This is Anna’s last drawing of the decade that just ended.  She has progressed so much.  She is ready for college.  But she thinks that she needs a little bit of rest when she finishes in May 2020.  Yes, she is a senior and Joyful Christian Homeschool’s only student is about to finish her homeschooling.

This next semester will be her last one.  It is bittersweet because all the wonderful school experiences are about to end.  We are in the beginning of finding out how will we get her ready for college.  But because of her decision to have a year break, we will have a little bit of time to get her ready for that.

There is a transcription to work on; we are planning on getting her a car but she has to get her driving license first.  So there are lots of plans and stuff to do before the college years.  So life is about to change for Anna as well.  She will soon be a young adult and she has to start “adulting”.  But until that time comes; let’s just enjoy the last semester of high homeschooling.

May God guide us during the last stretch of this wonderful journey!

Have a blessed 2020!

Anna already started her 11th grade with Monarch.  We already love it.  It is so convenient.  I only have to check in the afternoons if there is some grading of an essay or writing and it usually doesn’t take me more than 20 minutes if there is some grading to do.  If not, I just check it and go on with my life.  Whoooaaa!  I wish I would’ve done this before.

Anna does her assigned classes in less time and then dedicates her rest of the day to do what she really enjoys: drawing.  The above illustration is an old drawing that I found in my computer.  Now her drawings are more detailed and elaborate.  She will be quite the artist.  I’m very proud of her.

Well, I will update with any other development that arrives.  God Bless You and your homeschooling year!

Well, we are in the middle of our summer break.  We have been enjoying this summer as much as we can.  But the truth is that I was working summer school and Anna was completing her 10 grade taking her sweet ol’ time.  We went to Dallas to watch a Dan and Phil show.  (We really enjoyed that, thank you!)

But this month we decide to change our homeschool curriculum.  Well, it’s not much of a change.  We have been using AOL Lifepacs for many years now.  But last year I was considering to use Monarch because of the monthly payment convenience.  Little did I know is that Monarch is actually Switched On Line which is the Lifepacs but made electronically.

I remember using Switched On Line when Anna was in Fourth Grade and I liked it very much.  It has the same curriculum and lesson plans than the Lifepacs and it’s very user friendly.  Well, we are right now taking advantage of the 30 day free Monarch subscription and we already love it.

We are definitely using it this year because it makes Anna more accountable for her work.  It’s less work for me as a teacher.  It grades almost all her work; it schedules her classes and we can reschedule them as many times we need for our convenience. If a parent has multiple students, the curriculum is available for all grade levels at the same time but individually for each student.   It is very convenient.  And the monthly payment is low.

It’s definitely what we need while we move to our new home.  (Yes, we are buying a house!!!)  And all the other good things that are happening.  God is good!

But I strongly recommend to make the homeschool change that is more convenient for you and your family.  Well, until next time and keep up the good work!

God Bless!!

Yesterday November 23 we celebrated Thanksgiving and also Anna’s 15th birthday.  It really was a day to be thankful.  First, it was the first time that we cooked a turkey by ourselves.  We have always eaten turkeys done by other people: my mother, my sisters, my cousins or as guests in other houses.

Well, this year we wanted something different even if it meant doing the same thing we do every year.  Our tradition has always been to help my mom while the turkey is being cooked in the oven and also watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.  After the parade or while it’s still going we also put up the Christmas tree.  We did the same thing but the difference was that we cooked the turkey.  

It was a new experience in an old tradition.  We also invited a neighbor who was going to spend Thanksgiving without any relatives so we invited her to be a part of our festivities.  She had never tasted the “Puertorrican” seasoning in her food so it was going to be interesting for her.  The result: she loved it!  She specially enjoyed the turkey stuffing done with ground beef with sweet potatoes.  Oh yeah!  It was surprising, even for me, how delicious everything turned out.

Anna’s 15th birthday didn’t turn out being a huge party with expensive dresses in the way they celebrate in Puerto Rico.  It was a special day with loved ones and a new friend.  We ate and had a great day.  She also liked all the greetings she received in her FB page. She received calls from our loved ones who live far away.  It was blessed.

And we are thankful to God for adding another year to our lives.  He has blessed us in every way and in every trial that comes to our lives.  He is good and wonderful.  We are blessed to enjoy His mercies everyday.  Here is to the new Christmas season 2017!

Illustration by Anna Lorraine ^_^

Road trips…done!  First we went to Austin, TX to see that “Zelda” concert.  It was beautiful and exciting at the same time.  The experience staying at a Budget Inn was a whole different story though, but I’ll leave that for the booking.com review 😉 .

Our road trip to Orlando, FL was an exciting adventure.  First, because we took Midna & Kuro with us.  They behaved wonderfully during the long car drives; Kuro slept most of the time but Midna got bored easily and started meowing so she could get out of her pet carrier and look through the windows.  Sometimes Anna would obliged but other times Midna had to stay put in the midst of her meowing protests, of course.

We were blessed to have visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom as guests; meaning… we didn’t have to pay for the parking or entrance to the parks.  We went as guests of a Disney employee.  Total blessing!  Even with the heat and heavy crowds, we had a good time.  We rested, ate, played, went on rides, visited friends and family.  It was a good time for sharing, looking, living, laughing and loving life.  Road trips should be a must in all families, large or small, rich or poor….time to be with the ones you love and experiencing life.

Now that we are home again, we are getting ready for the first semester of Anna’s 10th grade.  Books are ready, school calendar is set to start August 7.  She will be taking 6 classes which will include 2 electives: Bible & Basic Japanese.  Yes, Japanese!  A great language to learn if you are an anime fan ❤ ❤ !

We are thankful to God that He has protected us, blessed us immeasurably this summer.  We are looking forward for what He has in store for us in this new school year.  Keep the good homeschool work for your loved ones.  Explore your children’s talents, let them enjoy learning about life and that will help them enjoy learning about the academics.  It’s a labor of faith and love.

Cheers for a blessed new school year 2017-2018!  Happy Homeschooling!

Hey there!  Summer vacation is just here and we are going to enjoy it as much as we can.  Last year, we went to Austin, TX.  This year we are going to Austin again to witness a concert featuring the music of “The Legend of Zelda”.   That concert is happening on July 7, 2017.

After that small road trip, we are taking a longer road trip; this time, to Orlando Florida.  It’s the first time that we will venture to do such a long journey but we pray that God is our pilot plus we already mapped it out.  Kuro and Midna will be joining us in the adventure of a lifetime when we travel for three consecutive days passing through many Southern states and staying in hotels down at Mississippi and Tallahassee until we reach our final destination in Orlando.

So, we pray that this is going to be a fun time for every happy homeschooler and for us too.  Enjoy your summer.  Updates of our adventures will be posted soon.  God Bless!

Just wanted to share some of the art that Anna has been posting lately on Deviant art and Facebook.  We already have talked about her going to study at college in Tyler when she graduates from homeschooling.  Of course, she wants to study what she really loves: art, drawing and computers.  It’s a good thing that I already found out that Tyler Junior College accepts homeschooling students.

She has shown progress in just 2 1/2 years of drawing:

As you can see this is the same action scene recreated.  The same characters doing the same thing but the style has obviously improved a lot.  It helps to have better software too.  Another comparison:

Same characters, same scene: different style and undoubtedly a huge improvement in talent.  Yes, you can be born with talent but it’s your responsibility to better it and make it grow.

We have to motivate our students to continue working in what they do best.  We can’t tell them that they won’t be able to live on their God-given talent.  It’s not right to tell them that they can’t live on making music or drawing.  We don’t know why God gave them the talent or what plans He has on them.  But God gives talents because He has a purpose for everything.  It is our duty & responsibility to encourage our children to improve and work on those talents.

The worst mistake that we can do for our kids is to kill the motivation with what we think is best for our children.  Maybe other secular potential jobs may be good for us; but the path for our kids is most likely a different one.  It all starts with searching for talents.  I have been lucky to have found my daughter’s so early in life.

What talent does your child have?  Start right there!!

Our whole family wishes for you a wonderful New Year homeschooling and learning about life and love.  2016 was a good year and we believe that 2017 will be better.  There are many plans for this new semester.  We still want to make another road trip and other field trips as part of learning.  So we’ll keep you posted on what’s going on and may God bless you in everything that you and your family do.

Happy New Year 2017!

So while Summer heats our lives; we have been doing some stuff.  On June 10 we went on a field trip to Austin, TX.  How much kids can enjoy the road trips!  It took us a little more than 3 hours to get there.  We visited the city but the day was so hot that it was pretty hard to walk around.  We just wanted to stay in the car.

But our destination was the University of Texas in Austin.  There was going to be a presentation called: Dan & Phil’s The Amazing Tour is not on Fire or something like that.  You can imagine that it was all intended for young girls; not for old ladies like me.

But kids today enjoy their YouTube heroes.  Long were the days when we youngsters in the 80’s just wanted to go to a rock concert with our long haired guitar heroes, LOL!

I have to say that I enjoyed the show; it cracked me up a few times.  But the only bad part of the evening was the girls screaming.  Oh dear Lord!  I spent almost the whole show with my hands covering my ears.  It’s amazing how laryngitis never affects young girls when they see their favorite celebrities.

The next day my ears were still ringing from the experience.  But we did have fun and it was something our of the ordinary.

A few days after our field trip, Anna went to a Summer Camp at Lakewood Camp Center in Waxahachie, TX.  These kind of experiences help homeschoolers socialize with different kids seeking their breakthrough with God.  There she witnessed healings in the services; participated in Bible studies & games.  She experienced diversity for four days & nights.  It was good.

So now we approach July and I’m studying like crazy to take the Special Education TeXes test.  Anna continues finishing her Eighth Grade; remembering that she started a little late because of the moving and the withdrawal from the charter school.  But she’s doing good.

One of the advantages of homeschooling is that we are not restricted to school calendars. God willing, this weekend of July 4 we will enjoy the Plunge Party with fireworks at church.  Sounds like fun!  So enjoy with your kids this Independence Day weekend.  And may God Bless America and his children!

So we are in Spring and we have seen a lot of new flowers and the new leaves on the trees.  It’s beautiful and colorful; even besides the expressways and highways, people gather in the flower beds to take selfies or just enjoy the view.

It’s also the time to look for the next year’s homeschool curriculum.  The special prices which includes 20% off the regular prices of books are on the market now.  Also remember to schedule a homeschool trip to the zoo or a museum.  Probably most homeschoolers are finishing or in the middle of their second semester.  Not us, we are still on the first semester because the moving to TX got us a little behind.  But we’re still good.

One of the things that we like about homeschooling is the flexibility and the enjoyment of ourselves as a family.  It’s never a burden, we love what we do and how we do it.  We learn while we enjoy learning.  Time to also have a science fair or a field day.  Living in TX, we could study a little bit more of how do tornadoes form, interesting right?

Enjoy the season and keep learning with fun!