Life at Oak Grove

Exciting News from TOS! 

Attention writers!

Grab your pencils and get those creative juices flowing!

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is hosting our second Storytime Writing Contest! We have two creative fiction categories: adults (16 and up 2,500 words or less) and children (15 and below 1,500 words or less). Deadline to enter is March 16, 2009. $7.95 fee per entry.

Grand prize winners in both the adult and child categories will receive prize packages valued at over $1,000, publication in the Summer 2009 issue of TOS, and publication in our Storytime 2009 Compilation E-Book. Eleven Honorable Mentions from each category will also be included in the E-Book in addition to receiving gifts from top homeschool companies.

We look forward to reading your entries!

For a detailed list of prizes, official contest rules, to meet our judges, and to upload your story, please visit: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/Short_Story_Contest.php.
 
Need help teaching writing? We have over 200 writing products in the Schoolhouse Store!

Well a bit of everything...

OUI (that stands for yes in French), WE got a Wii for Christmas.

And since then, WE are including the Wii for homeschool.   How you may ask?   Simply with the Wii Fit (another thing we got for Christmas).   It is amazing.   Unfortunately I still can't use it because my cast is still on but I am planning to try the Wii Fit as soon as it is gone (which is Thursday btw).    We created a Mii for Alexandre and he is doing his fitness routine regularly.   Mind you I am not sure if it will last but I think it will.    There is another training game we want to get - it's called Personal Trainer and on it there is something like 500 training exercises.    Another one came out called Boot Camp 2009 but between you and me the trainer need to get dress a bit more.   I wouldn't get that one just because of how Jillian is dressed.  

We also discovered Wii games for the young ones who are learning color and shapes and so on with them.   And we bought Endless Ocean to learn about scubadiving and animals from the ocean.   Apart from the Wii Fit, the rest of the Wii will be awarded based on the fact the kids have completed their homework or not.

On another note, I was able to go out with hubby and the kids during a little shopping spree.   At the Wal-Mart, we looked into the games bin and I found the two Nintendo DS BrainQuest game - one for grade 3-4 and another one for grade 5-6  - for 9.96 each instead of the 35$ previously found...    So I am very happy with this discovery.    I use the Nintendo DS as a motivation.   Our games are education once again.   Did you know there were game such as Spelling Challenge, Math Play, even the Flash Focus is something Alexandre can us.    For Dominic, we got a little game for younger kids but he will get it on his birthday only.   

We used to have 2 Nintendo DS but unfortunately, one of them disappeared the day I had surgery back in November.   My husband thinks he might have dropped it and I called the hospital a few times but they don't have it.   So we lost it.   Hopefully, someone will enjoy the games that he had in there - including my Bible Game.   Now if I can only put my hands back on that game....   I was enjoying it!

My friend Heidi has an interesting weekly thing called Destination Disney and this week (well okay maybe last week... I'm a bit late) it was about planning your trip.

It has been 10 years last June since we went to Disney - that was before kids!  On our honeymoon...  I had bought books back then to plan our trip.   I'm a MAJOR planner and I like to figure out what to do when...  know what I mean?

So while going through our stuff to see what would go back in the basement and what we are getting rid off, we found the old planning books...  These we didn't keep because 10 years have gone by since then.   But we were planning to buy other books when we would bring the kids to Disney.

It is possible that we do that in 2009.   It will depends of many things but it is one of our potential trip.   The kids don't know...  so shhhhh!   Don't tell them.   It will be a surprise.

While going to Costco not too long ago, I stumble on a special book there.    I showed it to hubby and we decided to buy it.   You've guessed it!   A planning book for Disney!

The PassPorter's Walt Disney World is packed with interesting information and planning guides.    I can't wait to see if we will be able to go this year and then pick up the book and plan our trip!  What a surprise it would be!!!!

You can find this wonderful book at Amazon.com