DISCOVER OKLAHOMA!

My husband loves to spontaneously take us on little mini-trips. 
Last weekend we went down to Sulpher Springs, and the weekend before last we went to Turner Falls.
They were both a blast. We will be going back to both very soon. They are tons of fun!
So, we decided that this summer we would try to "Discover Oklahoma"
We are going to try to visit the state parks, and some of the more fun things to do here.
I am going to try to bring my camera and get pics of what I can. My camera is too big to take with me everywhere, so unfortunately, I won't be able to get as many as I want to until I get a smaller, more portable
one.
And, of course, as a homeschooling mother, I am thinking of ways to incorporate this into our homeschool.
I thought it would be so much fun to do research on the history of all of the places we visit, and maybe even scrapbook/journal the pics and info.
Here is a picture of Little Niagra in Sulpher

Here is one from Turner Falls:

I took these from their sites, but when we go back I will take more of my own and share them with you all!

Making others feel welcome!

Have you ever went to an event and felt so left out and uncomfortable that you just wanted to cry?
This has happened to me and the kids a few times. Unfortunately, it is usually the adults that end up being the offenders.
I know it is easy to get wrapped up in your group of friends, and not notice a new person, but it is so devastating to be that new person that no one is talking to.
I have been to several things in the past that has made me feel that way, and it gives an impression of the whole group, even though I am sure that not everyone there is as unfriendly as it  may seem.
One good thing that has come from my experiences is that I started my own homeschool group, and it has been great.
I think we need to try to go out of our way to make others feel welcome.
When we see a new person at a function, let's go up to them and introduce ourselves and make them feel welcome. It is such a testimony to the love of Christ, and even as a homeschooler.
People tend to make generalizations, whether fair or not.
If a new homeschooling mother goes to an event, hoping to meet other homeschoolers, and get some good advice on this whole homeschooling thing, and no one speaks to her, how does that look?
She is not going to want to go back to that group, and she may not want to try a different one either.
I know this is how I have felt before.
Now, it has been a while since I have felt this way because I have decided to be more outgoing myself.
Not only to introducing myself to other new mothers, but also to go introduce myself if I am in a situation where I am feeling that way.
Most people don't even know they are doing this, and would never do this intentionally, but it does hurt others none the less.
What brings this up?
Well, today, the kids and I went to a birthday party, and I saw this one lady who I didn't know, and I knew wasn't a family member. She kind of kept to the side, and for a while I didn't even really pay any attention, because I was caught up in talking to my friends.
I was sitting on the couch, when I heard this voice to go and introduce myself to this lady. I felt bad that I didn't even think of it before then.
I went over to talk to her, and she was so glad, because she said she didn't know anyone there, except the mom, and of course she was busy with the party.  I was so glad that I was nudged to go over there, because otherwise she would have felt out of place and left out, the entire time.
Anyways, I was thinking about this tonight after we got home, and I remembered how I have felt in the past, and I thought I would approach the subject, so that we can all do our part to keep others from feeling this way.
Just one person, making one simple gesture, can make all the difference in the world.

Getting Ready for the 2010-2011 Year!

A couple of days ago I received the official Handbook for the TOS Homeschool Review Crew! I was so excited about reading it that I went ahead at 1:00 in the morning and sent it to Kinko's to be printed up and bound.

I went and picked it up first thing the next day. When we got home I  told the kiddos to go do something fun and educational so that I could read it. LOL
They chose to do Spanish on the computer, so I got into a hot bath and read the handbook!
I am really looking forward to this year.
The handbook has a lot of great ideas, and one of them that I decided to take was to establish a fun weekly post. I have decided to do Weekly Clean up Wednesdays, or something like that. I will think of a clever name this week. If you have any ideas, feel free to share and I may pick one of them! I thought it would be much more fun to do those dreaded household chores together. What do you think? I will post more about this soon, but basically, we will choose one or two chores that need to be done periodically, but necessarily all the time.
During the week we will tackle those together and we can even post our pics if we want to!
I also decided to change the look of my blog to go with the whole Cruise theme. What do you think?

No Greater Joy

There is (almost) no greater feeling as a mother than to see your kids learning and having fun. It is amazing when your kids have a love for learning, and to know that you helped ( alongside of the Lord) to instill that love is an amazing feeling.
It is amazing to see your children learn to read, master arithmetic, find their passion, and know that you were there alongside of them teaching, and learning yourself.
I will always treasure the moments cuddled up on the couch, teaching my son to read, or the times with Kayleen while we are reading history, and it evolved into a biblical discussion. There are so many moments that I will always treasure, and I am eternally grateful for the great privilege of be able to homeschool my children. 
I am truly blessed.

So Excited!

I am getting so excited about the training coming soon for the TOS Review Crew.
I have been reading through some of last years reviews and the products that were reviewed, and they are  great. 
They reviewed some amazing products. I am sure I will be reviewing some fabulous products as well.
It will be different this year for sure, doing this, but it will be an exciting adventure.
We are finishing up a few things this month that I want to be done and out of the way before July, when we officially start.
This year we will be doing whatever comes our way. I am sure it will be a huge blessing, as we may find some new products that we love that we may never have tried otherwise. 
It will be a trust thing for me too, trusting that the Lord will send our way just what we need.
Well, hopefully soon I will have more to tell about, but for now, I am just full to the brim with anticipation and ready to get going.
I will keep you updated on things as they come.
Thank you for staying with me this year through all of my reviews.