May 17, 2012

The post Wordless Wednesday-The Graduate appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Jordan 12 mos

In the fall of 1996 when we began our homeschool journey with 3yr old Aaron and pre-k, Jordan was just 15 months old. Back then when asked how long I would homeschool my answer was always, “As long as God tells me to.” Here we are 16 school years later and my 16yo “baby” graduates tonight with 6 other homeschoolers from our umbrella school, Hope Presbyterian School.

It has been a long, fulfilling, fun and sometimes difficult road but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” That mandate to train up my children is one I have never taken lightly. Now that my children are older and more independent it is amazing to watch them be the thoughtful, helpful caring young men we have raised them to be.

One thing you learn when you homeschool more than one child is that every child is different. They learn differently, they have different strengths and weaknesses and different likes and dislikes. One joy of homeschooling is tailoring my child’s education to fit their needs.

Jordan age 16

Homeschooling Jordan aka “The Goof” has been a fun ride. I think one of his goals is to make everyone he comes in contact with, laugh. He has always been a gentle, caring, fun-loving child and he has become a gentle, caring, fun-loving young man. Outside of the classroom he volunteers as a Junior Bible Quiz coach, assistant Children’s Pastor and as a chat host for LightforceRadio.com. He is truly a servant leader who doesn’t seek the spotlight, though it often finds him.

In the fall Jordan will be attending State College of Florida majoring in Business Management. His love for automobiles has led him to want to manage, and some day own a Ford dealership. He will continue his volunteer efforts at church and in the community bringing the Light of Christ with him wherever he goes.

Jordan, I am proud to be your mom. Congratulations on your high school graduation.

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The post Almost Wordless Wednesday-Graduation appeared first on The Mom Maven.

When I went away to college I moved in with two girls I had never met before. We had a good size triple room but I did not fit in at all with the other 2 girls. I had an 8am class, they came in most mornings at 3am after partying all night and slept until noon. I thrived at campus activities, mixers and club meetings…they partied. It was not a match made in heaven. Sears has created CampusReady on Facebook a set of apps aimed at getting to know your roomate, decorating your dorm room and going back to school in style.

There are 3 parts to Campus Ready: RoomMate Matchup, Dorm Room Designer and Gift Getter. RoomMate Matchup is a great tool to see how compatible you and your roommate will be. It is a quiz that explores your likes and dislikes. This is a great way to start communicating with the stranger you will be rooming with. Once you get to know each other Dorm Room Designer helps you design your room before you step on campus. Last, but most importantly Gift Getter is a gift registry for decking out your dorm room and going back to school in style. Just will out your wishlist and share it with your friends and relatives and (hopefully) the gifts will start rolling in.

The post Sears CampusReady appeared first on The Mom Maven.

In talking to my friends I have realized that no one is helping them choose the right college for their child. Even those in public schools with “guidence counselors” aren’t getting the support and information they need to make one of the most important and expensive decisions in their lives so far.

I have been doing some research and I have found some interesting online resources. Over the next few months I will be sharing them with you. I have not received anything from these sites though some of them have asked me to talk about them on my blog.  Some of these sites may see each other as a “competitor” but every family has different needs and different questions about preparing for and choosing a college. I am doing this as a service to you, my readers.

I hope you will find this series of articles helpful and please feel free to share them with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, StumbleUpon, Propeller, Digg and any other way you like to share great information.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Older Teens is here to help with a variety of all new stories about real-life from teens dealing with regrets and lessons learned, self-image and self-acceptance, family relationships and more. As part of the all new Chicken Soup for the Soul ® teen series, it is specifically designed with high school students in mind. With topics ranging from “Not Like in the Movies” to “A Hard Lesson,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School inspires and supports teen readers as they struggle with fitting in, finding friends and whatever else comes with the high school years. It also helps parents prepare conversations with their children, on everything from divorce, to illness and death, dating and sex.

Inside Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School, you’ll also read about:

• How Michelle Vanderwist survived the emotional abuse from her boyfriend
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• How Bryonna Garcia deals with being a teen parent

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* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
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