Book of Mormon Lapbook - lesson 3

The 3rd lesson mini book is now up on the web. I am storing these on my website for the AZ LDS Homeschool Association to make it simple for me. Sam and I are really having fun making these for kids. Marly and Chris are getting into it too. I'll post some pictures next time.

Book of Mormon Lapbook - Lesson 3 - Obtaining the Brass Plates

New Homeschool Website Launch

I am officially launching my newest project - Arizona LDS Homeschool Association!This has been a very big project, but I was able to find some inexpensive ways to host and launch the site. I decided to go with Google Apps as my hosting service...which is FREE! It is a lot like using Blogspot in that it is very user friendly. My only real cost was purchasing the Domain name, which I use 1 and 1 as it is cheaper than Google.

If you have ever wanted to have a website, this is a fantastic way to do it! I highly recommend it!

LapBooking - the FUN way to Learn!

I heard about LapBooking a few months ago, but had no clue what it was. Someone suggested it recently for one of my "hands-on" learners. I looked into it and we decided to start with a pre-made master for the Old Testament from Homeschool In The Woods.

It did not go exactly as I planned. Chris, my hands-on learner, hated the idea and Marly would rather read books than cut out paper. The one who latched onto the project first was actually Sam who is 16. Now my other two are interested in doing it after seeing the finished project. Isn't it nice looking!

Sam liked it so much that she and I are working on creating our own LapBook for the Book of Mormon. We decided to follow the Primary 4 lesson plans for each mini-book, which is easily found on the www.lds.org website. Our plans are for 3 LapBooks since there is so much information to cover! This would make a great Family Home Evening project.

Our first mini-book is: Nephi follows his father, the prophet.

www.somekidsclub.com Website

I know I post a lot, so thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read through my blog. Today, I wanted to share a special website developed by a true prodigy - my 11 year old son - Chris. He developed this website on his own and is currently learning how to make games with a program called "Game Maker". This little guy is "Megaman" one of Chris' characters.

www.somekidsclub.com

I'm sure his talents will continue to grow as he discovers new aspects to his talents. He constantly wears me out with questions about websites, databases, animation, and tons of things that I do not know how to do! I am still teaching myself...with him right there pushing for more knowledge. I don't know how much longer I can keep ahead of him.

Financial Peace - Becoming Debt Free!

We first learned about a book called "Financial Peace" by Dave Ramsey in 1999. We worked hard towards the concepts in this book, but soon headed back to the normal American lifestyle of borrowing money to own cars, buying Christmas partially on credit, and making minimum payments on everything we owe (student loans, house, cars, etc.).

But NO MORE! - Our new goals this year are to follow Dave Ramsey's newest ideas from "The Total Money Makeover". So, if you see our vehicles for sale, we are not destitute...just unloading unnecessary payments so that we can become DEBT FREE!

We are following the "Baby Steps"...join us and follow the First Presidency's advice from the "Family Finances Guide" to:

"... prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from this bondage. Save a little money regularly to gradually build a financial reserve.

If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts."

Provident Living suggests the same concepts that Dave Ramsey teaches:

• Avoid debt
• Use a budget
• Build a reserve

This has been a hard decision for us to make to get rid of vehicles that are newer for older PAID FOR models and to avoid unnecessary spending. We know this is the right thing to do in order to follow our Prophet's counsel.

~~Celeste~~

New Year Resolutions

Like most people, I like to make New Year resolutions that are soon forgotten by, well,...probably February. ;-)

This year I plan to:

1. Lose weight - goal to lose 30 lbs.
   
2. Study my scriptures more (not just read).
3. Launch Top 3 Emergency Preparedness Needs website.
   
4. Develop an Arizona LDS Home School Association website.
   
5. Finish my 2nd associates degree.
6. Transfer to ASU East for bachelor's degree.
7. Stop growing gray hair (impossible I know, but still a dream goal).

I do not want to burden myself with too many goals, so these are the main ones to focus on for myself this year. All except the last one are achievable, but I like to put one "dream" goal out there anyway.

Happy New Year!

"The Homeschool Family" video

I love this video made by Tim Hawkins. His website has some other funny clips of his comedy act so check those out too.

"The Homeschool Family" video