birthday presents

My daughter will have her birthday this week, turning 13! It's unbelievable to me. Here are ten things she wants:

1. money

2. guitar hero

3. a wii to play gh on

4. phantom of the opera tickets

5. her cell phone bill to be paid for by her dad

6. remove the texting limits

7. a party with all her friends

8. pizza

9. oreo pie

10. to finally be a teenager!

lapbooking

Last year I discovered a great new way to utilize projects in our homeschool. It is called lapbooking. I often refer to it as project folders. Here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. used for any age

2. used for any subject

3. cheap

4. student works independently

5. comprehensive learning over specific unit

6. a way to mark what is/has been learned

7. easy reference for review

8. fun

9. many ideas can be found online

10. easy to store

church retreat

We leave for our annual church retreat tomorrow. It is always over Easter weekend and is a great time of spiritual renewal for all involved. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. seeing old friends

2. spending time working together with old friends

3. making new memories

4. shopping and organizing the food for camp

5. staying in the cook's cabin

6. the beauty of the camp

7. the intense lessons

8. seeing the kids learn the lessons

9. listening to the kid's perceptions of the lessons

10. hoping that the camp's lessons cause growth for the kids involved

Down Days

On days like today when I feel beaten down, I just need a random list of ten things which I can be thankful for. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. husband

2. children

3. health

4. safety

5. house

6. cars

7. friends

8. sunshine

9. "this too shall pass"

10. Jesus