I love my family!

 

Are a Right Brain or a Left Brain Thinker?

Cognitive-Style Quiz

Choose the one sentence that is more true. Do not leave any blanks.

1. A ) It's fun to take risks.
   B ) I have fun without taking risks.
2. A ) I look for new ways to do old jobs.
   B ) When one way works well, I don't change it.
3. A ) I begin many jobs that I never finish.
   B ) I finish a job before starting a new one.
4. A ) I'm not very imaginative in my work.
   B ) I use my imagination in everything I do.
5. A ) I can analyze what is going to happen next.
   B ) I can sense what is going to happen next.
6. A ) I try to find the one best way to solve a problem.
   B ) I try to find different answers to problems.
7. A ) My thinking is like pictures going through my head.
   B ) My thinking is like words going through my head.
8. A ) I agree with new ideas before other people do.
   B ) I question new ideas more than other people do.
9. A ) Other people don't understand how I organize things.
   B ) Other people think I organize well.
10. A ) I have good self-discipline.
    B ) I usually act on my feelings.
11. A ) I plan time for doing my work.
    B ) I don't think about the time when I work.
12. A ) With a hard decision, I choose what I know is right.
    B ) With a hard decision, I choose what I feel is right.
13. A ) I do easy things first and important things later.
    B ) I do the important things first and the easy things later.
14. A ) Sometimes in a new situation, I have too many ideas.
    B ) Sometimes in a new situation, I don't have any ideas.
15. A ) I have to have a lot of change and variety in my life.
    B ) I have to have an orderly and well-planned life.
16. A ) I know I'm right, because I have good reasons.
    B ) I know I'm right, even without good reasons.
17. A ) I spread my work evenly over the time I have.
    B ) I prefer to do my work at the last minute.
18. A ) I keep everything in a particular place.
    B ) Where I keep things depends on what I'm doing.
19. A ) I have to make my own plans.
    B ) I can follow anyone's plans.
20. A ) I am a very flexible and unpredictable person.
    B ) I am a consistent and stable person.
21. A ) With a new task, I want to find my own way of doing it.
    B ) With a new task, I want to be told the best way to it.

To Score

1. Give yourself one point for each time you answered "A" for questions: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21.
2. Give yourself one point for each time you answered "B" for questions: 4 ,5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18.
3. Add all points. Totals imply:
   0-4: strong left brain
   5-8: moderate left brain
   9-13: middle brain
   14-16: moderate right brain
   17-21: strong right brain

Which side is Your Dominant Side?

 

     

 Left-Brained and Right-Brained Characteristics

 

 

 

LEFT (Analytic)	RIGHT (Global)
Successive Hemispheric Style	Simultaneous Hemispheric Style
1. Verbal	1. Visual
2. Responds to word meaning	2. Responds to tone of voice
3. Sequential	3. Random
4. Processes information linearly	4. Processes information in varied order
5. Responds to logic	5. Responds to emotion
6. Plans ahead	6. Impulsive
7. Recalls people's names	7. Recalls people's faces
8. Speaks with few gestures	8. Gestures when speaking
9. Punctual	9. Less punctual
10. Prefers formal study design	10. Prefers sound/music background while studying
11. Prefers bright lights while studying	11. Prefers frequent mobility while studying

 
 

Which Type of Learner Are You ?

 

Patterns of Light by Elder Bednar

This is such a good explanation of how personal revelation works in our lives.  I know that if we listen to the promptings of the Spirit our lives will be enriched, and we will be able to reach all the potential Heavenly Father wants us to reach. We will have love and joy and peace despite what life might throw at us.

 

(Part One)
http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=1737858982001
 

Patterns of Light: The Light of Christ (2:33) | Mormon Messages

What is light? In this three part series, Elder David A. Bednar discusses how we receive and perceive light from God. Part 1 centers on the properties of light and how the Light of Christ affects all men and women everywhere

 

(Part Two)
http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=1737858984001
 

Patterns of Light: The Light of Christ (2:33) | Mormon Messages

What is light? In this three part series, Elder David A. Bednar discusses how we receive and perceive light from God. Part 1 centers on the properties of light and how the Light of Christ affects all men and women everywhere.

 

(Part Three)
http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=1737858986001

Patterns of Light: Spirit of Revelation (3:04) | Mormon Messages

What is the connection between light and revelation? In part 3 of this three part series, Elder David A. Bednar explains the patterns of light by which God communicates with us and how they lead to the spirit of revelation.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - Israel, Israel, God is Calling 

http://youtu.be/v8MI6nyvTNw

 Mary saw a cupcake at the grociery store that she "had" to get for Zach. It was so cute that she thought of her big brother and wanted to treat him.  Not even one thought was to treat herself.  If that isn't Love At Home, I don't know what is!

Zach and Jacob are such good friends.  They have a special bond between them.  They are buddies.  It's so cute.  While everone else is out playing with friends, Jacob is inside playing with Zach.  And Zach loves having a best friend, a special buddy, and a brother all in one. 

 

Jacob is loving being home.  He's always been a home body.  Never wants to go out much.  And now that he's homeschooling he's so much happier and confindent and thriving with learning.  He loves being home where he knows he's safe, loved, and able to move at his own pace.  

 

I love my boys. I really do.  They are quite a trio. 

OK.  It's done.  The twins are officially done with public school.  The pressure is finally off.  Where do I go from here?  I'm nervous.  Even though I've been preparing for months. It's not the curriculum.  That's the easy part.  Did I make the right decision?  That's the question.  I've done this before w/ all kids, a few years ago.  It was short term because I panicked.  I've been thinking about homeschooling ever since.  And now I'm starting again.  But I'm taking a much slower approach.  I'm starting with the youngest.  And I'll go from there.  I'm taking it one step at a time.  I'm excited. I feel really good about it.  But I'm still nervous.  So far, the twins are on cloud 9.  They love it! 

I'm so excited to start homeschooling Peter.  We start on Monday.  I took him out of kindergarten last year and started  homeschooling then.  But then this year I put him back in for 1st grade.  I was so worried thinking he might be behind in reading because I wasn't the most consistent sit down everyday and do 4 or more hours of study kind of homeschooling mom. It wasn't until I put him back in elem. school that I realized that I don't have to be an expert to do  home school.  To my astonishment Peter was well above his grade level in reading, writing, and math.  WOW!  Really?  Pinch me please.   I CAN do it!   All that time I spent on self doubt and thinking I wasn't doing it good enough... it was all wasted time.  I don't have to have a perfect schedule and perfect organizational skills.  And I don't have be perfectly consistent.  My kids can learn in home with piles of laundry around them.  And they can learn when I interupt their studies to ask for help in doing some dishes.  And I can just drop everything we're doing to spontaneously go to take a drive to the mountains.  And If I'm having a really bad super grumpy day.... my kids can still learn.  They can learn that life sometimes sux, and things aren't hunky dory, but that we can start a brand new day tomorrow and things will surely get better.  Things don't have to be perfect.  And kids can still learn.  And excel at their studies while wrapped in their mother's love.   

Fall Fun

 After days of endless laundry, cleaning, and organizing the house, I thought a fun get away would be fun.  So I packed the twins in the car and we headed to the Black Island Farms Harvest Festival.  It was so much fun!  The twins loved getting away for a little fun with mommy!

 They got to meet real live DONKEYS! Wow!  They were amazed that they got to meet an animal that carried Mary and Baby Jesus.  They also saw some baby calves, some huge turkeys, and some llama's too.  I love watching little kids around animals.  It puts such a bright sparkle in their eyes.  

We also got to walk through a corn maze.  I made the twins be the leaders and they had to help mommy find the way out.  A couple times they got a little confused, but we finally made our way through.

   What a fun field trip *with a happy meal on the way home and everything!  The twins were very happy and told me that this was the best day EVER.  I love hearing my kids tell me this. 

        

We are having lots of fun while the good weather is still here.

 We made a really cute Fall scarecrow to sit by our front door.  Zach loves to kiss him good morning everyday as he's walking out the door to get on his bus.

The twins and I are taking lots of trips to the park while the weather is still nice.  There aren't too many more warm sunny days ahead.  Where soaking it up while we can.

 We all love Yoshi so much. He has really become a member of our family.  Zach loves to hold him close and kiss him against his will.  Yoshi sits and takes it like a man.  Good boy - Yoshi.

Doug and I are celebrating finally getting our basement finished. It was a long drawn out project.  And we're so glad it's done.  Now we're having fun decorating it and moving all the kids around into their new bedrooms.

 The field is white, all ready to harvest....  I've loved all the fields of wheat and corn and pumkins and onions around where we live.  I just love having farm land all around us!  And most of it is church farms... that makes it even better!

Most of all I love my kids. And they love me.  We are one big happy family...

Summer 2010 has come and gone. It was fun. And long.  And hot.  We finished the basement.  And now there's more room. Cousins came to play. That was the best. 




And school began.  It was a fun beginning.  I put everyone back in school.  Except for the twins.  I don't want to pay double the money for two preschoolers.  So I'm their Preschool teacher, Miss Fancy Nancy.  During our preschool time together I make them call me Miss Fancy Nancy - they laugh every time they say it. 

Now it's Fall.  I love Fall.  And I've been contemplating since school began weather or not to sign Peter and Elisabeth out of school and enroll them back into home school.  What to do..... what to do!

I'm still thinking.  Thinking hard.  I love home school. I can't stand some of the infirmities of public school.  Hmmm.

I'm still thinking.  The benefit of home school outweighs public school in so many ways,  but I have to be sure of my decision.  I don't want to be a flimsy like last year.