Men's Monday Meme - School Days, School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days! Mood: happy Topic: Men's Monday Meme
Well it was back to homeschool day at the Tinkel house and boy was it a busy one. I really thought that I was ready, but to my dismay I was not. It was almost as if I hadn't spent the last couple of weeks ordering and researching and registering and making lists and looking over books and...and...and...! I shudder to think of what today might have been like if I hadn't done all of that. Instead, I got up extra early and began to check to make sure I had everything. I knew I had a few things that needed to be printed out but...100 pages later I was ready to start. So, I put everything in nice neat files and began to divvy it all out. I had a the basic lesson plans written down and thought that I had everything ready when...three hours later I finally put the final touches on their first day assignments.
So, we finally got started after lunch. By this time all of the boy's neighborhood friends had been at our door wondering when the boys would be done with their work for the day only to find out that we had barely started. The public schools begin tomorrow therefore we thankfully won't have that to worry about anymore until fall break.
I keep telling myself that the first day is always the worst and that things will get better after we get into a routine. Deep down I know that is true. It's always that way on the first day of school. It doesn't matter if it's public, private or home school and it's the same for teachers and students. The first day is always the most difficult.
It takes me back to my school days. I remember clearly the nerves that I felt thinking about a new grade and a new teacher. And, of course, the switch between elementary school and middle school and between middle school and high school were especially strenuous. Still, I have many fond memories of my school days. Which brings me to this week's meme question:
What are your favorite memories from school? It could be a teacher, a subject, a friend. It could be a special accomplishment or a humorous event. It may have happened in a public or private school, or at a homeschool co-op. It really doesn't matter. Just talk about your favorite school memory. Have fun recollecting!
Here are the rules to the meme:
This is a man's meme, so the answers must be the answers from a man. Either the man can answer on his blog, or a wife can interview her husband for her blog. However, if the wife puts it on her blog, she must stay true to what her husband said.
You are encouraged to put one of the Men's Monday Meme buttons found to the left on your blog. Just copy the code below the button of your choice. The more folks who link, the more readers you may have to visit your blog.
You may answer the question any time during the week up through next Monday. After you answer the question, add the address to your post to the Mr.Linky below. If you could, please only add the direct link to the post to make it easier for readers to find the entry.
My answer along with a new question will be posted next Monday. The new Mr. Linky will be added at midnight Monday night or sometime within the next couple of days after that .
When the Cat's Away the Mice Will Play! Mood: happy Topic: Family
Just in case you were wondering, the "Cat" is my wife Sarah who was away for a few days taking care of her mother after some minor surgery and the "Mice" are me, John Allen, Joshua, Jacob along with their friends Justin and Bailey.
Sarah has for ages wanted the carpet in our hallways and living room torn up. There are gorgeous hard wood floors underneath, and ten years of spills and three rambunctious boys running around have taken it's toll on the carpet. So, we decided to take the few days of mommy being away to try our best at pulling it up. Unfortunately, due to therapy schedules and desperately planning for tomorrows grand beginning of homeschool (which still isn't totally planned yet ), we didn't get the living room part done yet. But the hallways are nearly done and boy am I tired. My poor feet are worn out. Now, why my feet should be worn out when I was on my knees half the time I don't know, but they are.
Anyway, Sarah was very pleasantly surprised. She didn't know anything was going on. I really don't know how, because the check card internet ledger kept showing McDonald's and Burger King tabs on it where I was too tired to cook . As soon as the job is totally completed, there will be pictures. I still need to pull up some staples, sand the floor and give it a good shine before it's ready for the grand debut.
On a side note, I will be posting a new Men's Monday Meme question tomorrow, so be ready!
On The Road Again...No not us...read on to see who though! Mood: a-ok Topic: BCM International
Two or three times a year, our umbrella mission, BCM International, publishes a magazine called BCM World. It's a great magazine edited by Jeanette Windle, the wife of BCM's president. A nationally acclaimed Christian writer, Jeanette has written many fantastic Christian suspense novels such as Crossfire and The DMZ. She also wrote the following article on what missionary travel is like for so many who work on foreign mission fields. Because of copyright issues, I can only print the first paragraph and then give you the link to the online article. Please click through. The ending is worth it all.
The pilot’s arrival at the gravel airstrip, lying flat and groaning in the back of an army jeep, had not been an auspicious beginning. Now, packed with eight others into a military prop plane intended for six, the young foreigner cowered in the copilot’s seat as the aircraft wobbled erratically through the clouds. Still celebrating last night’s fiesta, the pilot sang at the top of his lungs, occasionally emphasizing the beat with a shove on the throttle. Periodically, he pounded on the dashboard, trying to shake the altimeter and compass into use. His girlfriend, without a seat, leaned over the young foreigner’s shoulder, whispering drunken caresses into the pilot’s ear.
To read the rest of the article please click here.
Okay, Okay, maybe missionary travel isn't quite like this, but it is exciting nonetheless!
I'm Going Crazy and It's All Penny's Fault! Mood: irritated Topic: General
Who's Penny and why is it all her fault? She was my First Mate from last year and managed to get me through my first year on The Old Schoolhoolhouse Homeschool Crew. Now we are fellow First Mates on the crew and I have found out what extra responsibilities FM's have. Like having to write the intro post for some of the products that the crew is reviewing. One of her assignments is for a math game called Pyramath that we are about to receive in the mail. She happened to mention that there is an online version of the game so that you can try it out before buying. Well, I tried it out, and I'm hooked. It's driving me batty! I can't seem to stop playing it. Here's what it looks like:
Pyramath really is a lot of fun. It has to be if I'm writing the little pre-review. I don't do that for many products. To find the online game just click here. Have fun!
I Curse the Day I Decided to Homeschool! Mood: don't ask Topic: The Kids
Not really, but it got you to look didn't it?!?
Really, though, this year of planning is driving me up the wall! We have always been very eclectic in our homeschooling. We have never gone with just one canned curriculum that covered all subjects. We pick our subjects depending on the strengths and weaknesses of our children and of a particular curriculum. For example, John Allen does wonderful with reading good "living books" for history. He has learned some much from reading good historical novels and discussing them than he would ever have from reading some boring historical textbook. Joshua, on the other hand, requires a little more structure and flourishes with hands on things.
Well, anyway, this year is no different. We are picking a very eclectic mix of curriculum and subjects. This time, however, to save money, I've chosen to put together John Allen's World History curriculum myself. So, I've looked at some book lists from some good World History curriculum and I have most of his books picked out. I also have some lapbooks and unit studies chosen to supplement the books. But, putting it all down on paper and writing down when he should read this and when he should do that is driving me up the wall. Before, I always had a teachers book that told me what to assign to him and what to tell him to do. We never did it all and often did other things that complimented the study as well, but at least we had a guide. This time around I have to figure it all out myself. AHHHHHH!
Then, if that isn't bad enough, I bought a Spanish textbook at a library sale. John Allen has wanted to learn Spanish for a long time. The textbook had a pronunciation CD with it that went corresponded with each chapter so I thought it would be great. After looking at the book I saw that it also had a great on-line website with flashcards, practice quizzes and more. The only problem was that I didn't look close enough at the book. I thought it covered things a little more quickly than what I remembered in high school, but I wasn't ready for the surprise when I finally realized it was a COLLEGE textbook! So, I'm trying to divide it into bite size bits and stretching it out to fill up a year instead of a semester. John Allen doesn't know that it's a college textbook and I'm not telling him! It's going to be an interesting year.
BUT, that's not all! He's also decided he wants to continue with Latin again this year. He has taken Latin off and on all three years that we have homeschooled, but last year, instead of doing regular Latin, we just studied Latin and Greek roots. This year he wants to really study Latin again. So, a high school Latin curriculum is ordered. These, along with, physical science and pre-algebra/algebra should make for a challenging year for him...and me!
Joshua is going to be a little easier. The Download-N-Go curriculum that we are reviewing this year covers a lot of science and social studies in a fun and interesting way. We are going to continue with Rocket Phonics and McGuffey Readers for reading and keep using Language Smarts for language. Wrapping it all up will be Math Mammoth this year. So he is set without a lot of planning.
Jacob is even going to join in this year as we begin phonics and more math with him, so he will be like his big brothers.
Call me crazy? Maybe I am, but I enjoy it. Just pray for my sanity. As the old movie line says "get ready for a bumpy ride"!
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happy
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), we didn't get the living room part done yet. But the hallways are nearly done and boy am I tired. My poor feet are worn out. Now, why my feet should be worn out when I was on my knees half the time I don't know, but they are. 
. As soon as the job is totally completed, there will be pictures. I still need to pull up some staples, sand the floor and give it a good shine before it's ready for the grand debut. 
a-ok
irritated
don't ask
