15 Things You May Not Know About Me

  Today is This 'n' That Thursday so I decided to share 15 things about myself that you may not know:

 1.  I had Spinal Meningitis at the age of 3.
 2.  One of my fondest memories as a child, is singing with my mom!
 3.  As a child I was allergic to all dairy products.
 4.  I have always talked in my sleep......even on my honeymoon, I was so embarrassed!
 5.  I was named after my dad's college roommate, Ray Stacy.
 6.  I love to laugh.
 7.  I wore braces for 2 years.
 8.  The ocean is my most relaxing place!
 9.  When I started wearing make-up, my dad nicknamed me "Old Blue"(blue eye shadow, blue eyeliner, blue mascara)!
10.  I love chocolate!
11.  When I was a high school sophomore, we had a foreign exchange student that year from Sweden.
12.  I got married at the age of 18.
13.  When I graduated and walked across the stage to receive my diploma, Steve yelled out "Old Blue"!
14.  From the years 2000 to 2005, I was pregnant at least 2 months out of each year!
15.  I would love to move to New Zealand.

  I hadn't thought about some of these things in a very long time.  I got a good chuckle out of this list!  I hope you do too!

We Homeschool Wednesday

  I have so many exciting things to share with you today!  First I want to say that if you have not been to a Homeschool Curriculum Fair, I highly recommend it.  Many fairs have already come and gone, but Chattanooga has one coming up in July.  To find out more information, go to http://csthea.org/.  I also recommend any used curriculum sales that you can find.  It is true what they say:  "One man's junk is another man's treasure"!  I have found some wonderful items at used sales.

  Second, I want to share how important it is to educate yourself about homeschooling.  The more you know, the better decisions you will make!  I am currently trying to learn more about "unschooling" and "interest-led learning".  I have never wanted our schooling experience to be about scheduling math from 9 to 9:30 or how many worksheets we do.  And although math is part of our daily routine, I love more of a hands-on approach or the times that my kids pick up a book and seek out information for themselves.

  I have recently found a few blogs that I am really enjoying.  Blogs are another great way to learn more about educating your children at home.  When others have already experienced the things that you are about to embark on, they will often share ways that will make your journey much easier and more enjoyable.

1.  10 tips for gentle homeschooling:   http://naturalfamilytoday.com/parenting/ten-tips-for-gentle-homeschooling-and-parenting/#axzz2X6tsdanc 

2.  Letting go of the school mentality: 
 http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/2013/06/letting-go-of-the-school-mentality/

3.  Down a rabbit trail:  Interest-Led Learning:
http://downarabbittrail.blogspot.com/?m=0

  There are so many different approaches to homeschooling.  Part of learning more will help you to decide what methods inspire you and what methods you want no part of!  Read as much as you can, take notes, save websites/blogs that you have found to your "favorites" on your computer - You've got this momma!  Our precious Lord has equipped us for such a time as this!

It's Strawberry Season

  Oh, how I have missed thee......let me count the ways!  This is the one place that I can put all my thoughts together without interruption.  I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed this wonderful little creative outlet!  Things have gotten so busy and I just had to lay a few things down.  This little momma's brain was on overload.  So many exciting things have been happening, but I will talk more about that in future posts.

  Thanks to my precious parents, we have the most beautiful garden growing in our back yard.  I cannot wait to harvest the yummy goodness!  Speaking of yummy things, we have been buying lots of strawberries lately so I had to share this wonderful recipe for strawberry sauce.  You could use it over homemade ice cream, cheesecake, waffles, crepes, etc.  I hope you enjoy!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/05/strawberry-sauce/

  Don't forget, tomorrow is "We Homeschool Wednesday"!