The Boy spent the majority of the day reading a biography on the Wright Brothers, completing his assigned pages of Easy Grammar and read half of a chapter in his FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.  The rest of the time he worked on creating more origami airplanes.

Although we didn’t accomplish as much as we normally can, I am happy with the results of today’s learning adventures.

This post contains some affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

If you walk into my house the first thing you see is our “classroom”.  This room has been located in three places since we moved into this house.  The final destination is the “Living Room”.  This was a room that held a couch and a table and was never used.  Now it is used every day!

This layout is my favorite so far.  Unfortunately due to the lack of 2 walls of space, the room sort of flows into other areas of the house. 

When you enter our house, you can see the classroom to your right.  Extended beyond is the dining room and the kitchen. 

This is a view of the classroom from our dining room.  I love how bright the room is in comparison to the other locations we had.  One thing I’d love to do is figure out some window dressings…but it’s on the bottom of the budget list right now.

Let’s take a closer look at the room…

This is Missy’s domain.  You can tell she is quite the clutter bug.  Amazingly her desk is cleaner than it usually is.  Hazel Nut hangs out beside her desk.  The shelf to the left of her desk stores all her notebooks, binders, books and special papers.  Skelly is our class mascot. 

This is Bear’s domain.  The red bin holds our recycling.  The yellow cabinet holds Bear’s notebooks, binders & books as well as all our math mainpulatives.

Our daily calendar.  We say the day in Spanish & English.  Bear is responsible for managing the calendar.

This is our reference rack.  It’s a repurposed shoe rack from our old house.

Mom’s domain.  Underneath my desk is our library book holder.  To the left is a small couch for reading.  To the right contains all our files, the printer & paper.

The paper station.  The file cabinet contains papers, books, magazines, catalogs, etc.  The books that I use with all three kids rest here as well as any books for current reviews.

This is The Boy’s domain.  Eventually the empty space above his desk will contain an elaborate storage/bulletin board to hold the microscope & supplies.

This was our old school space.  It is now a library/scrapbook room for me.

Hallway between entry and the family room.  This wall holds artwork, papers and other items. 

Opposite wall in hall.  This is our art gallery.  Paintings done this year.

Last but not least:  My brain.  This is located in the family room/nook area.  It contains all the things I need to do/remember.  It also contains our chore chart.

I hope you enjoyed the new tour of our learning space.

Title:  The Resignation of Eve Author:  Jim Henderson Publisher:  Tyndale House Publication Date: 2/1/12 ISBN-10: 1414337302 ISBN-13: 978-141433730 Format:  Paperback & e-Book

Editorial Review (Amazon)

Henderson (Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians) tells the stories here of many women who, despite their predominance in the life, membership, and mission of most churches and denominations, are routinely rebuked and squashed, if not worse. Henderson’s crucial insight is that the central feature of Christianity is – ought to be – “giving power away, particular to those who lack it,” not craving or needing power or keeping it from women. VERDICT Insightful and moving, Henderson’s book is a mirror of what Christian spirituality ought to be; good for church groups and pastors as well as individual readers. (Library Journal )

From the Back Cover

Why millions of today’s most committed church members may be ready to bolt—and what to do about it In talking with women around the country, Jim Henderson has come to believe that an epidemic of quiet, even sad resignation is developing among dedicated Christian women who feel overworked and undervalued in the church. As a result, many women are discouraged. Some, particularly young women, respond by leaving the organized church . . . or walking away from the faith altogether.The Resignation of Eve is a field report on what women have to say about how they’ve been affected—both positively and negatively—by their experiences within the church. Listening to their stories is crucially important because, across the board, the research shows that women are driving changes in the church. What will happen if many of them resign?It’s time to pay attention before it’s too late—time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who went out of his way to honor, elevate, and work through women wherever he went.Containing personal interviews with women and surprising research from George Barna, The Resignation of Eve is a game-changing, conversation-starting book for women who have been engaged in the Christian church, as well as for their pastors and ministry leaders.

Author Biography (Amazon) Jim Henderson is acclaimed by USA Today for having "blazed a new path as an innovator, author, church evaluator, self-professed subversive, and leader in the creation of new ways to be publicly and persuasively Christian in the twenty-first century." Jim is a speaker, author, and producer. His most subversive act to date was buying an atheist's soul on eBay and then sending him to attend and review several churches. On the heels of that project, Jim hired another atheist (Matt Casper) to join him at various church services and share his feedback. Together, they recount their unique findings in a book titled Jim and Casper Go to Church (Tyndale, 2007). After twenty-five years as a pastor, Jim formed Off the Map, an organization that produced live events designed to help people recover the lost art of being "unusually interested" in others, especially Outsiders. Today, Jim's company, Jim Henderson Presents, produces live events and television projects that look at the important role of religious spirituality in our lives. Jim is known for asking the questions others skip. Jim holds a Doctorate in transformational leadership and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fox News and This American Life with Ira Glass.

Title: An Alphabet Trip to the Limerick Zoo
Author:  Jeannette Ramirez
Type:  e-Book
Cost:  $9.99 for e-Book
Readers:  Kindle Fire or Nook Color

About the Author (Amazon.com)

 

I am Jeannette Ramirez, from Cincinnati, Ohio, married (forever), and hubby and I have five grown-up children. As such things go, those children collectively have ten. By the time our brood was launched - and all have professional degrees - I had pretty much missed "the corporate boat" but had a ton of life experiences that would take me in a more satisfying direction - writing. Though I do many different types of writing, my authority lies in limerick poems. Here Be Limerick Poems is my first site and my largest. I have also authored three other books besides An Alphabet Trip to the Limerick Zoo: Literati Limericks: Academic Arcana in Pithy Quips The Keepsake Book of Love and Marriage The Pocket Book of Limericks (a collaboration with 23 authors) Read More About Me. 

Becoming a writer wasn't part of the original game plan, but there I am, included in the University of Pennsylvania's A Celebration of Women Writers, just a stone's throw from Ayn Rand! I am wildly qualified to be a writer, for writers are generalists and I am certainly a generalist. My educational background includes an MA (literature, history, and philosophy), a BS in science, and a BA in psychology. Along the way I once acquired a CFP, a Series 7 brokerage license, and an insurance license (none of which are currently active). I have worked as an English teacher, a moderator for classes in website development, and have been an instructor in a number of Cultural Literacy courses. My venue is online publishing, and I self-publish every work I do because I prefer that my readers decide the circulation of my written words - and they have been very good to me in that regard - over 2000 guests visit most days (data, Winter 2011). Now that's a lot of validation for a writer!

My websites are:

• Money Management Tools
•  Here Be Limerick Poems
•  Monday Morning Writer's Group
•  Formula Easy Recipes
•  Love You Love Quotes
• Twitter:  @jrlimerickpoems

My review

I received a copy of this e-book (An Alphabet Trip to the Limerick Zoo) to review.  This term we have been learning different styles of poetry during our home schooling this term.  For an introduction to writing limerick poems, I read this e-book.  I forgot how fun and yet complex they are!

There are 26 limericks; one for each letter of the alphabet.  Each letter is an animal.  Corresponding with each animal is a full color illustration.

The illustrations are amazing.  A couple did not look at all like their animal; we thought the deer was a Chihuahua.  My daughter’s favorite was (of course) the otters.

The limericks follow typical pattern and were charming.  A few made us scratch our heads, but overall they were well-written.

We sat together on the couch with the laptop and read each limerick.  The kids made comments on either the corresponding art print or the limerick after we read each one. 

After we finished reading the book, we took turns writing limericks.  Here is our limerick:

When walking along in Paris,

I saw a man standing on a terrace.

He held a piece of cake,

that he had just baked;

And he gave it to Roger Maris.

Written by Shiloh Homeschool 2/16/12

We recommend this book if you are a teacher or homeschooler.  It provided plenty of inspiration for writing our own limericks.  May it inspire you too!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through Tomoson for review in hopes I would mention it on my blog.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.

My friend introduced me to planning meals monthly.  I’ve done this many times before, but not to this extent.  Inspired by her $400/month for family of five that includes three growing boys and 3 cats, I accepted her challenge of reducing my food budget by at least 25% this month! 

A fellow homeschool blogger, Erica, posts her meal plans monthly.  You can download her file via PDF or the Word file.  I chose to download the Word file and modify for my family.  I planned breakfast, lunch, dinners & snacks.  For a family that never follows a plan, it should be interesting to see what happens!

Because my husband’s payday is on the 15th of each month, I scheduled our meal plan from February 19th to March 17th.  The goal this month is to use our existing pantry/freeze stockpile.  I should only need to go into the store for milk and fresh produce.  (Which will greatly help my budget!)

Here’s the plan for the month:    

Do you plan your meals weekly or monthly?  Share a link to your latest plan below.

When we first told our children they would be leaving their school, friends and home behind to travel with us full-time, they were all three upset.

Kids do not like change so it was pretty understandable.  However, as we continued to talk about it, they began to warm up to the idea.

The next hurdle was our families.  It was a mixed bag.  They wanted us to make the choice that was best for us, but then there was a list of stipulations.  Be back for holidays, birthdays, etc. 

We decided to just go forward with our plans and just tell people we were going to travel for the summer.  So the first thing we did was search for a fifth wheel trailer.

After finding one we loved and at the price we wanted to pay, we found out that my husband’s Ford couldn’t take a fifth wheel, unless he was willing to lower the truck, which he wasn’t.  Back to the drawing board we went.

After many hours of research I determined that the best trailer for us would be the Keystone Outback 301BQ Bunkhouse! I’m the research guru in our house, hubby just goes along for the ride.

I was sold on this trailer even before I saw it in person.  When I saw it in person, the deal was sealed.

Here’s what I love about the trailer:

• The Bunk Room:   Perfect for each kid to have their own space and a place to store clothes!
• The King Dinette:  We can all 5 fit around this table.  There are 2 storage drawers underneath.  The only complaint is the cushions keep coming off.
• The Pantry:  I can hold 2 weeks of non-perishible food.
• The Kitchen Layout:  I can cook and not feel crowded.
• The Back room:  Feels like a real bedroom.  The storage center worked perfectly for our clothes.  Storage underneath the bed held our telescope, extra blankets and my stockpile of cereal and paper goods.
• Underneath Storage:  There is a “garage” in the back room slide-out where we store all our maintenance supplies.  In the front (under the bunk area) is a pass through storage area.  This contained our chairs, the barbeque, sports equipment, water, shoes and other stuff I didn’t want in the back of the truck with the dog.

What I don’t love about the trailer:

• The stove.  Dislike the stove. It’s impossible to cook for 5 on this stove.  We used the outdoor stove a lot AND the barbecue.
• The bathroom.  It’s small.  The hot water lasts for like 6 seconds.  We took showers in the camp bathrooms typically.
• The size.  This thing is big.  No way am I ever going to be able to learn how to pull this thing.  I’m dimensionally challenged just driving a little car!
• The door between the master & the main area.  It keeps falling off the rack while traveling down the road.  I noticed in the 2012 design they have changed the location of the door, I am hoping to solve this issue

And now for a tour…sort of…

For some reason I do not have the pictures I took when we bought the trailer…now I’m kicking myself!  So I found some online.  Our package was called “Havana”.  It’s rather ugly ( I think).  I have made some decorating modifications, and when we pull out the trailer this spring I’ll update pictures.

This is a view of the kitchen.  I love the mix of the darker cabinets on bottom with the cabinets on top.  Above the sink is where I store all my cooking & baking goods.  It’s also where I store the unknown treats.

Beneath the sink (by the door) is a cabinet.  I keep our pots & pans, bowls, mixer, toaster and coffee pot here. (They stay in even if we are not traveling).

Underneath the sink I store the garbage can & dish drainer.

The panel for the water & sewer tanks is located here.  To the right at the end of the counter is two small drawer.  One holds towels the other holds utensils & gadgets.

The view of the left side of the trailer.  The electrical panel is located under the stove.  The refrigerator is small and takes some getting used to.  The door is to the small bathroom.

The view of the right side of the trailer.  This is the largest slide out.  It includes the dinette & couch.  The couch folds out into an aero-bed, which the kids love to pull out to watch movies.  It’s comfortable to sleep on too!

At the end of the couch is a small entertainment area.  It contains a TV, Radio and small cabinet.  I kept our movies, books and school supplies in there while traveling.

Above the couch I keep the dishes we use every day (plates & cups) and the small baking pans & bowls.  The middle cupboard holds our homeschool curriculum and the corner cabinet holds whatever junk I manage to throw into it at the time.  It’s a tiny cabinet and I haven’t figured out yet what fits there.

Underneath the dinette I keep the board games in one drawer.  The other drawer contains all our paper goods, garbage bags & zipper bags.

The front bedroom is the bunk area.  There are 4 bunks.  The top left bunk belongs to the Boy.  The lower left bunk belongs to Missy.  The lower right bunk belongs to Missy.  On the top bunk we have storage drawer units for the kids clothes.  We can store 2 weeks worth of clothes.  The cabinet has 3 shelves on the right hand side.  Each kid received a shelf to keep their special items (books, etc.)  The left hand side is a hanging space.  It’s wasted space.  We put another drawer unit in there to hold the kid’s underclothes (one drawer each).  It also holds the Wii fit board and guitar hero and the movie binder while traveling to and fro.  The top of the cabinet held our hamster last year, but the hamster will be staying home this time.  If we traveled full time, we would build another cabinet above to store extra items needed).

The bathroom is small.  There is just no other way to make a bathroom bigger in a travel trailer.  I do like the large cabinet to the left.  I was able to store all our toiletries, hair stuff, etc.  The open space holds our toilet paper and the hand soap while traveling.  I keep the mop & broom stowed behind the toilet while traveling.  Underneath the sink was a laundry bag (the door pulls out and down).  It is absolutely USELESS to a family of five.  So we removed the bag and I store our cleaning supplies under here.  I’m going to have hubby make the door swing normal one of these days.  The medicine cabinet is of sufficient size to keep all our goodies.

The shower has a skylight in it.  Good thing, because that is where hubby’s head goes while showering.  There is no lock on the door to the bathroom.  That’s being fixed this spring.

The master bedroom.  We were sold on this being a full size queen bed.  However, it’s not.  We did put a full size queen mattress on the platform.  We have to lift up the end of the mattress about 1 inch to close the slide out, but totally worth the sleep!  Again, the bedding…hideous…this bedding now resides underneath the bed…when we travel it stays at home in the garage.

Above the bed are cabinets with lights for him/her.  We keep our books & other stuff up here.  Although we have discovered this wall unit likes to attract moisture, so I’m pretty careful what I put up there.  I also discovered, that if you don’t think straight in the middle of the night, you can get a painful reminder of it’s existence!

The view opposite the bed.  2nd exit door.  4 drawers, 1 large hanging cabinet with extra shelf.  The counter is supposed to be the “entertainment” center…but we use it to hold our cell phone chargers, keys, etc..

My outdoor kitchen with sink.  (REALLY goofy design)…but I love the stove.  Anything greasy or messy is cooked out here.  The trailer’s awning covers this so you can cook even when it’s raining…which it does a lot in Oregon.

So, that’s our home on wheels…from a dealer’s perspective. 

We would highly recommend this trailer for a family considering travel recreational or full-time.  They are still making this plan.  The 2012 has been updated interior: looks more “fancy”.  I like our more simple décor, although I would gladly get rid of the palm tree look!

Although a fifth wheel is typically the vehicle of choice for full-time families, we found that having the back of the truck for containing our bikes and our dog was what our family needed.  (That and my husband refused to part with his jacked-up wheels).

That’s it for how we started. I’m going to be adding pictures of places we visited.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

The GBBC is a joint product of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Audubon Society, and The Bird Studies in Canada.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. 

The 2012 GBBC will take place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20. Join your fellow bird watchers!

This will be our first year participating.  I’m a little nervous because I haven’t really seen any birds lately.  We have a nice nature park next to us; I figured we could take a break and hunt for birds.  Camera in hand of course.

Resources for GBBC

The best place to find information about the GBBC is their official website:  www.birdsource.org/gbbc.  

On the front page there is a link to the zip code finder.  This will give you a list of birds you might see in your area in February. 

This was part of the list returned for our area.  Now I can study the list and compare it with birds from my favorite bird guide book National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region.

Amazon.com Review

 

A favorite of birdwatchers (especially those who prefer photographs to illustrations), this field guide, revised for 2000, accounts for the 544 bird species that live in the region west of the Great Plains. The clearly printed color photographs capture birds at rest and in flight; preceded by black-and-white silhouettes, the plates are organized by visually based, intuitive categories--"hawk-like birds," "pigeon-like birds," and "perching birds," for example--that make on-the-fly identification a fairly simple matter. The images are matched by clearly written text that describes a given bird, gives an approximation of its voice, and details its habitat, range, nests, and behavior. Sized to fit in a jacket or backpack pocket, this is a valuable companion for any birding outing in the region. --Gregory McNamee

Also available to download:  Android or iPad/iPhone/iPod!

Audubon Birds App for Android | Audubon Birds Apps for Apple Products

Birding Sites around Portland, Oregon

Portland Metro has several wildlife refuges for bird watching in addition to many neighborhood parks; the largest being Washington Park in the West Hills.  Any of these places would be a great place to start your bird count.

• Audubon Society of Portland:  Fantastic source of information for birding in our area.  Private society organized in 1929 (Memberships start at $25).  5151 NW Cornell Road, Portland.  Wildlife care center & nature store available. 
  
  
• Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge:  Managed by Portland Parks Department.  Nature Trails & wetlands.  Open to biking & hiking.  SE 7th Avenue & Sellwood Blvd, Portland. 
  
  
• Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge:  Private volunteer organization.  Includes a visitor center open Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 4pm.  Trails & Observation areas open daily dawn to dusk. 19255 SW Pacific Highway, Sherwood.  No Pets Allowed.
  
  
• Jackson Bottom Wetlands:  725-acres wildlife preserve.  Managed by Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department.  Trails, observation areas and visitor center.  Monday to Sunday from 10am-4pm. 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro.  NO DOGS or BICYCLES PERMITTED.
  
  
• Sauvie Island Wildlife Area:  Hunting, fishing, birdwatching, hiking, picnicking, trapshooting, photography, dog training and canoeing.  18330 NW Sauvie Island Road.  Sauvie Island is worth the drive up Highway 30.  We frequented there during the summer when we lived in Scappoose for fresh fruits and vegetables. 
  
  Note: A parking permit is required for the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area and can be purchased at ODFW License vendors, online at ODFW’s website and at the Sauvie Island ODFW office, Monday through Friday during office hours.
  
  
• Washington Park:  Home of the Portland Children’s Museum, Oregon Zoo, Portland Japanese Garden, World Forestry Discovery Museum, International Rose Test Garden and Hoyt Arboretum.  Plenty of trails & trees to search for birds!

Notebooking/Lapbooking Resources for GBBC

We will using a combination of notebook pages to record our observations.  Here are some of the resources we have bookmarked:

• GBBC for Kids: online games
• Barb’s Handbook of Nature Study blog:  Anything nature…this is the site!
• Bird Observation chart by Notebooking Fairy.  Free Download.
• Backyard Birds Lap n Note by Homeschool Share.  Free Download.
• Notebooking Pages North American Birds Sample.  I recommend you purchase her Nature Study notebook pages set…or better yet, get the Treasury Membership!  I use this resource weekly.

Will you participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count of 2012?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This blog post contains affiliate links. I receive compensation if a purchase is made through the links. This helps my homeschool budget greatly! Remember, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials.”

Today is Valentine’s Day!  Our homeschool will be celebrating with crafts, a few themed worksheets and eating heart shaped food!

I will be printing out this card and placing under each child’s door to find in the morning.  This will be a gift they can keep forever.

Need Last-Minute Ideas?

• Education.com Valentine’s Day Idea Hub
  Find activities, crafts, printables, recipes, lesson ideas and tips. 
  
• Family Fun Valentine’s Day 2012
  Check out homemade Valentine's Day cards and Valentine's Day crafts.
  
  
• Kaboose Valentine’s Day 2012
  Crafts, videos for activities, recipes, games and so much more!
  

Our Valentine’s Day Plans

• Write Valentine’s Day Haiku poetry.  Design a page to hang in our hall gallery.
• Create Abstract art painting.
• Strawberry French Toast for Breakfast
• Book of Love (for the grandmas!)
• Symmetrical Valentine’s Birds
• Lunch – food in heart shapes!
• Movie: The Aristocats

What about you?  How are you going to celebrate?   

This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

~Steven Curtis Chapman

In June 2010 our family set out on what we called The Great Adventure.   It was our introduction to full-time living in an RV.  We were hooked.  We returned in August ready to leave our life in Oregon behind and hit the open road…but like everything in our life, things did not go as planned.

Let me start at the beginning.

From 2007 to 2009 my husband’s stress level went from normal to over-the-top.  Death. Loss of business. Loss of friendships.  Loss of our church.  In 2009 we knew things were bad when he suddenly took a leave of absence from work.  His health started failing.  I took over and helped with the business.  This caused stress on our children.  Life became overwhelming.  We were on a spinning wheel going nowhere fast and no way out.

In early 2010 we prayed for something to change.  I didn’t expect the change to be the complete upheaval of our family life for the great unknown.

When he first approached me with the idea of selling our house and buying an RV to travel for a couple years, I was absolutely against the idea.

My response:  “I have a life, Jeff.” 

I told him I would pray about it and consider it.  I wasn’t open to leaving the life we’d created…but I REALLY didn’t want to lose my husband and kid’s father.  I knew in my heart something had to change.

When I start to think about something, I tend to hyper-focus on it.  I mean…REALLY focus.  I do pray, then my fingers hit Google.  Google is my friend.  I don’t know how I would survive without it.  I know that seem so superficial, but there is such comfort in knowing I can find some type of answer in a few seconds or less.  Without Google, I’d have a permanent residence in my local library. (I still do…but Google at least allows me to appear normal.)

This is when I “met” Dana and her traveling tribe living, learning and traveling together in a travel trailer.  I was definitely intrigued!

As the next few weeks went by, I discovered many families who were living the life my husband was proposing. I realized he wasn’t as crazy as I first thought!

After much prayer, we made plans to put the house on the market, find a travel trailer that we could live in and remove our kids from public school.

We were excited…but would our kids be…would our families?

That’s it for tonight.  I will share more later.

Hubby and I in 2005.

Hi!  I just wanted to let you know that I will be posting my photography of our travels in 2010.  My blog was deleted during an update and I lost an entire year with of posts.  I’d like to recreate some of it to share with families who may be considering the full-time RV lifestyle with children.

It’s still my dream to travel across the entire United States & Canada.  I strongly believe the best way to learn US geography is by studying it first-hand!  If I have to do this in small tiny trips, I’m ok…I just want to travel.  I’m done being a stationary gal!

So, please ignore these posts if you like.  I’m still going to keep blogging about homeschooling, being a mom and whatever else pops into my brain. 

Happy Sunday!