Three in Thirty

Week Three Review & Encouragement

Wow!  This month seems to have flown by.  I hope that you're meeting your February goals with progress! I have accomplished two with ease.  One seems to be way more trouble that I thought.

1) The daily Proverbs has become automatic (yippee!).  I love starting out my day in the Word.  2) I've been able to post weekly and participate in blog hops.  I have really enjoyed visiting with everyone.  I always learn something new and fun.  It's the third goal of getting to bed by 10:30pm that is proving to be quite the challenge.  I have been to bed before midnight only twice so far.  No matter what time I get into bed,  the little wheels in my head just keep turning and turning. I'm not ready to scrap this goal yet, though.

One encouraging quote that I love is from Winston Churchill:

"Success is going from one failure to the next without loosing your enthusiasm."

Things don't always work out or go as we had planned.  We make mistakes.  We goof up. We miss the mark.  It's okay. Keep your enthusiasm. Take a deep breath, smile big, and KEEP TRYING.  

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful to be able to home school my little boy.  I'm so blessed to live in a country that allows me the freedom to educate my son at home.  While it is hard work, it is the very BEST job I've ever had!  It is so exciting to watch him learn.  I enjoy spending time with him.  We read, craft, play, and truly enjoy our lessons. I am eternally grateful to my pastor's wife for providing such an awesome example and to my husband for supporting & encouraging the idea. I'm also thankful for the women I've met along the way and all I've learned from them. While this is the first year (preschool), I can see that we are laying the foundation for a lifetime of joyful learning.  

Twice As Nice

We have added a new curriculum to our preschool: Joyful Heart Bible And Rhyme for 3 year olds. I love this free, Bible-based program.  It includes lesson plans and craft/activity suggestions.  I am still using the Letter of The Week.  I think between the two, we are building a solid Biblical and academic foundation.

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility to use more than one resource for teaching.  Nothing is set in stone.  I can keep what I like and disregard what's not for us. I have learned so much this year about what works for us and what doesn't.  I'm so glad that I started with preschool.  I don't feel that trial and error (and there have been tons of error) at this point is detrimental to his overall education- I mean, really... he's just three!

Now that we are using more than one curriculum, I am picking and choosing lessons between the two.  To help keep me focused, I designed my own lesson plan/worksheet. AND...I'm offering this freebie to you (go ahead, squeal if you want)!  There are so many great planners out there.  I just needed something a little more basic.  I like looking at the whole week, too. Click here for Scribd download. (The lines looks a little off in the preview window but "reappear" in the download.)

I've included some photos of other things we've added to our class room goodies.  

Happy Homeschooling!

Shine by Salvador (Just Because I Love It)

I just love this group and this song!  That's it...the whole post...just link & lyrics...nothing else. Enjoy! 


Click below to hear Shine by Salvador:





Lyrics, courtesy of Gospel Music Lyrics:

I woke up to another day

Another day to celebrate

Your beauty and your mystery

Is more than any eye can see

I'm not the man I was before

With you my life is so much more

Break the chains and open doors

To a world I can't ignore

Chorus:

Lord let me shine

Shine like the moon

A reflection of you

All that I do

Lord let me be

A light for your truth

Light of the world

I want to be used

To shine for you

As simple as a passing smile

Or listening a little while

To someone that's convinced that

They are in this all alone

Well, here's my chance to share the news

To introduce the good that's you

Here you go again,

You never cease to blow my mind

Chorus

You're the love that we all need

You lift us up to our feet,

Hold the key to eternity

The King of Kings alive in me

Healthy Relationships

Cultivating healthy relationships and eliminating harmful ones is essential to proper self-care.  Whether it is with a spouse, child, parent, sibling, friend or co-worker, a healthy relationship is one that is characterized by RESPECT- for us and for the other person.

To finish reading, please click here to visit Living Self Care where I am guest posting today.  

Three in Thirty

My goal setting for January went fairly well.  Small steps has definitely worked for me.  I'm going to carry over one of my goals and set two new ones for February:

1. Continue with a chapter of Proverbs added to my daily Bible reading plan
2. Post at least once a week (either here or at my other site, Practical Faith for Everyday Life)
3. Be in bed by 10:30 pm each week night.

I'm hoping that an earlier bedtime will make my morning routine, well...um...happen.  Late nights have just shot my mornings over the past year.  My long term goal here is to create a time slot in the mornings where I can blog, exercise, etc. 

I can't wait to see your goals and February progress!

Coupon Rescue!

Ever want to try couponing but are overwhelmed? How to start? Where to go? How much time will it take? Jen Ryan comes to the rescue with her fabulous guest post at Linda Carmical. She saves the rest of valuable time by listing her Top Ten Sites and what she likes about each one.  If you ever wanted to give it a go, now's the time!

Click here to begin you money saving adventure!