Wednesday, June 26, 2013

paper, paper and MORE paper...

It comes every year...

That time when I have to rip out my heart from my chest, lay it aside and ignore the attachments I have to every single piece of paper my children have touched.  

It's portfolio time.

Yep, as a homeschool mommy, I have lots and LOTS of papers.  Completed schoolwork, handwriting practice, drawings, paintings the kids did on their own accord.  If I didn't make myself have a heart of stone and throw some of it out, I would drown in paper.  

So, once a year I get a 1 1/2 inch binder, sheet protectors and go through the years work.  I pick out the good days we had...and the not so good.  We like to keep it real around here.  When I get to the artwork, that's when I grab the tissues and my camera.  I justify being able to throw away anything that doesn't make it into the binder by taking a picture of it.  I know.  It's pathetic.  

After it's all nice and neat I find a picture I LOVE of my boys from that year, print it out and slap it in the front of the binder and there ya go!  Portfolio (aka PROOF) that we completed another year of homeschool!!! :)

Here's the photos I used for their 1st and 2nd grade binders:

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Aren't they just the cutest?!?!?!  

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Not only does this serve a way to organize, but it's so sweet to watch the boys go through their binders and see the progression of what they have learned.  They truly enjoy looking through the binders from years past.  They ask me to get them down at least twice a year.  

So to conclude this post, I wanted to share the pictures of the portfolios I did for the boys' kindergarten and 1st grade.  I actually took these photos many moons ago - October of 2011 to be exact.  I was INTENDING to write a post about how I do these binders back then but got caught up in life.  So here they are now.  I hope this helps some of y'all organize the paper waves we homeschool mamma's get every year.

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Monday, June 24, 2013

It's been awhile...

Hello.  I'm still alive.  Suprise! ;)  

I have been waiting for the perfect time to be able to collect my thoughts, organize and write them down...

...well, it seems there will never be the "perfect time" to sit down, reflect and write out my thoughts here.  Truth is...time must be made.  That is what I hope to do more here in the future.  I think it actually might be therapeutic. 

To catch up, here is what my life has consisted of the past year... almost 2 years...in bullet form for ease:

* transitioned and finally planted in a wonderful church family

*homeschool...goin' sometimes not steady, but strong

*accepted the honor of becoming Kingdom Life Fellowship's
Director of Worship Culture

*Dave accepted the honor of being KLF's youth pastor

*closed my photography business for a season

*opened photography business on a MUCH smaller scale

*gained weight

*recently lost 25 lbs

*started running again (training for my first 5K)

*started kettlebell workouts

*trying to do fun improvements to the house

*completed Dave Ramsey's FPU

*ate fried pickles for the first time...and LIKED it

Lots of life has been happening at the Brown home...some overwhelming...some fun...all of it welcomed.  We are growing more than ever where we are now and are so thankful for this season God has us in.  I don't know if anyone actually reads this thing, but I am sorry for being absent for so long.  I hope to keep going...I think it will be good.  

As I type, I hear the laughter of my boys playing with the water hose in the back yard.  I am trying to start letting go of my compulsive tendencies to keep everything "perfect" and let them be boys.  Let go of the reigns and start letting them make choices...make mistakes...and learn from them.  Little stuff now, nothing crazy...but Lord help me...

...I'm sure a mud pit will develop shortly...

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Love to you all, and believing that you are finding rest in HIM...

XoXo