Dawn K Homeschool

We all miss you so very much and are so sorry you became ill.  You were the smartest cat we have known!

This is out second snow of the season.

Here is a slideshow of some photos we took from a day at the park.  Aaron was not able to be with us.

John took the boys to south-west Virginia and West Virginia this summer.  This gave me some time alone to finish preparing for the upcoming school year (and chill out).  Some of the places they visited were:  The Natural Bridge and Wax Museum , the Mill Mountain Star , the the Virginia Museum of Transportation , the Mill Mountain Zoo , the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine , and the New River Gorge Bridge .

** photos taken by John and me.

I just wanted to brag on our budding photographer -- Nathan, age 10. :)

Taken at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.  We visited my brother and his family (thus the photos of my niece and nephew).

She is a homeschooling mom of five boys whom I met at a homeschool meeting. I have known her since she was pregnant with her youngest. If you feel inclined, please send her well wishes. http://mybigdoorway.blogspot.com/ Thanks!

(Warning: these are neither deep nor in any particular order). 1. Despite the disclaimer, I’m having a really hard time choosing the first one. 2. This is my 11th year of home educating. 3. I buy flowers at 50% off at Kroger. I buy the cheap bouquets with lots of carnations, and they last for a couple of weeks or more. 4. I am allergic to chemical sunscreens. 5. I hate rain. I think it should only rain at night. 6. I watch You’ve Got Mail once a year with my husband. 7. I wear a size 7.5 shoe. I am NOT telling you my waist size. LOL 8. I’ve requested that "My Jesus, I Love Thee" be played at my funeral. 9. Give me the mountains over the beach any day. 10. I wear a night guard because I grind my teeth. 11. Give me spring and fall and get rid of summer and winter (except for on Christmas). 12. I am a hygrometer. My hair can prove it. 13. I loathe wet dish towels and go through several a day. 14. I love bird watching. I adore hummingbirds. 15. I loathe mosquitoes, but they reli...

My brother and his family came to visit my parents and us a few weeks ago.

I have added Jillian Michaels workout DVDs to my routine, and there's such a difference!  I started with the 20-minute 30-Day Shred , but I wanted a more complete weight regime every other day, so I bought the No More Trouble Zones (40 minutes).  It indeed tones the entire body.  I am amazed at how much my muscles have already changed.  I feel positively exhilerated when I finish! Warning: I am not able to do the lunges (neither front nor side) because it bothers my knees.  I would be very careful with these.  I am working on making my knees stronger, but I think it is more of a cartilage issue. PS -- You can buy these at Target and Amazon for $9.00.  You will need hand-weights.  She (and her models) use 3-pound, but I use anywhere from 4-pound to 10 pound (for bicep curls).

I got rid of my books and videos produced by http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ .  I find their child training methods to be biblically unsound and cultish. Here is a blog post regarding the recent death of a little girl whose parents were strictly adhering to the Pearl method. http://lauriemo.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-which-i-speak-of-unspeakable.html?showComment=1267133304009#c6303125832545145009

I thought I'd post two layouts I made this week.  I spent today making last-minute Valentine's Day cards and stuffing little gift bags with goodies.  I made homemade bread and beef vegetable soup with turnips and potatoes for dinner.  Right now I am feeling very foggy and just need to go to bed.  Good night. PS.  I am loving my new HP Photosmart printer.  It's been great being able to print my own photos in my own size at the last minute.