Homeschooling Archives - Page 8 of 14

Introducing the 2011 Great Summer Reading Giveaway

Posted on June 18, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

You guys know I love books, right? Right now I have in my possession some excellent summer reading books that I’d love to pass on to you. In my stash I have titles from Max Lucado, Andy Stanley, Shaun Alexander, Debbie Macomber, Ron Hall and Denver Moore and many more. Here’s how it’s gonna work:

Over the next few days I will announce a book giveaway. You will have multiple chances to win for each book. To enter, subscribe to The Hill Hangout through Google Friend Connect (on the right-hand column of this page.) Those of you who already follow will be automatically entered. For additional entries you may do the following:

1. Follow @TheHillHangout on Twitter.
2. Share this giveaway via Twitter, Facebook, or your own blog. You can use the share button at the bottom of each post or write your own, however it MUST include the permalink of the giveaway. (Limit of two extra entries).
3. Comment on any other post on www.TheHillHangout.com and leave a comment on the giveaway post telling which post you’ve commented on. You must leave a comment on both the older post AND the giveaway post for this entry to be included. (Limit of three additional entries.)
4. Like our facebook page.

I will compile all entries and randomly select a winner from each giveaway using www.Random.org.

Good luck! And check back often to see what is being given away!

Filed Under: Homeschooling

Book #6: Little House on the Prairie

Posted on May 27, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

Does is get more classic and innocent than a little girl reading Little House on the Prairie? My girl has fallen in love with the Ingalls family, and I have rediscovered my love for this classic American tale myself. Little House is the third book in the series, and it is the story of the Ingalls family moving westward and settling in Indian territory. Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, and baby Carrie leave home in their covered wagon and head west to claim their portion of the Indian land recently reclaimed by the US government. They set up a new homestead, build a barn, plant crops, kill wild game, meet new neighbors, and survive a harsh winter, all while keeping a close eye on the Indian camp nearby.

We love the Little House books! What is your favorite children’s classic literature?

Filed Under: Homeschooling

Ann Voskamp On…

Posted on May 20, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill 1 Comment

Ann Voskamp is one of my favorite bloggers. One thing is for sure, she reflects Christ’s love in her writing. She is gentle, kind, humble, and full of wisdom. The kind of wisdom that comes from years of studying God’s Word. She has two posts that I think you will enjoy. The first is about why her family homeschools. I can so relate to most of this post.

The second post is about how we treat Jesus. It’s much more important than the one on homeschooling. Beautiful and thought-provoking, possibly like-altering.

Be blessed on this beautiful Friday!

Filed Under: Faith, Homeschooling

Paradise Restored

Posted on May 17, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill 1 Comment

Sorry for the delay in posting, guys! It seems that every time I had a chance to post over the last week, Blogger was too slow or not working at all. However, it’s back up and running now, so I’ll try to crank out a post while my luck is good.

We had a special treat on Mother’s Day weekend. Briarwood Ballet hosted their end-of-the-year ballet, which was a very lovely event for Mary Anneliese to be a part of. This year’s ballet was called Paradise Restored. What a perfect message for tornado-damaged Birmingham to hear! Mary Anneliese said, “Mama, last week was paradise lost for so many people, and we’re showing them that God will restore them!” Preach on, little one.

Paradise Restored told the story of Jesus, from creation to resurrection. It was the entirety of the gospel set to dance. The story of God’s creation, man’s fall from grace, and Christ’s redeeming death and resurrection were the center of this beautiful dance.

At Briarwood, the third grade year is the year you get to perform with the “big girls” in their ballet. No more junior performances for these sweet girls. They are in the big leagues now.

Once again this year we participated in a homeschool class. All of the students in her class are homeschooled, which has been a nice support system. I have enjoyed visiting with other homeschool families while the girls do ballet each week. And the girls LOVE that all of the girls in their class do school just like them.

When I look back on MA’s childhood, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Briarwood Ballet has been one of the highlights. We are so thankful that these girls have learned to praise God with dance. He is worthy of their beautiful worship!

Filed Under: Family, Homeschooling

Book #5 Farmer Boy

Posted on May 5, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

Y’all, we have rediscovered the magic that is Laura Ingalls Wilder. I devoured these books when I was a young girl, and now Mary Anneliese is just as in love with them as I was. We read Little House in the Big Woods a couple of years ago. At the time, we had not yet studied anything about pioneer life in history, so she didn’t really understand the book. What can I say? She was probably six. But now that she’s three years older and we have been studying westward expansion in history, she has a foundation from which to understand what is going on. Besides, nine is much more mature than six!!

Farmer Boy is the second in the series of Little House books. It is the story of Almanzo Wilder and his family, who live on a large successful farm in New York. In this book, Almanzo is ten years old and is maturing enough to have real responsibility around the farm. Farmer Boy is the book that sets the stage for what life on a large farm is really like. Each chapter is devoted to a different job that must be accomplished from breaking the oxen, to planting the fields, to attending the little school house, to husking corn, to cutting ice blocks. They have been a fantastic way to learn about farm life and what it was really like, which is why this book is a classic.

The Little House books are good, clean, classic literature for children. We can’t wait to start on Little House on the Prairie next!

Filed Under: Homeschooling

Pitter Patter Goes to the Gym

Posted on April 20, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

I followed Pitter Patter into the gym for her gymnastics lesson today. Since next week is her last lesson before summer, I wanted to catch a few quick shots of her friends and her as they did their tumbling. They are all three or four years old, and Mrs. Jessa is very patient and kind with them. She has been a great teacher for Patterson, pulling her out of her shell and getting her to willingly participate. They warm up with a little stretching.

They wait quietly and patiently for their instructions.

And Mrs. Jessa is always close by to help out. Poor little Pitter Patter has her mama’s upper arm strength, which is NOT MUCH! We have worked all year on holding herself up with her own strength. She has improved a lot, but still needs a little help on the parallel bars.

We know we need a break from the crazy busyness of the school year, but we sure do hate to stop gymnastics for the summer. Both of my girls have had a blast this year doing their thing in the gym. It’s amazing how far they have come in a few short months. When we started Patterson was in the Mommy and Me class where I went in with her, and she would not have done it otherwise. Now she has moved up to a bigger class where she does it all by herself. She has LOVED it!

Filed Under: Family, Homeschooling

Happy Saturday

Posted on April 17, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

Big J and I took the girls to the zoo today. It was a cool but gorgeous day in Birmingham – quite a stark contrast to yesterday’s stormy weather. Perfect for hanging out for a little while at the zoo. We got there early enough to check out the sea lion performance.

Of course, sister girl had to take some snacks.

We have a new exhibit that the zoo has been working on for a sweet forever. The grand opening of Trails of Africa isn’t until next weekend, but they had it open today for a sneak peak.

They have two ginormous, stinky elephants.

And some equally stinky rhinos.

And a cool play area where kiddos can play these African drums.

It was a fun day. In other news, we are trying to eat healthier around this house. Tonight I needed a low-calorie dinner, and this one was very yummy. I made a spinach salad with grilled apples, mushrooms, and a balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve never grilled apples before, but grilling them really brings out the sweetness.

I grilled a flounder fillet with Old Bay seasoning and served it with whole grain penne. I used about two tablespoons of spaghetti sauce and garlic powder on the noodles. It was very fresh and filling. And best of all it was only 438 calories for the entire meal.

Hope y’all had a blessed Saturday!

Filed Under: Family, Homeschooling, Recipes, Travels

Where We’ve Been

Posted on April 11, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

We’ve been uncharacteristically silent the last week. We’re still here – just haven’t had a lot going on to blog about. The spring activities are all coming to a close, and so we’re busy preparing for spring music programs, ballet recitals, and attending soccer games. We are busy finishing up our school work and doing some much needed spring chores around the house. Mom and Dad came for a visit this weekend. They spent the night and went to MA’s soccer game on Saturday morning before heading to see my brother’s family. It was good to have them here.

The girls and I are trying to put together some fun outings for this week. We’ll be back later to tell you all about it! Have a great week, everybody!

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Homeschooling

Walk With Me Through Wednesday

Posted on March 31, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill Leave a Comment

This year we have approached our extra-curricular activities a little differently. My girls absolutely love being involved in ballet, gymnastics, soccer, music, church activities, and just about any other kind of lesson or activity you can think of. It is the highlight of their week. So this year, we decided to just go with it. We stacked our schedule, particularly Wednesdays, full of out-of-the-house fun. It has been a lot of fun, but it has also worn us out. By Wednesday night, we are struggling to stay awake in the car long enough to get home and drop into bed. It’s a good tired, though. We are spent, but well-spent. Here’s a look at a typical Wednesday for us:

Since our schedule is well, scheduled, we have to go on no matter how the weather treats us. Yesterday it was yucky, rainy, cold, and gray. But, as they say in the theater, the show must go on.

Our first stop was to Mommy and Me music class, AKA Patti Music. This is probably the highlight of Patterson’s week. She thinks Miss Stephanie, our precious leader, hung the moon. She wakes on Wednesday mornings saying, “I go to Patti music and see Miss Stephanie?”

Although she usually sits quietly and watches in stead of actually singing and participating, she is indeed having the time of her life! Every once in a while, she stops people-watching long enough to actually SMILE!

Patti Music is enough to wear out a little girl, even though it’s only 11:00 am!

And when a girl gets tired, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Patti Music or not! Sometimes you just gotta lie down and take a nap!

While Patterson and I go to music, MA is next door working on her schoolwork. She benefits GREATLY from this quiet time to get her work done. She is free of distractions, and able to accomplish a lot during this time.

After the excitement of Patti Music, we usually find somewhere fun for lunch and scoot over to the library for a quick trip. We return books and check out new ones.

Next up: ballet for Mary Anneliese. This is her second of two ballet classes for the week. She is still at Briarwood Ballet, which we adore. While she is in ballet, Patti and I run errands. Yesterday we hopped over to Whole Foods to look for a particular vitamin that we couldn’t find anywhere else.

We finish in just enough time to run back to Briarwood pick up Bitty and move on to our next stop… the nursing home.

My grandmother has been at the nursing home since last year, when she had a major stroke. It left her unable to do much for herself, and affected her speech, leaving it impossible for us to understand when she needs something. It’s a heart-wrenching decision to put someone you love into a nursing home, but we know she is being better taken care of by a team there than we could do for her at home. The girls and I try to go by and check on her at least twice each week, so we swing by to say hi. She is doing well, but having a sleepy day. (With the weather like it is, I’m having a sleepy day myself!). We chat a minute with her and the nurses to make sure she is doing well.

We dash out of South Haven in just enough time to get MA changed into her second leotard of the day – this time for gymnastics. Again, it is her second gymnastics class of the week. I think she loves gymnastics best of all the activities she is involved in. She has learned so much this year, and has learned to take some risks. She has become good friends with her classmates. One of those classmates is Damaris, whose family owns the Mexican restaurant a few stores down from the gym. We usually eat there multiple times each week, and last night Jonathan was able to meet us for a quick dinner before we need to be at church.

In a few short weeks, we will have the children’s spring musical. A couple of weeks ago kids auditioned for singing and drama parts. Drama practice started last night, so we left Jonathan and Patterson at the restaurant to head to church. We were pleased to find out that MA was given a drama part in the spring musical, and she stayed to practice with the rest of the cast until time for choir.

After getting her settled, I headed over to the mall for a minute to look for Easter dress. I only had time to go into two stores, and I didn’t really find anything I liked. I ran back to the church to pick up MA, giving her a few extra minutes to play in the playground with her friends. We headed home and got there just in time to put both girls to bed – only a little past bedtime.

Whew!

What about you guys that homeschool and/or have busy children? Do you stack your busy-ness into a few days or does it work better for you to spread it out? How much is too much for your family?

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Homeschooling

The Master Gardener

Posted on March 24, 2011 Written by Ashley Mills Hill 1 Comment

Jesus was a great storyteller. I know that He knew He would have followers like me that need pictures and illustrations to deeply understand His teaching. And, you know, the more I work with His creation, the more I understand about Him. It’s by getting my hands into His workmanship that I finally begin to “get” what He’s been trying to say.

The girls and I planted herbs today, and as I worked with them in the dirt, I began to ponder Jesus’ passage about being the Gardener.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15)

Working with plants today was a reminder that we are God’s dearly loved children, and as such, we have a loving Father who prunes away all that does not honor Him. Hallelujah! Who wants that stuff in our lives anyway! Just as I had to tend the soil, plant the plants, and now I’ll have to water them and baby them through the frost and scorching sun, God has to tend to me as well. It takes time and effort to get herbs to grow into plants that are fit for cooking, just as it takes Him time and effort to mold me into something useful for His purposes. As long as my herbs stay connected to me, and as long as I remain in Him, we will both receive what we need to be more fruitful. And just as I will continue to nurture my herbs, He will be faithful to continue pruning me – for HIS glory. It’s painful and it’s not always fun, but the result is a life more suited to accomplishing His purposes in a lost and hurting world.

Have you been fighting Jesus on pruning something out of your life? An attitude, perhaps? Maybe an expectation of how things “should” be? Are you fighting so strongly to hold on to material things that He can’t use you for His purposes? Will You allow Him today to chip that away? His work is LIFE to people who need Him, and He wants your participation. Will you yield to His pruning?

Continue Your work in me, my Master Gardener!