How to Edit Your Documents

How do you edit the documents I provide?? 

I created a quick video tutorial for you!!! It's so easy to download my documents and very easy to personalize too!! 

We are very busy here and I created this quickly!! Not the best video recording, but it should help you. 

Here are some examples of the covers i've made. 

I haven't created spines for all the notebook covers I've made. If you'd like me to create them for certain covers, just leave a note for me in the comment sections. 

I haven't shared my Pokemon cover yet. I'll be doing that next week along with April and Mays Calenders!!! 

I also have a Star Wars covers that i'm going to be sharing. 

May the Force be with you!!!

God Bless and Enjoy!! 

Laura

David Turned 8!! - Celebrate with 3 NEW Notebook Covers!

What a great and busy weekend we had!! I can't believe that my 4th child, my baby, my gentle giant turned 8 years old!! It seems like just yesterday I held him in my arms trying to decide a name for him. It took my husband and me a few hours to name him. 

We had purchased tickets to see the Kratt brothers months back. We knew Sarah had a gymnastics meet that weekend but never thought it would be on the same day as the tickets!! Turns out it was!! She had her meet, the Brittany Coppedge Invitational in Raleigh at 1pm. The show started at 4:30. 

We made it!! David had no idea that we had gotten him tickets. We had also gotten him a new video game for his Ninetendo Switch!! He found out at the meet about seeing the Kratt Brothers. 

He is such a sweet young man. I was so happy to surprise him with this. 

Sarah had a great time with her event. She didn't do as well on the floor as she had in the past. I saw her face when her team mate KILLED it on the floor and scored a 9.8. I was very happy for her team mate. She covered her mouth in shock. I almost cried for her!! Sarah was happy for her but I could see in her face that she knew the competition was fierce!! I always tell her that "You can't be the best , unless you compete against the best!!" 

Sarah congratulated her team mate and some of the girls on the other teams. 

I was so proud of THAT!! 

Sarah did well, and took 1st place all around... She is a good gymnast. What I want her to be is a great follower of Christ. Sometimes that means swallowing your pride and humbling yourself. This was a great weekend for that!! 

While many of the parents want their children to win, I want her to win at life! Yes, she's dedicated, yes she works hard, but I want her to learn to lose, to be a graceful, humble loser and to pick herself up when the going gets tough!!! 

Next weekend, Myrtle Beach!!! Coastal Classic. 

This coming week is especially fun because she and I will be traveling with our friends, Mrs. Spencer and Khloe!!!

A quick video of the highlights from Sarah's Meet and David's show. 

To Celebrate David's birthday and Sarah's meet, I created some more notebook covers that i'm going to share today. These are really cute. I hope you enjoy them. 

**Please do NOT share these files. Have your friends and family come to my blog to download them. I DO NOT require an email or a subscription to download these files. Enjoy. 

God Bless, 

Laura

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Ephesians 2:10

Our Pastor has been reading through Ephesians. What a great book. It doesn't hurt that our pastor is a wonderful teacher. I usually don't brag about pastors, but this one and his family are amazing!!! 

They're sweet, knowledgable and HUMBLE!! 

Very real. We are a world that is looking for REAL!! Real followers of Christ! Real People! Real Sinners!!! 

If that's the case , you've come to the right place. 

Ephesians 2:10 really speaks to me. I created this 36x24 poster. 

I'm actually using it as my desktop background on my compter. 

What a great reminder that we are HIS!! Created for GOOD WORKS!! In Christ!! 

You can download and print out... have it printed out on photopaper and frame!!! 

Please do not share this file directly. Have people come here to download it. 

God Bless,

Laura

Click to Download

Everyone Needs a Little Color.....

It's been dreary and rainy here in NC. Time to share something colorful!!! 

I think this is my favorite attendance sheet and Goal Card ever!!! Mermaid!! it's so pretty!!! 

My daughter is too old for this, but I thought someone else might enjoy it!!! 

It's bold , it's bright... I love it!! 

You can download this for free!!! No need to Join my blog, or even follow me. I would appreciate if you did follow me. You can also follow me on Instagram. #Mother4Jesus

Print out the matching goal card and laminate them together for the year!!! 

I print these out on cardstock. Laminate and fill in the dates with a sharpie. At the end of the year, make a copy and file away. Clean off with alcohol and reuse for the following year. 

Your student will have a great time marking off her school days and her daily work. 

Don't forget to celebrate your 100th Day!!!

**Please do NOT share this file with anyone. Send them here to download. I do not require an email. I don't put a watermark on these!!! Please share this on Facebook and Instagram!!!

Thanks for supporting me!! 

In His Love, 

Laura

Click to Download

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Can We Talk Curriculum?? Reviews??

I have two adult children that I homeschooled through high school. 

Can we talk curriculum reviews?? 

In the 20+ years that i've been homeschooling, i've tried many, many curriculums. Different types, different styles, different prices, etc. 

When I started homeschooling, I had many STRONG opinions. Which is really funny, considering I had very little experience. 

That is the reason for this post. 

With 20+ years of experience what i've learned is what i'm going to share. 

Ready? 

I don't know that much. Yup.. The older I get, the less I know. 

Also, 

There is NO bad curriculum. 

I'm going to say that again. 

THERE IS NO BAD CURRICULUM!!! 

I've used, Alpha Omega lifepacs, switched on schoolhouse, Sonlight, My Father's World, Bob Jones, Abeka, Logic of English, Teaching Text Books, Math-u-see, Kahn Academy, Easy Peasy Online, Singapore Math, Apologia Science, Hooked on Phonics, Teach your child to read in 100 Lessons, Funnix, Usborne, Clartias Press Academy, Classical Conversations, Accelerated Christian Education, Story of the World, IEW, Notgrass history... and i'm sure there are more that i'm forgetting. 

Have you seen that list?? WOW!!! 

Here is what I will say. Some of those worked very well for us. Others didn't. Are they bad?? No! They simply didn't work for us, or if they did work, it was for only one of my children. 

I have found that I was using a curriculum incorrectly.I have found that a curriculum that EVERYONE hates (ACE), has been the best for us. I have found that a curriculum that is very popular at the time, that everyone LOVED ( MFW) was horrible for us. It's easy for me to say, "Oh that's a bad curriculum"...but the fact is, it's not!!!

 I have found that many with strong opinions don't have the experience to back up their beliefs. 

(I am very guilty of this.) 

There are many factors that go into teaching our children and the curriculum we select. The first is the parent. 

1. What will work for the parent and what is easy to implement. 

If the curriculum is easy to use, the chances of the teacher being faithful and homeschooling being successful rises. 

2. Price- If a curriculum is expensive and you don't want to spend the money, That does NOT make the curriculum bad. I love Sonlight, I find it expensive yet I think nothing of paying for CC. There is no one answer here. 

3. What works for my child?? Children? 

I have 4 different children and that means 4 different learners. 

Yup... They ALL learn differently. 

Also, one may struggle at a younger age and then completely change their learning style at another age. (My 3rd child did this ) 

What works for your child one year, may not work the next and vice versa. 

4. What are you looking for? What are you looking to accomplish with your curriculum? 

This is really the toughest one. Many of us need to see the big picture. We're teaching our children HOW To learn. We're teaching them to ask questions, to read, to learn how to calculate the world around them with math. We're teaching them how the natural world works around them with Science. We're igniting a flame!! We're laying a foundation for THEM to build on as they get older. 

As you begin to ask yourself these questions, it's ok to ask for opinions. Stay away from extreme opinions. 

Listen to the details about what worked and didn't work for people. Pray and go with your gut!! 

You will NOT ruin your children if you pick a curriculum that isn't perfect for them. 

You're the teacher. 

You use the curriculum the way you want. 

That means if you don't want to teach something, or you don't like the way it's being taught...you change it. 

In the end, I've realized that it's not about the curriculum but about the process. 

Enjoy your children. Enjoy this time and learn with them!! 

I'm still learning. I hope that I never stop learning. 

In The Love of Our Savior and His Grace, 

Laura 

Fruit of the Spirit Wall Art

I love Galatians 5:22-23. 

The kids and I have been memorizing this with a cute song. 

I enjoy creating wall art. I like to create these posters. I send them to my local walmart and have them printed. This is a 12x18. I can get an inexpensive frame and BOOM!!! Wall art. 

Since you all can download this for free....you save money!!! 

How can I create these and give them away for free?? Easy.. I have so many creative ideas, i'll NEVER be able to use them all. I love to share them. I make money from the advertisers on my blog. Please don't share this file directly with friends and family. Please have them come to my blog to down load this. I don't require an email. I don't require that you follow my blog. It's appreicated if you do. You can also follow me on Instagram. #Mother4Jesus. Please share this blog link or pin this blog. 

Enjoy & Happy decorating, 

Laura

Click here to download. 

March Comes In like a Lion.......With a Little Sparkle

I love planners... All kinds of planners. For me carrying around a planner didn't work. I don't know why? I find that I put my appointments in my ICalendar. I have an iphone, Ipad and a Mac desktop, so they all sync up. Do you know what doesn't sync up?? The rest of my family. For some reason, my husband, who is an Applications Specialist, doesn't look at the Calendar. So our daily conversations start out with, "What are your plans for today?" 

😏

I was trying to find a way to have our weekly and monthly plans out in the open for EVERYONE!!!. A one-Stop place for ALL Plans, appointments and agendas to be written down. A visual masterpiece for all to see!! An organizational dream !!!!

Ok, so that's a bit dramatic. 😂

I wanted a calendar that I could leave out. I didn't want it on the fridge. I don't like a cluttered fridge. 

I wanted something I could put in a frame or laminate. 

I came up with these. 

A two -page Calendar that can be printed out, put in a frame, laminated or even a dry erase sleeve. 

You put in the dates for the month, which means this calendar can be used EVERY YEAR!!

Since the calendars can be used every year, I decided to make them colorful!!! 

Why not?? 

My plan is to make monthly, themed calendars. Print them out, laminate them and then spiral bind them all together. I'll just open them up and fill them in as needed. Display the current month on my picture ledge in my kitchen. (Please excuse the dirty walls. We need to paint. )

As you can see, March isn't even here yet and we've got stuff on the calendar. Having them all printed out and laminated means that you can add appointments for the other months long before they're here. This is kind of like a reusable planner. 

Then I thought?? Maybe just having a weekly calendar would be helpful?? I created a matching weekly printable. You can put this in a picture frame and fill in your weekly appointments, you even have room to add in your meal plans for the week. You can laminate and use year after year. 

I used this in a sleeve and put on the fridge. This is a great option, especially if you have busy teens!! My kids are ALWAYS in the fridge. If they yell, "Maaaa whats for dinner?" you can tell them to look on the fridge. 

These are the Pockets I used. I write on them with a fine-tip Sharpie and then wipe clean with alcohol. 

Here I have it laminated on my picture ledge. This is a great option. I use the heavier laminate sheets, 5mil. This helps it to stand up. This is my preference, because you can reuse them and don't have to worry about it wearing out. Here is the laminator I use. It's great for documents up to 8.5 x 11, which is the max size I laminate at home. Anything larger I have printed off and laminated at an office supply store. I prefer the 5mil laminate. They stand up better on the picture ledges. Since I plan on spiral binding all the laminated calendars at some point, I'm going to use the 5mil. This isn't necessary if you're putting them in a frame or a dry erase pocket. 

I sprayed some alcohol on my laminated weekly calendar. You can see that the sharpie begins to wash off. It's THAT easy!!! I also use these with my children's daily school work planner. 

These are in a frame on my kitchen counter. These are 8-1/2 x 11" frames that I was able to get at Walmart. I can NOT Find them anymore. Now, these are the ones I get from Amazon. I would look in your local Walmart before ordering the ones I linked here from Amazon. 

You could even print these out, spiral bind them and make your own planner. What ever your decide, I hope that you enjoy them. They're free to download. Every few weeks, (Depending on anything that might pop up), I'll be posting another themed month. Next..... April!!! 

**Please do NOT share these free files with anyone. Have your friends and family come here to download. I do NOT require that you subscripbe or an email. I do NOT put my name on the documents. I'm sharing these on the honor system. I make money from advertising done on my blog, and I receive a small commision from Amazon if you use my link to purchase ANYTHING. Because of that, I can share these documetnts for free.**

Click on the links to download the files. 

God Bless, 

Laura

Click *Here* to downlaod

Click *Here* To download

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Still Using ACE...An updated Review

A few years ago, I posted a review of ACE. 

Since then we moved from NY to NC and a few people have asked for an updated review.

Here it is...I'm still using ACE. We still love it!! It's a great curriculum for us!! 

Sarah , also known as Flippin Princess is 10 now. She's in 5th grade. This year we decided to join a Classical Conversations Community. We used a Classical Curriculum with ACE, Claritas in the past, but wanted the community for David, my 7 y/o son. 

David, also known as Daveman2011, is now in 2nd grade and doing all ACE and Classical conversations Foundations. 

Sarah is doing Foundations and Essentials. ACE and our other classical curriculum, MORE than prepared her for Essentials. She is fitting right in, doing her diagramming and loving it!! 

David is enjoying ALL of ACE 2nd grade and Foundations memory work. It's a lot but because ACE is so easy to implement, we've not had a problem 

We also school year round, taking July off. CC is only 24 weeks of the year, giving us plenty of time to review our memory work and finishing up our Paces. 

I think ACE gives you the best of both worlds. It's a fully comprehensive curriculum , that can be used alone. IF you want to supplement, you can take any Science or Social Studies topic and create a unit study using the CM or Classical method. 

ACE makes the teachers job easier. That means that it's easy for us homeschooling moms. 

This gives us extra time for trips the museum, gymnastics and fun!!! 

God Bless,

Laura

***Update***

Still using and loving ACE!!

8/20/22

Getting Ideas for Next year - Notebook Covers

This time of the year, we're finishing up this years work with the thought of next year in the back of our minds. 

For some, like myself, we already know what we're doing. I will be organizing and rearranging our school room to better fit what we really use. Nothing like having tons of books around that we never used. It makes me feel inferior that we never got to all those great literature books. I know that It's ok, but still, having them around bothers me. I'll be putting them away, so that my guilt goes with it. (Just keeping it real)

One way that I reorganize is new notebook covers for the kids. My son loves to have covers that reflect his personality. Same for my daughter. These are some standard covers that I use in binders. I've used standard binders but I find that heavy duty binders are the way to go. Yes, you can save a few dollars, but usually those binders have to be replaced. Either the rings tend to open, or the pocket inside rips, or the cover bends. So for 1/2" Binders, I recommend these heavy duty ones and for 1", These. 

I print out the Covers on card stock, like the one I linked. You don't need the very heavy card stock for this. They're protected in the binder cover. I've also included some binder spines to match in both 1/2" and 1" sizes. Just download the covers and spines. Print out the ones you want. If you have a program on your computers, like Adobe PDF, Word or Preview, you can usually find a way to add some text to the PDF File in the name box. You can also just write in your students' name. 

**Please do NOT share these files with anyone. I don't charge for these documents but I make money by the volume of people who visit my blog. Please send your friends and family here to download. I do NOT require that you follow me or your email. If you'd like to subscribe that's always appreciated. You can also follow me on Instagram @Mother4Jesus. As always, please share this link on FB and feel free to Pin this!!! 

God Bless, 

Laura

Click Here to Download

Spring Attendance

February is the shortest month of the year but can feel like the longest for homeschoolers!!

Spring fever sets in!! Looking forward to the fresh smell of the spring flowers!!

I created this cute attendance and matching goal card set. 

Print them out and laminate them together or slip them in a dry erase pocket to reuse. 

Please do not share these files directly with friends. Send them here to my blog to download. 

Many Blessings, 

Laura

Click Here to download

Click Here to download

Bug Season is coming!!

Do your children love insects? Mine do. They love every creepy, crawly thing you can imagine. My daughter use to enjoy catching bees!! yes!! Bees!!!  I'd find these large bumble bees under a cup. Why?? I have no idea. When I asked her, she would tell me , "To observe them.". 

That's actually a great answer. Observation is one of the key ingredients to learning. 

One thing that homeschoolers must do in almost every state is keep a record of attendance. 

Why not enjoy it with some bugs?? 

I created these cute Bug Attendance sheets and matching Goal Cards!!! 

Just click on the links under each picture to download. 

Please do NOT share these files with anyone. Send them here to download their own.

I do not require membership or an email!!! 

To download, Click Here. 

To download, Click Here. 

February Goal Card

For many homeschoolers, February is a dreaded month! 

It's been a long school year and by this time, we're tired. 

What a great time for some new goal cards!! 

This fun print can be used any time of the year. I added in some hearts for fun. 

You can always put the date in the hearts and your students name in the label box. 

Just Print, laminate, or stick in a dry erase pocket and enjoy. 

I use mine with sharpie markers and clean them off weekly with alcohol. 

**Please do NOT Share the file with anyone. Send them here, to my blog to download. 

I downloaded these graphics from Chantahlia Design. Please visit her site to create your own documents. 

Click Here to Download!

Goal Cards - Teaching and Accountability

The title of this blog post sounds VERY Serious!! It's not. 😁

One thing that's true, is that we want to teach our children to take control of their school work and chores. As a mom and teacher, this means that not only do I teach them HOW, I also give them the tools they need. 

For moms using ACE or Accelerated Christian Education at home, the goal cards are great. I enjoy being able to reuse them by laminating them. I also LOVE to add a little color to life. I love seasonal goal cards. 

One benefit of the goal cards is that the students can set their own daily work goals. While this doesn't seem important, it REALLY is. I can't tell you how my daughter's ability to organize her day and get her school work done has helped her. She's a gymnast and spends about 12 hours a week at the gym.  She goes 4 days a week for 3 hours. This doesn't include the exercising and drills she does at home. This keeps her very busy. The goal cards help her to hold HERSELF accountable. That's the goal!! Not that we're standing over them but that they track themselves. Rather than being the one to nag her, she keeps track. I simply ask her what she has to get done that day. 

This is the same for any parent or family. No matter what school choice, curriculum or educational decisions you've made, teaching our children to be responsible and to hold themselves accountable is one of the main goals. 

I created these colorful goal cards for parents who use ACE. You could probably use these with many curriculums. I've created one for boys and one for girls. 

I usually print mine out and laminate them. You could also use a dry erase sleeve OR page protector. I find that laminating them keeps them in good shape for a long time. I or my children use a sharpie to write down the pages/work for the day. At the end of the week, I simply wipe it with some alcohol and it takes off ALL the sharpie.
I plan on creating more with seasonal themes...Fall, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas. You might want to college the files and print them out. If you laminate two of them, back-to-back, you save on some laminating sheets and your student can simply flip them over and pick out the theme they want for the week.

**You'll also notice that I Do NOT put my website or name on these documents. Usually, when you download documents there is a watermark, etc on the document. I've chosen not to do that. I only ask that you DO NOT Share these documents. Please send your friends and family here to this link. This helps me keep track of downloads and helps with advertising. 

**If you like to create your own documents, I downloaded many of these graphics from Chantahlia Design for free. Please visit her site and show her some support.

Nothing makes school more fun than Robots!!! Click Here to Download! 

Sweet pastels!!! Girly and fun!!! Click here to download!!!

Enjoy and God Bless,
Laura

Creating checklists.....

We want our children to be independent. We want them to get their work done without having to tell them. 

Isn't that a little fantasy we all have?? I know I STILL need a reminder for some things that have to get done. I love making lists. These help me to stay organized and accountable. I make lists for my children. I love to create bright colorful lists for them. 

Lists help them to stay accountable to themselves!! They have the list. I even did this with chores. You know how you send your child to clean a room, then they come back and you begin to question them?? "Did you wipe your furniture?" Did you clean UNDER your bed?" Did you pick up ALL your dirty clothes?" That drove me nuts! I decided to put it all on a check list. This way, if they checked it, then it means that they did it!! 

One side has their morning and evening routines and the other has zone cleaning or room cleaning. I personalized them . Now my 10 y/o daughter knows what she needs to do in the morning. I find that she uses hers less and less, but on big cleaning days, we still use our zone cleaning. It keeps me from having to ask the same questions over and over again. 

I decided that since I love to create lists, laminate them and use them, other mom's might as well?? I can't possibly use all the lists that I create, so I decided to just make them available to those mom's who can use them. For free!! That's right!!! You just download and use them. I just ask that you NOT Share them directly and that you send other mom's to my website. 

This year we're using Classical Conversations. I decided to create a foundations check list. A list to check off for your weekly memory work. Younger foundations students will enjoy it!! Print it out, laminate , or slip into a dry erase pocket OR page protector. Use a dry erase and let your younger students mark off their completed memory lessons. It's a great way to start some independent accountability. Just click on the link. 

Weekly Foundations Checklist 

If you have any suggestions for other printables, please leave them in the comments section. 

Many of the graphics I used on these were from Chantahlia design's. . Please visit her site if you like to create your own printables. 

Many blessings, 

Laura