Barefoot Books :: Marketing

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I Just started this business today. Please click on the link  above and check out my page.  Its never to early to Christmas Shop!
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Home Learning Has Begun

My children were so eager to Learn Something they asked for two weeks straight when we were going to start school.  Well we finally started this week and so far all is well. The girls have buried themselves in books about the Titanic. They are now working on Lap book to show what they have learned. Pics will be posted shortly :)
Josiah is learning all about Transportation. Planes, Trains, Boats etc .along with all the other usual preschool things like letters and numbers. I will post some of his Art work along with this post.

Sharing what my kids are learning this year

I'm hoping to have more time to blog about what my kids are learning about this year and what they are busy with. Today we went to the home school book store. I let them look around the store and decide what THEY wanted to learn about.  I think it makes it easier and more fun  if the girls choose there own subjects to learn about and by the time they "graduate" we will have covered "what they need to know" but not in the order that society says kids have to learn it.  I'm not a scope an sequence kinda girl but that's just me.. Now I think scope and sequence is different when it comes to  Math , but that's my only exception.  The girls will pick a subject and then they will do a Unit study on it but not always a formal unit study.  I found a unit study about the Titanic online at a site  http://www.homeschoolhelper.com/ .  That will be their first Unit study starting next week.  Josiah of course will be learning separate from them most of the time. His first unit study will be Planes, Trains , Automobiles, and Boats.  He loves paper airplanes. I bought him a book on how to make different paper airplanes so that will be fun for us. This week I will be doing some cleaning and organizing to get ready for "school" or in our case unschooling.  IF you haven't read my blog on unschooling  then read it for more info.

Yes we have adopted children

I am often asked by people I meet if Josiah is adopted or if I have been married before Clint or if all my kids are mine naturally.. I know  Its only because Josiah  looks different than we do.  Twice in the last week Josiah has said to me "Momma I was in your tummy right ?" I tell him no you didn't grow in my tummy, you were Adopted.  He doesn't understand what adoption means. He just knows he was adopted and that Courtney was adopted to. Its so hard to explain Adoption to a 5 yr old. If you are reading this blog and don't know the whole story I will tell you how I got my children.
Hannah was my first born.  She was born in  April 2000.  Grayson was still born at 6 1/2  months in utero  in Oct. Of 2003 due to a car accident I was in. A year later I miscarried " Peanut "at 6 weeks pregnancy. 
6 months  after miscarrying  Clint an I became Foster Adopt Parents.   Josiah was our second foster baby and he came to live with us at age 3 months after being with a different foster mom from age 3 days old. When he was 16 months old his adoption was final.  Courtney ( my first cousin by birth) came to live with us at age
 9 1/2.  A year later her adoption was final. Children are a Blessing from God No matter How you "got them".

Have a New kid by Friday

As  parents we all want to teach our children to get along  well with others and obey us. Even if you or I think our children are pretty well behaved, There's ALWAYS room for improvement. Recently I got a hold of a book Called "Have a new kid by Friday" by Dr. Kevin Leman. I have already started making some changes because of reading this book. One is I have decided to Stop giving so many chances to Josiah. Hes a limit tester and will always see how far he can push someone before they make him obey. Two is I have been working on not yelling. Yes I yell sometimes. Don't all Parents? I grew up in a home where there was constant yelling by my parents and me and brother and sister. As children my siblings and I didn't get along very well. As adults we get along great. Now I can say my sister is my best friend. I want my kids to be best friends and get along well there WHOLE lives and not just when they become adults. I want them to be respectful of there dad an I. I don't want to have to spank and repeat things to them and yell at  them for them to listen to me. I want to have a healthy relationship with them and not be an Authoritarian Parent. I want a  peaceful house. So I am reading this book in hopes that it will help me and my children change our ways. I will be posting some main points from the book so stay tuned.

Coupons

On June 3 2011  I Officially became unemployed and a stay at home mom again. Granted this is what I wanted but what I didn't want was to have to pinch pennys although I knew that I would have to sooner or later. So here I go Couponing to spend as little as possible on Food and other items . Next Saturday my friend Nikki is going to be holding a class on Couponing and I cant wait to learn more. I am a bargain shopper at heart anyways.
For as long as I can remember I have shopped off clearance racks and love to yard sale and shop at resale stores.  So far what I have done is signed up on the Internet with 3 different coupon companies to receive coupons by email.  Today I registered my Tom thumb card and Kroger's card. I can load my coupons onto my card and then swipe it at the store and it automatically uses up the coupons I have on it. I LOVE that because then I don't have to waste paper or printer ink.  I'm also big into Reduce Reuse and Recycle. How did that happen? My parents sure didn't teach that to me.  I also downloaded a Walgreen's app and a Kroger's app on my Android phone.  Now my phone is something else I LOVE!!  Who knew phones were used for more than just talking and texting..LOL!!  So Ladies If you are NOT couponing then you are just throwing money down the drain!
Even if you are a working Mom you can still take 30 mins out of a few nights a week or even on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon you can devote sometime to updating your coupons electronically. Now Go buy a Sunday paper and let your kids ( only those with awesome cutting skills of course) cut out your coupons for you!  Get on the Internet an Goggle free coupons. That will get you started. Good luck and Happy Couponing!!

Im now a SAHM

 I no longer work a parttime job as an oral surgeons assistant. Its been two weeks since I have quit that job. I sure do miss everyone at work but I love being home with my kids. I love being the one to take them swimming, and run them around town here and there to play practice, to swim at the lake and  pool, rent movies, and stop at the library and the snowcone stand or just hang around the house all day doing nothing.  I love that we all get to sleep in almost every day and when we all wake up we are well rested and ready to sit down and eat breakfast together.  I dont always cook breakfast every morning but I try to cook it at least 2 times a week. If I dont cook we all end up sitting down together with a bowl of cereal. Its nice to just BE with my kids instead of seeing them for an hr in the morning while everyone does the mad dash to get ready for school and hardly and most times not even eat breakfast. We are all missing "daddy" alot these days. He not only has a day job but works at the church as a bass player so hes gone alot in the evenings also. When I worked he and I had lunch together at least 2 times a week since we worked just 10 mins from each other. I miss that.  So I am planning on the kids and I having lunch with daddy at least once everyother week if not once a week. Its a bit of a drive to his job from our house so we have to not drive to much as the gas prices are sky high and then add money to go out to eat and that gets expensive.  Theres alot I want to get done this summer before we offically start homeschooling but mostly I just plan on ENJOYING being with my kids.  That is sometimes not so easy with a moody teenage girl, an opinionated preteen and a 5 yr old boy with not so good listing skills and tons of energy..LOL..but I know I need to enbrace who they are and Enjoy them while I can before they grow wings and fly away.

Time Flys

I Cant believe my sweet little baby girl Is already 11 yrs old! Her daddy wanted to get her a guitar for her birthday. I was sent out shopping for one at the last minute. In the picture to the left you can see what I found. She LOVED it! Rock on sweet Girl . Make Your Parents Proud and use your talent for God!

Unschooling

I wanted to try to explain what I have learned about unschooling to those of you know me personally so you can better understand that unschooling is NOT me allowing my children to run wild, watch tv all day and do nothing. And if you know me at all you would already know that I dont allow my children to do those things anyways...LOL.
I have been reading a book  titled  The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith.  It has really opened my eyes and given me a fresh new look at homeschooling my children. Another resource I have found to be helpful is The Elijah Company.
 I have also been doing research on the internet on unschooling and have found that there is so much info on this method of homeschooling.  Im so happy  that God has choosen me to be a mother and  has equiped me with the resources to teach my children in the way that they should go.  This coming year will be one of learning for us ALL on how to UNschool.  Let the Learning begin!  I want my kids to know that its FUN to learn and that you dont just have to sit at a desk all day to learn something. The Real World is FULL of things to learn about. Courtney has already told me that she wants to learn about the Ship The Titanic. Its so wonderful to see such a change in her. When she came to live with  us at age 9 she hated to read.  Just by me encouraging her to read and her seeing me read alot she now loves to read books.
What is UNschooling to me? I will retype a bit of Marys book and it will explain. "The unschooling movement is founded on the principle that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosities and interests.  Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindful living and explorations is aborbed more easily and enthusiastically. Learning is a natural, inborn impulse, and the world is rich with lessons to be learned and puzzles to be solved. "   
Unschooling to me is using a cirriculum if need be  and  not using one if its not needed.  Its sitting down and reading books to my children and allowing them to ask questions.  Having lots and lots of books in the house that they can pick up and learn from at anytime. Its guiding them in the right direction.  Its teaching my girls to be a good citizen, homemakers, a godly wife, a good friend and sister. Allowing them to persue there interest as far as they want to persue them.  Its tailoring  learning to the specific needs of each child. Its going to musems , zoos, parks, art classes, playing sports on a team of there choice. Last night I signed both girls up on a volleyball team.  Its doing what ever we need to do so that they will always be learning.

I have a blog

I have always loved writing.. so here I go on a new adventure I have much to learn about.. blogging!  I hope you old time bloggers will help me out and give advice about blogging.. so blogg away..