The Special Needs Schoolhouse Planner from TOS is a Must Have!

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We received this amazing and very unique homeschool planner CD Rom from The Old Schoolhouse in June and I was SO thrilled I couldn't wait to get started with it!!!!  I am not am member of the TOS Crew, just a very excited, brand new homeschooling Mama of a son who has some special needs!!!

It is unlike any planner I have seen out there yet!  And I love searching for planners!!!  I am what I call an eclectic planner lady.  I print bits and pieces of a variety of planners to build one that fits me and our family's needs.  I have to say that the Special Needs Schoolhouse Planner is a large chunk of my 2011-2012 Planner!

It is filled with very practical and easy to use forms that you can type into easily to fill before printing out or you can just keep it online.  I love organizational tools and I must admit this is one of my favorites!

Some of the great forms include:

Several different formats of monthly calendars that you can enter your own information into!  I chose the one that is so large it spans across two facing pages in my Home/Homeschool Planning Binder.

There are forms to track everything that families with children with special needs deal with on a daily basis including:

• Therapy trackers
• Doctor's appointment trackers
• Eating Trackers
• Medication trackers
• Medical history trackers

AND an amazing 12 page IEP that you can use to plan and organize all of their care, care givers, doctors and therapists and goals and objectives for the year!!  I was blown away when I saw this!

There are pages to help you with developing life skill routines for everything from brushing their teeth to checking out books at the library with pictures to help them too!  There are chore charts and behavior goal/reward charts.  There are pages of pictures to cut out and attach to your children's dresser drawers to help them put away and find their clothes and get dress by themselves.

There are lesson planning pages and daily and weekly planning pages for school and life in general for your child and for you!

There are 191 pages in this planner!!!  And here's one of the qualities that an eclectic planner like myself just LOVES!!!  You can print only the pages that you need for your family! And there are even calendars that are dateless that allow you to add the months and dates in so that you can use it year after year!  

And there is one more thing that is included that has a major affect on our family.  There is a special section that is filled with articles to educate and encourage parents of special needs children as parents and homeschool educators. 

The articles include:

"Why can't he just focus?" by Carol Barnier

"Focus on your Children's Strengths" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias

"Celebrating Ben" by Richelle Spargur

"Homeschooling Special Needs Children in a Large Family" by Betty Eisenhour

"Sensory Processing" by Melinda Boring

"Finding your child's hidden brilliance" by Renée K. Walker

"Teaching children with sensory loss" by Renée K. Walker

"Special Needs Homeschool Curriculum" by Jennifer Bolton

"Teaching to their Needs" by Catherine Schembri

"Special Needs after High School" by Rebekah Wilson

Melinda Boring's article on "Sensory Processing" opened our eyes to some things that may explain some of the challenges that our son faces.  Thanks to her insightful words we have an appointment with an occupational therapist so that he can be evaluate and we can find better ways of helping him with some of his special needs that we have been struggling to understand for so long!  

This "Special Needs Homeschool Planner" has had a wonderful impact on my organization and peace of mind as we begin our homeschool year...but it is more than that...it is a resource that is helping us to discover ways we can better help our child to become more confident in his daily life as well.

In case your children are do not have special needs I highly recommend their other planners!  

The 2011-12 SchoolHouse Planner on CD

The 2011-12 High School Student SchoolHouse Planner on CD

The 2011-12 Intermediate Student SchoolHouse Planner on CD

The 2011-12 Primary Student SchoolHouse Planner on CD (which I am seriously considering getting to  use with our son as well!!!)

Like I said before...I am not a member of the TOS Review Crew...I am just a new homeschooling Mom that found something that is working for us and I had to share it with you!  I will be sharing more homeschooling planners and resources with you in the coming weeks...like I said I am an eclectic planner type person!  

Question:  So...I must know!  What Homeschooling or General family/home planners do you use in your home/family that you love?  I would REALLY love to hear about them in the comments!  Feel free to include links so we can all check them out!!!

Dancing with our children at the foot of the Cross,

Mrs Mary Joy Pershing

Books and Blogs for the Journey

This week I am going to focus on some of the books that I am reading right now.  I tend to have more than one book in progress at a time.  Even though God's Word is my number one read everyday...I really enjoy reading and learning from godly books that are based on Biblical Truth.

My husband and I are both life long learners.  In many ways...its a form of independent study or  "homeschooling" myself about homemaking, being a help-meet, my Christian walk, homeschooling, parenting, and so many other things. There is so much to learn as we learn to live a surrendered life.

I am still in the middle of all of the books I am sharing with you today.  I am really enjoying each of them and am learning so much from each as well.  I will be reviewing all of these books as I finish them so this isn't the last you will hear of them.  lol  I have included links to places you can purchase your own if you would like to check them out for yourself.

Here are the books that I am reading right now...

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald.

"Amish Peace-- Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

"Managers of Their Homes- a practical guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Home-School Families"  by Steven and Teri Maxwell

"Creative Correction- Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline" by Lisa Whelchel from Focus on the Family

Question:  What are you reading this week?  I would love to hear about it!

Dancing together at the foot of the Cross,

Mrs. Mary Joy Pershing

Books and Blogs for the Journey

Lately people have asked me to share with them some of the books and blogs that I read to find encouragement on my journey of learning to surrender my daily life to God.  So we have decided to dedicated one Friday a month to sharing some great weekend reading ideas in hopes that you may find some encouragement on your journey as well.

I will be sharing one book and several blogs/websites that I have found encouragement on my journey this week.  I would love to hear about some that you found encouraging as well!

Today's Books and Blogs for the Journey focuses on ways that we can encourage our husband in his role as father as we prepare for Father's Day.

The first book that I must share is God's Word.  There have been times when I forget that this should and needs to be the number one book that I go to for direction, encouragement, teaching, comfort for every area of my life.  Isn't it amazing how much is here on how we can be an encouragement and support to our husbands?  Has to be my number one choice! 

I have a few different translations that I use and a few devotional Bibles that I have and use as well.  Today I will share with you the first Bible that my husband bought me while we were courting.  Reading and studying it has blessed my heart and my journey more that I can find the words to say...I highly recommend it!

Its "The Power of a Praying Woman Bible"  Prayer and Study Helps by Stormie OMartian. NIV  There is an entire section at the beginning of the Bible with helps on how to pray for our husbands in 31 areas of their lives.  A real blessing!

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I would love to hear what Bible you enjoy the most so be sure to share in the comment section below!

Sometimes its easy to go to my favorite Titus 2, Women's Ministry, Proverbs 31, or Scripture Study sites before opening my Bible...I have committed to stop doing that.  First I open His Word...then I read about practical ways that God's Word has challenged and touched the lives of other women as they strive to be encourage their husbands in their role as fathers in their homes.

So here are some of the blog I read for encouragement in my journey...

Julie Sanders at "Come Have a Peace" always has something to say to encourage, challenge or inspire me.  

        

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But this week's "Marriage Monday" article really spoke to my heart and helped me to see more areas we, as wives, need to surrender to the Lord.  

She called it..."Marriage Monday...Rate yourself from 1-10".  And its on my must RE-READ list as one to go back to often and re-evaluate where I am on my journey.  Sure made me think about how important my response is when my dear husband makes suggestions and ideas...just because they are not mine doesn't mean they are good ideas!  She uses Harriet Olsen from the old TV show "Little House on the Prairie" as an example.  Great read!

Another blog where I find encouragement for my journey as a wife, homemaker, and homeschooling mama regularly is: A Moment with M.O.M. by Mrs. Joseph Wood.  She is a dear lady and mother of 10 blessings!  She shares how God works in their lives it always touches my heart.

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She shared an article entitled "A Moment in Training- Raising Children who are Mission Minded".  This is one that my husband and I could really relate to and glean some wisdom as we have been working on this very area in our family as we form our new family.

This is a great article that might help get the conversation started with your husband as you work together to determine the direction that you will take as parents with your children in being mission minded.  Mrs Joseph Wood respectfully reminds us that it will look different with each family and the importance of praying and working with your husband on this important area of parenting.

I would love to hear some of the books and blogs you read this week that you found helpful as you worked on being an encouragement to your husbands in their role as fathers in your homes.  Please share in the comments below!  Whether its one you wrote or one you read somewhere please feel free to leave a link to it so we can all check it out!  

Dancing with my husband at the foot of the Cross,

Mrs. Mary Joy Pershing