free drawing for a hand bag

http://www.handbagplanet.com/

All it requires is your first name and email address! Drawing is October 15th!

Camera Pictures from our long break away from Provo

Alona's first day of Kindergarten in Ms. Erickson's class in Layton. She was a little bit scared at first, but warmed up quickly. She made many friends there and didn't want to leave. And frankly neither did I, all except for one big factor, Paul. He was supposed to have four months left, we went through two months with my sister but Paul no longer had two more months after the two that we had just done. He still has four more months. I just didn't think that I could do six months away from him, for personal reasons that you wouldn't think of, believe me. Alona had two other girls in the primary class there that were her same age, and there were three boys in that same class. Here in Provo, there is not a single child that is Alona's age. She is mixed in with two seven year old girls and a five year old boy.
Alona's first soccer game. She did awesome. She has gotten better each game with being involved and trying to go after the ball. My grandpa, Ruth and Val came to see her first game and Kacen demonstrated to my grandpa how he could suck on the cup and hold it in place. He thought that he was very funny and kept laughing every time that it would fall off. The uniforms in Roy are super cute, We have fun and there are still two games left!


Alona's birthday we went to Golden Corral with family, being that we had three birthdays in the family and my grandparent's forty ninth anniversary, and then we went to Layton Park and decorated a pavilion, fed the ducks while we waited for everyone to come and then opened presents and had cake and ice cream. Hannah Montana cake that Alona picked out. She was interested in Hannah Montana, so later that weekend we rented the video that she has out and the girls liked her music. Alona got a nice package of Polly pockets, a bike horn and a Hannah Montana microphone, oh and a book, "The Book of Mormon says".
The day before Alona's birthday we went to build a bear workshop for her present from Paul and I. She picked a monkey, he has a monkey sound and hello kitty pajamas and a sleeping beauty day time out fit with a crown and clear "glass" slippers with pink trim. After that we went out to SBarro's for pizza and went back to aunt Crystal's house and played at Vae View Park until bed time. Grandpa Bagley came on Alona's birthday and drew animals for her class, they had to guess what Grandpa was drawing before he finished. The first person to guess what he was drawing got to keep the picture. The kids were all so very excited, it was fun to watch them run up to their parents as they were being picked up and tell them all about it.

We seek after these things

"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." from the thirteenth article of faith.
Home schooling Alona was the length of three days. I bought curriculum, I prepared lessons, taught my children things that they could only learn in such a small setting. Wednesday Alona after doing really well with learning and listening was overly frustrated and having trouble with listening in a simple , I thought fun task. She expressed how this was no fun and she wanted to be with other children. She was not happy learning alone, but more so being alone without the other children her age. Paul talked to her, gave her a blessing and we went to the near by school where she saw the classroom and met the teacher. We agreed that she could go as long as she listened to Mom when she got home. Alona should be challenged, be able to learn, and I will provide things that the school is not. They will provide friends and play time with others her age.

When I was at my sister's getting ready to come home I was praying about where to put her and felt strongly to put her in Provost, an Elementary school down here . I wanted to put her in the other one if I would put her in to school. The spirit was not showing that what I wanted was best. I didn't listen the first few days and attempted to home school her, not a good choice. I wanted Farrer Elementary because I knew a few other moms who sent their children there, and Alona's best friend went there as well. We got home and her best friend and her family had vacated their home on orders from their Lanlord, so that he could move in his niece. Coming home, we found that the only other children around here (one family of two school children) went to Provost Elementary. The spirit really KNEW where Alona should go, I see that.
Now for how the article of faith applies to this"virtuous, lovely, good report, praiseworthy." These things fall under those words:
School makes her happy, it provides friends and play time.
Kacen and Abbi get more mommy time and more quality time for them to learn and grow
Mommy will be able to not be so stressed out or angry, trying to wrangle two children while teaching the third. The children will benefit from this also. My spirituality will benefit from this as well, I jumped at my two younger ones more while teaching Alona especially Abbi. I even spanked her one day when she wouldn't stop peeing her pants, this really effects Abbi and me, the guilt that I feel after spanking her is horrid and do not wish to endure that or have her be afraid. I can give her more of an enriching environment while Alona is at school.
I really wanted to home school, I love teaching Alona. I have loved teaching her the past six years. Alona can tell you what time it is, if the big hand is on the 12, She knows her letters, the sounds that they make, can read, she can do basic math, she can spell her own words by sounding them out, she knows the days of the week, she can say and writer up to 20, she is learning to count by tens and all about money.She knows much of the stories from the book of mormon, the prophets from there and some from the bible.
But now, I need to put that aside, let her go and grow up and have a part of her own life. I will teach her the things that the school will neglect this year that she has a desire to learn when she is home, and put the more part of my focus on enlightening my two younger children. They have SO much to learn!

New Addition

Sunday night after I got home, we search the classifieds to find her. We were searching for a free, female cat and we found an ad on ksl for five kittens and she was one of them. Alona on the way to Highland to go and get her wanted to name her Gilbert and Abbi wanted to name her Stripes. When they got to the house, I told them that if the black and white one was a girl that I wanted that one! And she was! So we named her Gibby, since Gilbert was a girl. Gilbert comes from the cartoon, Caillou. Abbi and Kacen were eating doritos the other day and then they started playing with the cat. Alona says, "Mom, they got cheeto spots on her." I told her that she came that way. I thought that was cute.

home schooling

So I am attempting to home school my daughter now that we are down in Provo. I don't have a lot of materials like schools do, I am starting small and can hopefully add to my curriculum as I go along. I know the basics of what she needs to learn still, I am just unaware of how to totally go about it, what sequence to teach things and how to make it all very fun. But I am trying it out, and will try not to be too critical of myself.
I have asked many people and looked through the internet to find as many resources as I could to home school. Home schooling can run in to the hundreds and beyond, I am looking for a great way to teach Alona without breaking the bank though. We went and got a new printer so that I can print things, I should get a calendar, probably the one from really good helper and would like to get the subscription to edhelper.com. There are many books that I could get, and I have found some books that I could order from ebay to supplement Alona's reading.
Maybe these resources will help others that are looking in to home schooling.
Unit Studies..
www.school express. com
www.teachercreated.com *
www.creativeteaching.com
www.themailbox.com ****
www.carsondellosa.com
Math:
www.Mathusee.com *
www.excelmath.com
www.keypress.com
www.saxonpub.com *
www.alabacus.com
companies that it is nice to be on the mailing list, to chose books from are:
www.elijah.com
www.LDFR.com

Other curriculum web sites are:
Houghton Miffin www.eduplace.com
Gateway to edu. materials www.thegateway.org
Teach-Nology science www.Teach-nology.com
A to Z homes cool www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling
Edu puppy www.edupuppy.com
Edu scapes www.eduscapes.com
harper Collins www.happercollins.com
How great thou art www.howgreatthouart.com

The world book website offers a typical course of study for each grade. You can also go to the state school website and download one for the state.
www.worldbook.com/ptrc/html/curr.htm
A great site for Homeschool planning forms and other homeschool info is
www.donnayoung.org
A great website for all grade level worksheets, reading as well as theme units is
www. edhelper.com
this one you can get somethings for free others you have to join, for a kindergarten level you must likly would not need more than the $20 memebership.
http://www.schoolspecialtypublishing.com/store/brand.aspx?BrandId=8
some more websites:
www.dltk-kids.com
www.absoluteastronomy.com
www.abcteach.com
www.kidskconnect.com
www.kidzone.ws
www.123.com
www.shapebooks.com

Sites that I fond myself with home school materials,
www.reallygoodstuff.com
www.discountschoolsupply.com
www.school.familyeducation.com/curriculum-planning/parents-and-school/37432.html


If you any extra tips for homeschooling that you have experienced by either doing it yourself or from teaching in school. Please feel free to add comments.

Home again

I'm back in Provo. It is really late. Paul is super excited to have me/us back. I stayed with my sister for two months and it was great. Really nice just having family around. The ward up there was awesome, nice having that big of a primary and being off of a busy street! Now we are back, the schools aren't as great here and we might end up moving some time this school year if/when Paul finishes his degree.. So now I have a little more than twenty four hours to decide whether to home school Alona and put her in to other things, like girl scouts and an instrument or sports or to put her in a school around here. She went to school up at my sister's and loved the school setting, playing with children and the environment of the classroom. She was very upbeat about most of it, though she wasn't challenged. That is my thought for home schooling her, to give her something new to learn each day and the thought of changing schools again this year doesn't look too appealing! I've been asking around for home schooling curriculum's and where to find them. Got any input, that would be great!

school tomorrow

ok, so forgive me for the lack of photos. I have been up here now for more than three weeks, I am doing all right. Really besides missing Paul like crazy and a few quirks from my lifestyle, I am great. Alona starts school tomorrow! It is only like an hour orientation, where of course I will have to take the younger children. And then some time in the week after she will have testing and go back the next Thursday or Friday for regular school, which is only like 2 or 3 hours, so not that much. And the school that she goes to will be right up the road. We are not living on a busy road! Grandma and I went and got Alona's school things. Grandma took her clothes shopping last Saturday just the two of them, went out to lunch and everything, how fun! Abbi's feet are growing! Alona's too, I went to go and get Alona some new shoes , she was growing and she was getting new ones too. Lo and behold Abbi needed new shoes too! So she got new shoes and now I realize that she needs new church shoes! Paul and I both have cell phones now and got rid of our home phone, if you would like thatm just leave a message/with a way to contact you and I'll get that to you. Kacen is getting big, he says so much more, talks in phrases, he can say his name! He loves cars and especially motorcycles! Abbi learned how to do squares, how to draw them! Its awesome. I ran in to an old friend at a restaurant last weekend that I knew from the sixth grade and went to the park yesterday with her and hung out. Our girls really got along. She has an older boy though so he was a little out of place. Paul's birthday is on Wednesday, My husband will be 27! Next weekend he will come down, maybe for four days?!! Ok, well I need to go outside with my kids, I'll write more when I can!

ok, so I am alive! I have very limited access to the computer right now. I am at my in-laws using it! I am currently staying with my sister. No me and Paul are not having any type of marital problems like my family is asking or other people are assuming. Seriously what I am saying is the truth, Paul has four months left of school, I have not had much help in two years, Paul's sleeping/working/school schedule is horrible and our neighbors are not there for me. I am down here with family until he finishes to have help and support from others and this is how I have chosen to do it instead of going literally nuts. I am grateful for my family that is here and helping even if they don't understand me. I wish that kids didn't have to be dragged here with me and what not, but they will have a healthier, happier mommy.