Our Learning Adventure!

Tough decision has been answered.

2010-08-17T10:08:00.003-04:00

We got the phone call Friday that Mackenzie was accepted into school! I don't know whether to be :) or :( .

She starts school on the 30th of August.

I guess we'll see how it goes. It I don't like it, or she doesn't like it, we'll just pull her back out and homeschool again!

I'm still here!

2010-08-04T13:58:00.003-04:00

WOW! I haven't updated our blog in FOREVER. No worries, I'm still here.

Right now, I am trying to make one of the toughest decisions I have ever made. I'm trying to decide on homeschooling again this year, or to put Mackenzie in a brick and mortar school.

While I loved having her home with me last year, I think she would benefit from being with other kids.

I found an AWESOME school here in Erie, we are just waiting to see if she's been accepted or not. If she has not been accepted, I will continue to homeschool.

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On another note, after 15 months of Brian being on unemployment (thanks to the attorney he worked for, for stealing almost 200 thousand dollars from estate money and going to jail), Brian has found a new job. When he saw this job in the paper, he really wanted it. He applied, got it and the company offered him a higher salary than what was advertised in the paper. He must have really impressed them.

So, he starts in two weeks. We'll miss him around the house, but it'll be nice to have him working again!

Well, I must go for now. Movie time for Mackenzie is over and she's asking to use the laptop. Isn't it amazing that at 6 years old, she's using the computer. I don't think we even had household computers when I was 6.

More pictures of our fall decorations!

2009-10-12T16:33:00.002-04:00

I just found more pictures on my camera of some other fall decorations we have done and put up.

I found these fall die-cuts at our local Dollar Tree, took them home and laminated them and viola! For just a few dollars, we have a TON of decorations!

Slacking . . .

2009-10-12T16:10:00.003-04:00

We have been so busy with school lately, that I haven't had the time to update our blog.

We have decorated the school room for fall. We made an alphabet apple tree using just poster board, and construction paper. Here's some pictures!

I'll be updating what we've been learning and all about our apple/Johnny Appleseed lapbook tomorrow!

Our school room is complete . . . for now!

2009-08-20T17:26:00.002-04:00

I have spent the last few days finishing up our school room. School starts Aug 31st, so I wanted to get it done.

For now, it's complete. The only thing missing is a bean bag chair that I want to put in front of the window for reading time. I'll probably pick that up this weekend.

The wall above Mackenzie's art desk is empty, because that's where her art will do that I want to display.

What do you think?

Now next week I can focus on planning out the first few lessons!

Made my own calendar for our school room!

2009-08-19T21:55:00.003-04:00

So, after all the hassle of finding a calendar for our school room and came up with nothing, I decided to make my own!

I found the empty calendar and the numbers at a $ store. I had the calendar laminated at a teacher supply store and laminated the numbers here at home.

I also found month headers that I also had laminated.

I'm going to put this all together tomorrow on the bulletin board, but I was so proud of my work so far, so I wanted to snap a picture!

So hot . . .

2009-08-17T18:48:00.003-04:00

I think summer has finally arrived in PA LOL. It has been so hot here the last few days and I'm ready for it to be over. Today I walked into ACMoore and smelled fall scents. That's my favorite time of year and I can't wait for it to get here.

I bought a bulletin board for our school room and hope to get started on that in the next day or two once this heat breaks. School starts two weeks from today so I've got to get going on this. I'm excited for the year to begin. Not only do I get to teach Mackenzie, but I get to learn all over again :-)

Okay, I need to find a way to cool off. Maybe we'll break out the sprinkler again!

Where has the weekend gone?

2009-08-09T07:46:00.002-04:00

We had company come in Thursday afternoon from New York and they will be heading back home today. I've barely had any internet time and I'm having serious withdraws. LOL LOL

Hopefully life will get back to normal once they leave and I'll get focused on getting ready for school in a few weeks.

Forgot to update about the rest of vacation.

2009-08-04T07:59:00.002-04:00

I've just been so busy and so tired the last few days, I haven't had the time or the energy to update about the rest of our vacation.

Friday was Children's Museum day. Here's a few pictures from that day.

Then Saturday, we took the girls to the Home Depot workshop where they made their own message board. (These still have not been hung up yet LOL). Then Saturday night was take your dog to the baseball game night. That's right, the local baseball team had a night just for dogs, so we took Bonnie. I don't think she knew what was going on because she laid under my seat for most of the night. It was fun though, the girls that it was funny to take her. Here's a few pictures from that.

Now that vacation week is over, my main focus is getting ready for school. We start Aug 31st, so I've got to get the room ready.

Thursday fun!

2009-07-31T08:39:00.004-04:00

Thursday's vacation day was spent fishing, lunch at Sara's and then swimming in Lake Erie.

The girls had fun and were plenty tired for bed.

Here's a few pictures from our day.

Today we will be going to the Children's Museum!

Fun Fun Fun!!!

2009-07-30T09:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, we went and saw G Force in 3D, then to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. The girls had a good time and I enjoyed being able to relax for the day. LOL

Here's a few pictures from Chuck E Cheese!

Even daddy had fun! :)

Cashing in their tickets!

This is what they got!

Today is fishing/picnic lunch/swimming day!

So tired . . .

2009-07-28T19:46:00.003-04:00

We got to Waldameer at 11:00 this morning, we didn't leave until about 7 this evening. That's a long day for a 5 year old . . . or a 30 year old. LOL I'm pooped and just want to get the girls to bed and go to bed myself. Because of this, I'll update about Waldameer tomorrow and probably spare you the 100+ pictures I took and only add a few here.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . .

See, I'm so tired I'm dozing off here.

Okay, that's it for now! I'll update in the morning.

Oh by the way, tomorrow is movie and Chuck E Cheese day. We're going to see G Force in 3D then heading to Chuck E Cheese. Of couse I won't have pictures of the movie, but I will of CEC.

Good night . . . ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Monday cont. . . .

2009-07-28T07:03:00.002-04:00

Here's some more dog house pictures. It's still not complete. We got a late start waiting for the furniture people to come and deliver our new bedroom set. So, we'll try to finish it tonight.

Ummmmm dad, I don't think this is going to work. LOL

LOL LOL

And after all of this . . . this is where Bonnie is. LOL

Today we're going to Waldameer, a local amusement park. http://waldameer.com/

Our frugal vacation!

2009-07-27T07:54:00.009-04:00

We have set aside some money and have decided to take a frugal vacation this year. We're not leaving the state, just doing things around town that we don't normally get to do.

Our first day of 'vacation', since it's suppose to be nice outside, is 'Build a Dog House' day. We are using recycled materials and Brian bought some wood on clearance at Home Depot that had already been cut. It just so happened to work out that it was the sizes he needed to build the dog house.

Although we were suppose to start the dog house today, Brian decided to start it last night. I snapped a few pictures of our progress so far.

Bonnie, of course, could care less about the progress. The whole time we worked on it outside, she was in on the couch sleeping. I guess a day at my dad's wore her out. LOL

It's time to 'move that bus'

2009-07-02T06:34:00.003-04:00

Extreme Home Makeover has been in Erie all this past week building a house for a family here. It's amazing to see this happen! We've been there a lot watching and trying to see 'Uncle Ty'. We did see him yesterday and Pauly on Monday.

I was interviewed by the local newspaper yesterday. The article didn't say all of what I was asked, but it did at least mention my name!

Here is it:

Ten thousand nails.

One thousand two-by-fours.

Three hundred and eighty building panels.

All of it in preparation for today, the day that will change Clara Ward's life.

If all goes as planned, Ward will arrive at 650 E. 21st St. sometime between 1 and 2 p.m. to see a dream made real: a new house, built from the ground up by a small army of volunteers in just 106 hours.

John Maleno has pictured her reaction, and has one simple goal for the day.

"I want her to be in awe," said Maleno, president of Maleno Real Estate Development, the local construction firm chosen to build the home for ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Hundreds of spectators are expected to be on hand this afternoon to help Ty Pennington, the show's team leader, shout the three words that will kick off the unveiling: "Move that bus!"

With that, the "Extreme Makeover" coach so familiar to fans of the show will move from a parking spot in front of the house to reveal the work of the past week: a 3,700-square-foot home built with Ward's needs -- and the needs of the children she has served through her Youth Development Center -- in mind.

The two-story home features a finished basement, two bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two kitchens, one for Ward and one for the center, a place for abused and neglected children that she'll operate from the home.

It also includes a lift for Ward, who suffers from myasthenia gravis, a degenerative muscular disease, and uses a wheelchair.

By early Wednesday afternoon, nearly 300 spectators had gathered across the street to watch workers put the finishing touches on the new home. Some had visited the site on several days and had seen the demolition of Ward's old home -- a building with a leaky roof, sagging porch and faulty sewer line -- and the transformation that followed.

"I couldn't even imagine going from what she lived in to this," said Marcia Cabaday, 30, who watched with her husband, Brian, and their 5-year-old daughter, Mackenzie. "To come home to this has to be overwhelming and amazing."

It was Luane Martin's first time at the site.

"We wanted to see history made in Erie," Martin said. "It's a great experience."

Andrew Delgado, a soon-to-be eighth-grader at Erie's JoAnna Connell Elementary School and a friend of Martin's son, did her one better.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said.

Maleno started handing over the keys to the "Extreme Makeover" team at around 3:45 p.m., a process that took nearly 30 minutes as the film crew shot the scene over and over again. Each take ended with an exuberant call to action from Pennington: "Let's move in some furniture!"

Volunteers quickly emptied a van of $50,000 worth of new furniture donated by Schultz Furniture Superstore. Out went queen-sized mattresses for the bedrooms, clear lamps with white drum shades for the great room, and artwork to fill the walls.

Ward's story was the inspiration the furniture store needed to get involved, said John Schultz, president and chief executive.

"It's just unbelievable," Schultz said. "She's given up most of her personal time and resources to (help the community) and she's going to be in a much better position to continue that."

Schultz said he expects today to be emotional for all involved in the project.

"I'm sure there'll be a lot of tears coming down, not just from her but from everybody," he said. "A lot of people have put a lot of work into this."

The Maleno family donated thousands of man-hours in planning and construction time.

Of the many construction projects they've done over the years, the Ward house is the "most special, for sure," Maleno said.

"I don't think I could build a house for anyone that could mean more," he said.

**I have bolded the part with my interview.

So hot here today!

2009-06-25T18:04:00.002-04:00

Last time I checked the temp it was 86. That's too hot for me after just coming out of a long PA winter. Day's like this, I wish there was some s*** on the ground. (that's a bad word in our house LOL)

Anyway, even with the heat, we managed to put our library together for the school room!

The bottom two shelves are Mackenzie's book, and the rest are Kay-Cee's. Can you tell we love books here?

Have I mentioned . . .

2009-06-17T19:09:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love laminating? LOL LOL

I sat down today and finished the rest of our sight word cards and at this very minute I am searching online for more things to print and laminate.

It's so much fun! LOL LOL

Here's our cards!

Now, happy googling to me! :)

I have been a laminating machine!

2009-06-12T15:16:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting a laminator for doing home school stuff and heard about one that Wal*Mart sells. It's made by Scotch and was less than $30.00. It got good reviews online and also by people that have used it, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I just bought it today and I'm hooked. It's so easy and so fun to play with. If you have any need for a laminator, grab this one, it's a good deal!

Here's a quick picture!

I've already started making some sight word cards for Mackenzie!

Here's a quick picture of those!

Oh, I also snapped a picture of Mackenzie's new school desk while I was in the school room. We got this off Craigslist for $25.00. I'm going to switch out the drawer pulls for something a little more girly.

(Please ignore the junk on top, remember the school room is a work in progress)

Rest in Peace, Simba!

2009-06-09T14:28:00.003-04:00

We brought Simba from the shelter on September 8th, 2009. Simba went to kitty Heaven on June 8th, 2009. Although we only had him a few short months, he will forever be in our hearts.

We buried Simba June 9th, 2009.

The day Simba came to live with us

A few in between

We love you and miss you, Simba!

Mackenzie has graduated!

2009-06-05T08:08:00.001-04:00

Mackenzie has now officially graduated from preschool. Where did the time go? Just yesterday she was drinking from a bottle and sleeping all day. :(

Anyway, through my tears last night, I was able to take a few pictures.

(I can not get this girl to smile for anything LOL)

Making progess on the home school room!

2009-06-01T13:08:00.002-04:00

We've started getting the room set up for school next fall.

Here's what we have so far!

There's still a lot to do, but at least we've got it cleared out for the most part.

I'm started to get excited. YAY YAY

Last week of school!

2009-05-31T07:20:00.003-04:00

I can not believe that school is almost over. The girls only have this week left of school and then they're done.

Can you believe that Mackenzie will be starting kindergarten next year? My little girl is growing up. It sure does make me want to have another baby to start over with. LOL

We will be homeschooling next year! I'm excited, Mackenzie . . . not so much. She really wants to go to school with the friends shes made from preschool. I keep trying to tell her that there are so many kids that she probably wouldn't be in class with most of them anyway. I don't think she quite gets it yet.

Kay-Cee will be starting 5th grade next year. One more year after that and she'll be out of elementary school. WOW!!!! Where has the time gone?

We started setting up the homeschool room yesterday, trying to get most of the work out of the way so we can enjoy the summer. I'll try to get some pictures of the progress today.

Well, time to start getting breakfast since the girls are up!

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Mackenzie's soccer shirt!

2009-05-26T19:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of Mackenzie in her soccer shirt. They're orange this year.

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Busy week!

2009-05-26T07:36:00.001-04:00

WOW, we have plans every night this week.

Tonight, Mackenzie has soccer practice. At practice tonight she'll get her team shirt. She's excited to see what color it is. LOL

Tomorrow and Thursday night we have dance practice.

Friday at school is her end of the year party and then Friday night is her dance recital.

Saturday morning is soccer pictures, probably practice after that.

Somehow between all of this, I've got to get end of the year presents for Mackenzie's teachers by the party Friday.

Ahhh, the joys of being a soccer mom! LOL LOL

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Added a chat box!

2009-05-12T07:42:00.001-04:00

Second post of the day! LOL

I just wanted to let you know that I posted a chat box. It's at the bottom of my blog.

Anybody know how to move it to the side of the screen so it's easier to find?

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I found my blog!

2009-05-12T07:23:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

I started this blog months ago, posted once in it and then forgot about it. I knew it was floating in cyber space somewhere, so I found it and here I am!

Now, to just update it more often! LOL

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The ROMANS ROAD

2008-11-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

Roman Road to Salvation

The ROMANS ROAD....is a pathway you can walk.

It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament. If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin.
We were born under the power of sin's control.
- Admit that you are a sinner.

Romans 6:23a "...The wages of sin is death..."
Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain.
- Understand that you deserve death for your sin.

Romans 6:23b "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.
- Ask God to forgive you and save you.

Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin's penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us!
- Give your life to God... His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have forgiveness and change. His love bought you out of being a slave to sin. His love is what saves you -- not religion, or church membership. God loves you!

Romans 10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
- Call out to God in the name of Jesus!

Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
- If you know that God is knocking on your heart's door, ask Him to come into your heart.

Jesus said,

Revelation 3:20a "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..."
- Is Jesus knocking on your heart's door?

Believe in Him.

Ask Him to come in to your heart by faith, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Open the Bible to the Gospel of John and read what God says about Jesus, about you, and about being born again.

God will help you. He loves you.

You need to look for a local church where God's word is preached. The Bible says that we are to desire God's word like a newborn baby desires mother's milk.

Aren't you hungry to know the truth?

Water baptism is one of the ways you first show that you have been joined to Jesus. This is an action, and actions will not save you. However, it is an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment.

The symbolism is this:

When you go down in the water you show that
You have been crucified and buried with Him,
And when you come up out of the water you show that
you have been raised to walk with Him in newness of life.
(See Romans chapter 6)

You have been born again.
(See John chapter 3)

Your body has become God's temple.
Your heart is where He lives.

Forgiveness is yours in Jesus.
And you belong to Him.

You were sin's slave.
But now...

You are a child of GOD!
John 1:12

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!"

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