip yesterday reminded me of this poem. Enjoy!

Theme In Yellow

I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.

Farm Field Trip

2008-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Isn't it the beauty and freedom of home schooling that we can pick up our school and learn anywhere? I'm lucky to have found a school that provides so many educationally rich field trips and experiences for my boys! Today we traveled to a nearby farm to learn about farm life and autumn harvests. It was an extra bonus that so many of our school friends came and we were able to enjoy their company as well. Each of the boys got to pick a small pumpkin to take home. We will be making pumpkin pie from those pumpkins and we can't wait!

Thursday's Thoughts

2008-10-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

I'm adding a new element to my blog called "Thursday's Thoughts". I'm hoping this will get me not only to update my blog each week, but to also share more of my thoughts and ideas. For this Thursday I thought it was appropriate to talk about something God is working on in my heart lately; Finding Joy in this Journey of Life.

For so long now in my life, I imagined "joy" as some intangible idea that you have to search for and maybe get lucky to find one day. As if it was a random lucky person that would find this daily joy. Maybe this joy is my family, or a new house, or friend, or even new clothes. I waited, not so patiently, for joy to be thrust upon me. In talking with friends lately the theme of this joy I was praying for has come up so often I can no longer ignore that God is speaking to me. Joy isn't something that you find, joy is something you choose. With this new outlook, I am working hard to choose joy in my daily life. It is a daily choice, one I believe will make all the difference in my life and the life of my family.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.--Psalm 118:24

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.--John 16:33

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.--John 15:11

…let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.--I Chronicles 16:10-11

Autumn Farm Party

2008-10-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

Every year we tag along with Joe's parents to their friend's farm. It is over an hour drive into the beautiful Pennsylvania country side. This has become a yearly Autumn tradition that the boys really look forward to. We are thankful to the Miller family for opening up their home and amazing farm to us. The boys love to race on the bails of hay, enjoy the long hayride through the 100's of surrounding acres, and warm up by the huge bonfire as hot dogs and marshmallows are toasted as the sun goes down. This year we enjoyed an extra treat of Indian Summer. It was a sunny 76 degrees and we welcomed stretching the last bit of warmth of the year.

Laurel Caverns Field Trip

2008-10-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today we had the wonderful opportunity to explore Pennsylvania's largest cave on our school field trip. It was amazing to learn and discover new things about caves. Our tour guide was very funny and the boys had a wonderful time. After we toured the cave we went on a fossil dig. Each of the boys found fossils dating back to 300 million years ago when this part of Pennsylvania was part of a shallow sea bed. It was a beautiful fall day and I also took some pictures of the amazing view.

Another Wonderful Day to Learn!

2008-10-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

It is a true blessing for me to be able to stay at home and teach my children. There is not one day that goes by that my children and I don't appreciate the opportunity to school at home. I took a step back today and snapped some pictures as the boys worked with their teachers online and as Isaac practiced his writing. I know the days pass all too quickly, and soon it will be time for the boys to become men. I can only pray to train them up well, to love learning, to be great and caring husbands and fathers. But just for today, I cherish watching them learn and play and just be children:)

Apple Festival

2008-10-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again! The days are getting shorter and the air is crisp and cool. Its FALL and that means festivals! Today we went to the Hickory Apple Festival. We had breakfast there and enjoyed the crafts and entertainment.

The Evening of the Inspirational Autograph

2008-10-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight we took the boys to meet and listen to Mary Pope Osborne. She is the boys favorite author, and they were SO excited to get a chance to meet her and her husband Will. She told the audience all about how it took her so long to come up with just the right story for The Magic Tree House series, that she almost didn't write it at all. She started several times and eventually got the idea one day while walking through the woods and spying an old abandoned tree house. She said Will and her started discussing their thoughts about how magical tree houses were, and that they both always wished they had one as children. Neither one were lucky enough to have a tree house though. So the magic was born! She also said reading was magical and could take our imaginations to many places. So then came the idea of opening a book about a specific place or time and actually going there... In the tree house! So cool! It was so wonderful for the kids to learn how their favorite book got started, and to gain inspiration to keep reading and writing their own stories. Mary then told us about her two new books that are coming out next year. I won't divulge all the secrets...but they are about my favorite subject... music! She then asked all the children to vote on their favorites of some new ideas she was throwing around about what to write next. It was SO cool for the boys to feel like they were really apart of deciding what the next Magic Tree House story would be! I'm so glad we went, it was truely inspirational. Thank God for people who can bless our children with knowledge the way Mary Pope Osborne does. Both Joey and Ethan found a true love of reading through the Magic Tree House Series. I will always thank her for that! I also have a new reader on the way with a Magic Tree House book in hand:)After Mary and Will had ended their speech the host book store read the names of the raffle winners.... and Ethan won a signed book! It says "Reading is Magic / Mary Pope Osborne":) Finally, the boys went to get their books signed, and we headed home with a night full of wonderful memories and inspiration:)

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-09-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 32 years old! I was suprised I was only 32, because most days I feel 72! :) I kept thinking all day; "wow, I have my whole life in front of me!" Maybe this is a reverse mid-life crisis? The boys suprised me in the morning with a hand made lego card that said "happy birthday Mom from.." then had 4 lego guys each depicting one of them and an extra for daddy. It was so inventive and creative! God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful husband and children. After dinner, cake and icecream I got my gift to the spa for a massage! Thanks guys for my wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Joe!

2008-09-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Today Joe celebrated his 33rd birthday! I'm blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. We've been married for 11 years this year and I'm happy to have grown not only in age, but in spirit along with him! Love you honey!

Belt Testing!

2008-09-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today Isaac, Ethan, and Joey tested for their next belt rank in Taekwondo. Isaac received his 2nd degree green belt. Ethan received his red belt decided and Joey received a certificate for passing his first midterm for first degree black belt.
It is amazing to see them grow and mature in martial arts. We are very proud of their hard work and accomplishments!

First Co-op Meeting!

2008-09-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I had the pleasure of connecting with another parent in our school interested in starting a co-op. This was an answered prayer for my family and I was so excited to help! We met in May this past spring and with months of planning and hard work, we were able to rejoice today with the successful start of our new co-op. I'm happy to report that my children love co-op and we are blessed with the best group of families I could imagine. God has blessed me with a new friend in Kirstin, a determined lady that gets the job done with grace. I have learned so much from her. I also have met such wonderful new friends in the other Mom's that make up our co-op. Its amazing to see us all learning from each other and growing together. It will be exciting to see all the the new school year holds!

Back to School Picnic

2008-09-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today we met our teachers and other children from our school at the annual back to school picnic. The boys had so much fun playing with thier friends and joining the many games the teachers had set up for them. It was a perfect and beautiful day. Just a wonderful way to start out the school year!

Joey's First Saxophone Lesson

2008-09-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today Joe gave Joey his first saxophone lesson. The best part about learning saxophone is that the private lessons are free!! Thank goodness too! Joey has been so excited and practicing everyday. He is also keeping up with his daily piano practice too:) I have to say when I saw Joey with the neck strap on he looked so much like Joe it was uncanny!

The Life and Tails of Underfish

2008-09-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

You have heard of Underdog, but have you heard of his lesser known hero cousin Underfish? Underfish started his journey in a local candle and craft store called Illumascents. Upon hearing of Underfish's arrival Isaac was determined to take him home. But..what is this?? Underfish is part of a raffle! All kids get to put their name in to see who will win him. We got the call while at Kennywood this past Saturday and Isaac was thrilled to found out he WON! (by the way Isaac knew he's win and named him Underfish the first day we saw him in the store..LOL)
After a ladder, a few pictures, and a struggle to stuff him in the car; Underfish is now part of the family:)

Thanks Kim and Lori!!

Arts, Crafts, and petting zoo.. Oh my!

2008-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today I convinced Joe and the boys they would have a blast at the Colonial Arts and Crafts Fair. I really just wanted to shop for handmade arts and crafts. This is a weakness of mine! They all ended up having a great time. Joe took the boys in the petting zoo. Then we watched a battle reenactment, and then went on a hay ride. The battle was really cool and they even shot a smoke ring out of a little cannon. I can't believe it but the picture came out really clear! Finally I did get to shop and got a few crafts and a new fall wreath:)

Kennywood Trip

2008-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated the end of summer with our annual trip to Kennywood. We always go with Joe's brother, his wife and their kids. The cousins have the best time together. Wonderful memories:)

Better Late Than Never

2008-08-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Our curriculum started arriving yesterday and we got more boxes today. In fact I can't walk through my living room now we have so many boxes! The UPS people must love us! LOL! It was supposed to come weeks ago so we could get organized and prepared. But...better late than never I guess!
It was like Christmas in August here! The boys and I have been so excited to go through the books and supplies. So fun:)

(Love of Learning!)

Unwrapping the Gift of Knowledge

2008-08-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of school. I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with some ideas to make the first day special. This year is especially fun because Isaac is officially a Kindergartner. I decided to take wrapping paper and wrap up the door of the school room so they could tear it down as they ran in for their first day of school. Joe bought a small "back to school" gift for each, which they happily tore open when they found them. It was a wonderful day and the boys were so excited! My plan worked and the boys were very happy learners. I hope this is a wonderful start to our best year ever! I was telling some friends about wrapping up the school room door and Cher wrote back that she was enjoying imagining the boys unwrapping the "Gift of Learning". Thanks Cher for your wonderful words and the title of this post:)

(Outside the school room)

(Going through)

(Fun ripping)

(Welcome back presents)

Last Day of Freedom

2008-08-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful summer day. The boys enjoyed every last minute of it knowing that tomorrow is our first day of school. Some of our neighbors have already been in school since Monday, but came to play shortly after the bus dropped them off at home. The boys are blessed to have many great friends on this street to play with.
Goodbye sweet summer...tomorrow is school:)

I am.. I said

2008-08-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today my best friend (my Mom) and I went on our first ever "girl's night out" to see a Neil Diamond concert. The concert was great and Neil was fantasic! I feel so lucky to have gotten to see Neil in concert, and even luckier to have seen it with my Mom. We had a fun time and laughed the whole night together!
Thanks for coming to visit Mom and Dad we love you!

At the concert we got t-shirts and bottled cokes. When we purchased the cokes the lady gave them to us with the caps removed. I asked her for the caps back and she said "We don't allow you to keep the caps". LOL!!! My question is WHY???
My Mom and I laughed about it the whole rest of the night!

Good times never seemed so good! So Good! So Good! So Good! :)

Co-op Picnic

2008-08-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today we went to our school co-op's first picnic! We got to take a look around the church we are blessed to use for teaching. Everything was so wonderful and I feel blessed to be apart of such a wonderful group! The boys made lots of new friends and had so much fun playing. They were bummed to hear that we aren't officially starting the co-op until September:) Unbelievably I forgot my camera so I took this picture of the boys when we got home. Thanks Kirstin for the wonderful job you did with all the face painting!!

The boys were so tired but soon after we got home came sound of knocking at our door. "Can the boys come play?" So they played with their neighbor friends the rest of the day..until 8:30pm! Hopefully they will sleep in tomorrow:)

(face paint starting to smudge:) )

"Mom we're bored!"

2008-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today most of the neighbors are at camp so my boys have "nothing" to do! I was trying to offer advice such as "play with your brothers" or "go outside" and finally "find something to do or go to bed!" LOL:) By the afternoon I decided to pull out the paints and let them paint to their hearts content.

Joe of the Jungle

2008-08-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the day trimming the hedges that line our entire yard. Can you say a ton of work? The kids played in the pool while we worked.

(The battle of Joe and the hedge)

(Oh I can't look..too much work!)

For Cher...

2008-08-09T18:27:00.001-07:00

All good things must come to an end...

2008-08-08T16:56:00.001-07:00

So all good things must come to an end. Like the total blast I've been having the last two days cleaning my school room closet! Woo HOO! I finally finished the room today and yes, I'm still alive to blog about it. Just barely though. :)

You know I have pictures just in case you don't believe that mess could actually be cleaned up in under a years time. (and no I didn't stuff it all under my bed!) Three huge trash bags, and 30 hrs. later I have a clean and organized school room. I'm feeling very happy that I'm ready for the new school books, and new school year to come!
Bring it on!

(ta da!)

(all clean:) )

Irony

2008-08-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone notice the irony in this picture?

It's ok...take your time............................

That's it! You're right!
The book of "Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping" right smack in the middle of my horribly messy desk and room! LOL! I guess I should have read that book instead of shoving it in my closet. Mrs. Dunwoody would think me a disgrace....:) LOL!

Cleaning the School Room Closet

2008-08-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

So what am I doing today? Don't be envious and don't come running to help....but....(drumroll please) Today I'm cleaning out our school room closet! I know, I know, it's all too awesome! That's why I had to blog about it. I just knew everyone everywhere would be so excited to know:) So honestly, I should have conquered this clutter monster closet earlier in the summer. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Actually, I found just about every excuse not to. Besides the closet still shut when people came over...and that's what really counts right? So I (of course) took some pictures to show you just what kind of madness I'm in for! Hopefully I will be posting the "after" pictures sometime before I die!

(The monster)

Ok.. so I didn't know where to start so I took everything out! The clutter took up the entire school room and part of the living room. However..notice the closet is now clean...hmmm...clean closet...job done right?

(During)

(Even the dogs are annoyed at this point.. they can't get in the room!)

Up a Creek

2008-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today we had a playdate at the park with good friends of ours. We always have the best time when our families get together. The children really enjoy each other's company and I enjoy the company of a fellow homeschooling Momma! There is always talk about school, organization (or lack there of), family, and life in general. Those are the things I love!
The park where we met has all the things you'd expect; slides, swings, basketball hoops, even a baseball field. However, this park is special to my children because of the big creek that runs along the back of the park. They just love to play in the creek! It's amazing how long they can stay in the creek and along the creek edge playing happily. Ethan even learned how to skip a rock across the water today! It was a wonderful time and a beautiful day. Fun memories that add happiness to our lives. The playdate ended abruptly when Ethan (who was swinging from a tree limb) fell and hit his head and back on a rock. Ouch! We got him all patched up and he is only just a little bit worse for the wear:)

(Isaac Jumping)

(Playing with Friends)

(Damp Dudes)

(Heading Up Stream)

Farmers Market

2008-08-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Have I said how much I love the farmers market? I realized I haven't been to any since I've moved to PA from NC two years ago. Well finally last night Joey and I went and picked out some wonderful fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. Just the sight of all the farmers, fresh food, and people made me happy to be there. I love to support local farmers and love even more to bring healthy fresh food to my family. After taking a look around we ended up with a dozen ears of corn, a box of green beans, a cantaloupe, a dozen apples, and three zucchini. My new food buy was a Mediterranean zucchini, which the grower said had fewer and smaller seeds but tasted the same as regular zucchini. It had a pretty light green color so I figured I'd give it a try! Our farmers market is open June-November every Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. I'm sure I will be going there often from now on! I still miss the Riggs Farm Market Stand in Jacksonville NC though... it will always be one of my favorite memories.

I even took a picture of the food I bought! Maybe I'm going a little camera crazy since I started this blog! LOL:)

Summer Piano Recital

2008-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today Joey and Ethan performed their piano solos at the summer recital. They both did such a wonderful job and we are very proud of their hard work. Our tradition is to go somewhere nice to eat after each recital and the kids were really looking forward to it. We decided to go to Red Lobster. We had a great and filling meal then went home! Such a wonderful day!
(You can watch the boys perform without ever leaving our blog! Just look on the right side of the page for "Our Videos" it uploads right from you tube!)

(Ethan's Up First!)

(Joey's Turn!)

(Feed us NOW! Our pic at Red Lobster!)

The Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today was another day like most of our weekends this summer. The kids spending their afternoon in the pool because spending time outside is just too hot for anything else. It's a relaxing time of chatting with my husband and laughing around the grill. We've been joking all summer about throwing our Jack Russell "Jaxson" in the pool to get him cooled off. Well today we did! Hence the title "Dog Days of Summer". Although I think Jax is not a big fan of the pool, I do think he was relieved to get cooled off.

So all this talk about the "Dogs Days of Summer" made me realize I'm not sure just exactly where that phrase came from. I mean were they talking about dogs? Or just "dog gone that's hot"? Or maybe "ooo-eee Hot Dog!" LOL! So after a bit of quick internet research and thanks to wiki, now both you and I will know!

The name
The term "Dog Days" was used by the Greeks (see, e.g., Aristotle's Physics, 199a2), as well as the ancient Romans (who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs)) after Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.

Popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" - Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.[citation needed][page # needed]

The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true owing to precession of the equinoxes. The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

The dates
The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the ancient helical (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

According to The Book of Common Prayer (1552), the "Dog Daies" begin on July 6 and end on August 17.

Material Reclamations

2008-08-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Oh my, is it August 1st today? Why yes it is! And of course my inbox has two emails that are set to reclaim my summer freedom. Ok, ok, that's a bit dramatic, but sometimes it sure feels that way. For those of you that don't cyber school (which may be all of you! LOL!) reclamations is the time of year the school comes calling for us to send back any reusable materials. This is usually August 1st. I have come to dread this time of year and liken it to the grim reaper coming to reclaim my soul. I usually find myself too far behind on house organization, and too busy with summer fun! This year is no different. As I begrudgingly open my "Material Reclamations" email I think about school starting with an equal amount of excitement and dread. Don't get me wrong, I love to home school. However, that doesn't make the job any easier. I have said every year that I will make changes to our home school schedule to school 3 weeks on and 1 week off year round. With, of course, a longer winter and summer break. Yet another summer has come and gone all too quickly and I find myself in the familiar place scrambling to get it all done.
When I was pondering all my misery at this mornings email, I hear the soft pitter patter of sleepy feet coming down the stairs. First Joey, next Ethan, and then Isaac, all rushing down for their morning hug. As I hug them they all start asking which of their chores they can do first, and just as fast as they appeared, they disappear to their rooms to clean. I sat for a moment and smiled. With a tear in my eye I thought to myself "School..bring it on! As long as we have love and laughter we can do anything..Together!"

Reward Board

2008-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly fading and the start of school looms around the corner. (Where did summer go?) I am working hard not only to get my house organized, but to also organize chores and schedules. The boys know their chores and get $5 allowance every Sunday if I feel they have done a good job. This is a big deal around our house as the boys LOVE to buy anything from new video games and action replays to Pokemon cards and Lego's! They each have wallets that they keep their money in and learn the art of saving. (Even if it feels like torture!) They have had to deal with impulse buying and the consequences it brings. I feel dealing with money is so important it is better learned as a life long process. Joe and I let the boys make their own mistakes (within reason). Like the time the boys wanted to buy a bunch of 25 cent junk toys instead of one larger better made toy. It was painful when the toys eventually broke..one by one..tear by tear.
So with allowance comes responsibility and chore charts. I have tried over the years to make chores fun and rewarding. Several years ago I came across a software program that helped me do just that! Of course when our computer broke down earlier this year we lost the program. I just downloaded it to our new computer yesterday and with the chores listed we are ready to go. The boys just love the software because it makes chores fun and they can see their daily progress. There are also fun games, a piggy bank, a savings calculator, and bonus prizes! This is one more thing off my list and I know I won't be nagging the boys to get their chores done anytime soon!

Check out the software here:
http://www.myrewardboard.com/

Gardening

2008-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was another hot day here in PA! Joe and I have been working hard on weeding the front garden and putting in new mulch! We are finally done, and I bought some new mums for the planters. Here's the pic!

Eleven Years!

2008-07-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe eleven years have flown by? Today Joe and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed a rare date together, while Grandma Kay watched the boys. We went to the Monteray Bay Restaurant over looking the beautiful 3 rivers here in Pittsburgh. This was the same place we went last year and we really enjoy our once a year fancy date! A funny story from the night..as we were moving to our table from the bar area I paid for my $13 glass of wine. The waitress asked if I wanted change back after I gave her a $20. I looked at her like..."Aaah Duh?" but instead I politely said "yes please". She came back and gave me a $5 and moved away before I could react. LOL! What is going on in this world? Now a waitress can just take her tip? The gall of it all.. needless to say we laughed about that one the rest of the night! Maybe this has something to do with the rising gas prices? After dinner we rode the incline back down to our car. It was a beautiful night and I am so lucky to have married such a wonderful man!
Sorry for the blurry picture, this is the only one we have of the day. Joe's Mom took it before we left on our date.

Trip to the History Museum

2008-07-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today we took a trip to the history museum with my good friend Amy, her kids, and her nephew. We all had such a wonderful time! It was a short trip so we narrowed the museum down to just the dinosaur exhibit. They have two T-Rex set up to look like they were battling. The boys loved it! We also took time to let the boys dig in the bone hunters quarry and discover in the discovery room! What a wonderful trip!

Check out the museum here:
http://www.carnegiemnh.org/

(The whole gang!)

(Gang in front of the T-Rex!)

(Noah and Ethan digging for fossils)

(Cool Dudes)

(T-Rex upclose!)

A Black Belt in the Family!

2008-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today Joey received his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do!
After two and half long years of perseverance he has achieved the goal he has been working hard for! Congrats Joey!

Pool for the Hot Summer

2008-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

We gave in a bought an above ground pool in the beginning of June this year. So far it has truely been a blessing. We've enjoyed it alone and with many of our friends, all while Mommy is free of stress! Last year we had a public pool pass and I stressed the whole time we were there wondering where Joey and Ethan were while I was in the shallow end with Isaac. This is wonderful to relax and read a book while the boys play every sunny afternoon! Thank goodness for pools:)

The Fourth Of July

2008-07-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

We have started a new tradition for our family since we moved to PA. This is the 2nd year we went to the mall parking lot to watch fireworks with all of our wonderful neighbors. The kids really enjoy having all the neighborhood friends to play with before the fireworks begin. We usually get there at least an hour before the fireworks kick off, so we brought lots of snacks and fun things to do. This year Joe's brothers family joined us and made it even better! What wonderful memories in the making! Happy Birthday America!

Look Mom Two Wheels!

2008-06-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Look who's riding without training wheels! Isaac just asked Dad to take them off today and took off! Go Isaac GO! :)