Labor Day

We celebrated Labor Day (a day early!) with a cook-out at my parents' house.

My parents...the hosts

We spent an enjoyable afternoon with my parents, all of my siblings, and two of my nieces.

My sweet boy...
waiting patiently for lunch

My husband and my brother were the grill masters!

My dad helped, too!!

This was the spread.

We ate:

hamburgers and hot dogs...

with all the fixings,

potato salad and baked beans,

potato chips with onion dip,

and lots of fresh fruit!

For dessert, we ate brownies and ice cream.  Yum!

The Beginning of Knowledge

I am really looking forward to this upcoming homeschool year!  I have many fun things planned.

These are my curriculum choices for 2014-2015:

Bible -
     Exploring God's Love (from Positive Action)
     Bible Memory Picture Cards (from A Beka Book)

Character Development -
     Character Concepts (by Marilyn Boyer)

Reading (primarily sight words) -
     MBR Beginning Reading Program (by Laura Felzer)

Reading (primarily phonics) -
     Language Development Visuals (from A Beka Book)
     Letters and Sounds (from A Beka Book)
     Letter of the Week, Book 1 (from The Education Center)
     Letter of the Week, Book 2 (from The Education Center)
     God's Creation from A to Z (from My Father's World)

Handwriting -
     Get Set for School (from Handwriting Without Tears)

Math -
     Math (from BJU Press)

Social Studies -
     Social Studies (from A Beka Book)

Science -
     God's World (from A Beka Book)

Health -
     Horizons Health (from Alpha Omega Publications)

I also have some other ideas...things we might add later in the school year.  (It always is helpful to establish our routine first!)  I will write about those choices when the time comes.

To me, it looks like plenty to keep us busy!

I want learning and our homeschool time together to be enjoyable for T.  He will learn...but for us, it is not just about the academics.  It is about the heart, too.

First of all, what is knowledge?  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, knowledge is information, understanding, or skill that one gets from...education. Something I read recently explains further.

     The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:  but fools despise
     wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 1:7

     This is the key verse of the book of Proverbs.  The fear of the Lord is the
     beginning (or chief part) of knowledge.  If a man wants to be wise, the
     place to begin is in reverencing God and in trusting and obeying Him.  Fools
     despise wisdom and instruction.  Just as a wise man...is one who is
     willing and anxious to learn, a fool is one who cannot be told anything.

          ~from Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, page 792

We will begin each day with Bible study.  Through such, I believe T will learn the fear of the Lord—knowledge of God the Father, of His love and grace in Christ...holy, humble fear of God...a reverential affection for Him and devotion to Him.  This chief part of knowledge will be the cornerstone for all the academic subjects that will follow throughout our day.

So, there you have it.  I will let you know how everything goes as we move through our homeschool year.  I am planning (hoping, at least!) to be more intentional in blogging about our homeschool time and activities this year.  I will do my best!  ;o)

Linked to:
   iHomeschool Network
   Ben and Me
   Titus 2 Tuesday

Breakfast Strata

I've been MIA for almost a month.  I've been working like a crazy person, cleaning my house (parts of it, anyway) and preparing for our new homeschool year which is scheduled to begin in just a few short weeks!

As a result, I've not been doing some of the things I normally do (such as blogging and cooking!)...but I tried a new recipe yesterday, so I thought I'd share it.

It's a crock pot recipe called...

Breakfast Strata

6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
16 ounces frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
8 ounces (2 cups) cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mix together eggs, milk, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper.

Layer in crock pot as follows:
   1/2 of the potatoes on the bottom
   1/2 of the cheese
   1/2 of the egg mixture

Repeat layers.

Cook on Low for 5-6 hours.

Sprinkle with bacon before serving.

Makes 4-5 servings.

The photo above is minus the crumbled bacon sprinkled on top.

Linked to:
   Try a New Recipe Tuesday
   Tasty Tuesdays
   Fun Food Friday
   Family Fun Friday
   The Gathering Spot