Greyhaired Family Update

Because I know you've been thinking about us non stop, I thought I'd relieve your burdened minds!  Heh, heh, heh...  Greyhaired Family Roll Call... Ready?  Go!

Motorman:  Flying like crazy.  Well, not crazy.  Just busy.  Crazy would be having to eject out of his jet.  Heh, heh, heh...  {ahem} Teaching lots of classes, and young "kids" to fly has caused my Marine to flourish.  He is so happy with his job, and we're happy that we get to see him frequently.  And no deployments on the horizon?  Icing on the cake!

(He's handsome as all get out, isn't he?  Swoon!)

He's also been busy filling our home with custom painted plastic soldiers.  And making molds to make his own soldiers.  And making forts, batteries, weapons, and other stuff I don't even know the names of for said soldiers.

CraftyGirl:  Finished her 3rd grade year as a homeschooler with flying colors.

Continues to crank out amazingly creative craft projects.  Has made and sold some fingerless gloves as well as hats.  Not to mention all the lemonade our neighbors are getting to drink -- after they pay for it, of course.  I think we need to teach CraftyGirl to spell "entrepreneur!"  She's creeping up on her 9th birthday, and each day is showing us how she's becoming more responsible, helpful, and generous.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with her desire to show us she'd be a responsible hamster owner!

TheBoy:  If growing were a sport, this kid would be an Olympic gold medalist!  We cannot believe how big this boy has gotten.

He has successfully completed his 1st grade year and is reading and figuring like a champ.  His interests range from Star Wars Legos to Pharaoh's Quest  Legos to military soldiers to military tanks back to Legos... You get the picture.  And speaking of pictures, TheBoy cranks out amazing drawings.  Usually of Star Wars, Ancient Egypt, tanks, soldiers... I'm seeing a recurrent theme here...

Greyhaired Momma:  (That's me!!)  Now that our school year has officially ended, I expect to catch up on all that couch sitting and bon-bon eating I missed out on during the previous part of the year.
Yes?
No?
Oh.  Okay.
I continue to set up a booth at our local Farmer's Market to sell my photography.  I am amazed at the blessing that pours forth when I share my heart for finding God in His creation.

I have also continued to eat Clean and to run.  I just finished my third 5K of the year and I think I've caught the running bug.

I've registered to run my first 10K.
This summer.
Away from home.
In a much more mountainous region than I have been training in.
Altitude?  That's gonna make training fun!  For most of my runs, I am blessed to run along the Gulf of Mexico.  At about .5 feet elevation.  Where I'm going?  Yeah... It's like 2,600 ft.  Huff and puff, baby!  Huff and puff!  And, that's not even the crazy thing.  Wanna hear what's crazy?  I've been throwing around "half marathon" like I might, one day (soon), be taking it on.  Woot!

We thank you for keeping up with us.  I'll try to do better about keeping the blog updated.
Now that I have all this free time to couch sit and eat bon bons, that is!!

Testament to Mercy

Yesterday, we saw Divine intervention firsthand.

We saw the unbelievable, the inconceivable, the unfathomable happen.

A freak accident that could have been tragic...

Wasn't.

Praise the Lord, Oh my soul, Praise the Lord!

Happy 7th Birthday, Buddy!

Dearest son,

Happy 7th Birthday, Big Guy!

I know I say it each year, but you have grown so quickly!!  I know I tease you frequently about being disobedient since I tell you to stop growing up and you just don't do it, but as your Momma, it is bittersweet to watch you grow into the boy you've become.  Where did my little boy go? 

You are a blessing to our family, and you complete us.  You are funny and passionate.  A boy who thinks outside the box, knows what he wants and what he likes, and isn't afraid to be loving to those around him.  We love watching you draw your amazing pictures, create things out of Legos, and play with your military soldiers.  We love, even more, watching you share and live the Word of God!  

We look forward to watching you grow and seeing the plans that God has for you.  We are blessed to be your family, and we love you!


Loving you always,
Momma, Daddy, and Sissy

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."  1 Samuel 1:27

TOS Review: CapJaxMathFax

We recently had the opportunity to review another homeschooling product as part of The Old Schoolhouse's Review Crew.

This time, it was CapJaxMathFax and I was very excited to have a computer "game" for the kids to try.  One of my children is usually Math reluctant, and so I was excited to have something to encourage her to master those facts!

From the website:

CapJaxMathFax™ system has controls that allow small-step goal-setting so progress is evident and guaranteed. Take a look at our PDF flyer CapJaxMathFax At A Glance

1. Uses a computer to provide drill and practice so that practice time is not limited by teacher availability.
2. Automatically generates exercises. Teachers don't prepare quizzes. They merely provide the parameters for them.
3. Builds exercises for any of the four math tables (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) or any combination of tables.
4. Guarantees student success by taking small steps through levels of 
   difficulty.
5. Can focus practice at a single level of difficulty or may review earlier levels.
6. Randomly generates problems without repetition.
7. Allows variable numbers of problems in an exercise.
8. Reduces learner stress by timing facts individually.
9. Provides immediate positive feedback for correct answers.
10. Provides extra reinforcement for fast, correct answers.
11. Displays an overall performance report at the conclusion of each exercise.
12. Prints reports for teacher review and for use as certificates of achievement.
13. Displays and prints item diagnostic details.
14. Uses a rating system that allows students to keep personal scores and 
    set goals.
15. Charts student rating progress graphically.
16. Maintains a database of student activity over time.

Our Experience:

Unfortunately, CapJaxMathFax was not a hit in our home.  From the first time we played the games to the last, it was a challenge to get my kids to play again.  One frustration was that the feedback noise for a correct answer is actually the noise our Mac uses when you've mis-keyed.  So, in other words, though my children were, in fact, answering correctly, the sound was telling them they were answering incorrectly.

Another thing we disliked was the overly busy screen (see top image), which we found difficult for a child to navigate.  While I think the kids would be able to navigate all the buttons and options over time, they didn't want to take the time to learn.  As one child stated, "I don't even know where to look to begin!"  Add that to the fact that the screen didn't fully enlarge to fill our computer monitor, and it was very discouraging.  Though there are lots of colors and font shapes/sizes, the kids found the graphics very basic and lost interest in them quickly.   

As their teacher, I did really like how I could set the parameters of the game.  From which facts they'd be quizzed on (all four are options:  addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), to the time allowed to answer, to the number of facts to answer.  It was great to be able to take time for a longer game, or to sneak in a game in a shorter time span.  

Despite the fact that this program didn't work for our family, I do believe it would be helpful in a family with a child who is easily distracted by other online games with fancy webpages, story lines, etc.   It's definitely worth trying out the Free Trial to see if it would work for your family!

The Nitty Gritty:

Website:  CapJaxMathFax

Age Range:  Any age who needs to work on math fact mastery

Price:  $29.95, with Merit Badges being an additional $4.00

FREE TRIAL!!

Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.  

C'mon Over!

Many of you know that I've been dabbling in photography for about 2 years.  


Some of those photos became gifts for friends and family.  

And then I felt that God was asking me to do more with my photography.  Specifically sell it at the Farmer's Market, giving Him all the glory for the majesty captured within those shots.  


And I've had a lot of fun.  And a lot of chances to talk to people.  And, I've sold some things, too.

Many people asked me where they could see more of my work.  
And so, without further ado...

Annie Grey Photography Website

Peruse around on the website.  Leave me a comment.  
I can also be found on Facebook.


Looks like He has bigger plans than I'd even dreamed of!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord.  "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11