34 Weeks of Clean! Week 23- The Linen Closet

Let's just say that with all the work we have been doing around this house, I am glad that some assignments are easier than others.  We have a few pretty intense ones coming up, so enjoy this week, friends! ;)

The linen closet.

For us it is pretty benign.  Since we only have a few sets of sheets per bed and only a few sets of towels per person, we do not have a stuffed linen closet.  As a matter of fact, most of those sheets and towels are housed in the matching bathrooms, so our true linen closet only has a few linens actually in it.  

Instead, what it mostly holds is Legos.

Yes, you read that right, Legos.  Strange and sad, but true.  When we moved into this house, my son's bedroom space got cut in half and there was just no place to put all of the Lego sets.  Out of necessity many were put in big baggies and stuffed in the closet next to his room, which happens to be, you guessed it, the linen closet.  It is actually not too bad of a deal, except that it was starting to get a little disheveled.  Oh, and did I mention the Thomas Train set is in there as well?  Don't ask.

So, this week, go after that linen closet.  And WHATEVER is in it!

• Pull it all out.  

• Sort and purge!  Did I mention that you do not need 20 sets of sheets and towels unless you have a really large family?  Usually two per person with a few for guests are sufficient.  And sheets, well, you can only use one set at a time.  Just saying.  Throw out old, stained, and worn sheets and towels!

• Wipe off shelves and doors to linen closet.

• Put everything left back neatly.

Done!  See, I told you that was easy!

Three things to note

1. You do not always have to use a space for its intended purposes.  Sometimes it pays to get  creative.  Hence, a Lego closet!
2. We keep all of our beach/pool towels in the basket on the floor.  They are in easy reach for the kids and when we need to, I can grab the handles and take them all with us quickly!
3. The polka dotted tote on the top shelf you see is for my mom.  She visits often and we learned that it was much easier to just have a set of toiletries here.  That way, she does not have to bring extra stuff on the plane nor worry about forgetting things.  I also think you could do the same thing for any guests you have and store extra toothbrushes, soaps and such.

What about you, do you have a linen closet holding more than linens?  And how did you do on last week's assignment, the laundry/mudroom?  Can't wait to hear about your progress!

Remember, one week at a time, but get moving!

Week 22- The Laundry Room/Mud Room

Week 24- The Porch and Deck

Blessings,

<a href="http://new.inlinkz.com/view.php?id=531171" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: center;" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up

Famous Men of Rome- Schoolhouse Review

I may have mentioned it once or twice in the past, but I have some History buffs in my house.  I am not even sure how it happened, as history was really not my thing in school.  But somehow, my kids caught the history bug at a young age and all four of them know more random-but-interesting history facts than you would believe.  So when they saw the Memoria Press book Famous Men of Rome  had been delivered to our doorstep, you could say that they were a bit excited.


So here is what came in the Famous Men of Rome Set-
Famous Men of Rome
Famous Men of Rome Teacher's Guide
Famous Men of Rome Student Guide
Famous Men of Rome Flashcards

Famous Men of Rome contains 30 chapters devoted to telling the stories of historical men of Ancient Rome, from Romulus and Horatio to Augusta and Nero.  Each story, several pages in length, is a biography written in an easy to read and entertaining manner.  Within each story is at least one beautiful, full colored picture as well as several black and white drawings.  The stories are geared for grades 4-8, but are suitable for most ages.

The Famous Men of Rome Student Guide has a corresponding lesson for each chapter in the book.  Each lesson contains four parts - Facts to Know, Vocabulary, Comprehension Questions and Activities.

•      The Facts to Know section reiterates the most important facts presented in the Famous Men of Rome book, and is a good review after each chapter has been read.
•      The Vocabulary section highlights new or more challenging vocabulary used and has a place for your child to define the word.
•      The Comprehensive Questions section contains 6-7 questions about the reading, and children are encouraged to answer them in compete sentences in a notebook.  
•     The final section, Activities, is a conglomeration of things like timeline activities, mapping, further discussion questions beyond just the facts, drawing and research.

After every 5 lessons there is a more comprehensive review lesson that involves mapping, fill in the blanks, vocabulary and comprehension questions.  Timelines, maps, and pronunciation guides are also provided at the end of the student guide.

The Famous Men of Rome Teacher's Guide is an exact replica of the student workbook, but with all the answers provided.  There is also a test for every five lessons you can copy and give to your student if desired, as well as an answer key for each.

The Famous Men of Rome Flashcards each contain a fact that is learned in the stories and can be used for test review or as a game.

What we like about this program-

• This really is an enjoyable book for all ages.  Though our younger child does not get everything and cannot answer every question, he really does enjoy the stories.
• You can use this program for a student to work through alone, or it can be easily used for multiple children or as a family.  It is just that interesting and entertaining.
• There are activities geared for all ages.  While my youngest son cannot write a paper on the history of Rome, he loves to draw pictures about what he learns.
• The tests contain a word bank that can be used for slightly younger students or that can be not used to challenge your older students.
• The program is flexible.  If you want to cover it in a year you can do one chapter a week.  If your child works more quickly you could easily cover a few chapters a week.  The timing is up to you.
• The flashcards can be used in multiple ways, from games to test review.  

While I had one of our older children in mind to work through this set, it thrills me that instead it is a program my whole group, ages 7-21, can enjoy.  Family learning is so much more fun!  Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of the Middle Ages are next on our wish list!

Half Way There

12 is such a big number.  Well, it might not seem like it to you, but when that number represents the number of months you are counting without the love of your life there to count with you, trust me, it is a BIG number.

With that said, we are S-I-X months done as of today.  Can I hear an amen?!!

And since God's timing is ALWAYS perfect, a sweet friend of mine randomly sent me these pictures in an email last week.

These were taken years ago (as evidenced by how young Salem looks!) when my dear hubby returned from far away after 7 months.  That was a big number too!  Side-note... can you believe that both of my girls were away at their first year of camp when he returned?  What fun it was to pick them up a few days later. I am pretty sure their buckets of tears confused some of the other campers though. ;)

But that sweet email reminded me that the big number does get smaller until it is simply a distant memory!

And the reunions are oh so sweet!

So not to rush your summer, but here's to distant memories and sweet reunions to come!

Blessings,

Homeschooling High School Blog Hop

Yes, you CAN homeschool a highschooler.  Trust me, I have done it.  Our oldest child graduated from college in December, a semester early at that, and did extremely well.  We currently have a high school "junior" who is technically done with highschool and has enough college credits to be a second semester freshman.  Our goal is for her to enter college as a junior.  We also have an 8th grade son who will begin some highschool level classes in August.  It is not easy, but it can be done.  And it can be done successfully.

One of the keys to doing well is having a solid high school background and one of the keys to having a solid high school background is knowledge.  Lots and lots of knowledge.  About classes, choices, curriculum and more.

Luckily for you and me, there are lots who have gone before us and love to share what they have learned.  My friends, that makes our lives easier.

I am teaming up with a group of friends who have been there done that and are also currently in the trenches of homeschooling.  And once a month for the next 7 months they are going to share their wisdom, trials, tears and celebrations!  We hope you will join us in hopping from one blog to another and gleaning valuable information.  Maybe you will even make a new friend in the process!

Here's what you can expect...

·  24 June - Planning for High School 

·  29 July - Electives 
 

·  26 August - Math, Science, Biology 

·  30 September- Language Arts 

·  28 October - "How am I going to teach High School ...?" 

·  25 November -   How do you fit it all in? 

·  30 December - Graduation 

Here are the gals who you can expect to see participating-

Chareenfrom Every Bed of Roses - Introducing the 2015 Homeschool High School Blog Hop
Jennifer from A Glimpse of Our Life - Meet The Bloggers of The Homeschooling High School Blog Hop
Meg from Adventures with Jude - Hints for Homeschooling High School
Cristi from Through the Calm and Through the Storm - Some Homeschooling High School Friends
Debra from Footprints in the Butter - My Three (Homeschooled High School) Sons
Leah from As We Walk Along the Road - Are You Really Homeschooling Through High School?! The Homeschool High School Blog Hop
Lisa from Golden Grasses - You Can Do It! Homeschooling through High School Blog Hop
Wendy from Life at Rossmont - Introducing High School Homeschooling ... {A Monthly Blog Hop}
Gena from I Choose Joy! - Homeschooling High School monthly blog hop- Introduction
Kym from Homeschool Coffee Break - Meet the Homeschooling High School Bloggers!
Debbie from Debbie's Homeschool Corner - Homeschooling High School
Carol from Home Sweet Life - Homeschooling High School ~ What is it REALLY like?
April from ElCloud Homeschool - Introducing Homeshooling High School
Erica from Be The One - Homeschooling High School
Laura from Day by Day in Our World - Homeschooling High School ~ A New Monthly Series of Posts
Tess from Circling Through This Life - Introducing the Homeschool High School Blog Hop!
Dawn from Double O Farms - Tapping into Great Resources for Homeschooling High School

Who is ready to learn?  See ya back soon!

Blessings,

The Blessing of Friends

Through the years and our many moves we have made a lot of friends.  Some have blessed our short stay somewhere and others made footprints on our hearts that will never fade away.  They are different, but both are loved and appreciated.

But those footprint friends - well, they are the ones that hold us tight and sustain us through the years. They are the ones that still love us when we leave.  They are the ones that do not allow the miles to separate us and fight hard to keep us close.

They are loved.

Two such sweet friends blessed us a few months ago and I have been remiss in sharing.  They are two young girls that met Ashton 8 years ago, when she was just 13, and made her their friend.  Those two had grown up together and yet they let her into their private little world and made her one of them. They did not let the threat of a move keep them at a distance.  They loved her regardless.  They love her still.  And she loves them as well.

And so through the years, phone calls and letters and an occasional visit have kept them close.  And the help of their parents brought them together for a weekend.  And despite the time and distance they did not miss a beat. (yes, I know that is a lot of ands!)

It was a wonderful sight to see and noise to hear.  The talk and the laughter.  The joy!  It brought such joy to this momma's heart while reminding me of the dear friends I have made through the years.  I could close my eyes and just imagine us doing the same thing.  So much fun!  And such a blessing. To her and to me!

And as always, God's timing could not have been more perfect!

So a big thank you to Kelli and Natalie- for the fun, the laughter, the friendship and the love!  For blessing my girl and my family!

Thank you to the many friends that have blessed us through the years.  I may not always say it, but you ALL are loved and I thank you for the blessing of your friendship!

Blessings,