SCREAMING FROM MY ROOF TOP

I just completed watching "The Ten Critical Points" from the Wilson Language Program and I feel like I need to stop everyone on the streets and share it. So, I'll start with my blog. If you have a child who has a language learning problem (dyslexia, auditory processing, etc.), I REALLY encourage you to look into this program. Or at least order this DVD to be introduced to this method of teaching. I've attended training seminars for programs like Spell to Read and Write, paid for my dd to go through PACE and some of Master the Code and have tried curriculums that include the Writing Road to Reading.

The Wilson Reading Program is my answer. The programs above were wonderful but this program is different. The only example I can think of is by using math as an anology. Whether you use MCP, Singapore (my choice), Saxon Math, Abeka, Math U See, etc., they all teach the basics of math. However, they use different techniques to get across the same idea. However, Math U See is by far the most hands on approach. You "build" with blocks so you not only write down a problem, you can "see" and work the problem.

When I compare WRTR, Spell to Read and Write, Master the Code, and The Wilson Reading Program, they are all intensive phonics programs. However, The Wilson Reading Progam is like Math U See. You "build" with cards. It works because the child with auditory or language problems can "see" what everyone else can "see" by "building" their words, syllables, etc.

This program is actually alot like WRTR because the rules are the same but the approach is soooo different. Anyways, I would have loved to have known about this program sooner. I hope this helps someone out. I really recommend the above mentioned DVD first. I don't think its necessary to switch programs. The methodology could easily be carried over to WRTR. But I think its easier to just use their program.

Now to go and watch my 2nd DVD. I won't be blogging for a few days. I'm trying to get all this under my belt for next week. I wish I could post about this on my homeschooling loops but I'm afraid to push yet another curriculum on mothers.

Its true that some children are just language intuitive. They will see the rules to the English language whether you use intensive phonics or even the WHOLE language approach. With children with language difficulties, even an intense phonics program isn't enough UNLESS they use all their senses and rules are systematically introduced ONE AT A TIME.

From the WIlson Reading Program DVD "The Ten Critical Points"

Beatrice Brigade

I thought I'd share this encouraging article I discovered from my homeschooling email loops. Happy reading!

Writer's Deadline

I've been busy over here and haven't had much time for posting. My girls have a deadline to meet for this contest. Isabelle decided a few days ago to rewrite her story because she couldn't draw horses very well. ARGH!!! She's much happier and has written a dog story instead. Anna has finished her cat story and just gave me the last illustration. Isabelle is feverishly working on hers.

We've done this contest for three years now. I like that there is a deadline and that they go out of their way to do their best and then submit their work. They will receive a certificate that I will frame and hang up on the wall. However, my girls have HIGH hopes of winning. At least Isabelle does. She's always surprised each year when she doesn't win 1st place!! I can't seem to get her to understand that LOTS of kids are entering this contest. Lots of kids who have probably taken art classes. Lots of kids who have an art gene that I didn't pass down. But that doesn't seem to matter. There's hope for this year. It would be neat to have her win but I've already told her she's a winner for trying and not giving up (which she tried to do twice already before reworking her story).

I'll see if I can't talk them into letting me show their stories. Afterall, if they win the stories will be displayed!! But not until after the deadline. Until then their stories and illustrations are TOP SECRET!!!

Marriage Meme

I thought this would be fun. I love my life with Craig and still can't believe how it all happened! I am truly blessed!!

1. Where/How did you meet? My freshman year of high school in Latin class (although he had already seen me in marching band for over a month but I hadn't noticed him yet ... trumpet line checking out the incoming freshman!!)

2. How long have you known each other? almost 20 years

3. How long after you met did you start dating? 4 years

4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 2 1/2 years

5. How long was your engagement? 1 1/2 years

6. How long have you been married? 10 1/2 years (in June)

7. What is your anniversary? June 1996

8. How many people came to your wedding reception? About 400 people!!

9. What kind of cake did you serve? White with fresh flowers and had 6 Islands, topped with 2 doves

10. Where was your wedding? St. Vincent de Paul

11. What did you serve for your meal? Heavy Hors d'Oeuvres, including a Carving roast, avocado rolls, swedish meatballs, and lot's more but that's all I can remember ... I forgot to eat any of it!!

12. How many people were in your wedding party? Maid of Honor (my sister), Best Man, 5 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, 2 ushers, a ring bearer, 2 flower girls, and both our parents.

13. Are you still friends with them all? yes

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? Craig doesn't cry! But he did get a little choked up while saying his vows which actually made me start crying!!

15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Exchanging our vows, dancing our first dance as man and wife, EVERYTHING!! It was a fairy tale day! There were too many moments to just pick one!!

16. Any funny moments? I almost fell while picking up a little girl to dance with. Also, his MALE cousins got in line for the dollar dance to dance with Craig!!

17. Any big disasters? Someone knocked over my Bridal portrait by mistake and the glass broke ... it was fixed by my parents while we were on our honeymoon. Also, one of the groomsmen was late and we started without him!! ;-) He sneaked up to the front unnoticed!

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Boston, MA

19. How long were you gone? Nine days

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? Not a thing!!

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? I sleep on the left side.

22. What size is your bed? King size

23. Greatest strength as a couple? Our Faith, communication and laughter!!

24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Making one on one time with his traveling (BUT we do it!!!)

25. Who literally pays the bills? Craig

26. What is your song? "It Had to be You"

27. What did you dance your first dance to? "It had to be You" sung by Harry Conick Jr.

28. Describe your wedding dress: White organza with lacey, puffy, long sleeves. Simple, Spanish style short veil, a long train that was bustled for the reception

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? roses mixed with orchids

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? No

31. How old were you when you got married? I was 22. So young and full of hope!!

I tag Emily because she has a GREAT story!! And I would love to hear it again.

Out of the mouth of babes!

Today Belle was working on the 9th commandment in her Ten Commandments Book. This is a book where periodically she writes down the commandment, states it in a positive form and then illustrates it. She is doing nine and ten this week.

Well, I was a little worried about covering the ninth commandment,

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife,"

because I really didn't want to introduce any ideas to her. So when she asked me what she should draw, I told her to think about it while I went to change the baby's diaper.

When I returned, this is what she had!!

{click picture to enlarge}

In the picture a married couple is standing next to their neighbor. The wife is crying while the husband is saying, "I wish she was my wife." Why does he want to be married to his neighbor's wife??

Need you ask?

Look how she keeps up her front yard! She maintains beautiful flowers. Notice the curtains hung in her windows. She's wearing a pretty outfit with a matching hat and curled her hair. She looks to be the merry homemaker. Now notice how his wife hasn't done anything with the windows. And her fence is all dirty with dirt. And there are no flowers anywhere!!

THAT'S WHY!

I love the innocence of youth!!

Brain Type

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

I found this test over at Jennie's.
What's REALLY funny about this is that my all time favorite color is GREEN!!!!

Happy St. Joseph Day!

Today was not the way I had intended to celebrate St. Joseph's Day. Instead of reading and making crafts with the kids, instead of helping the kids honor their dad, instead of making a great breakfast to start off the day, I spent most of the day in bed! Down with a stomach bug. But, the day was still wonderful. My "St. Joseph" took the day off, mopped my floors, took the kids with him as he got his haircut (not easy to do with 5 little ones), made a delicious and nutritious dinner, and played outside with them for hours (so the house would be quieter). My Craig is my St. Joseph!!

Luckily, before feeling like a semi had hit me, we were able to celebrate St. Joseph's day with our homeschooling group the day before. Craig is not a fan of big groups. He even suggested we go over to his moms instead (which is always a treat). But I really wanted to get to know the group better and I knew they were planning events to honor the dads. He ended up having a grand time. I wish I had taken my camera!

The kids made crafts. The potluck was unbeatable. We all took our St. Joseph statues and the kids loved seeing all the different types of statues. Towards the middle of the festivities they called all the dads to the front of the hall. They broke them up into two teams. They were going to have a relay race. It involved running across the room, dressing up like St. Joseph (tunic and headpiece), holding the staff, flowers, and baby Jesus and then building something with wooden blocks.

All the kids were screaming and cheering their dads (and team) on. The dads looked so happy and were laughing. Craig's team lost but not by too much. The kids then had a chance to share with the whole group how their dad is like St. Joseph. One child said, "My dad is like St. Joseph because he doesn't like to go to work!" TOO FUNNY!! That wasn't my child BTW.

The evening ended with a procession to the outdoor St. Joesph followed by a decade of the rosary. Can you believe we were there for almost 4 hours!!! We had a grand time! Towards the last hour my stomach starting feeling bad though.

We even ran into a priest whom we had known as a seminarian way back when Craig and I were engaged. I'm so glad we had a great time celebrating St. Joseph's Day.

Now off to bed I go. I've gotten a lot of reading done today!!

Saturday Morning Reading

Guess who I found reading in the kids' reading area, AGAIN?


She wasn't happy with her selection.






This is our NEW reading area for the kids. The original one consisted of a laundry basket overflowing with books and two floor cushions. I meant to replace only the laundry basket with something more in line with the living room decor. But I couldn't resist getting the kids their own "leather" chairs.
The kids still read books on the floor, on the cushions, on the sofa ..... except Catherine!! She is always found in a chair whenever she's looking at a book. TOO FUNNY!

FINALLY!! Ears Pierced!

Anna and Sophia had their ears pierced today. I've been promising them for over 6 months that I would take them but was too afraid. Isabelle had her ears pierced when she was 8 weeks old (just like me) so I just couldn't bring myself to take an older child in. But, thankfully, Sophia made a pest of herself and Craig took them today. Sophia went in the early afternoon (sans Anna because we were afraid she would get scared watching). He then took Anna after dinner. My girls now have their earings and are soooo happy. And I'm relieved that I didn't have to take them. Three girls down, one to go!!



Its also been brought to my attention (by my children) that I'm not blogging about them all equally. So here is Kolbe after doing his favorite puzzle. He likes to lay down next to it to see if he's "bigger" than the firetruck.



And here's Catherine screaming and having a fit because she can't have my cell phone.

Wonderful Reflection on Confession

Blair, over at Do Whatever He Tells You, has a beautiful reflection on Confession. It really touched my heart and helped me to see confession in a new light. I have always hated the fact that my sins are always the same (minor changes here or there) and although I've never doubted the absolution and grace I receive in Confession, I've always been bothered by the fact that I have the same sins to tell. I can relate to the quote from Pope Benedict XIV (because I love cleaning) and my resolve is strengthened to go even more frequently to this beautiful sacrament. Don't miss her post!

Last but not least

I have finally found a spelling, reading, writing, dictation program to use with Isabelle. We've tried 100 EZ lessons, Spell to Read and Write, WRTR, Sound Beginnings, PACE and Master the Code. She benifitted GREATLY from the last two, but I still needed something to continue using for the remainder of her school years.

MODG's recommendations, as well as those of other curriculum, just aren't for struggling/dyslexic readers. My MODG consultant led me to the Wilson Reading Program. She has used this with her son who also has dyslexia.

At first I (and dh too!) was worried about trying yet another program recommended to me by a homeschooler. I'm VERY susceptible to switching if a homeschooling moms suggests a program that has worked for her. Only in this one area, mind you. I would never leave Singapore Math or any thing else in the MODG curriculum!

But this time was different. My consultant has homeschooled one through high school and into college and has two more in high school right now. She's been using the program for years with the rest of her children (nine in all) so she really is speaking from experience. Anyways, she led me to this program. Its designed to start with early elementary and carries you into high school. It includes dictation, spelling, reading, intensive phonics, "the rules" but introduced one at a time (YEAH!!). I could go on and on. Anyways, I feel like I have found a gem. It has all the instructions I need but all the components Belle needs. How exciting!

Happy Birthday Kolbe

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New Habit

My goal is to establish this new habit. I'm afraid I have GREAT laundry days followed by a few days of no laundry followed by days (weeks) of catch up. When I do get it under control it never stays that way for long. I have graduated to folding things right out of the dryer. HOWEVER, the folded clothes stay on the dryer. Better yet, I won't start a wash if I'm not feeling like folding. Hopefully "4 loads by 4" will be a habit that I can acquire quickly!!

Well, I think I've caught what the kids have ... sort of. Kolbe, especially, has been homesick for his "old house" and his "old playground" and his "old museum with dinosaurs." He seems perfectly happy during the day but it isn't until bed time that he starts talking of such things.

And now I'm starting to miss the familiarity too. I don't like being the new mom in the group. I'm not good at breaking into the middle and making friends. And I'm already afraid that because I can't just get in there years will go by and moms will assume I've made friendships and won't include me. I hate being on the outside. I'm no good at this. Not that I should be waiting for a personal invitation but I can't just invite myself in, can I? How to do this?

But, I'm REALLY enjoying all the time I'm getting with my mother in law. I probably see her every other day. Today I met my mom in law for breakfast after I dropped the girls off at co-op (where I see all the moms talking and have known each other for years). I know (or hope) that a year from now I will know some of the moms and my kids will know their kids, etc. But right now I'm not liking it at all. I'm not very good at this ... making new friends. In the past I've always known at least one person or I saw people frequently that you couldn't help but become friends. But this time its different!!

But I know this is where I belong and life is good, just a little lonely. So, meanwhile, I need to get things unpacked and make this house feel more like home.

Baby Arriving!!

Please keep Jennie in your prayers! She's gone into labor (early this morning) and her dh is out in the field (military) and they need to find him so he can get to the birth in time! Hoping all is going well. She's an amazing lady with incredible strength!

Exhausted!

Today seems to be a day for great napping snapshots! Here's Sophia asleep on the stair landing. I guess she just couldn't make it upstairs!

Pictures of this afternoon

Over the weekend Craig planted some berry bushes for me (blueberry and blackberry). Since they need lots of sunlight he bought himself a new ladder (any home project means new tools for my dh) and cut down branches. Since the branches won't be picked up until later this week ....








LUNCH TIME!! The kids (including dh) take a break from their hard work!! We enjoyed eating our lunch outside. Watching the kids build and eating rice crispies proved to be hard work for baby Catherine!






THE END RESULT!! Isabelle was the mastermind and principal architect.




* NOTE: No Live Oaks were harmed or trimmed for this project! Only the trees(?) behind the fence.

2007 Suzuki Workshop Recital

Here's Anna performing "Lightly Row" in unison. There must have been over a hundred people in the audience. I'm so proud of her!



Here's Isabelle performing "Musette."
This is a real accomplishment because it is the last song in Book 1. She will now be starting Book 2 of Suzuki. YEAH Isabelle!!

Suzuki Piano Workshop

Well, I'm off to the Houston area again for another Suzuki Piano Workshop. We're actually going to Texas City but I was tempted to drop by the woods and say hi. I'm leaving tonight with Belle and Anna while Craig stays with the three little ones. I don't know who's having more fun? Whenever I leave (which isn't often) Craig goes all out and has fun filled weekends. However, since I don't have to clean or cook this weekend I think I win.

The girls will be taking fun classes, having private lessons with a nationally acclaimed Suzuki teacher, performing each day, attending recitals throughout the day, and enjoying the pool at the hotel (the highlight!!). I get to sit in on their classes as well as attend classes of my own. I plan to take lots of books because I'll have time to read all the books that have been piling up.

We'll be back Sunday night more motivated about practicing/playing the piano. Their former teacher will be there and they can't wait to visit with her for 2 days. I can already see the tears on Sunday. That will be a more real "good-bye" since we knew back in January that we would be seeing her at the workshop.

I'm also hoping to find the "right" teacher for us. They will have a few Austin area teachers there.

Gotta go finish packing our bags and take a quick nap.