Month: July 2018

Our Curriculum 2018

A Peek at our curriculum circa 2018.

July 31, 2018

Our Curriculum

One of the most popular questions I get asked (in regard to my children and homeschooling) is “what curriculum do you use?”

So, here’s what our jumbled “organized chaotic” curriculum looks like for 2018:

Honestly, most of what I use depends on the style of the learner and what books I have.   My core for the first few years has been A Beka Book Arithmetic (K5, 1, and 3) with A Beka Book Phonics (K5, 1, Phonics and Language 2, the first third or so of A Handbook for Reading) and A Beka Book writing (K4 manuscript, K5 cursive, 1, Cursive Writing Skillbook 3, and Penmanship I or II if needed for extra practice).

Beyond that, “traditional” style learners who get the most from reading a textbook and repetition of problems (my two oldest) like A Beka Book’s math program so mine goes (5th, 7th, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, either personal or business mathematics).

A Beka Book’s language program actually starts in their “Phonics and Language 2” book (this is new last year and I LOVE IT since it combines phonics and language cohesively – instead of me doing the same thing by switching papers around from their previous first grade letters & sounds and language).   So I usually go: Phonics & Language 2, Language B or C (I like B/5th best, but C has more practice writing formal documents), and then we move to any vocabulary book they choose (I’ve used A Beka, Hanson, Pearson, and even the vocabulary list in our 1960s dictionary!) while writing an essay, poem, or report daily (this is usually a paragraph or essay for a history, science, or literature assignment).  You learn grammar, spelling, and vocabulary by reading and writing.

For more tactile learners, we’ve discovered that Teaching Textbooks works very well.  Those who have mastered the basics (5th grade math or up to basic operations) can pick up with Teaching Textbooks’ Pre-Algebra and perfectly understand it.  We’ve only used version 1.0, since I buy everything used, but am told 2.0 has the same content without trading out discs.  I won’t use 3.0 because it’s all online and our internet access is spotty at best (according to Teaching Textbooks, it has the same educational content as 2.0 so for those with good internet and toddlers who like to play with the big kids’ CDs, 3.0 is probably the best option).

Basically, I make sure each core subject (Grammar/Language/Reading & Math) builds easily for the particular student who is using it.  The girls choose their own textbooks for Science (the 3 “required” by me are by Apologia: high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), History (I have two “required” textbooks, one is by Eggleston originally published in 1884, and a high school level two-semester course on US History), Social Studies, and Electives based on their interests starting with 3rd grade (paragraph-writing level).  I use those to reinforce grammar and writing skills.  Three students can be (and often are) using the same history or science textbook but end up with varying levels of reports.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

You Can’t Rush Art

“You Can’t Rush Art” say my illustrators while I’m waiting on cover art for two new releases!

July 24, 2018

You Can’t Rush Art

I love finishing a new book!  I actually have two (One is the pilot in a new young adult series, the other is the second in the Landmark Tribe Books) that are finished.

Now comes the part I’m always excited about… illustrations!

I never know exactly what my illustrators are going to come up with for covers.  Rebeccah is designing the one for the Landmark Tribe book because she loves drawing animals – and I love her furry squirrels!

She was discussing how to make a “quirky” Crunchie (aka teenage boy squirrel) but still keep the soft style she did with Granny Pecan for the “Busting Berry Bath” cover.  I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

For the new series book, my illustrators get to come up with a whole theme!  With no pre-set design constraints, I’ve already seen a pastel sunset background, a sharper, darker, hard pencil background, and an oil-paint-style grid.  They haven’t decided on a “perfect” theme yet, but watching their imaginations run while they figure it out is amazing!

For now, I have to wait (trying to be patient – because “you can’t rush art!”) as they do the artistry part of my story.  Regardless of what people say, audiences DO judge a book by its cover.  This is why my illustrators make commissions off of their work!

I can’t wait to release these stories for ya’ll to enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

Fearfully and Wonderfully

I’m so amazed by how God loves us and in awe of His creation.

July 22, 2018

Fearfully and Wonderfully

Have you ever stopped to ponder (seriously think, dwell on thoughts) about creation?

I love to watch nature.  I love to watch our animals: fish in their tanks, guinea pigs in the run, chickens in the yard, dogs in the house.  I love to watch my plants grow.  I can’t wait to have roses again!  (Roses are my absolute favorite in the world.)   I enjoy the cycles of life that create our world and the natural beauty of it.

Take plants; they need special nutrients in the soil from decaying animals and micro or trace nutrients left from other plants to reach their best.   Animals eat plants.  Plants “eat” decaying animals.  We harvest food from both plants and animals.

The cycle of water amazes me.  Water is evaporated from the oceans and other waterways, stored in clouds, and poured out onto the land where it gathers in creeks, rivers, and underground aquifers.  The water underground rises (or we drill for it) and we have clean drinking water filtered by the air and rocks.

Each of these systems were spoken into being when God spoke creation into action.  Yet He chose to form each one of us by knitting us together in our mother’s womb.  Does that boggle your mind?  All of these awesome forces of nature spoken into existence yet He takes the time to craft each one of us.  He cares for each of us.

God set up our world to provide us with animals and plants for food, trees, rocks, sand, or thatch to make shelters, and a boundless supply of fresh drinking water.  (Even in the desert, cacti carry water, the ground holds water, and native peoples have amazing techniques for pulling water from the sand!)

Yet He fashioned us.  He molded Adam from dust and breathed life into him.  He knits us together in our mothers’ wombs.  He knows us before we are born.  He surrounds us with examples of His majesty in our natural world.  We have been fearfully and wonderfully made.  He loves us.

To think that Jesus enjoys it when I speak to Him totally blows my mind.  I am amazed by His love.  Thank you, God, for Your awesome love!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

Camera Stickers

Discovering how quickly my children find stuff on my phone (camera) I’ve never found… I’m sure technology is made for kids.

July 20, 2018

Camera Stickers

Today I found some strange-looking pictures on my camera and thought perhaps they were pictures of toys…

I zoomed in and found that my upgrade had added stickers to my camera.  My children found those stickers.

Enjoy these amusing photos!

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I think these are supposed to be super dogs with steam coming out of their ears…

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Above, Lucas; below, Becky

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Oh wait, (above) Kimberly says these are super dogs flying through clouds coming from their ears… so I get the totally amazed and exhilerated expression on this one…

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Above, Jaquline (not sure what flower she’s looking at, but I will run from it too!)

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Above, Kimberly (This sticker is just terrifying, and I’m not sure why the tongue is hanging over the watermelon – who licks watermelon?)

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Again, plainly terrifying – Becky this time.  Maybe it’s a crazy raccoon who just swiped the last melon on Earth just before the Ice Age… (oops, those were dodos.)

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Above, Becky again.  A festive raccoon fixing her dapper tie.

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Above, Jillian as a princess kitty with a butterfly on her nose – I love the tiara of flowers. (At least these flowers aren’t scary.)

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And to top it off… haha, I’m back to scary!  Jillian and Lucas in the crazy starving raccoon sticker with the world’s two last melons (why can’t they just share? Nevermind, who wants to share after someone else licked it?)

Thanks for reading (or looking this time!)

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

 

 

Watching Growth

From plants to chicks to rising bread: we all grow at a different rate!

June 18, 2018

Watching Growth

Have you ever watched bread dough rise?  It takes FOREVER!

Have you ever planted a seed or set out a new plant in your garden?  You sometimes don’t see the slow growth – sometimes you don’t notice until, “Oh, wow, there’s a red tomato on that bush!”  The plant was watered, de-bugged, and looked after for about 100 days but never really watched.

I planted my elephant ears in spring… now they are taller than me!

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Our baby chicks were cute little fluffs of fur, totally dependent on us to keep them safe, feed, and water them.  Now, they are nine weeks old.  Fully feathered, they look like miniature adults.  They don’t need us to pamper them and hide them from the rain or help regulate their body temperature; just some food, water, and a cat-proof shelter is fine.

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My oldest daughter is almost considered by the state to be old enough to command a 1-ton vehicle!  I still see her as the tiny bundled angel in the picture on my wall.  Of course, I literally see that she’s grown.  Sometimes she doesn’t see it.

Sometimes I don’t see my own growth.

God is always working on us.  Since none of us are dead, we are still improving.  Sometimes we get frustrated at ourselves because we don’t see any growth.  Maybe instead of imagining ourselves as rising bread, we should think of ourselves as growing plants.  Maybe not elephant ears – okay, sometimes we do grow quickly.  But with some things we are like the White Cedar (growing about 6 inches per year) or the Saguaro cactus (gets only one to two inches tall in the first 10 years!)

Sometimes slow growth is hard to see.

A wise man plants trees under whose shade he will never sit.

Wow, that thought says to me that those who choose to invest in long-term growth are wise.  So rather than expect instant results when I’m allowing God to work on my life, I understand that sometimes tiny steps in the right direction eventually lead to the finished product.  I will choose not to be frustrated with myself for not being a fast enough learner; I will choose to rest in His care and allow time for growth.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

 

 

The Bossy Hen

Chickens can be very entertaining!

July 16, 2018

The “Bossy” Hen

Chickens all have their own personalities, but like humans, they tend to fall in categories.  Today, we’ll discuss the bossy chicken.

This is the hen who thinks her feathers are better than everyone else’s.  (That’s because she doesn’t see the white spots on the top of her head or the drooping rump feathers!)

She has the loudest cackle in the yard announcing when she laid an egg.  (Her screaming can be heard over ten miles away and the other hens wish they had fingers to plug their ears!) She is absolutely sure that the most beautiful chicks in the nursery pen are hers, and will argue this point by pecking the other hens mercilessly.

She is the first at the water trough (unless Rex, the king rooster, is there) and shoos the other hens away from the fresh scraps tossed in the yard.  (Of course, Rex doesn’t like a hen bossing his other hens around, so he will crow loudly, puff his feathers, and announce his dominance.)

Sometimes bossy hens will actually steal eggs from other hens and roll them into her nest!

They are fun to watch – and discuss.

One such hen is our Pearl.  She is an old White Rock who seems jealous because she doesn’t lay eggs anymore so she swipes everyone else’s eggs and sits on them, cackling as if she just laid them!  We keep her because she’s laid lots of eggs in her 4 years and she’s a pretty addition to our flock.

Another bossy hen is one of our Plymouth Barred Rocks, White-Head (so named because she has whiter feathers on her head than most females of her breed).  She thinks all scraps are hers!  She will chase every younger pullet away from the feeder too.  If one of the roosters, especially Red, her favorite, goes after a younger pullet, she will act all fluffy (chickens fluff out their feathers to “fight”) and try to chase the younger pullet away!  The roosters do not like this!  White-Head lays 6 eggs every week and is an “Irma chick;” only about 8 months old.  She just graduated from “pullet” to “hen!”

There’s plenty of entertainment “hen-watching” in my backyard!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

Grill Smell

How excited I get when I smell the grill – aka Louis cooking!

July 14, 2018

Grill Smell

Oh. My. Goodness!

I smell… I smell… (no, it’s not Ducky) I smell charcoal and lighter fluid!

This means Louis is on the grill.  AKA we are getting the most awesome lunch/dinner today!

Louis’ Dad cooked for a restaurant as a young man, his Grandma taught his mom who taught the boys how to make amazing Florida foods, and he cooked for a busy buffet and a 4-star restaurant.  His food is good.

It’s like when Becky (my 12 year old) says, “Mom, I’m doing lunch,” and everyone is like “awesome, so how can I help?” or we just get out of the way and let her magic happen.  She throws junk together without a recipe and comes up with delectable food.

Louis does this on the grill.

So, I’m like, beans, potatoes?  What sides do you want?

Louis doesn’t care; it’s all about the meat for him.  (Is that just a guy thing?  Nope, Becky doesn’t care too much about sides either, she focuses on the meat and lets creativity flow when it comes to “the sauce.”)

So, baked sweet potatoes, potato salad, and peas make up today’s yummy sides. (Canned peas were only 2.12 for a 6lb can from Sams, Aldi had sweet potatoes 6lbs for $2.00, and Currie’s local Sebago potatoes were $0.50/lb – I cook based on what’s on sale.)

Lighter fluid smell is extinguished – by looking at the coals you’d think they are dead.  Nope.  Just right to start.

T minus 10 minutes!  My stomach is aching!  I practically live outside now because of the mold/breathing issue, so I make up sides, set them out (peas on the stove, salad in the fridge, and sweeties hang out in the microwave), and go outside to wait on the best part.  I’m pretending to trim my elephant ears but this smell is exciting my palate!

I think every dog in the county can smell the meat cooking – do I care what it is?  Nope.  It will be yummy.

Is there any kitchen smell that is better than the grill?  Nope.  Okay, maybe a wood-fire camp circle with egg casserole cooked on a cold morning in a cast iron skillet with the hot chocolate tureen on the side – Yes, that might top grilled everyday meat, but just maybe…

Thanks for reading!  (Hope you have good eating!)

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

 

My Civil Air Patrol Cadet

July 12, 2018

My Civil Air Patrol Cadet

One day Louis was driving past the Saint Augustine Civil Air Patrol building and saw cadets marching around in uniform.  He stopped, asked them what they were, and raced home to tell Christina that he found the perfect activity for her.

She is my flying nut.  She loves planes.  Just like Lucas loves anything with wheels – she loves anything that flies (except mosquitoes and no-see-ums).  Better said; Christina loves anything mechanical that flies.

She’d studied famous flying people, physics, beat her way through math, and taken a helicopter tour for her birthday.  She’d talked with pilots as Louis shuttled them to the airport from their hotels.

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She had the time of her life when some friends took her to the Jacksonville Air Show! (Photo credit above & below – Hannah Clark & crew)

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The poster from that day was the first one tacked to her wall.

So, she “visited” the CAP meetings with Louis for three weeks – but Wednesday morning after her first meeting, she was like, “Mom, I’m going to join Civil Air Patrol.”  Of course, Christina’s decisions are never small – “I’m going to get to officer rank and they have all these things I can learn so I can get into programs to help me learn to fly…” and she continued talking me through the book and information someone had given her.

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She is a scrimping saver and refused any help with CAP dues, fees, or for her first uniform.  (This is a point of pride for her – to be able to cover all her own expenses.  She saw God’s love in action, though, when she thought she wouldn’t be able to go to winter encampment but our amazing church family gave her enough money for the trip and the extra items needed!)

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CAP gave her a grant to go toward buying her first blues uniform though – something about earning a certain rank.  (These are my borrowed shoes for her first day wearing blues.  Her real ones have a one inch heel and no decoration.)

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Lucas loves Christina’s uniform – especially the caps (aka, covers).

Thanks to CAP, Christina has matured greatly in social interaction (you can order younger siblings around all day, but it is different ordering someone else around!).  She is more confident, more physically active, emotionally and physically stronger, and enjoying the company of respectful, goal-driven, encouraging fellow cadets.

Our family has learned some new terms: water is hydration, anything not a uniform is civies, a funny backpack with a water bag inside and a fishtank-hose looking straw hanging around the cadet’s neck is a camelback, among others.

 

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We’ve swelled with pride watching our cadet march in parades (even if we only get a picture of her back half hidden behind another cadet)…

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…assist veterans in her blues…

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…and attend encampment as a student…

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…and staff.

She’s constantly challenging herself to new higher limits – one day, I’m sure, she’ll touch the sky!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

 

 

 

 

Rejoice Over Little Things

July 10, 2018

Rejoice Over Little Things

Sometimes, in the middle of junk life throws at us, we need to choose to be excited over “little” things!

Like this month.  I was going through bills (yes, “adulting” is fun, guys, it’s full of never-ending bills) and as I checked my bank statement I yelped, “Yippee!”

Christina looks up from my computer screen, buried in something: CAP emails, college emails, or some online chat with a friend.  “What happened?”

My first thought was “how silly am I to rejoice over that?” and my logical brain said “seriously?  You are excited over $6.47 when you just got another hospital bill for almost $15,000?”

But I chose to rejoice.

“Someone bought three books from Barnes & Noble and I got paid $6.47!”  I told the girls.

“Wow,” Becky nodded, “that’s way more than Amazon.”

Yes, she was right – Amazon sells my ebooks for the same user price, but I usually make $0.01 per book or less.  This month’s Amazon deposit was three cents.  This Barnes & Noble deposit was for three ebooks – I was thrilled.  The books were: Two of the Five Alive: Stories of the Funny Sisters ebooks, Becky’s Crazy Day and Gale at the Ghost Town and my toddler illustrated ebook, The Skating Pony.

“Mom,” Christina shook her head, she is getting good at practical stuff. “That’s not a lot, is it?”

“It’s $6.47 more than we had,” I laughed.  AND, it’s three more books sold.  That tiny deposit holds the record for the largest gross payout from any sale yet! (Even my $20 retail softcover novels at the book sales gross less than $2.40 – if we cover venue costs.)

Thank you, Jesus!  And I remember this as I go back to bill stuff – “despise not the day of small beginnings.”  (Of course, my logical brain reminds me, “that was seven years ago and three cents from Amazon!”)

Is it silly to rejoice over less than $7 when you are buried in medical bills?  Nope.  It’s part of life.  Rejoice in the good, always!  (It seriously helps you not think so hard on the bad.)  You may not be able to choose your circumstances, but you can choose your attitude!  I choose to rejoice – even in the little things!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

 

Fireworks Over the Matanzas

July 8, 2018

Fireworks Over the Matanzas

Ask any of my kids what their favorite day is one answer will be… “Fourth of July!”

Why?

Because we always go downtown to watch the best fireworks show ever! (Okay, maybe I’m a little prejudiced because I live here, but I get a travel magazine and it listed our “Fireworks Over the Matanzas” as one of the top 5 annual fireworks shows!)

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We make is a production! (Yes, that was not this year, but our longest “train!” because it included me – taking picture – and the buggy!)

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(Jaquline at the Fireworks Over the Matanzas years ago – photo credit, my amazing friend, Stacy Moorehouse)

This was the first year we went without the baby buggy – took a foldable wagon instead. And yes, it doubled as Anastasia’s buggy from the van to downtown and Lucas’ back to the van.

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We bring snacks, water (hydration, as Christina calls it – thank you, Civil Air Patrol), juice (Becky wanted juice to refill the water bottles this year), and lots of energy! The girls always make new friends at the bayfront.

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This year a new friend family from Atlanta, Georgia shared their bag of glowsticks with the girls and Lucas! (This made them very excited! As you can see, Lucas made glasses to “see very far away.”) Even though Christina said she was “too big” for glowsticks, between Becky and Kimberly, they had her wearing one! (Kimberly has “a pirate earring” and Christina is covering her bracelet!)

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Finally, after enjoying awesome music (before the city music came through the speakers, we could hear Evan D’s music from Harry’s! He’s a local artist I like to hear.), playing and talking with new friends, snacking on lots of fruit and sweet potato chips from Currie’s and Aldi’s, and having Aunt Becca join us, we got to the main event

The best fireworks show on the bayfront! (I can’t record more than about 22 seconds at a time on my camera, so we only caught a few snippets of the show, but it was amazing!)

We trudged home, (Lucas slept in the wagon, in a picture back up there^ somewhere) laughing, singing, and enjoying our family time! Oh, and yes, Lucas fell asleep during the fireworks! 🙂 I was so excited and even mentioned “this is the first year everyone is awake to see the fireworks!” haha! Then he was out.

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Will we face huge crowds, packed potties, and no-see-ums again? Oh yes! And look forward to an amazing 6 hours or more next year at our special bayfront spot, making new friends and enjoying each others’ company!

We love the City of Saint Augustine’s Fireworks Over the Matanzas!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

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