The Middle of Things

Another year of school gone by and we are caught up in the fun experiences summer brings: swimming, skateboarding (my son, not me!), football, and camp. My son, Ryan, is now only 1/2 an inch shorter than me, and I can't get over how big he looks as he sails by on his board or races down the field, his arms swooping up to catch a pass. I find myself transported back to the past when he was barely to my hips, smiling as I watch him sort out and line up his little cars, or observe the movements of a caterpillar on a plant. He's in the middle of his youth, not a child anymore and not an adult, but in that strange place where the two meet and rumble, fighting to advance and move forward while still relishing that childhood freedom. At the same time, I am in the middle of my life, my body struggling to advance to the next stage as another part of me fights to regain hold of younger days. What the future brings we won't know till it gets here, but we can make the choice to hold on and enjoy the ride-it will definitely be an adventure!

Inspiration

Why do people create the things they do? I see very detailed and colorful landscapes that are considered art, and yet, I also see splashes of muted colors that seem to have been thrown onto the canvas, and they are considered art as well. I hear symphonies filled with such emotion they sometimes make me cry, and on the other hand, I hear the loud screeching of guitars and screaming voices all blaring together and again, feel like crying (for other reasons!). Both of these examples are considered music. People create different things in different ways and for different reasons. In writing, some people express themselves in poetry or essays, others write imaginary stories founded somewhat in real life. Some people follow their passions and research a topic, then write about it to inform others about what interests them. I guess people create from what is in their heart and what ignites their imagination. God instilled many different talents in each of us and it is up to us to discover what they are, then go out into the world and create something lasting, something that will hopefully make this world a better place for the next generation.

Places To Go, Things To Do

There's still a little over a month to go before the school year ends, so plenty of time to add some pizazz to the end of the year! Jazz up your studies with some field trips to some fun but educational places like an animal rescue, a nearby interactive Science Center, or a doughnut store. For some great end-of-the-year ideas, check out a great homeschool resource: Homeschool.Com. My friend, Rebecca Kochenderfer is amazing and her site has everything you can think of (and lots more that you can't even begin to imagine!), including ideas that will help you as you begin to plan and prepare for next year. Two of her books, Homeschooling & Loving It and Homeschooling For Success, are filled with wonderful ideas to fuel your creative juices and enliven your lesson plans. Catch Rebecca's latest book, Joy Journal, for a chance to reflect and relax at the end of the day. Happy Homeschooling!

Freelancing

Freelancing as a writer opens up a world of opportunities to express oneself, for instance, I have finished a non-fiction children's book and it will be published this summer; I write magazine articles-most recently for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine; and now I'm beginning a new venture of writing and syndicating a newspaper column for homeschooling! I've researched the process of how to do it and have written three sample columns, a cover letter, and sent them off to approximately 50 papers. Everyday, I research more papers and send off the sample columns. I figure the success rate is in the numbers-the more I send out, the more chance they will be picked up! It will be a great way to combine my love of writing with my love of homeschooling. It will be a weekly column and as it is syndicated, I will let everyone know the names of the papers. I will be organizing this blog in a similar fashion: Tuesdays/Wednesdays I will blog about writing, and then Thursdays/Fridays I will blog about homeschooling. In each blog, I will be describing things going on in my life as well as tips on the topic of the week. I will also do excerpts from my books and articles beginning next month. Please comment and send me your experiences on both writing and/or homeschooling, I'm always interested in what others are doing. Thanks!

Revitalizing For The Home Stretch

The sound of my son mowing the lawn brings a smile to my lips; it is one of those annual activities that reminds us summer is coming. I am working on lesson plans and thinking, we only have two months left of homeschool! We have done so much and yet it feels like there is so much more to do. I think it is at this point that many of us start getting that burnout feeling that creeps in and begins making us feel overwhelmed, tired, and a little bit frantic, wondering if we will be able to complete everything we wanted to teach by June! Relax, the children are learning all the time, even when you're not teaching them. Everyday, the world opens up to them with an abundance of learning opportunities, and all we have to do is be watchful for those moments and engage our children in receiving them! Step outside and let the warm, gusty breeze bring a freshness to your mind as well as your home. It is time to restructure and re-create the learning experiences we want to give our children. Approach these last couple of months not as a time to try and cram in as much factual information as we can into their minds, but as a time to offer experiences from which they can glean precious gems of learning that will stick with them and benefit them for years to come. Read outside in the fresh air, let nature and the earth be your exploring ground for science, have engaging discussions about a variety of topics, and let your kids create-whether it is through art or building things or writing books. As spring slides into summer, know that your school time may end but your children will always be learning!

Spring is here!

Spring is here and I'm evaluating how we do our homeschool, trying new things and new styles. My son is now a teenager and feels a little too old for projects and, yet, lectures and worksheets aren't capturing his attention either. I want to keep God as our focus and teach him to see things from a Christian worldview, which I am thankful for the fact that he very much has a strong heart for God; this will help him through the rough spots in life. We are going to do a literature-based curriculum and as we read, we will study what we are reading about. For instance, after Spring Break, we will be starting a new book, The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, by Betty G. Birney. Besides being a great read, it opens up studies about the South, Colorado, challenging ourselves, the Seven Wonders of the World, and how valuable family relationships can be. I anticipate that we will be learning much more and be drawn to exploring many tangents along the way! Seeing this story through God's eyes will be easy, as well as using our literature studies to learn math, science, language, history, and more! Spring is for new beginnings and there's nothing like beginning anew in our schooling!

Entrepreneurship Webinar

What a great and fun webinar yesterday! Mark Victor Hansen was informative, humorous,and inspiring. There was so much information about starting your own business that I was spending almost the same amount of time taking notes as I was listening! Thanks again to Mark for including me as a sponsor and special blogger guest, and thanks to Jeff Rivera, a friend of mine and wonderful author in his own right! Mark did mention that if you want a free copy of his book (usually on sale on his website and amazon.com), Richest Kids In America, just go to his website and leave your email address with a short message and he will make sure you receive a copy. The site to go to is: www.gorichkids.com. As Mark said, let's make this a viral mission to get this information to everyone we know and jumpstart our economy, not to mention help give parents a great tool to teach their kids! They are our next generation of CEOs!

Live Event With Mark Victor Hansen!

If you've ever dreamed of starting your own business but you don't know how, Mark Victor Hansen (Co-Author of Chicken Soup For The Soul) will show you and your family how you can do so step-by-step. If you're a parent who wants to see your child achieve greatness, this live presentation is for you. Ask Mark victor Hansen your questions. Thurs. Feb. 28th at 11am PT & 2pm PT: http://bit.ly/MarkVHansen

New Opportunities For The New Year

Coming into spring soon and so much has been happening! The holidays barely wound down before my family and I went on a two-week vacation cruise to Hawaii! We had been planning it since last August and it was great! My parents, my sisters, my son, and I went in the middle of January. It took 4 1/2 days to sail over there yet the time seemed to go by very fast, I think because there was so much to do on the ship! There were classes and seminars to attend, crafts to make, games to participate in, and more. Once we arrived, we spent one day on each of four islands: The Big Island (Hawaii), Oahu, Kauai, and then Maui. The days were bright and the landscape luscious. We saw a rainforest zoo and Macadamia Nut Factory on the Big Island, Pearl Harbor memorial and Diamond Head on Oahu, Kayaking in Kauai, and the Aquarium on Maui (saw whales breaching on our way!). 4 1/2 days back to L.A. and we're still talking about all the fun we had! My only regret is that my daughter and her family couldn't make it. January held another wonderful moment for me as an article I sold was published in The Old Schoolhouse magazine's Best of 2012 First Annual Print edition. TOS is an international education magazine for homeschoolers that is a monthly digital magazine and is packed with a wealth of information for anyone interested in homeschooling, whether a veteran or just someone considering homeschooling as an educational option for their family. My son is getting ready to celebrate his 13th birthday this coming weekend! We will be entering a new stage of life as he is no longer a child and, although I've gone through the teen years with my daughter, I will now be experiencing what it is like being a single mom and helping to usher a son into manhood. Thankfully, we belong to a wonderful Christian church where there are great male role models who are a part of my son's life. As we grow in this new stage together, I look forward to the many memories we will share with each other and with our family and friends.

Reflection

As the year comes to an end, I like to reflect on how it has passed; did it flow the way I anticipated? Did I make positive connections with people and impact lives the way I hoped I would do? Am I where I was praying I would be career-wise or did my journey get stalled along the way? Perhaps my path was sidetracked and is taking me down a new direction? There have been ups and downs as usually expected with life, but everyone for the most part is healthy. We have been blessed in that area. Spiritually, I am closer to God and serving Him in many ways that I feel He has called me to: I am involved in the youth ministry at my church and in outreach, as well as a volunteer Christian life coach. My son's relationship with the Lord is strengthening as he becomes more involved with the youth program. He is currently a student leader and looking forward to becoming an intern next year. We are still homeschooling and he is becoming more accountable for his work as he moves into a more individualized schedule. We love doing projects and some things together, even though he does more on his own now. With my writing, I am finishing my book on Christian Leadership and mentoring youth. I hope to have that published by the end of the year. My article for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine was picked to be in their Best of the Best 2012 print edition coming out in November or December! I am also writing for Homeschool.com as a guest writer. That will be exciting! I'm looking forward to hearing from a lot of you about your homeschool stories and adventures so write in and let me hear-I'll be posting them on my site! All in all, I feel the year has progressed well, though I'm not totally where I had hoped to be, but God is in control and will bring about His plan when it is time. Meanwhile, I will be practicing patience, something I need practice at anyway! Blessings to all!

Fall is finally coming: the breezes are cooler, the leaves have put on their golden colors, and pumpkins are peeking out from neighborhood windows! Our homeschooling has undergone a few changes to adapt to interests, changing schedules, and preferred ways of learning. My son is in 7th grade and going through 'the changes' that young people go through as they near their teen years. He is trying out his independence and wants more control over his learning, so we are going to try a new system. I will do his weekly lesson plans, as usual, but instead of laying out a daily plan every morning for us to work on, he will get the whole week's lessons and do them on his own. He will choose how much he wants to do and work at his own pace. I will be around as a facilitator and we will still do bible studies together, as well as read-alouds (even though he reads from his choice of material which is currently White Fang) and various projects. We will also view some documentaries together and perform science experiments together when he likes. For the most part, he will be working at his own individual rate. If he gets it all done by Thursday, then he has Friday off for free time! This allows him to not only explore more of his interests, but it is also teaching him how to plan work schedules, how to study more effectively, and how to organized his time/manage his learning. I am excited to see how it works out but also a bit sad that as he grows older and becomes more independent, it means my role changes and he won't need me as much. No more fun little projects or unit studies, no more little boy curious and wide-eyed about the world; my little boy is growing up. Thank goodness I have my 5 yr. old grandson to enjoy those times with! :) My son still needs me, but now I will be guiding him on his journey to manhood. He is quite the leader on his football team and in church. Though I know we will have our rough spots from time to time as he struggles through that unknown territory, I know he has a heart for God and we can both look there for guidance and wisdom.

Wow! Summer has kicked off with a blast! It's hard to believe that it is almost the end of July. I've been working on my book and it's almost ready to send to press! It will be exciting when it comes out this fall! Next month, I will start publishing excerpts from it on my blog just as a little freebie for everyone! On the homeschooling side, I've been looking at and putting together our curriculum for this coming year. We love the eclectic style-we just seemed to fall into that category. We love nature and the outdoors and narrating, so Charlotte Mason style fits us there; we love using real books to learn about history and people and places, then doing activities and such surrounding what we're learning, so unit studies fit us in that aspect; we also want to learn how the world fits in with our Christian worldview and so we apply that with the help of Apologia Science, among other great Christian books. To help pull all this together, we will also be studying Latin roots of English grammar, writing, math, French and Spanish languages, art, music, culinary arts, life skills, computer technology, and a plethora of sports and other areas/activities that we are interested in pursuing! (We just learned kayaking and went out to the Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor on a couple of different weekends!) My son just returned from camp at Hermosa Beach with over 100 other Jr. & Sr. high schoolers. They went as part of our church's youth summer program and had a great time. He said there was a fantastic speaker from Georgia and it was just a really life-changing experience there. Of course, he also got stung twice by a jellyfish! All in all, he says he can hardly wait for the winter camp that comes next and takes place in the mountains! Our community football league starts up tonight! My son will be starting quarterback and hopes to play all season-he was injured last season in the first week when several guys sacked him and his ankle was badly twisted. Thank God the heat wave we've been having seems to have cooled down a bit; I think it's only in the 80's so far!

Well, June is almost gone as we head into the heat of the summer! We just wrapped up our homeschool year a few weeks ago and here I am already planning for the coming year! We enjoy it though: the unexpected discoveries, new adventures to different places, and the new challenges/blessings that come our way. This year, my son is in 7th grade and becomes a full-fledged teenager; my grandson is starting kindergarten; I have a book coming out in September; we're moving into a new house; and my daughter is getting married! No stress here! :) All these are just some of the great blessings, stressful as they may be, and we thank God for them all. As I look forward to the events coming up this year, I praise God for our family's healthy lives and ask Him to give us daily protection and wisdom. Pre-season football training started yesterday for my son's team, the Indians. It was nice to see the families again as we all begin the new season. I know my son was especially glad to start again as he was out almost the entire season last fall due to an ankle injury during a scrimmage! He will be starting quarterback again and is looking forward to a great year! Summer is in full bloom and I'm looking forward to the barbeques, pool parties, and trips to the mountains!

What a wild two weeks! Just attended a two-week virtual author conference with twice daily interviews and workshops with John Kremer, Christine Kloser, Arielle Ford, Dan Poynter, and many other big names in the publishing field! I learned a lot of new ideas that really helped me as I am completing the final rewrites on my non-fiction book, due to come out around early September! It revolves around learning the key principles of transforming your life and positively impacting the lives of others. I'm really excited about it and will be sharing chapter points from the book starting next month right here on my blog! I am also working on a special VIP coaching letter, Leadership Today, that will be offered FREE only to those that sign up to receive it! It will come out twice monthly and will include leadership tips and ideas, special event and marketing information available only to Leadership Today members, as well as product discounts, contests, and much more! To be included and receive these FREE special offers and VIP newsletter, continue coming and visiting my blog and I will post a notice and opt-in button in the next few weeks allowing you to join up! Thanks for visiting today and have a great rest of the week! See you Wednesday!

Buyer's Market

Still having to hold onto your house because values still aren't up where they should be? Or is it because you're upside down in your home? Either way, here in California it is not a pretty sight for many homeowners, especially when the economy hasn't boosted in our favor! It's not all gray though folks, a friend of mine, Carrie Fillmore, has some great news! Refinance rates are down and that means money in your pocket! Check her out at: www.mortgagerefinancerates.org. I think she'll put a smile on your face and some sun on your horizon!

So I am working on my writing yesterday and I hear scratching on the window sill behind me. I turn and look out the window and come face-to-face with a lizard face as his two hands (paws?) are gripping the window sill outside and trying to climb up! He freezes as he sees me and then falls back down to the ground! I was in hysterics, laughing so hard I got a cramp in my side! My dogs, meanwhile, must have thought I was crazy; they walked around me looking confused as to what to do! The saying is true: It's the little things in life that make your day!

Fresh Start Glad to be back! A lot has been going on this past year or so; family events, going back to school, starting new businesses, and more! It has been very exciting to say the least. My son and I are still homeschooling and loving it! It has been wonderful to see the growth in him and his relationships with others as he approaches his teen years. He is still a big-time football player, though he was out most of last season with an injured ankle. He's looking forward to spring training this month! I went back to school last year and became a certified Christian life coach! I put on a leadership seminar at the Hyatt Regency this past February, which the Hyatt graciously hosted for my new company, The Oak Coaching Ministries, and it was a lot of fun! My company and my son and I were featured in an article last month in The Signal newspaper here in Santa Clarita, California. Very exciting! Right now, I'm finishing up a book titled, Legacy of Leadership which I'm looking forward to having come out this summer! Come back and visit and I will be posting excerpts from the book, as well as upcoming freebies, interviews, leadership tips and more! Thanks for reading!

Autumnal Equinox

Yesterday, my son and I noticed an article about the Autumnal Equinox (Sept. 23) and it started a discussion in our homeschool that went on for over an hour! It was great! We read and learned about the seasons and how specific dates during the year mark those special beginnings; the earth's rotations and how that affect the seasons; the fact that this is the only time of year when the earth is straight up and not tilted; and finished with God's creation of the world to be that detailed and specific. It was a great way to start our day!

Fall is here!

Labor Day came and went with crazy weather changes! All across the U.S. I heard of rain, thunderstorms, hurricanes, hot weather in the 3 digits and then followed by cooler weather in the 60's! I think California set a record for the coolest beginning to September ever! Makes me wonder what this winter is going to be like. My son's football team, the Seminoles, are getting ready for their first game of the season this Saturday. I will be doing the newsletter again this year and will send it out bi-weekly with game highlights and photos. Go Seminoles!!!

New Beginnings

It has been a wild and crazy ride these last few weeks! Football season started and that is a 6-days a week commitment; we started homeschooling--it has had its ups and downs, mostly because of transitioning from a school setting to learning at home. My son is having to learn how to think for himself instead of having someone tell him how to do things; he's learning how to problem-solve; learning new skills; how to take instruction from his mom; etc.! It's a work in progress, but we both love the time together and freedom to learn things he couldn't in school (especially the fact that he gets to choose a lot of subjects to learn about and spend time exploring them!). We're both looking forward to the great experiences ahead as well as the new challenges.