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Showing posts with label home schooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home schooling. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Mark Your Calendars!


Get out your calendars and mark off May 30-31, 2014 for the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair!  My husband and I have been attending this fabulous event for the past 5 years and look forward to it all year long.  I am especially excited about this year's keynote speaker, Dr. Meg Meeker.  Her talk on Friday evening will be on her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Saturday morning will be just as powerful with her seminar on the Ten Habits of Happy Mothers.

Dr. Meg Meeker
Registration has not yet begun for this event, however, I wanted to create a bit of a "buzz" about this wonderful conference.  I cannot say enough positive things about it!  Take a peek at the list of vendors who were there last year.  It is so convenient to be able to shop for all of my curriculum, parenting, faith, and gift needs all in one location.  And the owners of the shops are typically on hand and can answer any of my questions or offer advice on the many and varied curriculum choices available.  The speakers, workshops, and vendor presentations have something to fit all levels, from the beginning home educator to the seasoned veterans.

There is much, much more. Please visit their website for details to read up on this event.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that for Friday afternoon, breakfast Saturday morning, and all of Saturday the registration is only $25 per person!  So you and your hubby can have a mini-getaway for $50!!!  Or have a girlfriend weekend with your gal pals! Registration is set to begin in March, so check back on their website and take care of it online - easy-peasy!

Have you been there in the past?  If so, leave a comment letting me know how it went and if you'd recommend it to others.

God Bless!

Heather :-)

PS  I am really hoping to be able to make it this year.  Little baby Cheeto is due right around that same time, so we'll see! :-)

Friday, September 20, 2013

7 Quick Takes - Back to School Photos

The other day I was having one of those mornings.  What kind of mother am I?  We're two weeks into the school year and  I haven't even taken any back to school photos of the children?!?  So, we dropped everything and headed outside to snap some pictures.

Let me set the scene for you.  It was an absolutely, perfectly beautiful morning. I thought that the apple trees would make a nice backdrop for the photos.  However....there were hornets swarming in our little orchard.  And I don't mean like one or two friendly little pollen seeking fellows.  Nope!  There were dozens of angry hornets.  But, that was my chosen location.  I had my mind set on it, so I told the kids to suck it up.  After all, there aren't any bee allergies in our family, so there's nothing to worry about, right? This, I found, was not exactly reassuring or consoling to the children.  I should also add that in order to get a nice, bright, colorful picture, they each had to look directly into the sun....ooops!  Perhaps I should have waited until the sun was at a little different angle.  But, being a mom of seven kiddos, I knew that if we didn't do this now it may never get done.

So, with that back-story in mind....here are the 2013 Back to School Kraft Family Photos! (there should really be a drum roll or something, don't you think?!)

(1) Peter ~ Pre-pre-school
This little turkey keeps us laughing all day long.  He doesn't really do any "official" school work, but is underfoot every step of the way.  I'm sure he's gleaning some valuable lessons throughout the day.


(2) Esther ~ Pre-school
She's our accessory gal.  Notice the wristlets, bracelet, headband and all the other stuff in her hair that you can't see.  She carries at least one backpack with her everywhere she goes and really likes her "stuff".  Primarily, we're working on self control issues with this little angel and learning to play nice with her baby brother.

Look, Ma!  I totally photo-bombed Esther's picture!

(3) Eleanor ~ Kindergarten
This cutie-patootie started reading over the summer!  Not really from anything that I've done, just that she wants to keep up with her big siblings.  She is a very motivated learner and truly enjoys having her own official school work to complete!



(4) Lillian ~ 3rd Grade
She is our nonfiction girl.  The amount of knowledge in this young mind astounds me on a daily basis! She is a bookworm who enjoys re-reading her favorite biographies and various nonfiction pieces to make sure that she didn't miss anything the first time.


(5) Joseph ~ 4th Grade
Origami....Legos.....Origami.....Legos....I'm pretty sure these two topics occupy most of his waking hours.  He has a great mind for math and solves most of his problems mentally before I do.  He enjoys playing chess and even beat his dad once...don't tell anyone about that though, okay? (heee, heee)


(6) Haley ~ 7th Grade
Haley is my go-to gal.  She has a huge heart and loves to help anyone in need.  She says that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up and I think that she'd do a wonderful job.  She's working on learning guitar and is beginning to play some beautiful music.  If I can't find her anywhere else, she's usually hiding in her bed with a book.


(7) Madeline ~ 8th Grade
Madeline is also an avid reader. She began crocheting a few years back with some books that she checked out from the library.  She has become quite accomplished and will be selling items in my etsy shop soon (more to come on that later!). She's still enjoying ballet and is just about ready to dance with the advanced classes.  The whole dancing on one's toes looks so painful, yet beautiful at the same time.



That's the Kraft clan....from pre-pre-school through grade 8.  We tried a couple different group photos and none of them really turned out great.  So, I'll just leave you with this very real one!

I hope that your school year is off to a great start.  Ours is off to a start at least...the great is still in the works!

Join Jen over at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.

God Bless!

Heather :-)

Friday, August 2, 2013

Books, books, books


I'm beginning to prepare for the upcoming school year which entails sifting through all that I have to determine what I need.  In doing so, I discovered that I have accumulated A LOT of books.  I am a huge bookie and have hundreds of books, mostly for the children.  I was excited to see Jessica at Shower of Roses hosting her 2013 Online Curriculum Sale Blog Hop.  I'm totally in!

Shipping will be a flat rate of $3.00 for 1-3 items and $6.00 for a box of any size, to cover the cost of packaging and media rate in the continental U.S. I accept Pay Pal funds and will ship within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Please e-mail me (heather at happymomonline dot com) if you have any questions or are interested in purchasing any of the materials listed below.




Little Saints: A Catholic Preschool Program with Program Pattern Packet - some notes written in pencil and minimal highlighting/good condition - $30 (SOLD)





Doodling Dragons - autographed by the author! - new - $7
Spelling 1 for Young Catholics - copyright 2000 with tan cover - $3 (SOLD)








Reading Works Motivational Ladder and Phonogram Audio CD - FREE with purchase of any other Reading works materials!



Jesus Our Life - Faith and Life Series Book and Activity Book - very good condition - $8
Just Mom and Me Having Tea - very good condition - $3




I Spy Fantasy - new - $4
Look and Find: Olivia - very good condition - $4




The Runaway Bunny Notecards: 10 Cards and Envelopes - new - $2
Madeline Door Hanger Notepad - new - $2


I have a whole bunch of Catholic books that we have read and need to move along to their next home.  I am hoping to get to that later on...we'll see!  Please let me know if you think my prices are too high.  I tried to be fair.

God Bless!

Heather :-)

Friday, February 15, 2013

Help Needed!


Attention all home schooling mamas!


My husband  is putting together a talk for the MCHEC Conference coming up on May 31-June 1 in St. Paul, MN.  His workshop is aimed at dads and will discuss what their role is in home schooling.  We figured the best way to get to the root of what role a dad should play is to ask the moms....smart, yes?!  He has prepared a survey to help gather some information to guide his discussion. There are questions for both the mom and dad to answer separately and one together.  This provides an opportunity for you to sit down with your hubby and reexamine his role in your home schooling journey.



We would really appreciate if you could take a few moments and fill this survey out. It would be fabulous if you could pass it along to any other home schooling families or, better yet, other groups that could make it available to their entire membership.  The more responses Todd gets, the better equipped he’ll be in presenting information to dads at the conference this spring.

The survey will be open until March 1, 2013.
 




*** We heard from a few of you that the link wasn't active, so let's give this another try.  Sorry for the inconvenience! ***

Thank you for your time!



God Bless!

Heather and Todd :-)


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

I Can't Wait!


It's less than a month away!  The Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair is coming up on June 1-2. This is an event that I look forward to all year long.  Todd and I secured childcare for the oldest 6 children (no easy task!) and will bring little Peter along for the ride.

I am particularly excited to attend the high school and beyond workshop during the day on Friday.  With Madeline entering 7th grade in the fall, the reality of high school, transcripts, PSEO, and a whole bunch of other stuff is starting to stress me out.  Todd has graciously agreed to be there with me so that we can hear the same information as we tend to process things differently. 

The keynote speaker is Marcel LeJeune.  I've heard him on Relevant Radio a couple of times and think that he'll do an awesome job. They always do a great job bringing in quality speakers.  The past two years featured Andrew Pudewa and Ray Guarendi. They were absolutely amazing and hilarious which is a winning combination if you ask me!


Now I need to sit down and get my "lists" together.  It is so nice to have all the vendors in one location where I can actually talk to them and pick their brains with questions I have about curriculum and different learning styles of my children.  The hardest part for me is keeping to my list of things that I need and holding back on the impulse buys...there are so many fun things that I would like to add to our school!

The best part is seeing all of the other families who are doing what we do.  No matter how secure I feel in our decision to home school, there are days when I feel alone and isolated.  Home schooling is definitely more mainstream than it was 20 years ago, but it is not the "normal" thing to do.  In my neighborhood of over 300 homes, there is only one other family I know of who teaches their children at home.  It's hard to put into words the feeling I get being surrounded by hundreds of people who are walking the same road as we are. 

How about you?  Do you have a home school conference in your area that you attend?  If you live in Minnesota, do you plan on attending this year?  I'd love to see you there!

God Bless!

Heather :-)

Friday, February 10, 2012

A Home Schooling First Family?

This article made me smile.  What an amazing testimony that home schoolers are becoming a bit more accepted and active in the political process.  No longer do we have to hide at home and dodge questions/change the topic when someone inquires about where our children attend school.

It's no secret that I am a Rick Santorum fan.  This is just a little bit more icing on the cake!

A home schooling family in the White House?
I did a search last night and the comments are interesting to say the least.  I am reassured by the strong, logical, well thought-out responses by the home schooling community as opposed to the hateful, emotional criticisms thrown out by those who just don't care for Santorum or anything he represents.

I am not a die-hard home schooler who believes that public or private schooling is inherently evil.  I just know that it is best for our family at this point in our lives and value living in a free society where it is one of many options available to us.  It would definitely shake-up the establishment to have a home schooler in the White House.  My kids soooo wish that it could be our family!

God Bless!

Heather :-)