Skool @ da Hil Howse

Castes

2012-01-07T16:42:00.001-08:00

Okay this is what happens when you get a bunch of homeschoolers together and say here are some boxes, create a caste system.

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What we're up to!

2011-12-10T07:15:00.001-08:00

so I don't blog much. Yeah, I know!

Every time I think of blogging a pot boils over, a kid falls, somebody needs to go somewhere. It seems to be inevitable. I do have to say, it is wonderful to be almost done with this semester. I was thinking, as I took my next to my last final this morning, I felt relief all over me. I was thinking during this semester, that it was totally insane to homeschool my children +one and work further towards my degree (which I highly recommend should be done before attempting to have children) all at the same time, however, this semester is almost done, the children are where I planned for them to be at this point, and we are all happy. Even with the doula births, WIC lactation work, and the birthing project little sisters life could not be even sweeter. Oh, I know I don't mention the man with the plan, Jimmy, much but, I'm glad he's so supportive through it all.

Anyway on to the updates:

Precious: is such the polite young woman. She is preparing to be a debutante this summer by having lots of classes in between. She despises Algebra but, actually is doing pretty well in it. She just finished reading The Scarlet Letter and is currently reading Great Expectations. She has a list of 150 SAT prep words that she plans to have learned by Christmas. She is quite the author and writes short stories very quickly but, is not a poet by any means. In a nutshell, Precious is precious.

Tre': is finally learning cursive and doing better writing that than writing in print. huh I should have taught it first. He is devouring books every week. He loves to read! Which I'm very proud of especially since he's a boy and they tend to despise reading. He is doing well in math (Saxon if you were wondering what we use). He likes vocabulary and wants to be in a spelling bee so I will have to work towards figuring out how we will do that. He is studying about astrology right now and is very fascinated with it. Oh he recently figured out that he could burn leaves with a magnifying glass and this has become his favorite pass time. He's so helpful with the children these days and has moved on from washing dishes to washing pots which he thought would be more fun than it is.

PJ: lost his two front teeth. Is becoming more of a reader each day. He is still doing a lot of decoding but, is getting to the point of being able to decode without much help from me. He loves math and is learning about astrology with his brother and enjoys that. He is very fascinated with government right now- yes at his age- weird I know but, he is. Oh he is the new dish washer in the house and also figured out it wasn't as fun as it looked. He lost his two front teeth recently and looks so much cuter! Which I thought was impossible-I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

Patience: last but, certainly not least is still the Hill family sweet heart. There is no telling what is going to come out of her mouth. She has an attitude that is..... indescribable. Her uncle says she is like sweet heat chips. I think that about sums it up. She is learning some sight words and doing some beginning reading at this point. The authority figure in me doesn't like her sassiness but, the feminist in me loves her spunk! Oh and yesterday, she cut her hair ha! because it was sticking out was her answer when I asked her why so now she looks like she has lost all of her ages from them being pulled too tight or something. You have to have a lot of patience with Patience.

Well there's the update on the kiddos. I would say that I will try to blog more but, every time I say that I don't so until the next post I hope you and yours are great!

Tacky Day 2011

2011-12-01T22:29:00.001-08:00

So today was our tacky day. The kids have been asking for a day of not tucking shirts, not having to match, and having no wardrobe rules. So, like any parent would I said okay. For now on December 1st is our official tacky day. Precious won hands down! Can't wait to see what they do on opposite's day..

Toni

Spartan XC

2011-10-29T09:21:00.001-07:00

Precious went the National Homeschool Cross Country Meet in Missouri. I couldn't go with her because I am on call for a birth but, after she got back I was so happy to hear of her adventures!

Toni

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books, books, and more books

2011-10-29T09:04:00.001-07:00

We had a book fair for the Northeast Mississippi Birthing Project. The kids spent the entire time reading book after book. They loved it.

Toni

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2011-10-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

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Doughnuts

2011-10-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

We took a tour of the doughnut shop. It was awesome to see the steps included in making doughnuts. I have to say sampling the finished product was the best part!

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Week 3

2011-09-30T22:14:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it! It's week three of school already. Wow how time flies when you're busy as all get out. Well, we have gotten in the routine. We are doing what we do the way we do it. This week we are studying about weather and natural disasters. We have had a busy week full of field trips-most of them impromptu, of course. We started the week off with a long school day with lots of information and ended up at the Gum Tree Museum of Art to view one of Precious' friends' exhibit in the Southern Lights Collaboration show. On Tuesday we did some geocaching at the Chickasaw Village along the Natchez Trace and ended up having a wildlife study on goldenrod and cedar trees before it was over. The rest of the week we spent time outside and completed our normal school work.

Toni

she likes art

2011-09-28T09:16:00.003-07:00

Patience enjoying pictures at the Gum Tree Museum

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Finally a Reader

2011-09-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

We have a new reader at our house and yes I love it! It has been a hard road for PJ but, finally he is actually on it. Yes, Dick and Jane is sight reading at it's best but we needed to do something to boost his confidence and it seemed that letting him delve into some Dick and Jane was the key! I'm so happy to report that at 7 yrs old Preston James Hill is a reader!

Toni

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School Lunch

2011-09-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is what school lunch looks like most days at our house. Of course we have our occasional pb&j days but, I have found it takes as much time to prepare this lunch as it does sandwiches if I plan. Plus we start school so early most days that by lunch time we are absolutely famished and a sandwich just does not do the trick. What is lunch like at your house?

Toni

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Our house, almost

2011-09-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

This week's art project for our art class at the C.H.O.I.C.E co-op was a house with paper bags. it was so much fun seeing the kids make their own creations. We had kids who even had snow on their lawns. I hated that I didn't get anymore pictures but, here is a sample of how we did it. I found the idea on pinterest, my newest addiction.

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Wordless Wednesday 9/21/11

2011-09-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Can you figure out which book we read today?

Hint: He's very hungry!

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Week 2

2011-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! week 2 went quick. Sort of like most weeks do I guess. We finished the first lesson in Mystery of History. I will put pictures up of the beginning of our timeline soon. Also the boys and Little P are exploring astronomy with Apologia. We also have some supplementary books that we have been reading on the subject as well. Preston's reading base is growing steadily and surprises me daily. Little P always surprises me with her willingness to learn. We delivered meals on wheels this week and Little P had her tutu on the entire time. School for me has been a challenge but, I am using my stuck-to-it-tiveness to get things done. I am busy working on our calendar for the year. I have only gotten through December and I know the months go by so fast. It seems like we are getting into our routine and getting off to a good start for this school year. The kids love their co-op classes at CHOICE and Patience was extremely happy about her kindermusik class last week with Ms. Sandy and is looking forward to having fun tomorrow as well. Precious ran her first official meet on Saturday in Saltillo and did very well. She sprinted past ten people in the last stretch.

Well I guess that's about it. Lots of cross country practice, football practice, birthing project business, doula babies, my college homework, etc. etc. other than that we have not been too busy. Hope you and yours are doing great!

Toni

Day 2

2011-09-07T19:27:00.001-07:00

Usually day 2 goes horrible because the kids figure out school is in and it's such a sad day. Maybe that will be day 3 this year. We started the day pretty late because I had homework and I was selfish and let them sleep in. Can you believe no one complained? :) Any who, today we reviewed math facts, and added our grammar studies, did more Mystery of History, and the younger ones worked on phonics.

Preston, at seven years old, is just now doing some early reading. I am so happy! He is reading Away We Go, which is one of the books in the Dick and Jane series and is almost done with it. It will be his first book to complete that is not one of the printable type or Bob Books. I am so happy he is progressing finally. I listened to all of the other mothers who had boys who read at their own pace and drew from their experiences and stayed patient. We just continued to read lots of literature to him to increase his knowledge base while he learned on his own time.

Precious, our ninth grader, is reading the unabridged version of Huckleberry Finn and is very shocked by the language. Tre', our 5th grader, is enjoying a children's classic version of Ben Hur.

Patience, our 5 yr old, is not classified by a grade yet. She learns so much from her older siblings. I would place her at 1st grade or so. She is reading better and better by the day. I didn't teach her to write last year but, she has taken it upon herself to learn. She copies the names that are on everything into her drawings as she did in the one below.

If you look hard enough you can make out the words"Toshiba", from Daddy's laptop where Tre' did his Rosetta stone Spanish this morning. "Mississippi history" from Precious' History book, "pencil tablet" from her writing tablet, "crayon" from the box, and some other assorted words. Just in case you were wondering this picture is of her daddy driving in "BIG MAMA our conversion van. She said that is her at the table playing cards with her brother.

Tomorrow is the first day of our co-op, C.H.O.I.C.E. The kids are looking forward to their classes and spending time with their friends. I am teaching only two classes this year. One is a creative writing class for high schoolers, the other an art class for 4yr old-2nd graders. I always finish these classes wishing they weren't over. I'm looking forward to school tomorrow since we had such an awesome day today. I love homeschooling! Patience says Hill house school is the best.

Toni

2011/2012 school year has begun!

2011-09-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

Today marks our first "official" day of school this term. We normally "school" all year around but, this summer we were so busy with camp and short trips, we never got around to doing much of anything other than reading. The pupils at Hill learning academy decided to do the Pledge of Allegiance (which we do every school day) outside. It was the first chilly day of the season and I was wondering why would they want to do that but, who am I to extinguish their right to pledge where they feel comfortable. We are still waiting on a lot of our books to arrive so we are starting the term off mainly with review. We completed lesson 1 in Mystery of History volume I. Precious and Tre' both got started on their reading for the month in hopes to get ahead so they can earn some time "off" in the near future. We missed xc practice today but, Precious did run at the park to make up for it. Overall it was a good day.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Homeschool Freedom day!

2011-08-05T01:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Mary Jo, started a holiday with her kids a few years back called homeschool freedom day. It's basically celebrated on the first day of school for our public/private school counter parts. I thought it was a wonderful idea and celebrated the first time last year. This year we had planned to meet other homeschoolers at our local splash pad but, I also told the kids since it was their freedom day they could sleep in. Well lol they slept in well past the time we were supposed to meet the others and we ended up braving the 100+ heat index. After 30 or so minutes out in the heat, I was so wishing I had brought a change of clothes for myself. I let them pick whatever they each wanted for lunch since I never am a short order cook once we are schooling. Of course PJ wanted oatmeal (yes for lunch, it's his chocolate-could be worse) , Tre' wanted pb and j, Cookey Face wanted a hot ham and cheese and buttered noodles and Precious toasted some bread and made a peanut butter sandwich. I had a concoction plate of all of these - minus the oatmeal. I just can't eat that in the middle of the day. We went to McDonald's for ice cream afterwards for a cool off. Once daddy was home we had a late dinner and watched movies off of netflix until everyone fell asleep. We had fun! Isn't that what homeschool freedom day is all about? Now it's time to get in planning mode. nope I'm not done with that yet..

Toni

2011-07-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

Checking in!

Wow it's been a while since I have posted so I thought I would do so. I have been having a great summer with the kids. We have been to a lot of different camps this summer including Lutherridge in North Carolina, Affirm in Ga, multiple Vacation Bible Schools, Rocket camp, 4h camp and the list goes one. Let's just say it's been a busy summer and now we have a month and three days to get ready for school. So in other words it's crunch time. Hope your summer is going well and that you are having loads of fun. Toni

Well Planned Day

2011-05-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

I wish my day was going as planned. Maybe if I win the Well Planned day planner from Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler it might go a little better.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Toni

Teacher's appreciation Day

2011-05-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Well it's teacher's appreciation day! For some reason I really don't feel appreciated. No one brought me an apple. Actually the apples I cut and cored for morning snack were eaten up without regard that the cutter had not had one. No matter, that's what my hidden granola bars are for. shh!! don't tell anybody. Anyway, I do appreciate having the opportunity to be a teacher regardless of the pay, late night planning sessions, whining, or the lack of sick days. The fact that free time consists of sitting down watching the same episode of veggie tales while folding yet another mountain of laundry doesn't bother me a bit. I truly love being able to school my little ones. At this point in my life, I seriously wouldn't trade it for the job I used to have by any means. Any who, I found an old link on the subject and felt like sharing.
Happy Teacher's day

5QF 5/29/11

2011-04-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't done one of these in a while. I always thought they were fun but, haven't been blogging much so here is this weeks five question Friday. Oh and if you would like to join in just go on over there and join in.

1. If you could buy any car, money not an option, what would it be?

Okay, so I'm a mom and I always think of car seats, ease of getting in and out, and of course size does matter. I would love a 15 passenger van with tinted windows and all of the bells and whistle. I absolutely love the conversion we have now but, if the Hill family grows (which is likely) we will need more space.

Oh and can it have gas mileage like my honda accord?

2. What was your worst first date ever?

I am going to totally plead the fifth on this one since my husband reads my blog and it was with him.

3. How old were you when you fell in love for the first time?

4. When was the last time you reconciled your checkbook?

well I guess I can't plead the fifth twice in the same post can I?

Do people really have time to do that. The banks are probably making a killing off of us and we don't even now it..

5. If you were going to fashion a "Wanted" Ad for a best friend, how would you word it?

Wanted: Best Friend

Must have children-at least three. Must be a birth junkie, breastfeeding nazi, homeschooling, wish she had time for sewing, facebook loving, android app addicted, domestic goddess who never is actually at home.

Must be willing to understand that my voice mail box is always full so when she hears my message begin just hang up because I won't get your message for at least a month. Must be okay with texting and be able to put up with me totally forgetting everything some days. Oh and of course she must be willing to be a sister friend with our birthing project. May hit me up on facebook if interested. If you are the right person you probably have a facebook tab open while you read this.

Toni

My shares of the week

2011-04-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

It is interesting the number of links I share in a given week. It is almost funny how much time I waste on facebook in the middle of the night while I can't sleep. Looking for a post that I shared only earlier this week led me to come up with the idea of sharing on my blog. This week has been full of mixed emotions. The storms that passed through our area have left a trail of devastation in its wake. I am so blessed that our family was spared this tragedy. We spent many hours this week in the hall while listening to continuous sirens over head. I am not sure how many tornado warnings we were under but, we didn't leave the house for two days because of the threat. Our extended family, who lives in Wren, MS -one of the places hit only had to deal with hail damage to vehicles and loss of power for a couple of days. Only a mile away many family friends lost their homes. I can't help but, remember the way I felt after Hurricane Katrina and my heart goes out to the victims of this disaster. So this week's links were mostly about the devastation that so many suffered in so many states.

This one about a homeschool father of 13 affected me the most. It really hit home about the protection that the father makes for his children. Our father in heaven as well as our earthly father. After hearing the speaking in the background of that blog someone shared this video of an 11 year old revealing Jesus throughout the Bible. I thought it was totally amazing to hear that from a child so passionately. I thought of all the verses we teach our kids that follow the alphabet and even some that relate to Bible stories and I thought this would be an amazing thing to do for a year long Bible study with the children. I found this link that is sort of a chart of all that child spoke about and I will make a plan of how it can be incorporated into our daily Bible/devotion time.

This one reported about the tornado in Cullman Alabama was important to me because of our last interim pastor at our church Pastor Bob. My children prayed without ceasing that his family was safe. He emailed us a day or so later informing us that he was serving someplace else but, that his home church there in Cullman, Christ Lutheran, was totally destroyed. We will keep them in our hearts and prayers along with all of the others who have been affected by these storms.

TONI

howdy and homemade washing soda

2011-04-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe I haven't blogged in months. so just an update here. We have been doing great schooling like usual. Trying to get done in time for June. It's hard to contain them in for an entire day now with the nice weather. I have been reading lots of bloggers and spending way too much time on facebook these days. The birthing project has me really busy as well as all of my other activities. The kids just got done with a production of Oz with Pied Piper. They loved it! I'm exhausted! which is how these things usually go. I just ran across a blog today that showed how to make washing soda, which is one of the additives in homemade washing detergent which my family, along with countless others, makes. It works good in everything except for football uniforms and dad's work shirts, which require a little more. So that's my share today. I hope all's well with yall'

FQF 9/17/10

2010-09-17T03:48:00.000-07:00

So I haven't done one of these for a while so I decided to jump in this week. Interested, then hop on over here to join in.

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?
it's kind of weird but, its about this train. I was sitting at the station waiting on the train to come and somebody walks in front of it. They don't get killed but, it's like really close. I was like 6 or 7 when I had that dream. Funny thing is it freaked me out so bad that it became one of those recurrent dreams. My mom even remembers it.

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch? Well, I'm not a huge sport fan but, 8 years of marching band ( no it didn't take me that long to get out of high school that's counting college) kind of made me be a football watcher. Then of course marrying my high school sweetheart, who was also in the band and loves football did not help. Short answer Football. Who dat! (just in case you are wondering my favorite team)

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)? Hats, I love hats but, having a head full of locs doesn't qualify me to be able to just pick up any hat I want.

4. Did you make good grades in school? What do you consider good? Okay let me quit playing.... Yes, I did. Now I was no National Merit scholar but, I graduated after all.

5. What magazines do you subscribe to? That should be what magazines don't I subscribe to.. Not having a television in the house you have to do something other than housework. I was notorious for buying magazines from every little kid who is selling them as a fundraiser. (don't come to my house selling magazines please. I did say was) Anyway, those magazines seem to keep coming. My youngest is now four and I still get Parenting, not sure how many times I renewed that one. I think Mothering is my page turner though. Of course I really like This Old Schoolhouse as well. What La Leche League leader doesn't love New Beginnings which is now online. I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on about this one but, I won't. I love reading and if I can finish a mag it seems like I have accomplished a book sort of.

Toni

s

Update

2010-09-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

So school did start as scheduled on Monday. We have been so busy I have not had a free moment to post about all that we have done. It's been a jam-packed week. So what else is new right? It's been an awesome start to the new year and I surely hope it's an indication of how things will continue to go.
Toni

4 days left

2010-09-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Okay I really am almost at the deadline. I think this is the first year when I have not been remotely ready for the upcoming school year. It's a good thing that I am the one who made the deadline. It is not my fault. There are things that are working totally beyond my control.

I have been working a lot and have not had a bit of down time.
It's truly been a crazy month.
I lost the debit card and had to order another one... (can't buy things online without it). Maybe the dog ate it....oh yeah we don't have a dog.
I expected Jimmy to order everything we need... (no one's going to believe that one)

well, enough excuses and down to work. I can't believe that I volunteered to go to a convention the weekend before school starts. argghhh!!!! Anyway I think the downtime will do the kids and myself some good. I will be gone all weekend and they will be here with dad, poor thing (the kids not him). I guess I can't say that I'm not prepared at all because I do have some things I need. This year I decided on a whim to actually buy a curriculum for our youngest. Of course I will supplement it a pretty good bit with other things but, you can't beat it for being under $20. I just thought that it would be a good idea to have workbooks for her so she will at least be content at the table a little while so the others can do their schooling. They have been here in the house for quite a while and I have had to hide them because of the constant questions about is today the day or not. I'm glad she is excited! I have to say though, all of the others are excited too about things getting back to normal around here. well I'm off to plan some things and pack. Yall' have a good one.
Toni

16 more days

2010-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's crunch time for preparations for the beginning of our next school term. The kids had a long enough summer and so now the time has come. They are looking forward to beginning, as if you ever completely are not home schooling. That is part of the beauty of it. I will be back each day with the preparations that have been done and sometimes what I have left to do. arghh even worse right? Happy home schooling

Toni

A Hill of a Train Ride

2010-08-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

So, yeah I know it's been a while but, better late than a non blogger. We have been super busy this summer. One thing that was very fun that we did was went on a train ride. lol and not like you think. A friend of ours from church took an entire year building his train track and a friend of his brought his train over and we were invited for a ride. We had cousins D and K with us as well and we were super excited about the fact that the train could haul all six Hills (yeah I rode too), two Halls, the train conductor and the train track builders 5 yr old grandson. Well enough of words here is the proof.

Look at the detail!! The entire thing is a handmade work of art. Jimmy says he has found his retirement hobby for sure.

I'll try not to be a stranger,
TONI

PJ is 6 years old

2010-06-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ!

Pastor Will gave him his gift shortly after Precious and Tre' were done playing in the recital,

PJ turned six on April 26, 2010. It was one of those days when we had a million and one things to do so his birthday happened right after the piano recital. Yes, we used the local ice cream shop. No planning, no cleaning, sounded good to me.

No Birthday is complete without the official one to grow on!!

cutting the best piece for himself. Precious was saying come on, we all want some of the writing.

Patience had to help blow out the one candle.

PJ was determined for daddy to have a happy face on his birthday. He did not care that he had worked 13 hours that day.

Tre' gives PJ a big brother hug while we finish up the "party".

Thankful Thursday 6/17/10

2010-06-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well, hello
It's very strange how you can be on a blog roll and then all of a sudden have a blog holiday. I have been away from my online friends for quite a minute while I finished the semester. Attending to some lovely doula clients and actually deciding to take a summer break from school for the kids while I concentrate on my school work. Well anyway here's my thankful Thursday.

I am thankful for my sister Raven who is so gracious to babysit my babies this summer now that she has graduated. She is so excited about going to college this fall. I also am very thankful for my mom because she is supportive of everything I do. It's funny how one can not notice how supportive someone else is until they see what it could be like. Anyway because of HIPPA, I certainly can't share any more. I hope I can catch up with my blogging since my camera is certainly full of pictures. For now, this was another Thankful Thursday

Toni

Monday Minute 5/3/10

2010-05-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

I have not done a Monday Minute since January, even though I said it was going to be my Monday thing. It is what I use for my children when they are journaling. It seems that they can drag it on forever and ever. I started this last year. Basically they spend a minute writing as many short facts as they can on a subject. After doing so they get nine more minutes to elaborate on those facts. So if it's good for the Geese here goes the gander.
home-schooled
researched curriculum for next year
chick-fil-a dinner
bacon and cream of wheat breakfast
lean cuisine while the kids had hot dogs and chips
shopped for RV's
worked at church
cleaned
cleaned
cleaned
Anyway it's late so I am going to bed. That's a little insight into my day today. I actually thought we had baseball practice today and went that way just to find out that it will be tomorrow night instead. We were out so we decided that chick-fil-a would be a good dinner. I love the Christian atmosphere there. Even the music is set to Christian radio. I love how they take a stand on Christianity. The kids got veggie tales as their kids meal happy. Sorry I'm rambling. It's late. That my friends, was another Monday Minute.

By the way, I did work on the organization notebook yesterday. so far I have included:
a monthly calender
weekly schedule
daily schedule
pages for addresses and phone numbers
folder for address labels, stamps, envelopes
I will include pics when it's done.

Toni

5QF 4/30/2010

2010-04-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

I almost missed five question Friday AGAIN....

1. If you could, would you go back to high school?

Why,no I would not. I liked high school. I really enjoyed playing in the band. I was such a band geek! It was great memories don't get me wrong but, they can stay there in the past.

2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)

Why can't I ask for more wishes? Isn't that human nature to want more wishes. Well, I guess you know that and so that's why we can't have it. First, I would wish for another genie who could grant more than two wishes. Second I would wish for long happy, fruitful, healthy lives for my entire family.

3. What kids show do you secretly like?

Well, we don't watch television at our house so I have to go with movies since we only watch dvds on the computer every now and then. I really like Cheaper by the Dozen. I could watch that over and over again and not complain about it. I love that the very first old school one as much as I like the modern day one and the sequel are both clean and good humor. Of course I really like Yours, Mine and Ours too. Do you see a trend here? Please don't tell the king of the castle here he would need a double dose of his heart meds. :)

4. What is your beverage of choice?

chai tea cold or warm.

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?

hmmm.. I have to think on that one....................................................................... Okay I've thought about it. The one thing that I am working on is to be more organized with life. I showed up at the wrong ball field tonight. NOT just down the street from the real one but, in another town. I had to drive my son twenty minutes in the other direction to get him to his game. He had plenty of time to play but, I was just thinking that if I was a little more organized my day would have been planned already. Long story short, I was driving and thinking about what I can do to organize life for me and my broad a little better . I thought of having a notebook for mama. I have seen the idea on various websites but, I'm so cheap I don't want to buy anything from anybody else so I am going to start tonight working on my mama binder. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated in my venture so please send um to me. Okay this post is way longer than any 11:47 p.m. five question Friday should be so I will write more this weekend on my plans. Sorry this is my ramblings. If you like nice organized blog posts that have been strategically planned out and proper grammar then....... you have came to the wrong place.

So if you like this sort of thing, then go follow MamaM and keep up with the next 5 Question Friday.

Thankful Thursday 4/29/10

2010-04-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

I am thankful this Thursday for being able to take the time to watch a beanstalk grow with a five..... six year old.

WW Aunt's are so special

2010-04-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Patience and Aunt Raven have a wonderful bond.

Amory museum

2010-04-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Recently we took a Sunday afternoon field trip to the Amory Museum in Amory Mississippi. It used to be one of our favorite museums when we lived here before. I'm not sure we have been there since our oldest was three. The field trip attendants were assigned different buddies than normal because we were trying something new. I was just thinking that it might be a good idea to pair them with the buddy they were most like. I guess old habits are hard to break since they ended up with their normal buddies by the end of the trip. I guess opposites do attract in some cases after all. Here they are with their respective buddies in front of a train car on the grounds there.

The chaperons - of course were mom and dad.
Boy!! were we super excited about getting all of the kids out of the house because it had been very rainy that week. They were about to crack up. We had an awesome tour guide that Sunday afternoon, who declined getting her picture taken. Amory is such an interesting town and knew a lot of background information because she had lived there all of her life. In an effort not to bore whoever is reading our blog, I will not share all of the pics we took but, will simply give you a brief synopsis of what the kids like the most about the trip and the chaperons too of course.

The old call lights are still in place from the hospital this used to be.

PJ was very fascinated with the train collection.

Now this was neat. It was used to clean the cotton. Our tour guide demonstrated it for us.

Of course, the quilts that were on exhibit were cool to me. Jimmy liked this one that is made of used men's ties.

Now this particular quilt in the corner was of interest because the person who brought it in was near 100 years old and it was hand pieced by her mother.

Hearing all about the days of old waiting at the station for the train to come.

A picture of Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore, who the current hospital is now named after. They actually started the first modern medical facility in Northeast Mississippi. That was news to me!

As much as I complain about having to wait for Jimmy to fix my washer or dryer yet again I am so happy that I don't have to use a rub board.

The flooring in the museum is the original flooring of the hospital.

And that's all folks!

Toni

two kids and a park

2010-04-15T04:03:00.000-07:00

I dropped the older ones off for piano while the younger ones and I hit the park. I had one thing in mind, study, study, study.

Of course they had another.

Can you believe Patience was afraid of this little bug?

She refused to slide until it had found another home.

PJ was all about the monkey bars

and the slide.

Patience had a little upside down time too but, a little closer to the ground.

Of course PJ had get even higher.

All of a sudden it seemed it was time to go. I should have left my book in the van. It was worth a try though.

Toni

Thankful Thursday

2010-03-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today, because strep throat has found my house, I am thankful for advil and tylenol. The mixture of the two all but, alleviates those in my house with fever. Of course I can't help but, say how much I love making Jewish Penicillin for the family as well. My kids hate when it starts cooking, but I love it because it means sleep is on the way. I think Precious woke me up at least three times last night. I don't have an infant in my house so I don't look forward to people waking me up from my four hours of sleep. Night, night, TONI

5QF 2/19/10

2010-02-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like Five question Friday. Want to join link up to Mama M. Here are this weeks questions.

1. Have you ever hit an animal with your vehicle? I have to honestly say that I have.....for sure hit an animal with my vehicle. I have never caused animal-slaughter though. I am pretty sure every one of them I hit was already dead. I have never had an incidence with a domesticated animal that had been sitting there too long.

2. When you see a string on your clothes do you pull it off or cut if off? It depends on what it is. I mean what would I look like pulling strings that kept raveling and raveling and raveling off anyway. I will pull a string off of the kids clothes in a minute. I am just not as carefree with my own

3. Did you have your own room or share a room when you were young? Well, I grew up an only child until I was 13. I not only had my own room I also had my own playroom as well. Even after my baby sister was born I still was able to keep my own room until I moved out. Of course the play room, which I hadn't played in for some time at that point, was utilized for a a nursery.

4. Would you rather wear the same thing for the rest of your life or eat the same thing for the rest of your life? I will wear the same thing for ever and ever. I don't do well on the monogamy of the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The idea of it is boring me right now.

5. What was your favorite TV show as a child? I would like to say I can just pick one. Man there is the Cosby Show, different wold, Punky Brewster, Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, Blossom, Different Strokes.....Let's just say I liked television a lot more than I care to admit now.

5QF 2/12/10

2010-02-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been absent from the blog world for a couple of weeks and now I'm back. School started for me and things got a little crazy. Here is another five question Friday from MamaM over at My little life. Nothing like a little meme action to get me back started.

1. What is the one thing your love does for you that you can't live without?
Oh this is so sexy.... fifteen years of marriage and it will be sexy to you too. He watches the kids so I can get a break anytime I like. This is a pg rated page. What did you think I was going to tell?

2. When did you know your love was "the one"?
Well, we were in band together all through high school and when he was back visiting after he had graduated and I saw him again....well the rest is history.

3. Does your love have a special ringtone on your cell?
No, he doesn't call that much. He is a texting kind of man when he is at work.

4. What are you attracted to most in your special someone?
Those LL Cool J lips.....mmmm. Plus no matter how mad I get at him he always can manage to make me smile.

5. Did you know when/where he/she was going to pop the big question?
Yes, it was not a big surprise. We knew we were on our way down the isle pretty soon after we started dating. (we officially dated for 71/2 months)

Truthful Tuesdays - excuses

2010-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

What's the best excuse you ever used
to get out of an obligation like work, school, or chores...
And did you get away with it?

Well Let's see. I am not a good lie-come-up-with-er. There is only one time that comes to mind when I was trying to get out of something. I was trying to get out of a ticket when I was pregnant with Tre'. When I lived on the MS Gulf coast, the shipyards made a ten minute drive from Ocean Springs hospital back to Gautier about a thirty minute drive. Some days, if I got lucky enough to get the drawbridge over Singing River, it could be longer than that. Anyway, I was driving home one day, way too fast mind you, and I saw blue lights in the rear view. Well, I didn't want a ticket. I'm sure nobody ever does. When asked why I was speeding, with all my pregnant splendor I said..... "I have to pee really bad officer". I was not brave enough to say I thought I was in labor which was the first excuse that came to mind. Hey, it worked! I didn't think of it as a total lie because with someone constantly putting pressure on your bladder, you are always in need of a bathroom break.

Toni

Stuck in Phoenix

2010-01-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I have not been blogging but, now i have nothing to do since I am tired of doing my schoolwork. I have been here in Phoenix since two yesterday afternoon. It is now about 7 in the am. I can not wait until we are able to leave. We are stuck here because of the weather. The weather was so bad that they would not fly in it. So here I am with at least a thousand of my closest friends sleeping in this airport. I hope that my 8:53 am ticket gives me a ride to my destination. Oh, wondering where I am going. I am on my way to the National Birthing project conference. I can't wait until I get there.

Activators giveaway

2010-01-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

Do your kids stay as active as they need to be? Check out the Activators. This unexperienced mom is giving two cds away.

5QF

2010-01-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

It's time for another five question Friday. If you want to get in on this one head over to MamaM and link up. So here we go:

1.Worst trouble you ever got in when you were a teenager?

I was not a bad teenager. I stayed too busy. I was always at band practice, church, or home.

2. Are you a morning or a night person? I am an all night person. I don't ever go to bed before twelve. I can be a morning person if I am coaxed with a wonderful thing called coffee but, before then I can be very cranky. I am lucky to not have early risers. My kids get up when I wake them. They get up if I wake them at 6 or 10. They can be sleepy heads when they want to be though.

3. Are you a one-handed or a two-handed Texter? lol I had to grab a phone and send a text to see the answer to this one. I am a one-handed texter. I have a super cheapo phone and I am very proud of my texting abilities.

4. Democrat, Republican, or Independent..or maybe even Green Party (whatever that is). No, no, and no. I never vote just because of party lines. It depends on the person and the issues they support or don't support.

5. Are you a pet person? Yes, I think I can be classified as a pet person. I love cats more than dogs though. We don't have a house cat right now because we have Rocco who does not like cats very much. He is mainly Precious' pet but, he does get the love of the entire family. With the more kids I have, I am becoming more and more of a fish person though.

Well, that was another five question Friday. Three weeks in a row. Not that bad I must say.

Thankful Thursday family

2010-01-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

I am thankful this Thursday for my sweet little family. Today we had throwback movie night and the kids laughed at how I knew all the words. I am surprised I still remembered those words from when I was nine. The Parent Trap is one of my all time favorite movies. I am thankful today though that my kids don't have to choose one parent over the other. The whole family was the norm when this movie was on the screen. Now a days kids are actually faced with various situations with their parents. The movie talked about the six month split jokingly. It would be wonderful if custody battles were that easy.
Thankful,
Toni

Truthful Tuesday

2010-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I found another meme. This one is truthful Tuesdays. I got it over at this blog. So the question for today's truthful Tuesday is:
What talent do you wish you have...
but don't?
Well, I've got to think on that one. Those of you who know me know that I have lots of irons in various fires. I really enjoy homeschooling, sewing and learning new things. I have always had dreams of becoming a midwife so I guess the one talent I wish I had would be to wake up in the morning with skills like Ina May Gaskin or a job like JayVon Muhammad. I love birth and I know one day I will be a midwife but, I wish I had the talented hands of one today. I guess that's not really a real talent in some peoples eyes but, hey that's all I don't know how to do that I really want to know how to do.

Shalom,
Toni

da bomb mac and cheese!!!!

2010-01-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

Okay for as much as I cook, I have never cooked homemade mac and cheese. Say it ain't so!! I know I know. The box is just so cheap I thought. Anyway, yesterday I got a recipe from this mama that is raising some little women and it was the bomb. (is that word still popular. Note to self ask Precious if people still say something is the bomb). Of course I had to double it so we could have leftovers for Sunday lazy lunch. The family loved it. That's an understatement. The family loooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeddddddddddd itttt!!! Now that's a little better. Just had to give her, her props for a recipe well shared. Okay so do you have a better one? Please, please share the recipe so we can try it out.
Shalom,
Toni

FQF

2010-01-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's Friday so it's that time again for Five question Friday. Do you want to join in well get it from MamaM over at My Little Life. So far it has been pretty fun.

Questions for Friday, 1/8/10:

1. What's your "comfort food"?
Let's see what is my "comfort food"? I have to say three words. Cho co late I absolutely unequivocally love that stuff. I don't even care how I get it these days. Now my newest way to IV my cho co late is by this stuff. It is quite deadly for your average chocoholic. I bought it to have a healthy alternative to my cherrios. You know all whole grain and stuff. The fact that it was on clearance at Kroger this past week for only $1.99 had nothing to do with it. :)

2. Do you send Thank You's (handwritten or email)?
That depends entirely on what it is I am thanking them for and who it is. If it's my mom she gets neither. She would look at me like I was crazy if I sent her something. She likes the verbal kind and she's good. If it is one of my online friends they will get a cute little thank you card from one of the free spots. If it's someone else it will be a handwritten one. I used to make my own cards and I was always eager to send one of my creations out but, now I have a small box of cheapo cards in my desk drawer. I think it is the gesture that serves the purpose anyway.

3. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
Okay, those of you who know me know we don't watch tv. Just the occasional movie now and then so I have to go by the bits and pieces that I get at my moms house or my days of tv. I think I would be on biggest looser for a month. They can do wonders with just a month and I need a jump start on my diet.

4. What is your favorite online recipe site?
Depends on what I am looking for. I normally good search until something good and easy pops up. I think I normally get something off cook.com. I really like to get stuff from Emeril's site but, I can't ever find half of his ingredients. By the time I substitute this or that I have an entirely different recipe. I tend to just use one of my cookbooks. Yes, call me old-timey or even country. I like paper cookbooks. I really like the ones made by somebody's church. They are the best if they don't include all of those prefab recipes.

5. If you had to choose: "Friends" or "Seinfeld"?
Okay these two shows were from my days of television watching. I never got too keen on Friends but, I thought Seinfeld was a hoot. Especially since I was in high school and my band director made a Seinfeld music arrangement for our jazz band. Ole Mr. Fox. That brought back some memories. :)

Hope you are having a great Friday,
SHALOM,
TONI

do you wanna waffle maker?

2010-01-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Jen at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven, 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time, and Mega-Family Blogs is giving away a flippin' waffle maker...

You should hop right over and try to get it. I did.

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thursday. This was a great Thursday. I am most thankful for the gift of life and good health. I am thankful that my new nephew Jaden came home this week and is able to snuggle with his mom and dad. I am thankful that it snowed today, just enough to make the kiddos hurry up with their assignments so they could go out and play. I am thankful for Precious wanting to get out there and play with the smaller ones. I am thankful to God for letting our friend Mark make it out of his experimental brain surgery. We are going to just continue to pray that all goes well and he is able to come back home to Mississippi from Florida soon. I am thankful for Patience. She is always a ray of sunlight on even the cloudiest of days. I am thankful for Jimmy, my soul mate. He went to work and was able to get off early because of the icy conditions. He came in and helped with the kids as soon as he hit the door. I am thankful for my sons Tre' and PJ, for without them there would be no floors to mop (maybe that's a little wishful thinking). I love them all the same. I am so thankful to God for sending Jesus. What would we do without him. Shalom
Toni

January 4, 2010 MM

2010-01-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

Monday Minute is an idea that I use for my children when they are journaling. It seems that they can drag it on forever and ever. I started this last year. Basically they spend a minute writing as many short facts as they can on a subject. After doing so they get nine more minutes to elaborate on those facts. So if it's good for the Geese here goes the gander.
No school
teacher's recoup from the holidays day
room cleaning
huge de-cluttering of Patience's clothes
drop off at charity
Worked for WIC
cold with some flurries
burgers and fries
bologna and cheese sands
eggs and bacon
not in that order
lots of mail
Man, I am cruel to these kids. A minute is not long, but, I have started now so it is going to have to be my Monday thing. For a little while at least. Have a great Tuesday
Shalom

FQF

2010-01-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

I was reading some blogs and I ran across five question Friday. Seems fun. Let's see how long I keep it up.

The questions for today are:

1.If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be?
Well I am one of those weird people who does not have a favorite book. I read and read and read and whatever I just finished is my favorite book. I would however love to have Mary Poppins here with me. Man, she had it together and could sing and dance too.

2.Where did you get your very first kiss?
I don't think you are supposed to kiss and tell. Isn't there some rule against that or something? It was in my mother's living room and only just a peck.

3.How did you welcome in the New Year?
I am an old fogey I guess. We just spent some time with the kids eating pizza and cookies and when the clock struck we said whoooooooo!! Happy new year!! Okay all of you guys better get in bed now because we have lots of stuff to do tomorrow morning.
At least I let them stay up I guess. I was sleep by 12:45 which is very unusual for me.

4.What is your favorite Beatles' song?
you just can't pick one. What kind of question is that?

5. Donuts: overrated, underrated or 'bout right?"
Depends on the kind. When I lived on the coast, I absolutely loved Tato nuts. They were donuts made from potatoes and were the bomb. Those were totally underrated. When it comes to Shipley's which is here in Tupelo I guess they are 'bout right. to me Krispy Kreme is overrated. Of course everybody has their own opinion on that.

That was fun maybe I will remember to do it next week!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

I thought it would be totally neat to actually blog more than once in the same week so here I am. We had a great family day today for New Year's. We were here together with my sister Raven and my mom. I cooked a bigger feast than I planned. I wanted to experiment with a couple of buffalo wing recipes. I used the marinade in the freezer bag idea that I got here. I was not sure what kind of wings I had a taste for so I made three kinds.
first kind I used
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup of soy sauce
a couple of dashes of Tony Chachere's
4 or 5 slices of jalapeno
dash of garlic
1/4 of small diced onion

second kind I used:
1 cup bar b Que sauce
1/4 cup honey
dash of garlic
1/4 of a small diced onion
Tony Chachere's of course

Third kind I made for me had:
1 bottle of hot sauce
1/2 bottle of Tabasco
3/4 diced jalapeno peppers
1 habenero
lots of Tony's
lots of garlic
1/2 of a small diced onion

I marinaded all of the bags over night. I cooked them all for about an hour and a half on 350 F. Boy were the last ones good and hot. I was tearing up when I got some of the jalapeno but, it was good. I think I am going to tweak them a little and use more stuff in the first two though. The kids loved them though. PJ was full after his second cup of tea but, asked for seconds later. Of course I fixed the usual cabbage and black eyed peas. Had some cornbread too. For desert, of course that's the most important part. We had buttermilk pie. I tried a new recipe. The kids didn't seem to like it as much as the one I usually use out of the Bell's Best book. I didn't make my own shell either. I was lazy and bought one. It must have been a long day because the kids are all asleep now. I think daddy and I are going to sneak some ice cream and watch a movie.
Shalom,

New Years Resolutions, wishes, goals whatever

2009-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

So I guess I will be like tons of other bloggers I see and blog about all of my expectations and goals for the upcoming year. Then like most of them, I will get to look back on 2010 and see everything I planned to do and didn't. lol

Pray without ceasing
Continue to study the Word of GOD diligently.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. You know the whole 5 a day thing.
Exercise more frequently instead of every now and then.
slow down. Yeah right like that's going to happen with two jobs, college, homeschooling, birthing project, La Leche League, birth........okay we are really going to work on that one.
spend more time with my family in true quality time fashion.
STAY AWAY FROM FACEBOOK - This one is going to be hard. I'm sure all you fellow facebookers feel the same way I do. Or is it just me.
Stay on my budget. -this one is not too hard. I have no choice. you can only stretch a dollar so far, right. We do tend to splurge when it comes to things for the kids just can't help it they are so cute.
Don't half do anything
Read more books...... I am going to try to keep my reading list this year. I will make my goal 50 books. Let's see how I do.

Happy New Year, you few, you proud, you people who read my boring blog. Maybe I should add that I will blog more frequently to my list. No need to lie. I will continue to do what I can.
Shalom. Toni

Christmas Gifts

2009-12-24T01:42:00.001-08:00

Note to self. Don't wait until the last minute to make Christmas gifts next year.

freebie

2009-11-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Bears

2009-11-03T05:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we learned about bears. I normally don't do a lot of unit studies. Our schooling is usually individualized but, I thought I would try something different that week as Tre' who is in 3rd grade won't stay out of Precious' school work. She is always saying that she didn't know this or that when we do things with Tre' for science. So of course I didn't want to buy new stuff since its only November so I am utilizing stuff we have and the internet for this one. Apologia's Land animals of the sixth day, which is what Tre' and PJ use for science is what helped me decide on a topic. I figured if they didn't like it we would just have extra stuff for them for the week. I got a Bear book from a friend in a boohoo of homeschool hand-me-downs so I included that. I also had some flannel board bears so of course we utilized some bear stories for the little ones. We did Goldilocks and the three bears Friday as a play. We read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see". We have tons of Bernstein Bear books, we read two of them Monday. We picked up some Paddington Bear from the library. We went on a large-scale bear hunt. I went out and hid stuffed bears around the neighborhood. Since we are the only kids at home this time of day I figured it would be fine. We watched a couple of videos online too. The kids loved it so much we are working on another unit study this week.

day 48

2009-11-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so far for the 365 day clutter challenge, I have declutter clothes. I have in keeping with the challenge gotten rid of an item per day.. Some days I don't and I catch up when I think about it. So I will try to keep a journal on what I declutter so I can see the progress I have made in the end.
Today-I am decluttering the game station. We have a game station right next to the front door where all the board games and card games goes. I have done a good job of organizing all of the pieces in little zip lock bags for each individual game since the boxes take up so much space some time ago. The problem is it looks junky so today I will move all of these things into the coat closet to get rid of some of the visual suff in the living room. I have bought a few plastic shoe boxes so they will all fit neatly on the shelf. Hopefully I can find my declutter thing of the day while I am doing it.

why do I keep getting asked how I feed my family?

2009-11-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

I get asked all the time-how do you feed all of those children? I don't understand why people ask me because I only have 4 kids. I always wonder the same thing about bigger families so I guess they feel like me but, ask. Anyway the answer to the question is big meats, crock pots, beans and prayers. My mother taught me a long time ago that its cheaper with the bone in it. Yeah of course when we first got married we ate steak all the time, center cut pork chops, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Now a days we eat a whole bunch of chicken, no pork (because of Jimmy's blood pressure), roasts, and fish. Oh and of course beans.
Beans- they are not all that bad. I am very "naughty" when it comes to my bean cooking. I really like having a little meat in them. The main bean of choice in our house is pinto beans and red beans. The kids love pinto beans because I let them add sugar too them. Not to much but, it makes them soupy and sweet. I don't like my beans sweet though.
Now so far as meat in them goes-I used to use ham hocks like all the other women in my family, but when Jimmy developed high blood pressure and then chose to not take his medicine, I decided that he would not eat any pork or salty foods whenever I was around. I do miss the ham hocks though but, now its turkey necks or chicken broth, homemade of course. He doesn't really know the difference now but, he did complain some when I first started doing it.
Back to beans- I never had red beans until I lived on the Mississippi gulf coast. There is something about those red beans and rice. They are so good! To cook my red beans I don't soak them I just throw them in the crock pot with water, tony chachere's (my most fav seasoning), chicken broth, an onion, whole garlic cloves, and let um ride. When they are done I throw a little ground sausage and a lot of link sausage and put, it all over rice. Oh my goodness, I want some now!
cornbread- You can't eat beans without cornbread. Well, I guess you can but, for the Hill family they are just not the same. I never ate a lot of cornbread growing up but, when I got married Jimmy was a conasuer of cornbread so I had to learn how to make it. My basic recipe is:
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup of cornmeal
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tblsp of oil
1 tblsp of sugar - started adding that after Precious was born.
Now to this basic recipe I add lots of stuff. I have been known to add sausage, corn, broccoli, cheese, sour cream, barbecue sauce, carrots, cream cheese, and even food coloring. Anything to make a kid eat. Oh yeah and more sugar. A lot of days though we just eat jiffy. I don't see how Jimmy's grandmother does it, making a pan of cornbread everyday from scratch. I guess its her "me" time. This post got longer then I planned to make it so I am going to have to discuss this one later. shalom, Toni

I am not updating enough

2009-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well, just wanted to update. School is going well. Today was the last day of football for Tre'. I guess there is no 7/8 football playoffs in our future. Okay with me. We just finished doing the Charlie and chocolate factory play with pied piper. Tre' and PJ were Oompa Loompas and Precious was Mrs. Bucket. It was fun. Now the boys are in Babes in Toyland. The parents meeting is tomorrow. I will try to be a better blogger. Shalom

day 1

2009-09-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

ok, I am going to start this declutter challenge for 365 days and see how that goes. I am going to aim for two things a day though, just because I think I have a serious enough clutter problem over here. We will see what happens. Shalom, Toni

spelling site

2009-09-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well, today was an ok day at the Hill Learning academy. All of our subjects were completed in a timely manner. No one even had to have homework. I used one site to make some word finds with this weeks spelling words and found a true find.
www.spellingcity.com
Here I am able to load my kids lists and they can come to the computer and it will say spell say the words with them. How cool is that, I know!! It also provides a testing center and a print out of a certificate. I really like it for Tre' who is always wanting to jump on the pc. Now he has typing and spelling practice on the computer. He is going to be a happy camper.

First day of School

2009-09-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the 09/10 Hill learning academy has officially begun. Our first official day was 9/8/09. PJ was the most excited of the whole gang and was a little irritated that his lesson lasted as short of a time as it did. Precious completed all of her 7th grade work and says that she is glad she read the Twilight series this summer because it helped with the speed that she reads. I am glad too. Tre' was the only one stuck with individual work on the first day of school as he did not finish his Rod and Staff math in the time he was given. Only Precious and I did Meals on Wheels today. The youngsters stayed home with dad and finished coloring their school boxes. Yes, Patience has one too.
This year I have some boxes that stack on top of each other for each child. Precious has basic supplies including:
pens and pencils
ruler and compass
erasers
fine tip markers, colored pencils
index cards
Tre' has:
glue and scissors
pencils, sharpener, erasers
markers, crayons, ruler
PJ has:
flashcards
glue, scissors, pencils, eraser
crayons and markers
Patience has:
glue, scissors
flashcards
crayons and a pencil
I hope this is going to help with the "she has mine"s. I can't stand that and it takes up too much valuable time.

It's been a long day

2009-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

We got a piano today!!! Precious loves it. Tre' tapped a little but, no where near as much as she did. I have been having problems with my online classes. The stuff in one of them does not load right so I can't access my work. Yeah, I want to do my homework!! Also today Preston got some more of his school books in. He was excited! I decided to do the "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons " with him. So far he loves it. We are on day three...Because of his minor pronunciation issues, I have decided to also use Abeka along side that for him.

So curriculum this year for Preston "PJ" is:
Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons
Abeka phonics complete
Abeka numbers complete
Apologia Science - Zoology 3 land animals of the sixth day
Mystery of history
I kind of came up with my own health curriculum for him
as always we will utilize our local library for reading.

This week's selection is actually one that we have on inter library loan. It is "A Child's Introduction to Poetry" author is Michael Driscoll illustrated by Meredith Hamilton. It comes with a cd so they are not just listening to mom read, so that's a change. Its longer than I thought it would be though. I think I see a amazon purchase in the immediate future so we can delve into it a little bit more. Tre' has been enjoying it as much as Patience and PJ have. Well the house is quiet and I have to study.
Shalom,

Not long left

2009-08-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

school will be starting soon. The kids are ready to do something I believe. I never have taken this long of a break (2 1/2 months) but, I believe the refresher is good for all parties involved. Summer was full of stuff to do. The highlight was the zoo I think. We went to the Memphis zoo with Aunt Raven and Granny. We ended up buying the membership because it was only a few dollars more than our cost of admission. Hopefully that means we will utilize it in the upcoming year. Pj liked the polar bears the best. For Patience it was the monkeys. She sat there for hours watching them play. Tre' loved the elephants. Precious and her sweet tooth loved the snow cones of course. We are planning to go back right before we start school.

2009-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been a year since I wrote. I have to get with it I know.

Sweet Saturday

2008-07-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

Ideally, we try to spend Saturday with the kids. It is normally our family day. Today we went to Lowe's for build and grow. PJ actually really built something start to finish for the first time today. Of course, I didn't have my camera. Tre' got help from dad and ended up having what we called a frunk on his dune buggy. We bought a venus fly trap and supplies for the shelves I have to put up in the classroom before school starts. After Lowe's it was lunch time. We had a picnic in the van since it was too hot by then to have it outside. We then drove to Saltillo just to drive and looped back to Tupelo. We used to take long drives with the kids all the time and just end up somewhere before gas became so outrageous. After that we went to pet smart to look at gear for the new aquarium. Then to staples so I could get some relaxation from the massager there on display. I have to have one of those this Christmas. I told Jimmy that is all I want. It just feels so good. After that we were too tired to do anything else and went home for an afternoon nap. About 8 we got the idea of going to get pizza while I go to Anytime Fitness for my workout. That will make you not overeat. Workout and then pizza. lol. It's now bath and bed for the kids. They have to go to bed we will be having a cookout after church tomorrow.
Shalom, Toni

Theatre camp is over

2008-07-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been busy this week and have not gotten to the computer a whole lot. One of my doula clients delivered a fine healthy baby boy, the kids have had Pied Piper Theatre camp, I've been working, working, and working all week. It's been fun but, crazy. Hope to add more details later. Tomorrow is cleaning day and build and grow at Lowe's. Another busy day no rest for the tired and weary. Shalom, Toni

Art

2008-07-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I prepared for art for all of the kids. We do art year around so the art area is looking pretty bare. Our staples are:

paper w/one clean side recycled from someone's job usually
20-25 magazines for picture cuttings
about 10 bottles of glue 3-4 glue sticks(Precious is the only one that uses glue sticks)
clay (I make my own recipe later), cookie cutters, etc.
plaster of Paris
scissors, markers, crayons, colored pencils, enough so each child can work at the same time
construction paper, tracing paper, and sketch pads
paint, washable of course and brushes, (we make those too)
paper bags, fabric and yarn scraps, stickers, pill bottles, bottle caps, plastic lids, egg shells, etc.
lots and lots of tape electrical, masking, and invisible
spray bottle w/vinegar and water and cleaning rags
apron per kid

I have also decided that I am selling the school desks this year. We don't use them much. It seems the kitchen table works fine for us although we do have a classroom it's crazy! Precious has a desk in her room and so do the boys so we are downsizing them since they seem to stay in the way. Also we are setting up centers all over the house, (well in the living room, hall areas, and kitchen anyway). This may become a disaster later we'll have to see but, this way each child can have their personal time without distracting the others who maybe working. More later.

Shalom,

Toni

Skool supplies

2008-07-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to stock up on school supplies. Staples has penny stuff already. I need more pencils. I don't know why they go through so many pencils. It's insane how many I buy. I think I will try to stock up and maybe have about 200 or so total. Here is the staples link if you don't have it.
http://staples. shoplocal. com/staples/ default.aspx? action=entryflas h&adref=staples_ right_hand_ nav&cm_sp= merchandising- _-Specials% 20Page-_- Local%20Circular

I finished the first version of my website today.

2008-07-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

www.whozyourdoula.com comments are greatly appreciated on this as I'm sure I will be updating a whole bunch on there.

4th of July

2008-07-04T23:35:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th down at the plantation. That's what I call my mom's house since my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and quite a few cousins all live within walking distance. PJ was fascinated by my aunt Shirley's cows. I am going to have to take him back one day so we can walk the pasture and he can go fishing too. We also went to Muh's house that's what the kids call Jimmy's grandmother their great grand. Every time we go Jimmy and I both still miss Pop a whole bunch. May he rest in peace. Shalom

babywearing contest win a free stash

2008-07-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Free ziplock

2008-07-03T05:47:00.001-07:00

The first 10,000 to respond get a free ziplock gift pack.

http://www.cleanhom ejournal. com/offers/ July2008/ ?hs225=chj& hs227=chj200807

Everybody loves ziplock!

Humpday

2008-07-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today was a bad point day. I stopped counting after about the fifth Dove chocolate. I'm on weight watchers and I watched my weight rise today. Anyway no gym today either because my bad knee was killing me. Kids are home. I'm tired. I sewed two t-shirt shopping bags for somebody. I needed to get on the machine since I have not been on it in a minute. I plan to whip up something tomorrow since it is all set up on the table. Not sure what yet. I also need to crochet some stuff and clean the living room. Right now though, its an Aleve and bed. Shalom

Writing curriculum

2008-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

This week I am going to take a day and think about what courses I am sure I want the kids to have. We have Spanish for dummies and I have also enrolled us in a community Spanish class so that is going to be our language for the year. Today Jimmy and I discussed writing. I'm not to sure what I want to do about it. Tre' is reading on 3rd grade Abeka books but, only finished 1st grade last school term. His writing however, is nothing to be desired. I decided that I would teach it all over to him, the cursive, while PJ learns it.
I already decided on Mystery of History and Apologia science. I purchased those back at the begining of the summer. The Abeka math is still the program for us. I really like teaching textbooks but, when we did the placement test Precious was ready for prealgebra. I just was not ready for that. Language will be Abeka too. We will read some of the classics with Precious for reading. I need suggestions on that one. Oh well that's my ramble for the day. I am going to wash dishes yeah, whoopee, how exciting!!! Shalom

2008-07-01T20:05:00.001-07:00

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baseball, softball, football oh my!

2008-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Somehow early this year I got the bright idea of my two oldest playing softball and baseball. Precious' softball career was short and not to excited. Not because she couldn't play or anything it was her first year and seemingly that of all of her teammates.
T-ball with Tre' lasted a little longer and was a little more exciting because of how hilarious it was. Tre's last game was tonight. He was supposed to experience his first double-header but, the other team did not have but three kids show up. It's the last game for crying out loud. One might think they could hang in there for just one more.
Tomorrow they go to mickey D's for a party and trophies. I hope he gets Neal as his coach again because we really like him. Its almost like he had more fun than the boys. He really kept us hyped up throughout the season.

Above is a picture of PJ at one game or another that he was dragged to. He is showing how not excited he is to be there......

July 1st is also the first day to sign up to play football in Sherman. I guess we get to start all of this running back over again. Of course, since my son is a 90 lb 6 year old my husband just can't wait until he can play football. Does every man expect his first born son to be a Heisman trophy winner? I can't laugh too much about it though, you never know. Shalom,
ps I have to go feed my 6 year old dinner. He is the only one here everybody else is at Granny's. It's really quiet around here.

The teeth are Gone

2008-06-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am so happy Tre' decided to pull his teeth. They were so loose so long that it looked like he just had a jacked up mouth. Anyway this is his second pair to loose. I had to sit on the poor boy to get the first two out! This time I said "Tre' let me show you how to pull out your tooth." He was very gullible and said "ok" I then took some gauze and commenced with explaining that you grab the tooth like this and you pull......Well before he knew what happened it was out. He said oh that was not bad and decided that "he" would pull the other and he did. I was surprised but, very proud that he had did it on his own. Now I need to get him to wear a headband so those locks won't continue to be all in his face. another day I guess. Shalom,

First entry

2008-06-29T22:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, for the record, I do know how to spell School at the Hill House. Let's get that straight from the beginning. I am going to try to be good and blog every day or so about our homeschooling adventures. I guess we will have to see how it goes. My name is Toni. I am wife to Jimmy and mom to 4 lovely blessings. The youngest of which is lying here on a pallet on the floor crying because she does not want to sleep alone and I am still typing. I am a doula and a lactation specialist with the MS WIC program. I do all sorts of other things, as you will find out the more I type, but for now lets leave it at that. Shalom, Toni