Month: April 2024

I read this poem to Tatum for our “warmup” in school today. We loved this poem to signify how much we are a victim of our words! SO,

I CAN!!

I can excel in Math!
I can write a beautiful story!
I can make new friends!

I can overcome my tough circumstances!

CAN’T is not in our vocabulary.

The usual…you know, devotion, pledge, bible verse, character value of the week.

THEN OOOHHHLALA, we have fun!
Today, she did a presentation on her paper she wrote: SEE BELOW:

Why You Should Read To Your Child

Is your child always saying their bored? Do they hate reading? Have you ever read to them? Well, I’m here to answer those questions and more. 

Hello, my name is Tatum Hay and today I will be talking to you about why you should read to your child. 

#1: You learn from books:

Do you want to learn about dogs? Read about them. When you read about facts your brain organizes and memorizes what you’re learning more effectively. Does your dog have an itch and you don’t know anything about it try the book, Itchy Dogs – A Natural Health Guide for Dogs with Skin Problems by: Julie Massoni. 

If I wanted to learn about the Great Depression, I would read, The Bumpy Road: Farm Life in the Great Depression by Quentin Veit. Books can be long, short, or filled with pictures. 

You could learn about all of Gods creations in books. Let’s make up a girl named Amy. Amy’s dog is constantly licking his paw. She bought the book Why Does My Dog Act Like That?:A Complete Guide To Your Dog’s Personality. By: Stanley Coren.Amy was so grateful for the book because she now knew how to help him.  See? If there would have been no books for her to read her dog would still be licking his paw. 

#2: Reading creates an imagination 

Has your child ever said ‘I’m bored’ ? Well, if they read about a dragon they can pretend to be a dragon. Let’s make up a girl named Sarah. Sarah is constantly telling her mom that she is bored. Her mom, Megan, goes out and buys her some books. At first Sarah says no to reading, but soon reads a book about a princess. 

A week later Megan looks out the window and sees her daughter, Sarah, playing in a princess dress. And you see if Megan hadn’t bought Sarah the books, she would still be saying that she is bored.

#3: They will learn to love reading. 

Did you know readers are leaders? Benjamin P. Thomas said, “This is a phrase that is shared throughout various classrooms in schools. I must say I have found this to be true with any levels of leaders.” What he means is if you’re a kindergartner and reading, The Cat in the Hat, by: Dr. Seuss, you can be a leader just as well as a teenager reading, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. 

Let’s create a girl named Angie, whose mother read to her every night since she was born. Well, when Angie turned twelve she became a leader of reading. She would go to the bookstore every weekend, in between classes at school she would read, and for her birthday all she wanted was books. And you see if her mother hadn’t read to her she wouldn’t have loved to read. 

As you heard Amy, Sarah, and Angie all got moved and impacted from books. Amy learned about her dog licking his paw from reading.  Sarah’s imagination got woken up by reading.  And Angie was a leader by reading.

Thank you.

She presented to Daddy an me: Here’s her PP

SO POISED AND ARTICULATE!

Then, she’s been reading

And I interviewed her on the story:

She decided she could work better outside with Rio.

Did her math brain kick in? Stay tuned.

So, since we moved into our McCormick house, we have watched a home across the street go from being an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. The time it took? About 3 years. Man, it was an eye-sore! But …oh wow. Now, it’ pretty amazing.

Tatum and I were noticing that they had an open house over the weekend, so we asked Daddy to go check it out with us.

Mistake? Not sure. It was definitely a challenge to our ability not to be tempted. Coveting….lusting….envying…whatever that greenish color you become when you want something; it hit Tatum and me. It hit her pretty hard. It’s like whenever you buy a NEW SHINY THING> (NST) The NST can be a car, purse, phone, person…you name it. The excitement of the “newness” wears off, and oh…that NST looks pretty attractive. (UNTIL!!!! The next NST comes along, right?)

I have to say I was a bit surprised at her reaction because she LOVES our home so much, and LOVES her life! The bedroom and back yard became a “covet” for her.

This was also a lesson in money because she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that it literally was a million dollars over what our home is worth. She started questioning me randomly throughout that day:
1. How much do you get paid, Mommy?
2. How much does Daddy get paid?
3. How much do I have in my savings account, Mommy?
on and on……

I did not give her the responses she wanted, but she still persisted. She was willing to give us ALL of her money PLUS sell half of her toys. We couldn’t convince her not to.

This is Tot on Monday after school…note many of her favorite toys.

Now, she gave me a few dollars that she made. I put it in HER bank account. She needs about $999,000 more. Shall I tell her?

We are learning the joy of waiting and trusting GOD’S plan for timing. We LOVE our home! We also would like to maybe move sometime, but that is not up to us. It’s in HIS timing, and HE has it all picked out if that is HIS will.

Learning. Trusting. Being CONTENT in ALL things!

High-styled, ready to sing for the older folk. And they were blessed as were Daddy and me!

Magnatile house that is.

Hi Buddy! Having fun in there?

Today, there was a solar eclipse! Here is the time frame in our neighborhood of Scottsdale.

The last total solar eclipse visible from North America was in 2017. Parts of the United States from Oregon to South Carolina were able to witness the rare phenomenon. Prior to that, the last total solar eclipse visible in the United States since 1979, when just five states were in the path of totality. Tatum and I had special glasses to see it!

Daddy got a pic from welding glass lens. WOW!!!

God is so good. I hope more miracles are coming. Amen.

I had her do one!! She watched many to inspire her, and she came upon a perfect topic. WHY HOMESCHOOL!

I reminded her that she wants to remember her AUDIENCE! She must be persuasive and focused!

Here she goes! Presented to Daddy and me. It was nearly perfect.

WHY HOMESCHOOL?

I would wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, and go to school. This was my life!!  No wonder I was always tired. My school days sucked. I would get bullied, have a hard time learning due to my learning style, not have time for my interests, and not pursuing my dreams. 

I’m here today to share with you why all kids should be homeschooled. 

 Bullying 

Has your child ever  come home crying because they got bullied at school? 

Well,  getting bullied at school can cause your child to have depression and anxiety which can lead to loss of sleep, and that can affect how they learn at school. Another thing caused from bullying is violence which leads to trauma which can then lead to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and a reduced quality of life and all of this can create a toxic and unsafe community at school. 

Picture this: I get into my mom’s car at pick up and she asks me how was my day. Immediately I would lash out at her, and she had no idea why; we both didn’t understand why, but after we got the root of the issue which was my reaction to all of the bullying. 

Learning styles

Schools break all kids into one category. Some kids thrive ,others do not. I for one did not thrive sitting in a desk for eight hours, having so much work, I didn’t have time for me, and 20 minute recesses. 

American educational theorist, David A. Kolb broke the Learning styles into accommodating, converging, diverging,and assimilating.According to him accommodator’s are the “hands-on”types and are keen to learn from real life experiences. Convergers want to have abstract ideas, but end up with concrete results. Divergers tend to use personal experiences and practical ideas to formulate theories. And assimulaters , according to David Kolb ,were most comfortable working with abstract ideas. All these learning styles are not highlighted in school, therefore making it hard for kids to understand and comprehend it all. 

Interests

Swish! The ball goes in the hoop. Then you remember that you have four pages of homework to do.

School can get in the way of your kids interests. Whether you played a tough baseball game or guitar practice went ran later than you expected, nobody wants to do homework late at night. Doing homework late at night causes you to have less sleep which can lead to a negative impact on mental health and reduced focus in school. if your kids love soccer I have a whole sheet of math, that could lead to dropping out of soccer which can lead to not getting enough exercise. 

Pursuing dreams

A boy could want to be a famous baseball player, and a girl could want to go into the Olympics for swimming, but school can get in the way of both. If you think about it homework can destroy a child’s dream. 

Let’s make up a boy named Baxter. Baxter really wants to be a famous baseball player, but after practice, he doesn’t wanna do homework, and before he hast to eat and get prepared. Baxter’s mom and dad homeschool him. Two years later, he finds himself  playing Little League. And you see since he was homeschooled had time  for practice and games that didn’t affect family time. And before he knew it, he was good enough for Little League. 

And that is why your kids should be homeschooled, no more bullying, you can highlight their learning styles, they can do their interests,and they can pursue their dreams. 

Thank you.

She did the WHOLE POWERPOINT on her own!

She was poised, confident and convincing!!