APOLOGIA NOW HAS NEW ASTRONOMY AND BOTANY NOTEBOOKING JOURNALS!!!

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. You can see samples on the Apologia website here:
These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.
Each of the notebooking journals include:
A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
Review Questions
Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.
See the sample pages here:
Botany: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=128
and
Astronomy: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=127
Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com
The contest ends on in one week on May 29th! That way I'll have the weekend to send them before I go to the Illinois conference.
So blog away!

Re-Write but thought it was needed

I came across this post that I had written last August and thought i should run it again. It really is a much needed post, I think.
Enjoy and I hope it helps.


Do you ever go against how you really feel because of how others make you feel about it? Do you let the views of all your friends influence the decisions that you make for your own children?I know that it is very hard to stand up in this world and take a stand for what is right. It is really hard to say that your kids can't watch a certain t.v. show when you are at someone elses house and they want to watch something that you feel is inappropriate or to say sorry, no they may not play video games with your children or No, we do not do sleepovers. You will probably be met with the enevitable, 'why not?"Then you have to explain your position, meanwhile trying to make sure that what you say does not make the other person feel like you are judging them. It really stinks to have to always be defending your choices but it is worth it. You are the only one who knows your child and what is best. I have had to make a LOT of hard decisions in my life, (and I am only 28) I feel like I am constantly having to defend my decisions or explain why I feel the way I do, and unfortunately this has ended up in the loss of friends and family sometimes. It is so hard when others will not understand where you are coming from and that you have to protect your children. In trying to protect my children, I have lost a lot, but nothing is more important than protecting your kids. You have to be very careful in what you allow in your childs life and who they make friends with. Many times you make friends and then start hanging out and then find out you don't have much in common or you really don't want your kids influencd in a certain way that they be if they hang around that person. It is better to take it slow in our friendships and get to know one another than have to end a friendship or live our lives trying to make excuses to not see them. This is not only stressful for you but it is unfair and dishonest. Sometimes it is your own family that you are having problems with. You can't control how others raise their families and you can only teach your children what your family believes is right and wrong. If it is a serious problem, you may have to remove your family from the situation. It is hard and no one really wants to stir things up in their family and if you have to, do try to be as loving as possible and not make it worse. But do know that you have the resposibility to raise your children up for God, no one else.