Left or Right Brain?

Right brained visual learner tend to have several things in common.
They visualize images in their brain and can have long term memory of these images. They don't usually perform well on sequential, or linear tasks (such as following multi-step instructions or long division problems). They learn information in chunks, in a holistic way. They learn much better by demonstration than by explanation. And they are naturally creative problem solvers.

When I began homeschooling my daughter I soon realized that she was indeed a visual learner. Growing up in school, I had no idea that people actually learned differently. I had thought you were either smart or dumb, lazy or not. That how well you did in school was dependent on you not the teaching method, etc.

Now, all grown up and attending college myself, I realize I am also a visual learner. That it is how information is presented to me whether or not I am able to learn and honestly,want to learn. This has given me a whole new perspective in how I now approach my children's education. Becoming a student myself has defiantly made me a better teacher <3

So, I am off to make flash cards, not for my kids, but for me ...

I have a Big test Tuesday so Wish me luck!

Our Disney world "Birthday" weekend

              So, Friday was my son's 5th Birthday :_) 
                So crazy, how fast time can fly by...
 A few months ago, when my daughter turned 10yrs old, we took her to Disney ( Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) for her Birthday celebration. We had so much Fun!  We decided to go ahead and get yearly passes. When it was time for my son's Birthday, we knew we were heading back to celebrate there again!  Going on a weekday was no prolem for us, this is one reason I am so Thankful we are a homeschooling family. If my kids were in public school we would either not be able to go on his Birthday or we would have had to have them miss school.
Anyways, we are not to far from Orlando, about 4 hours. We are close enough that we can get up in the morning and drive there, but to far to come back after a long day enjoying Mickey and friends, we always rent a room. ~> After doing some research I found an affordable yet, nice Hotel ( Clarion Inn lake Buena Vista ) The first trip I did not research and was not happy with the hotel (Seralago)  To me a hotel's first priority should be soft comfortable beds!!!!
On Friday Morning , the 3rd!!!! We woke my son up, singing Happy Birthday! I had all the presents on his bed with a white cake with white chocolate icing (his fav) He was so happy! After some cake for breakfast, we all headed to Disney World!
Since we already went to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, We wanted to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot.   Each park defiantly has its positives and negatives.

Magic Kingdom :
Positives-
Has so many rides!
Fireworks and Princess/Mickey shows
Stays open the latest
Negatives-
To busy! To many People! Overly crowded!
Some of the rides were not as great as they were made out to be
If you have a disabled person, not as much to do
No characters in sight! only saw characters when they were on stage or in a  parade


Animal Kingdom:
Positives-
Didn't feel as crowded
Animals ( almost feels like a zoo too! )
young children and disabled persons can enjoy most everything!
Educational and fun with a few rides

Negatives-
Closes early
In Dino land there is a ride that is 48 inches or taller, It is a kid roller coaster, but because of a bar you have to be 48inches. My son was very disappointed! With Mt. Everest under his 5 yr old belt ( a ride I will never set foot on again! To much for me ) I was surprised that he could go on that, but not this carnival type coaster :-/

Hollywood Studio's:
Positives-
Not overly crowded
Stays open pretty late
Great for people with disability's, as they can do pretty much everything
Lots of Shows! Great Variety!

Characters everywhere! Unlike Magic Kingdom, you can actually meet and get photos easily with Disney Characters. ( My son was so Excited to actually Meet Phineas and Ferb!!!! )

Negatives-
Had to really coordinate time and plan out your day. Most of this park is shows, so if you want to see it all you must make sure you have planned it well.







Epcot:
Positives-
As a homeschooler this place was a educational dream! So much to learn here! My kids defiantly got their homeschool social studies for the year!
Loved all the flowers.
very relaxing, not busy

Negatives-
Not much to do, ride wise
got a little boring
left after only a few hours and went to another park for the rest of the day




~ So this is my take on the parks, Our favorites in order are: Animal Kingdom,  Hollywood studio's, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot

My favorite thing out of all 4 parks was in Disney Hollywood studio's, Learning how to draw Mickey Mouse.


My husband, he is disabled, so for him an amusement park was a bit different. Even so, he said that he Loved Animal Kingdom. The Kilimanjaro Safari ride was his favorite thing to do!


My daughter who is 10yrs old kept begging me to take her back on Mt. Everest in Animal Kingdom.


My son who is 5 yrs old favorite thing was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster in Magic Kingdom.

The advice I would give for anyone thinking about going to Disney is:

 1st do not expect to do it all in one day! This was our 2nd vacation to Disney, going to all the parks once, Animal Kingdom twice, and we still have not done it all!

2nd Bring your own food! The food in Disney is super expensive and not very good IMO :(
We brought a cooler and hung it off my husbands power scooter. We went to subway and brought sandwiches, water, granola bars, and chips. We never got hungry and had people asking us where the subway was in the park, lol!

Which brings me to my 3rd tip, rent a power scooter! Luckily my husband has his own, but trust me you want to spend the money on this, especially if you have young kids. After a few hours they won't want to walk anymore and they can ride.. Or you won't want to walk and you will be glad you have something to ride ;)

So, untill our next Walt Disney World Vacation.......

Goodbye 20's, Hello 30's!

So..... It has been 24hrs since I turned 30! I know, I know!! I mentally know 30 is soooooo young, but all I can think about is what I haven't done that I wanted to by now :(  I guess that is something that many people can probably relate too. Looking back the past 10 years has been so crazy. I married my husband, had 2 children, gave my children the special education of "homeschooling". I also taught my daughter reading comprehension,  and started college myself. So what is it that I still wanted to do? Well, I would have loved to travel more! I have always wanted to go to Egypt. I can imagine the way it would feel to touch the sand and cold clay walls of the great pyramids...

 I would have also loved to learn a different language. I guess that these dreams are still attainable. I just hope that when I am 40 I won't still be dreaming. I hope I will be able to mark them as things I have done in my 30's. So, like I was saying I turned 30 years old yesterday!

Homeschooling? Norm of the future?

I remember back when I was deciding to homeschool, It seemed as if I was the only one in the world who was considering the idea. Of course we all know that isn't true, but none the less it was a feeling I had felt. Now fast forward ten years later and it feels as if everyone is homeschooling, or at least thought about it at one time or another. With so many homeschool resources out there, pre package curriculum, the Internet which is like a "tutor in a box" on top of all the educational games, it really makes it so nice and easy for all of us.
Anyways, I was reading a blog the other day and it had made a statement on if we were planning on forcing the issue on our kids when they grow up and have kids for them to homeschool as well. I kinda stood back for a moment and thought about that question. I mean Yes! I want my grandchildren homeschooled, but I also want my child to make that choice on their own. If  this trend keeps growing, I really do think they will. Heck! who knows in the future public school may one day be the controversial topic in education.

So glad it's Friday!!!

 Whew! I can not believe that this week is finally over! So glad it is Friday!!!!!!! I an not like new semester schedule  :(   See, I Realllllly wanted to take a certain professors math class. Unfortunately, he only teaches it at night. This leave me with like  4 hours to kill in between classes. My 1st class is at 10am and I am not out of my last till 8pm Yawn! isn't the word for it, but his class is worth it ;) I just wish I liked my other teachers half as much....

So Anyways, this past week my  daughter has been  studying synonyms and antonyms. I thought that the timing of that lesson was a little weird . See, yesterday I got my 1st essay assignment. I must write about  total opposites aka Antonyms!!!!  LOL!  My professor did give us a few examples to write about, Skinny vs Fat. Men vs women. Rich vs poor. etc etc etc

Well, she over heard me and my hubby talking about my class assignment. She was like, "mommy you can play those synonym games and antonym games you had me playing if you need help with your homework". ((love)) She is so precious, when she is trying to be helpful <3


So, I guess I am gonna be a good role model student and end here and get back to my homework ;)
Good Night Everyone...

School is in!

Well everyone in our house is officially back to school. Yes, including me. I had my first day back last Thursday. I must admit I was taken back by one of my classes, public speaking. I really thought this was going to be easy. Sigh! I just will leave it with God, I know he will help me through any hurdles. So, like I was saying I am not the only one getting back into the swing of things. My kids have been back full swing this week. My oldest got a new lap top for Christmas and I must admit the gift was not 100% selfless lol! One computer for 3 people to use is not fun. It was so nice to get both kids online to do their school work at the same time. My  youngest has been really  enjoying the kindergarten games, he was like "mommy that was fun!" :-)  Of course with the start of the new year also means I must make sure I have all of last year's information together for our homeschool portfolios. I still can not believe it is already 2012. It won't be long till this school year is over, time sure can fly by fast can't it?!

It's 2012 Baby!

   Happy 2012 Everyone! Can you believe it?! Seems like just yesterday it was 2011, O'wait it was lol ;-)  Seriously, this past year has defiantly held some changes for my family. In April of 2011, we lost our home. Thankfully we were blessed with the opportunity to own a Travel trailer that was big enough to accommodate our family of 4. It wasn't the square footage we were used to, but it was a home that was ours. We have traveled quite a bit over this past year, but we recently decided to stop for a bit so that I could begin my next Big change of 2011, Becoming a college student!!! Yes, if you didn't already know it, I am working on my degree. I have already completed one semester already whew! I will admit that being out of the school scene for soooooo long (not including homeschooling~> I am only up to 4th grade with my oldest) ((blush))  has made it a little more of a challenge then I had anticipated (college Algebra Yuck! ) but math games do help ;-) 

The kids have really  loved our roadschooling adventure however. They love being able to pull up at moments notice, even if it's just for a day or two. In fact one of the other Big things we did in 2011 was taking our very first Disney vacation! I had always wanted to do this Florida milestone, but have not had a chance to take my kids yet. Of course with my oldest turning 10yrs old, I knew it was now or never. So we decided to make it happen for her Birthday. It was so nice to be able to hook up our home on wheels and spend a few days in the Magic Kingdoms (Thank you Fl. Year pass ) .

 As much as I would love to leave this year on a good note, I can not. Unfortunately before this year could come to an end, we had a death in the family. My Grandfather passed away, Dec 23,2011. It is still painful to talk about, but he will always be in my thoughts & heart.
So, what's my New Year's Resolution?

To always remember to be Thankful, not to take anything or anyone for granted and just Live!