Out with the old and in with the new!
The meme is gone and we’ll be sad,
the past year has been so great.
Watch the video and you might be glad–
On to repartay…..repartee.
(Be kind…I’m no poet.)
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Okay…2400… I was wrong.:)
Guess I can kick this off. I am Angela and I have 4 kiddos that I homeschool. This year has been awesome–the older two are at the age that they can do science projects like growing crystals, making flubber and things that would usually make HUGE messes.
This weekend we are finishing the beds my husband has been building for my middle boys. They look awesome but need to be sanded and painted so I better get out there with him for a while.
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Amy Bayliss Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I absolutely love this idea, Angela. Great job girl!
Yeah, I love when the boys get to the experiments stage. It just makes for a really messy kitchen. That is when you have to introduce Home Ec.!
Amy Bayliss’s last blog post..Perks and Brown Sugar
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Home Ec…That is a great idea! I think we will definitely have to visit that subject. Do you think they will buy that it’s ‘school’?
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hello All! I am Sarah this is my first year homeschooling my kids ages 6,3, and 2. We are in Texas and trying to keep cool this Memorial weekend!
sarah morgan’s last blog post..
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Amy Bayliss Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
It’s nice to meet you Sarah!
Amy Bayliss’s last blog post..Perks and Brown Sugar
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
That’s my sister!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Nikowa Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Yay Sarah’s here!
Nikowa’s last blog post..Crazy 8′s
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I am so glad you came out to play!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Well I’m the other Amy here at Heart of the Matter. I have three obnoxious boy children (12, 10, and 8yo) and and we live in Baton Rouge, LA. I have homeschooled for the last four years. This year, I co-schooled my two youngest since they were put back in public school. I try to co-parent with my former spouse as much as I can and his wish was that they at least try public school. We found that it does not work for my youngest so he will be homeschooled once again next year but my middle child is absolutely thriving and doing much better than he was at home so he will remain there until we decide that it is no longer in his best interest. I will continue to work closely with his teachers and co-school him as I see fit.
We are Sonlighters. At the last HOTM Online conference I listened to Sarita talk about the importance of good literature and their philosophy on education and I was hooked. We also get really creative in our learning and I will be sharing some of the techniques we use in an upcoming series here at Heart of the Matter called “Creative Homeschooling.”
I am absolutely looking forward to getting to know everyone!
Amy Bayliss’s last blog post..Perks and Brown Sugar
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
WOW! I had no idea that you tried ps this year. How has that experience been? My two oldest were ps for a few years before we decided to hs and it is strange looking back on that experience. That is awesome that you and your ex are able to find schooling that works out for everyone…you very rarely see that. Sounds like your kiddos get the best of both worlds!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Karin Katherine Reply:
May 24th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I just bought Sonlight for next year! I am very excited about it. I usually am a eclectic homeschooler who loves to piece together my own curriculum but I decided that this year I needed things to be a little easier for me due to all the factors we have going on in our lives right now. I’m excited about the fact that I can do school with MUCH LESS prep work AND I can combine my 4 year old daughter with my 6 year old sons. Was box day truly exciting for your kids?
Karin Katherine’s last blog post..A birthday present from God
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Hi! I’m Nikowa. We’re year-rounders
& we’re currently on our summer break. We take the entire month of May off & we’ll begin again June 1st. We take LOTS of breaks, field trips & a few vacations each year.
I have 2 boys & my oldest (9) is about to start 4th grade. My youngest (6) will be going into 2nd grade. We’re exploring the classical method, but we’re still eclectic too. We’re also getting ready to adopt 1-2 girls late summer/early fall!
Nikowa@KHA’s last blog post..Crazy 8′s
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Oly moly woman!!! You did not tell me about adopting 1-2 girls this summer! CONGRATS!!! I can’t wait to hear more about it!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Nikowa@KHA Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Nikowa@KHA’s last blog post..The end & beginning
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Hello ladies! Hello Amy and Nikowa!
Thank you for being so patient with me these past two weeks! 
Anyhoo, I’m Christin. I have four children, ages 6, 3, 2, and 10 months. I homeschool 1 full time and WANT to be year rounders but don’t really know how to make it work. (Nikowa, maybe we can talk?)
This year hasn’t been bad, but it could’ve been better, I think. We didn’t do as many “hands on” projects as I would’ve liked and I’ll admit, I get scared of messes! I work hard to keep the house tidy and the thought of purposely making a mess just doesn’t sit well with me! BUT, I’m working on it! (Like salt maps, for example).
We use Tapestry of Grace with a Charlotte Mason approach, if that makes sense (it really does work well). The heart of the curriculum is very much the same as the heart of Miss Mason so I think they mesh really well together.
I look forward to meeting more of you in the weeks to come!
Christin’s last blog post..Building Friendships
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Nikowa Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 am
Hi Christin! I’d love to share our schedule with you! To view each schedule, visit: http://www.knowledgehouseacademy.com/2008/03/our-homeschool-year.html
Please feel free to email me at nikowa(at)gmail(dot)com
Nikowa’s last blog post..Crazy 8′s
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Misty (elvisgirl) Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:17 am
I don’t mind the kids making messes; it’s the cleaning them up I have trouble with.
Misty (elvisgirl)’s last blog post..Spring Break
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Angela Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hi Christin! So nice to ‘meet’ you! Your bunch sounds much like mine. We had 4 kiddos 5 and under. You will be amazed at how much easier things get with the messes when they can help with the clean up. I would NEVER have done any of the messy projects when my kids were the ages of yours. I don’t know about you but I had 3 in diapers and that maxed out my threshhold for extra messes. Look forward to getting to know you better!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hello! I’m Kathy from Wellspring Academy. I have two little girls ages 7 and 6 that I’m currently homeschooling. One is finishing 2nd grade and the other finishing kindergarten.
Our year has been busy but fun and although we haven’t finished every worksheet the girls have learned and grown so much! That is one thing I love so much about homeschooling! The freedom!
We takes lots of days off and spend LOTS of time together as a family. We live in the north. I’m trying to be a little bit anonymous about our location so I never say for sure where we are and I use nicknames for my girls on my blog. Hope to get to know many of you a lot more! I always find encouragement through the Heart of the Matter blog posts.
Blessings, Kathy =)
Kathy’s last blog post..In Loving Memory …
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
The best part about homeschooling is the family time!! It is so nice to ‘meet’ you Kathy!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hey, everyone! I feel like I know some of you, because I’ve been reading HOTM for so long. My name is Misty. I tell everyone we’ve been homeschooling since my children’s birth. We are year round homeschoolers, on Spring Break right now. Like Nikowa, we take lots and breaks and field trips. Our school year is from July 1 to June 31. We are eclectic, with Charlotte Mason tendencies, and a dash of classical here and there. My daughter is soon to be a 3rd grader, and my son is soon to be a 1st grader. Oh, and just writing that, I have to say that time goes by way too fast!
I have had a handful of friends and aqaintances ask me about homeschooling, and I try to tell everyone about the Heart of the Matter. This is such a great resource and support for homeschoolers. I’m so glad to get to know you all!
Misty (elvisgirl)’s last blog post..Spring Break
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Hi Misty! I have seen you on the site! Love your nickname by the way. One of my kid’s favorite field trips was to Graceland. Look forward to getting to know you better!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hello!!
) My name is Lesley and I have been a faithful reader here since you all started the site. I love it!! 
) We are finishing up our 14th year of homeschooling, boy that makes me feel old. LOL Last year we graduated our first homeschooler and he just finished his first year of college and is home for summer break. The ones that are still at home are: 17 yo dd; 15 yo dd; 13 yo ds.
This school year has been good, but it took some getting used to going from schooling 4 to 3. Once the pecking order got reastablished this were much better, LOL. We are a very ecletic bunch and we learn in all sorts of ways. It is not surprising to find craft items, maps, a stack of books, and lap tops throughout our schooling area and then some. ;o) My children are all different in their learning and we have adapted (or tried to) as necessary.
I look forward to getting you all through this venu. It should be fun!!
)
Lesley’s last blog post..Sonlight for High Schoolers
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Welcome Lesley! We are eclectic too. It never ceases to amaze me how much is available out there for kiddos of all learning styles. I look forward to hearing more from you on homeschooling through high school and graduation!
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hi! My name is Kim and I have two boys (ages 10 and 3) – even the dog and cat are male so I’m the only female in the family!. I’ve been homeschooling from the start and have a greater appreciation for subjects that *I* did not enjoy in my public school experience (science and history). We’re eclectic homeschoolers and keep a late Aug. through early May school schedule – nature is an important part of our studies and it’s just flat out too hot here during the summer to enjoy being outside so we take a summer break. I attempt organic gardening and enjoy reading, baking, quilting, and beachcombing. We LOVE animals, especially all our local marine life and all the big and small wild cats (my oldest aspires to work with tigers, cheetahs, leopards, etc.). I strongly support an organic, natural, green, simple, back to basics lifestyle.
flmom’s last blog post..Treehugger
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Science and history were the subjects I *dreaded* in school and through the kids I have been shocked at how much fun I missed! That is awesome that your son has such a love for animals. Do you plan on having him volunteer at a local zoo in a few years? My oldest son wants to volunteer at the local animal shelter when he turns 12. So, what are you growing this year?
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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flmom Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
He hopes to snag a coveted spot at the zoo when he’s of age, but will see about volunteering at our vet clinic if he’s not selected by the zoo. We’ve had a severe drought this spring so the majority of the garden died. Still surviving is watermelon, okra, zucchini, Italian parsley, genovese basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and blackberries. Summer is not our gardening time due to our zone, but we’ll give it another go in the fall (when hurricanes are their most active LOL).
flmom’s last blog post..The windows of my heart
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Well, my online name is Mommy Reg, I have been homeschooling for I have no idea how long. Since the very beginning. I have a 10yo son who has three sisters, 8, 6, and 2. We are eclectic in our approach and homeschool year round taking off the month of July and a few weeks throughout the year. I love writing my own curriculum and often times if I am not schooling that is what I am doing. This year has been fun and challenging at the same time. There are always areas that need improvement but the successes out weigh the downfalls.
Mommy Reg’s last blog post..Walking with Daddy
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 8:21 am
IUt is so nice to ‘see’ so many families on here who have the same size family! We’re opposite your family–3 boys and a girl. What subject do you most enjoy teaching/writing for?
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Mommy Reg Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
The same family size but opposite, that is really cool. My son is hoping that God blesses us with another child and that we have a boy.
I write mostly science and social studies curriculum for the kids. I started doing that when I was having a hard time finding stuff for them in their grade levels and learning styles. Also, I started teaching those subjects with them together and combining all the grade levels made it necessary to write my own.
Also, Bible is something I write my own because I want them to learn Bible not just Bible stories.
Mommy Reg’s last blog post..Walking with Daddy
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Hey, everyone! Luke Holzmann here. I’m a filmmaker–I haven’t done much media production recently, though that seems to be picking up again–a writer–I blog… often, am working on a book, and do all sorts of little things now and again–and an expectant father–I’m married and working on adopting three children (a boy and his two younger sisters) from Kyrgyzstan.
Eh, them’s the basics. I think there’s a little more about me, but nothing quite so easy to sum up.
~Luke
Luke Holzmann’s last blog post..Gifts: Brown Paper Bag Edition
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lesley Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
My son is majoring in film/communications at Evangel University.
)
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Angela Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Hi Luke!!! How exciting–*3* kids! What an awesome blessing!
Does my video make you cringe because of the pixels and graininess? (I’m working on it!) As always, look forward to seeing you around here, you always have great things to contribute.
Angela’s last blog post..I am still here!
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Hello! We are a Canadian family living on Vancouver Island in the pacific westcoast of British Columbia. It truly is an island paradise. I have two daughters ages 10 & 12 who I’ve homeschooled from the beginning. We use a mix of Charlotte Mason & Classical – but I’m truly ecclectic. This year seems to have gone by WAY too fast, but overall it’s been a great year. Next year will be my 7th year of homeschooling. This week we sold our house and if all goes well, will be building our first home together next month! It will be nice to have a little more elbow room around here!
Cheryl’s last blog post..House & Homeschool
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