AmyF — Heart of the Matter | Heart of the Matter

July 28, 2010 By AmyF Leave a Comment

What a beautiful past two weeks it has been in my hometown. My family and I actually reached a milestone last week; it was out one year anniversary of living in this mountain town. We love it here in this community where we have made friends, found a church home and are settling in well. Summers are short and in fact you may hear the locals say they are enjoying their four weeks of summer when walking down the busy streets. We really do have a little more than 4 weeks of summer but because of our long winters, we often feel like we get short changed on the warmer days.

You can tell that summer vacation is coming toward an end though with the local office supply and discount stores offering their back to school sales. In our household summer vacation is coming to a close. We will be starting school in the beginning of August followed by some light days during the week of August 9-13 to attend the Heart of the Matter online Conference. Slowly getting back in the groove seems to work for our family.

Speaking of the HOTM conference, we had a contest on the forum to enter to win one of five tickets. We had several entries and after entering the information at Random.org, we had the following winners. Congratulations to the winners and thank you from each and every one of us to all that entered.

We have added a new section to the forum for the conference. In this area you will find a link to a schedule, general questions and a section for each speaker. Now anytime we have a conference, you have an opportunity to come back to the forum to talk about the speakers you have just heard and fellowship with friends you have just met. This will be so nice to continue our talks when the conference is over.

If you would like to get a head start on getting acquainted with the forum, registration is easy to do. The next step is to wait for an activation email from forum@heartofthemattermagazine.com and then you are ready!

Now that you are a member, here are a few questions and topics that may interest you:

hsmommaof4 would like to know if anyone has suggestions for making a transition from workbooks to textbooks?
What is your teaching or learning style?
gfcfmomofmany would like to know if there are any special needs homeschoolers out there?
juliephine wants to share resources on homeschool deals. Have you found a store or website that you get good deals on curriculum or supplies?
Now that you have found that fabulous deal and been able to use that product for awhile, give us your report. Would you give it a thumb up or a thumb down? Come share your opinion in our subject section.

I hope you find time to come and visit all of us at the forum. We are open 365 days a year, seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day and can be viewed from the comforts of your home. Until next time- see you at the forum!

Amy Fleeker is a part of a great family that includes a husband of 12 years, 3 children, a dog and a cat. Her homeschooling style is eclectic with a emphasis on classical teaching. When with her family, you can find her watching movies, playing board games, and living life with a great sense of humor and knowing that God is all around. In her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking, tatting, crocheting and doing a little family history. You can visit Amy at her blog, Counting Change Again.

July 14, 2010 By AmyF 1 Comment

As I was sitting here thinking of what to write this week, a song popped into my head. It was the theme song from a television show called Cheers.

“Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away
Where everybody knows your name”
*from the song “Where Everybody Knows your Name” by Gary Portnoy

I know I am showing my age now, but this sums the life up for many of us out there. We get to a point where daily activities are stressful and have no get away or place to vent. Or perhaps we want a place to share our celebrations and praises with nowhere to shout that simple hooray? I have tried to do this in my household and get odd faces from my kids followed by them asking me if I am talking to myself.

Last year, I had several days when my son was not focused on school work. He wanted to do anything but school and was trying everything and anything to get out of it. I continued to sing high praises as each subject was finished and he continued to grumble under his breath how unhappy he was. I am sure that if you were to look at him looking at me, you would have seen daggers coming out of his eyes. These days were long and rough. We moved for the fifteenth time since my Husband and I have been married (13 years).Then there were days filled with sadness when my son’s oxygen level went down to 81%. I thank God everyday for the healing process that occurred.

Christmas time was a financial mess, but we were blessed some merry old elves to help us out. My Husband and I had a huge fight and were too stubborn to make up. It happened, although to this date, I have no clue why we fought in the first place. I lost some money orders and my mind all in the same day. In February, we thought we had the longest day because we were ready for the year to be done. We gave a little Grace (with our church) to a few people who did not expect it by giving them free Gas.

We participated in an Easter Egg Hunt in the Snow. My Son accepted Jesus Christ into his life. A close friend almost lost her life twice. More friends went through difficulties and needed prayer requests. My Kids and I had a bread making contest and we learned they can make it better than I. We thought spring or summer may never arrive because of the endless amounts of snow last winter. Spring came and along with it we had the great flood of 2010 when the snow melted. I walked through town with same style of sandal but each was a different color. We learned that we need to take stock in a company that made mosquito repellent because they were literally sucking the blood out of us. Our Family became members of our church. I became addicted to Veggie Tales tunes all over again. And last, but not least, we finished our school year.

Why did I dull you with details of my life last year? Well, all of these items are things that would have been shared with friends: laughter, questions, praises, goofy daily life stories, tragedies, and prayer requests. This is how I hope you see the forum. A place to come seek help, give advice, to listen and hear. The most important thing I would like you to walk away with is a friend or possibly several friends. I would like for the forum to be your place, “Where Everybody Knows your Name*”.

Heart of the Matter Forum is open three hundred and sixty five days a year, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. This makes the friend making business very easy and convenient. Joining is as simple as snapping your fingers too. Just go to register here, wait to receive activation and you are set to go! For those of you that are members already, we would love to have you back to join in the fun. All of us At the Forum including members and moderators can’t wait to become your friend. See You there!

February 28, 2010 By AmyF 4 Comment

Recently I sat down with my son and we talked about his reading habits. He has really started picking some books that are way below his reading level. Next year he will be a high school student and for whatever the reason, this fact has just registered with me. Here are a few things that I learned from this discussion.

When he was younger, he enjoyed reading more because of the illustrations. This was a huge winning factor in a book for him, even to this day. Nothing completes a story better than great pictures that complement the book he is reading.

It is hard to believe that it was that long ago, when he was that small child sitting on my lap, enjoying such authors as Maurice Sendak, Jez Alborough and Watty Piper. I still can hear the words of the great classics that we read together and envision the pictures also. My son reminded me of his favorite read aloud books and here are just a few he recommends:

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Where is my Teddy Bear? By Jez Alborough
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer

I believe the next stage was where he lost his love of reading.

It was harder for him to comprehend the stories that lacked those pictures he loved so much. When it came to his reading level, he was dead on. It was the comprehension that he had problems with when reading. He would start a book and by the time he was on the second page, he lost interest. This is where we had to come up with books that were on subjects he loved and also encourage him to try new subjects also. When we talked about this time in his life, he disliked reading so much, he had a hard time figuring out what kind of books he read back then. So, this list is from what I remember him reading from about first to third grade:

Captain Underpants Series by Dave Pilkey
Dinosaurs Before Dark ( and other Magic Tree House Series Books) by Mary Pope Osborne
The Big Book of Dinosaurs: A First Book for Young Children by DK Pubishing

When Fourth Grade rolled around, he says he was really excited about some of the reading he did. That was the year he discovered the many categories of science. He loved to read on inventors and their inventions, fiction that was based on where we lived and history. We lived in the Grand Staircase in Utah. This was a great place for nature walks that was often rewarded by a petroglyphs or possibly a animal sighting. He wanted to know what people and animals lived there then and in the past. The years of fourth and fifth grade book recommendations from him where huge! I asked him to narrow them down to five and he obliged me with a little bit of disappointment. Here is his list:

National Geographic Mystery Books by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson
Eyewitness Books by DK Publishing
Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer
The Giver by Mark Lowry
Books that gave information on native animals of the area, plants or birds

Now we come up to the age that he becomes the disgruntled teenager. It is not just because he dislikes reading many books. It has to do with the quality of the book. I would like to think this is because he is maturing. He reminds me that he always had the Bible in his reading logs for school or free reading. He just does not want any book that goes against what he believes. And he knows as he gets older that he must expand his reading list to things that may not interest him. So he is picky about what he read and very disappointed in the content. Here are a few books he would recommend:

The Lab by Jack Heath
Narnia Series by C. S. Lewis
Passages Series by Paul McCusker
Ancient Times by Susan Bauer
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

As mentioned above, we realized that high school would be here sooner than we thought. He showed his concern over not meeting expectations on several subject with reading being on the top of the list. I reminded him that his free reading has always been different than his assigned reading. After all, free reading is what we had been discussing the whole time. Then, I started rattling off the other books he had read, the ones I assigned to him for schooling. What was his reaction? He had a huge smile and both of us realized that he had been reading books that were over his level.

He still is not a happy camper with reading and would like to offer the following advice:

“Talk to your teenage son about his reading. Be patient with your boys and work with them to help figure out a series or subject that may interest him. Having free reads they will enjoy will help them with the books they must read for assignments. Help pick out books that will inspire them to better themselves and make a difference in this world. And lastly, if they don’t understand the story help them re-read the book or material again. I know I did not like this step, but it has made me a better reader.”

Amy Fleeker is a part of a great family that includes a husband of 12 years, 3 children, a dog and a cat. Her homeschooling style is eclectic with a emphasis on classical teaching. When with her family, you can find her watching movies, playing board games, and living life with a great sense of humor and knowing that God is all around. In her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking, tatting, crocheting and doing a little family history. You can visit Amy at her blog, Counting Change Again, or at the HOTM forum, where she is the Lead Moderator.

February 24, 2010 By AmyF 5 Comment

If you have not heard, I am gearing up for a coupon class at my church. I am so excited about doing this! One of the topics I am going to talk about is organization. To get the full potential of savings, I believe you need to be organized. There is many ways to do this and there are no right or wrong ways of organizing it either. You just need to find what works for you. What works for me is a Binder system. I have everything in one place and within easy reach.

Jennie, over at The Coupon Binder, has generously donated one of her wonderful binders to give away here. Here is a little about the Binder she offers:

What I like about The Coupon Binder is the convenience. It is built for you already to use and start that instant savings. This 3 Ring Clear View Binder is not wimpy one either, it a sturdy one. On the outside of the binder in the back is place for a insert. Jennie has not left that space empty. You will find Sorting Mats that help you do just what the name says- sort your coupons. In the inside pocket, you will find a few tidbits of information that will either be new to you or review. The Main Characters of this Binder will surely impress you.

*50 Ultra Pro 9 pocket pages
* 30 Pre-defined Category Tabs (installed to match the general layout of a grocery store)
*5 Customizable Category Tabs
* 1 Set of Coupon Sorting Mats that correspond to the Category Tabs
* 1 Pencil Pouch
* 1 Highlighter and Pen
* 3 Store Envelopes
*Spiral bound Notebook
And you get a stylish reusable bag also because The Coupon Binder is also committed to helping the environment.

To enter this contest you must do the following two things:
1. Be a member of the Forum (REGISTER HERE)AND
2. Post here on how you save money in homeschooling.

Because of the cost,Only avaible to ship within the Continental United States.
Winners will be announced at the Forum on evening of March 3,2010.

Good Luck and I can not wait to see your answers at the forum, see you there!

Information can be found about The Coupon Binder at http://thecouponbinder.com

December 22, 2009 By AmyF 1 Comment

Welcome to this week At the Forum. Hope all is well with you and your family. With one week until Christmas, my family has been a little distracted with the smells and sounds of the Holiday. Santa Came to town by fire truck to one of the places we went to last night. We went caroling last night with the church youth group and had hot cocoa by the fireside. Then we went outside and joined the rest of the festivities of the night. There is nothing like watching kids snow tubing down the hill. What a great way to start the holiday week!

Another way to start the week off is to come and visit the forum. There are so many topics and so many members- you are bound to find something that interest you. Here are a few topics that may interest you:

Are you a down to the wire kind of person or a early bird? Do you have all your Christmas Shopping done?
School and Vacation? Do these words mix well? What is your schooling plans this Christmas break? Are you taking time off or continuing with school?
One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to be more frugal. Have you any ideas to share with us?
What is your favorite Christmas of Holiday Song? I have shared mine here and would love to hear what yours is.
Tis the season for giving. I always think of the community as a great giving opportunity.. What about volunteering, food drives, visiting nursing homes? Do you count these toward school credits or a certain class?
What is on your Christmas List? Do you have a few things you want?

I hope that if you have not had a chance to visit the forum, come by and say hi! Come share your stories, your praises and prayers, your school day and most of all- your words of wisdom. Until Next week, I will see you at the forum!

December 19, 2009 By AmyF 1 Comment

If you look like a duck and quack like a duck, you must be a duck. What if you can’t walk or move like a duck? Are you still a duck? Ms. Lake’s class has been watching four eggs in an incubator and they just hatched. What happens when they discover that one is not quite right? Will they care for the duckling even though it looks and acts different than the others? Will they try to better the duckling’s life?

Lemon the Duck is a heartwarming story that will win many hearts. Lemon is a duckling born with physical disabilities. Together with her human classmates she will deal with not only her special needs, but the separation with her family and overcoming obstacles that stop her from functioning as a normal duckling.

Author Laura Backman takes the subject of special needs and brings it to a kid’s level of understanding. This book is a great way to introduce your child to this topic. The caring and compassion of Mrs. Lakes’ class will inspire the whole family to reconsider how they view others. And if you are a family with a special needs child and looking for a book to explain these needs to a sibling, this is the book for you. From the moment you open the book, your child will engage in the needs of this duckling and the role Mrs. Lakes’ class partakes in it. Lemon the Duck is an inspiring story to share with all.

You can meet Lemon on her blog, “The Chronicles of Quack“.

To purchase this wonderful resource you may find it on Currclick for only $4.98.

December 17, 2009 By AmyF 1 Comment

Understanding Special Education: A Helpful Handbook for Classroom Teachers(Scholastic)

by Cynthia Stowe

Whether you are a parent, a family member, teacher, Sunday school teacher or part of an agency that deals with Special Needs, this book would be beneficial to you. Don’t be fooled by the title, the classroom teacher is not the only one that can flip through this book and learn a few things from it.

The Book is divided into three different sections:

What are some challenges students face?
What do I need to know about the Special Education System?
Appendix

Included in the first section are stories that introduce you to special needs, an explanation of that disability and gives you an idea of what that student may need for you. The second section gives a great explanation of what the special needs education system has to offer you and your child. It emphasizes that it takes a team to help this child blend in a regular classroom and everyday life. This e-book also gives you information on background, eligibility requirements, Individual Education Plans (IEPS) and Privacy Issues. And in the Appendix is a great wealth of information for you to continue your research with the aids of a list of books and websites. Overall this book is an informative useful resource for anyone that has a special needs child in their life.

This item is available for purchase through CurrClick and can be found: HERE.

December 16, 2009 By AmyF Leave a Comment

Your household will be a super star with this bundle. When a child has been recognized with a speech impediment, one of the steps to correct it is speech therapy. This bundle may seem like speech therapy in a box, but remember that you still need help from outside sources. In more severe cases, it reinforces what your child has learned with their speech pathologist. While with minor cases it gives you some information that may seem useful to you. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights it has to offer you.

In Speech Made Easy you will find an Articulation Test with easy to follow directions, response sheet and error analysis. Guiding you a little further in therapy, you will find some suggestions for a therapy plan and form to fill with your findings. Then you find pages on specific sounds with detailed instructions on how to teach them. And best of all, you will find sections with therapy games, activities, practice pages and picture cards.

The other two ebooks offered in this set, focus on the specific sounds of R, L, S, Z and SH. These are the most common sounds that a child can mispronounce. And you will be glad to find the extra help that is offered in them. Each sound is introduced by showing you the correct way your mouth should be formed to pronounce it correctly. Tips are given as suggestions for extra practice for the sound they may be working on. And like the above ebook you will find word list, games, practice sheets and picture cards with each sound.

In all the Super Star Speech Made Easy Series you will find sample lessons and the forms you can use to record your plans in. Simply said on the title, it is truly Speech Made Easy!

This item is available for purchase through Currclick and can be found: HERE.

December 11, 2009 By AmyF Leave a Comment

Two weeks until Christmas? Wow! This year seems like it has sped up all of a sudden. Schedules have become hectic and you may need a little time to rest. I would love to have you come and visit the forum and share your “down” time with us. Here are a few topics you may want to add a post to:

How do get back into your routine after a major life disruption? For example, moving? Lack of sleep due to a young child’s refusal of bedtimes and frequent night-waking? (This is a purely hypothetical question of course…)
What have you been studying this December? We have a section with 12 different Learning Methods. Come share what you have been doing in your homeschooling lately.
With the New Year around the corner, budgeting is on many minds. How do you save for your Christmas Shopping? Do you set a budget? Are charities included?
What is your favorite thing about the Christmas Season?

Did you play a part in a Christmas pageant or play? How about your kids? Would love to hear your stories.
On the forum we have a section that is for subjects. Do you have something you have used in schooling to recommend as a gift idea? The Subject area would be a great place for recommendations.
Would you be interested in chatting with other forum members? Please answer our poll.
Who were the winners of the Christmas Giveaway on the Forum? You can find the answer here.

Hope you get a chance to come by and say hello. Until next week, I will see you at the forum!

December 7, 2009 By AmyF 21 Comment

Looking for a way to jazz up writing assignments? This product may be for you! It is a very versatile product for every learning style and can be used for grades k-12. You could use it for daily writing exercises for the month of December. What a great item to add to your workbox systems too.

Included in this ebook:

• 1 mini-deck (96) Christmas StoryBuilders cards, black print

• 1 mini-deck (96) Christmas StoryBuilders cards, colored print

• Instructions and Ideas

The basic part of the story is given to the student in these cards- character, character trait, setting, and plot. They suggest several ways to use these cards to give variety of ways to play each time you use them. You take these cards and form stories with the character, character trait, setting and plot that are picked. There will be some interesting twist to the tales your child writes every time.

My kids and I used this the other day and here is an excerpt of one of the stories that they built. Words from the cards are in bold face letters.

Once upon a time, there was a Snowman that lived in Snow City. He lived with his wife and his children. Lately, he was in bit of a mood. His wife and kids had even said he was a lazy snowman.

One day when he was walking around town, he spotted a line of people in front of a homeless shelter. This bothered him. How could he help those people? The next day he called the homeless shelter and offered his service……

This is how a snowman that was called lazy helps a complete stranger.

What I love about this product is the thinking the kids have to do to use these words. It is not easy coming up with a story using some of these words together. But, it is fun and educational at the same time. The best part is that all of this is picked, formatted and ready for you to print. This makes it less work for you, so you can enjoy your time with the kids.

Would you like to win a Copy of Story Builders: Christmas Mini Builders? Write Shop has given us 10 copies to give away to you. There are two things to meet the requirements to win these:

Member of the Heart of the Matter Forum
Post your favorite thing about the Christmas season here.

Contest Ends Thursday, December 10 at 10 pm EST, the ten winners will be chosen and emailed by Friday morning and must respond before Sunday, December 13^th at midnight! That way I can get them emailed by Monday.

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