The End Of 2013!

Without sounding like I am rushing things..

I am glad to see this year come and go. 

Here is a little rundown of the end of this year for the Jacksons!

I watched my kids grow closer to their dad and there is

nothing better than that.  There is something special about

the bond between a father and a son - or sons!

We took random driving trips on some school days just to 

get away and see something new.  This picture was taken at the overlook

of Rockwood, TN.  The kids loved it!  They have no fear.

Halloween 2013 was one of the nastiest days of the year weather wise.

Most activities were cancelled and we ended up just staying at home.

They still got to dress up.. but of course, I forgot to take pictures.  

We began studying money and finances so one of 

our homeschool trips was to Ace's favorite place - 

The Waffle House!  The boys had to purchase and pay 

with the money we had already discussed.  They had

to learn a lesson in "you get what you earn and cannot

spend what you do not have!"  

And, I have to brag on this little man growing up

fast on me! Blaze will be turning 10 in a few days and

I couldn't be more proud of the man he seems to be

becoming.  He is currently learning to write in cursive too! 

We have been talking alot about what 2014 will bring for our family.

My husband has not had the best year career wise and we

are not sure where that will lead us next, but we are

just learning to live life day by day and enjoy the little moments

that we are starting to realize are actually what life is all about! 

The "blizzard" of 2013

Please try not to laugh.. 

This year, we wanted to focus on starting traditions.  We decided

that the night before Christmas Eve, DJ will leave a present out

in a small stocking for the three people in his life.  I'm always open

to getting another present!  We also decided to give them a few

things early because we were stuck inside the house with a stomach bug

that, by the way, was horrible this year, and they were getting really

bored quick.  They loved waking up to find these things at their door!

To say that this Winter's weather has been crazy is an understatement.

The Saturday before Christmas, we had to stay up all night long because of this wonderful storm that caught us off guard.  That day, the tempature went up 20 

degrees to 57!  The next day, it was 28!!  The storms came and went quick, but we did end up with no electricity and two scared little boys for a few hours.

I am glad that the holidays are over and that life can hopefully get back to a somewhat normal routine.  We will be back to doing school work on Monday, Jan 6th and in the meantime, we will be making some big family decisions and taking steps to ensure we have a bright future ahead.  My wish

for 2014 is that my family is happy, healthy, and know they are loved.  

Merry Christmas to all of you from DJ, Ashley, Blaze, and Ace!

...And A Happy New Year!! :) 

We Are Under Construction!

I may be back to the blogging world but...

please give me a little time and check back

for updates and new posts.

I will post some of them back at their original date..

so some you may think you have seen but have not! 

The first posts will be about homeschooling -

and then I will get caught up on the rest.

Thanks!! 

Our Homeschool Room Is Finally Ready!

We moved in just a few short weeks ago, but it was the first room that we needed to complete (minus paint and a few remodel touches!)

This is the before: It's a kitchen nook/ breakfast area

And Here is the After! We still plan to do some added touches, maybe even 

chalkboard walls or some funky color and a new fan with more colorful blades.

I love that my husband hung the flag first thing! And yes, we have Ten Commandments

on the wall which I think is also important.

Because we do our work in here but also in alot of other areas, I decided not to

do traditional desks and instead go with lapdesks and this coffee table doubled as a seating area.

The blue things underneath were purchased at Walmart along with the coffee table.

Most of my posters are from the Dollar Tree or a local store called School Daze.

The desk was a gift from my mother in law and the chair I had before so not much cost here either. 

We chose to hang art from a laundry line.

I added a water fountain and small light to bring comfort and quiet to the room as needed.

Above is my teaching area.  I will need a bigger or second board before too long.

The blue bins are their "lockers" and the black bin is for completed work.

It was a very exciting and new process for me to put this room together.  It was a long time coming as we had moved around alot and were not able to have a room.  Since we are not sure whether our landlord will want to sale, we have made no attempt to paint here ... honestly, this is the only room we have done.

I knew that it was important for them to have this space and I am glad we did it - and under $500 at that.  I didn't add up everything as I went because it was a year to year process but if I was guessing I would say I spent about $150 of my own money doing this room with most items being used or from local discount stores.  It turned out great and I am very pleased! But now that means I have the rest of the house left!!

Stay Tuned I Guess! ;)

Surprise!!!

Dear Readers,

The last time that I posted on this blog was in November of 2012.  To say that we have gone through alot of changes is an understatement.  I wasn't sure if I would come back here or start over, but let's face it, this is my home.  I love to write and will always be a writer whether I like it or not.  There have been so many times where I wrote something here and then thought "God, is this really supposed to be out there for all to see?" but in the end, I think each of us needs to heal from something and we heal in all different ways - for me, it is writing.  My book is at a stand still to say the least and writer's block frustrated me to the point where I was ready to give up, but God clearly had other plans.

It will take me some time, but I will get this blog caught back up and I will be adding my other blog about homeschooling to this one as well.   Yes, for those of you who don't already know, we have ventured into the new world of homeschooling.

  Alot of people have come to me for advice and it is a huge part of my day to day life so it will be a big part of this blog - You will notice that I have updated this blog before this post with all of the current homeschool blog posts from my previous website.  Although this is the first official post here, there are ten or more blog posts I have moved over before this one so be sure to check them all out!

  I love that I blogged alot of my life and I think it's important to get back to that.  So, here I am! :)

For now, I leave you with only this.. an adorable photo of my boys all grown up.  Blaze is almost 10 and Ace is 7.  They are in 2nd and 4th grade, at home of course.  I will be turning 30 this year and DJ and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage! Be back soon to tell you guys all the details of life from then to now! 

Organization Is Key In The Homeschool World...

I will make this short and sweet because:
 a) i'm exhausted
 b) it's hot and
 c) my kids are currently covered head to toe in mud.

 I am working on a new homeschool room.. and no, I cant share yet because of the move and such but promise to very soon so I thought it would be nice to post some other ideas I have come across along the way:

The best organization tips Ive found so far I found here - http://organizedhome.com/family/ties/homeschool-storage-strategies


Some of the best rooms Ive found so far I found here - 
http://www.houzz.com/Homeschool-room/


And somehow I ran across this lady's YouTube channel and couldn't get enough of her adorable classroom fit for all of her growing kids - 
Homeschool Room - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQe_0-trKqI


So far the tips that seem to stick out the most are color coding instead of labeling everything by name and using unordinary "school room" items like dishpans and shoe boxes for your school instead of the normal everyday items you would find in an actual classroom.  Hope this helps some of you stocking, finishing, or just getting started on that new homeschool classroom you have been dreaming of!