End of our first year of homeschool

Today marks the official end of our first year of homeschool. I think I am more excited than the kids. Next year will hold some changes in how we do things but I think I am ready. I am also sending my oldest child back to our local public school. More for him and his socialization than anything else. He did great with Georgia Cyber Academy and I would happily let him continue but he is begging to go back with his friends. My middle two are definitely staying with GCA and my littlest will be starting pre-school with us this next year. So here is to a fun filled summer ahead.

A Book That I Am Excited About

So my 8 year old likes to be read to but has not really found a book that he wants to read over and over. He will read when I hand him a book and there are several that he likes but he does not often just seek a book out. So when this book came across my desk I knew I had to hand it to him (in the form of my laptop). He LOVED IT! "Tommysaurus Rex" by Doug Tennapel is great! It is written in comic book format and draws you in right from the beginning. The story is about a boy who loses his dog Tommy. Right after losing his best friend, he goes to spend the summer on his Grandpa's farm. There he finds a bully and a T-rex whom he quickly names Tommy. All kinds of adventure ensues and there are lots of lessons to be learned throughout the story. Calvin has read the book over and over. And he still laughs every time. I am really recommending this book to everyone. Especially if you have a boy who just can't seem to find a book that they can't put down.




I received this title through Netgalley free of charge in exchange for my review. 

Let's Talk Books for This Month

There are a couple of books released this month that I want to mention! First up is a "chic" book.
"The Glass Wives" by Amy Sue Nathan  is a great read. Evie Glass' ex-husband is killed in a car accident. As she and her children trod through the aftermath they build a friendship and a "family" with her ex-husband's current wife and their son. Though somewhat predictable in the plot I found myself drawn in and invested in the characters. By the end of the book you feel like you know the characters in real life and they are apart of your family. I definitely say read this one.



Then there is a children's book that I have used in our reading "class" with both my elementary age children. "Boris on the Move" by Andrew Joyner.  Kids meet Boris, his parents, and his friends in this first book of a series. Boris and his parents embark on an adventure that does not turn out the way Boris expects. My boys really enjoyed reading this book out loud. And my two year old loved listening to the story.




And last but not least there is the final installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris,  "Dead Ever After". Now I am going to admit that this was probably my least favorite in the series. I feel like in an attempt to tie up all the loose ends, the author moved too quickly and threw together a plot without a lot of thought. And it is definitely not a stand alone book- you have to have read the rest of the series to understand any of it. So if you are a Sookie fan you have to read the book just to know what happens to her but otherwise it is not a book I recommend unless you want to invest in the entire series.



**I received "The Glass Wives" and "Boris on the Move"  through Netgalley for my unbiased opinions. ***

Mothers Day Crafts, potty training (HELP!), and a little randomness

Mother's Day is Sunday but let's face it, I have been a little preoccupied with a major project. But yesterday, inspiration hit. I had painted the first coat of paint in the kitchen and I was in the process of washing the paint off of the tile lining the counter tops (which I seriously dislike) when a whole row just fell off. Imagine my surprise that there was wallpaper underneath! So I finished removing it and will paint that section tomorrow afternoon. In the process I ended up with stacks of tile and no need for them. Then last night I remembered seeing tile coasters on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago. So now Mother's Day is taken care of and hand painted coasters are awaiting a coat of sealant and to be wrapped. ( I will post pictures at the end of the post). As with most crafts I do with my kids, I have to try really, really hard not to "improve" their work. But we had a lot of fun doing it.

In other ongoing challenges, I don't think Miles will EVER be potty trained. He was doing so good for a while and then he just stopped. However on the upside, he refused to do number 2 in a diaper and will cry if he just can't get to a bathroom to go and he can't hold it anymore. So I need any training tips you got. Bring them on.

And a little randomness- remember those tiles from earlier? Well I also removed the backsplash and to my husband's great dislike, I painted them and he gets to put them back up this weekend.

So as promised here are some pictures.

Here is the kitchen with it's lime green paint and the tiles I talked about are the ones lining the wall. Can't do anything about the ones lining the edge of the counters yet.

The new paint color and where the times just fell off as I was cleaning them.

The new backsplash.

The first step to our Mother's Day coasters. Picture 1 of 3 so I could show all of them.

Pray it Forward- A God Sized Dream Post

SO this past week I have been painting and planning and painting somemore ( more in another post). And since there is no electricity hooked up at our new house yet I really have a lot of praying time on my hands (including that I don't fall off the ladder or the counter). So since I really haven't been doing anything outside of renovating for the past couple of weeks I am praying it forward. I am praying for my fellow Dream Teamers, I am praying for my kids, for friends who are on a mission trip in the Philippines right now, and for all these sweet babies my friends are having. There have been a lot of prayers going up from my house. And since that is all the paying it forward I have time for right this second (please let me have time for actual action within a few weeks) that is how I am paying it forward today and tomorrow and yesterday. And everyday until I finish this massive project. I love my DREAM TEAM by the way! They are awesome checking on me and praying with me and for me especially these past couple of weeks. Amazing women! 

Hiatus

Okay. I am slowing down enough to get on here for a few minutes. Which feels weird because my laptop has been a TV for most of the week. I honestly hate to do this but I am going to have to take a brief hiatus. Our house is finally here and with it's arrival came a few surprises (like the need for all new carpet because they apparently let their animals stay in there during the transition time and did not clean behind them).  And also some additional work that I had not counted on. So because I am not superwoman (I wish my kids and husband understood that) I cannot paint, replace flooring, and move while keeping up with my blog as I truely want to. So I am so sorry. I will try and post as much as possible but it may be brief over the next 3 weeks. I appreciate all of you!!!!! See you soon (with before and after pictures).

I have done A LOT of reading this month!

I have done a lot of reading this month. I am really not sure how I managed it with everything else I have done this month but somehow I did. So here is the list just for this month. If I did a review I will have the link by the book and if it is a book I have re-read I will put a (*) by it.

1. Bathsheba- Jill Eileen Smith
2. Love Amid the Ashes- Mesu Andrews
3. The Hunger Games*- Suzanne Collins
4. Catching Fire*- Suzanne Collins
5. Mockingjay*- Suzanne Collins
6. Prayers from the Pews (REVIEW HERE)- Teri Lynne Underwood
7. Start (REVIEW HERE)- Jon Acuff
8. Taylor's Gift (REVIEW HERE)-Todd and Tara Storch
9. The Dance (REVIEW HERE)- Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley
10. The Secret Gospel of Ireland -James Behan and Leo Behan
11. Love Me If You Must-Nicole Young
12. Medical Error-Richard L. Mabry
13. The Biggest and The Toughest (REVIEW HERE)-Kelly Pulley
14. Goliath's Secret- Bonnie Feuer
15. The Right Call- Kathy Herman
16.Boomerang Bride- Fiona Lowe
17. Lady in the Mist- Laurie Alice Eakes
18. Deadlocked*- Charlaine Harris
19. On The Street Where You Live*- Mary Higgins Clark
20.Armed and Dangerous: Amped Edition- Ken Abraham
21. The Awesome Book About God for Kids- Sandy Silverthorne and Alisha Braatz
22. Pop Out and Paint: Farm Animals - Cindy A. Littlefield
23. Wars in Toyland- Joe Harris
24. God Calling For Kids- Phil A. Smouse
25. What A Son Needs From His Mom- Cheri Fuller
26. The Glass Wives- Amy Sue Nathan

And to be honest, that whole list was in the first two weeks of the month. Because these past two weeks have been filled with yard cleaning and house moving. I am looking forward to being done with the house renovations and moving in soon. Then I will have pictures posted for you. Because it has definitely been a crazy journey. What have you read this month?