I appreciated reading the Simply Charlotte Mason series on evaluation. The series highlights the way to employ narration to best benefit short-term memory, intermediate (or working) memory, and long-term memory. We have not always done narrations this way, and it was helpful for me to have the 'hows' laid out so succinctly.
How Much Does My Child Remember?
The Charlotte Mason Method of Narration
Pre-reading Reviews
End of Term Exams in the Charlotte Mason Method
And while I am linking, I really enjoyed reading this post from Art on the 'whys' of CM education. His title is one of my favorite parts of the piece:
A Dangerous Adventure
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Blessings
I saved $40 the other day by repurposing an old bookcase that has been used for storage in the garage for the past year or so. We have an Ikea Pax closet in the schoolroom that is used for game and school supply storage, but it had only one shelf. I desperately needed more shelving. We have no more wall space in the room for storage, since our schoolroom has two tall windows on one wall, a door opening into the kitchen on another wall, and double doors opening into the entryway on a third. Oh, and the wall with the kitchen door also has a large classroom chalkboard on it (we got that for free from the Baptist church in a nearby town a few years ago. I'm glad we got it. We use it *all* the time.) Anyway, not a lot of storage space. I had to make the closet more efficient. But to purchase three or four more Pax shelves from Ikea would be $40. So I thought, "There has got to be a solution in this house." I headed for the garage, and voila-- the little old bookcase caught my eye. It was just the right size to fit in the closet and hold supplies and games.
I used to repurpose, make do or do without a lot more, when the kids were smaller and Mr. Honey's paycheck was less. I'm not quite sure how I got out of the habit, but I think it had to do with getting more busy and moving away from trusting the Lord and into quick and pretty fixes.
One thing I can say for the past couple of weeks-- we have seen the Lord moving in our lives. And to remain calm and trust in Him is my goal. He has been providing all the time, but I often miss the blessing of *seeing* it. I don't want to miss that anymore.
I used to repurpose, make do or do without a lot more, when the kids were smaller and Mr. Honey's paycheck was less. I'm not quite sure how I got out of the habit, but I think it had to do with getting more busy and moving away from trusting the Lord and into quick and pretty fixes.
One thing I can say for the past couple of weeks-- we have seen the Lord moving in our lives. And to remain calm and trust in Him is my goal. He has been providing all the time, but I often miss the blessing of *seeing* it. I don't want to miss that anymore.
Coupons, Cars and Stuff
I thought I'd post a little on how we are doing with the turning of the financial ship. We are halfway through our fiscal month.
We have been selling stuff and I have been doing a little networking for piano students. It struck me today that perhaps people don't want to start musical instrument lessons with food and gas expenses currently higher than folks are used to, so my thoughts have turned toward tutoring as another possible way to earn a little extra money. I'm not sure how to start, though. I am going to have to do some research.
Since groceries is an area I have some control over, I have been working on couponing a la The Simple Dollar. I have used coupons in the past, and when I try to save them all I end up getting confused. So I am clipping coupons for things we use and organizing them according to due date only, the way The Simple Dollar folks do. And I have some things I like to buy, but generally don't (this was true before we decided to attack the debt fiercely) that I will only get if I can get them free or for up to 25 cents:
Packaged cereal (I generally keep old-fashioned oats only)
Juice
Protein bars
Yogurt
Gum
Mints
Fancy tea (anything but Plain Ol' Lipton)
At least, this is always my intention when couponing (when I am not couponing, it is not a temptation because we just don't buy those things). But then when I see that the item is on sale and I have a coupon I sometimes take leave of my senses and don't do the math properly and end up spending more money than I am willing to spend. I get tricked by the coupons sometimes. So I have to be careful. I'm not even clipping the candy bar coupons this time, even though you can use them to 'pad' your CVS purchase and receive ECBs (Money Saving Mom is a good place to read about this if you are unfamiliar with it). I figure if it is too frustrating to quantify in my head while shopping, I am probably losing on the deal. Like Mr. Ramsey says, only do deals you understand. But it is a challenge to remember this when you see that something you have a coupon for is on sale. It's like getting a match in Go Fish, lol! You want to put it down and get credit for it!
We have also stopped buying coffee. We found we were spending at least $10 per week on coffee and accoutrements (cream and sugar). So we decided to forego the pleasure for the time being. Maybe after I get stockpiled a little we will purchase some. Or if I get some good coupons!
In other money news, we had to repair our car (almost $400 worth) immediately after beginning our new gazelle intensity. Isn't that always the way? But we were able to pay cash. The car has been running just fine since the repair almost two weeks ago.
We have been selling stuff and I have been doing a little networking for piano students. It struck me today that perhaps people don't want to start musical instrument lessons with food and gas expenses currently higher than folks are used to, so my thoughts have turned toward tutoring as another possible way to earn a little extra money. I'm not sure how to start, though. I am going to have to do some research.
Since groceries is an area I have some control over, I have been working on couponing a la The Simple Dollar. I have used coupons in the past, and when I try to save them all I end up getting confused. So I am clipping coupons for things we use and organizing them according to due date only, the way The Simple Dollar folks do. And I have some things I like to buy, but generally don't (this was true before we decided to attack the debt fiercely) that I will only get if I can get them free or for up to 25 cents:
Packaged cereal (I generally keep old-fashioned oats only)
Juice
Protein bars
Yogurt
Gum
Mints
Fancy tea (anything but Plain Ol' Lipton)
At least, this is always my intention when couponing (when I am not couponing, it is not a temptation because we just don't buy those things). But then when I see that the item is on sale and I have a coupon I sometimes take leave of my senses and don't do the math properly and end up spending more money than I am willing to spend. I get tricked by the coupons sometimes. So I have to be careful. I'm not even clipping the candy bar coupons this time, even though you can use them to 'pad' your CVS purchase and receive ECBs (Money Saving Mom is a good place to read about this if you are unfamiliar with it). I figure if it is too frustrating to quantify in my head while shopping, I am probably losing on the deal. Like Mr. Ramsey says, only do deals you understand. But it is a challenge to remember this when you see that something you have a coupon for is on sale. It's like getting a match in Go Fish, lol! You want to put it down and get credit for it!
We have also stopped buying coffee. We found we were spending at least $10 per week on coffee and accoutrements (cream and sugar). So we decided to forego the pleasure for the time being. Maybe after I get stockpiled a little we will purchase some. Or if I get some good coupons!
In other money news, we had to repair our car (almost $400 worth) immediately after beginning our new gazelle intensity. Isn't that always the way? But we were able to pay cash. The car has been running just fine since the repair almost two weeks ago.
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