PJ Jonas – Page 103 – Teaching Families to Work Hard Together

Homeschool Curriculum

One of the most common homeschool questions that I’m asked is, “What curriculum do you use?” To be perfectly honest, I hate this question. I think too many homeschooling parents think that there is a “magic” curriculum out there that will make homeschooling perfect. Too much homeschooling energy is wasted on choosing curriculum, discussing curriculum,…

September 2, 2013

September Soap Contest – Now Closed

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. It’s time for another contest and the winner is going to receive a free chocolate raspberry scented goat milk soap cake valued at $100! The cake is fully cured and ready to be cut and used. The Facts: Contest Begins: 9/1/13Contest Ends: 9/30/13Winner Announced: October GMS NewsletterNumber of Winners: 1Prize: Chocolate…

September 1, 2013

Computer Fun

All of the children have their own computers. They use them both for their Goat Milk Stuff work and for their school work. Jade is limited as to what she can do on her computer because she is still learning to read. I don’t believe in computer games or flashy computer programs to teach children to…

August 31, 2013

Does Patriotism Still Matter?

I don’t get political here on my blog. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have very strong opinions about the state of our country and our government. And the children are privy to these strong opinions. And while I think that there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed in America, I…

August 30, 2013

Understanding Teenagers

We currently have three teenagers in our family – Brett, Colter, and Emery. So far, I’ve been very pleased with the relationships that Jim and I have been able to maintain with them. The hardest part has been making time to spend with just the teenagers without the younger children interrupting. They don’t mind…

August 29, 2013

Take Time To Just Be Silly

I’m always teaching the children how to work hard, to be responsible, to solve problems, to stay focused, and to plan ahead. But while they are developing a strong work ethic, they are also learning that working hard is not all that life is about. It is a piece of life, but there needs…

August 28, 2013

Simplify Life by “Batching” Your Decision Making

I don’t know about you, but my day is full of decision making. From the moment I wake up til the moment I go to sleep (and often while I’m trying to fall asleep) I’m making decisions. Decisions for myself What should I wear? When should I exercise? What should I have for breakfast?…

August 27, 2013

Homeschool Creativity – Bandana Dresses

One of my main goals when it comes to our homeschool is to give the children lots of opportunities to be creative. I believe that strengthening their creativity skills will pay dividends when they are older because creative people are better problem solvers in my opinion. And to me, that’s a large part of life…

August 26, 2013

3 Ways To Challenge Your Children

A few months ago, Jim and I had to make a quick run to Sam’s Club. While we were gone, a goat (Zipporah) unexpectedly went into labor and Emery (age 12) had to deliver his first baby goat with his older siblings cheering him on (and Mom on speaker phone giving him directions). Despite his…

August 25, 2013

Privacy Issues

When I first started blogging about my life, I encountered a lot of fear from people that I knew. The general consensus seemed to be that if I put photos of my children and talked about them online, they were going to be stolen or harmed in some way. And people were very verbal about…

August 23, 2013

What Nelson Mandela Taught Me About Parenting

I’m always looking for good movies to watch with the children. I believe that an incredible story with an incredible message can teach and shape and mold the children’s characters. It can also help them remember what they’ve learned because visual images when connected with emotion are very powerful. So when Jim and I watched…

July 20, 2013

Times of Challenge

Jim decided this past weekend that he was going to get me out of bed at 5:45 every morning so we could go to the YMCA and work out. Now, anybody who knows me knows I am NOT a morning person. Left to my own, I normally wake up without an alarm clock between 8 and…

July 18, 2013

Happy Birthday, Fletcher!

July is our celebration month. It starts with Jade’s birthday, then Colter’s, then my anniversary, and ends with Fletcher’s birthday. This year is Fletcher’s “golden/magic” birthday, where he turns 12 on the 12th!! Normally we make breakfast birthday cake to celebrate birthdays, but Fletcher asked for donuts instead. Nothing like a “head lock hug” to…

July 17, 2013

Happy Birthday, Colter!

Colter turned 15 this year! Colter is very patriotic and is a little bit jealous that his sister, Jade, was born on the 4th of July instead of him. I told him that it was his fault for taking so long. I thought he was going to be born on the 4th too (after all, my labor…

July 16, 2013

Happy Birthday, Jade!

Jade is our Fourth of July birthday girl! We start our birthday celebrations at breakfast with breakfast birthday cake. Normally everybody has a special birthday placemat, but they have not been unpacked yet, so we made do with dish towels. Waiting for breakfast birthday cake: After birthday cake, the birthday person goes around the family…

July 15, 2013