We are using English from the Roots Up! and part of the lessons is trying to think of words that would come from the roots we are learning.
Phobos (Greek Root for Fear)
Philia (Greek Root for Love)
Here are Tyler's new words.
If you are afraid of love, then you suffer from "Philiphobia" The fear of Love!
If you love to be scared, then you are a "Phobophiliac" Lover of fear!
He's seven, he doesn't care if all of his vocabulary meets Webster's standards.
I haven't looked them up, but I am pretty sure that these are not actual words...
YET!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
WOE 03/08/08
Here is this months Words of Encouragement Newsletter from Vacation Education Books.
Hello Familes!
I love sending out this email to all of you. It has been such a blessing on my life. In order to keep my promise to all of you, I have to think of something encouraging to say every month. That is not always easy.
But, God always provides!
I arrived home this morning from a conference, and I am exhausted from our trip, there is a mountain of "TO-DO"s at home, I saw my oldest for five minutes before she ran off to her friends. After kissing and hugging all my babies I'd missed for three days, I just wanted to soak in the tub, but there was no more hot water, so I settled in with a hot cup of coffee and got back to work. It was hard to think of something encouraging to write today.
So, I'll begin by encouraging you to avoid driving all night long and also to avoid situations where you lose two hours (we lost one hour when we crossed from Illinois into Michigan and then another when we got home and had to move the clocks ahead)
Anyone know why we are still doing that???
But, then I looked at the sales I'd made, the list of new contacts I had with other vendors (here's a thought for those of you who love our books - and happen to be Rainbow Resource Catalog customers - go to their website and request that they add our titles!)
I am sitting here looking at the sign up sheet for this email, and remembering the faces of all the families that I talked to at the conference and as I add them to my mailing list, I realized that it is not about me, or how I feel today, or how tired I am. I do this for the moms and dads who put their names on that list in the hopes that I would deliver what I had promised: Words of Encouragement.
So, I know that you all have days that you are tired, exhausted even, worn down and discouraged...
So, take Courage! Be En-Courage-d! God is with you!
I worked my booth from open to close Friday and Saturday. My mom and daughter watched it for one hour while I went to present my workshop. I arrived at the room where I was supposed to speak, and it was empty... Completely empty! Not one person came.
Now, I could have been upset, but I knew that I had run ahead of God. So, I sat down and asked Him to show me where He wanted me to be. I heard Him tell me to go back to my booth, then go home and write the next book, and leave the rest up to Him.
Reassured and energized, I headed back to my booth. I arrived to find a somewhat frazzled mother and daughter...
The booth was mobbed with shoppers while I was away!
It was the busiest it had been the entire conference.
While I had been on my knees before the Lord, He really had taken care of the rest!
We have an amazing God!
Whatever you're doing, where ever you are... take a few minutes to ask God if it's what and where He wants. He has a plan, and He is the only one who needs one.
Hello Familes!
I love sending out this email to all of you. It has been such a blessing on my life. In order to keep my promise to all of you, I have to think of something encouraging to say every month. That is not always easy.
But, God always provides!
I arrived home this morning from a conference, and I am exhausted from our trip, there is a mountain of "TO-DO"s at home, I saw my oldest for five minutes before she ran off to her friends. After kissing and hugging all my babies I'd missed for three days, I just wanted to soak in the tub, but there was no more hot water, so I settled in with a hot cup of coffee and got back to work. It was hard to think of something encouraging to write today.
So, I'll begin by encouraging you to avoid driving all night long and also to avoid situations where you lose two hours (we lost one hour when we crossed from Illinois into Michigan and then another when we got home and had to move the clocks ahead)
Anyone know why we are still doing that???
But, then I looked at the sales I'd made, the list of new contacts I had with other vendors (here's a thought for those of you who love our books - and happen to be Rainbow Resource Catalog customers - go to their website and request that they add our titles!)
I am sitting here looking at the sign up sheet for this email, and remembering the faces of all the families that I talked to at the conference and as I add them to my mailing list, I realized that it is not about me, or how I feel today, or how tired I am. I do this for the moms and dads who put their names on that list in the hopes that I would deliver what I had promised: Words of Encouragement.
So, I know that you all have days that you are tired, exhausted even, worn down and discouraged...
So, take Courage! Be En-Courage-d! God is with you!
I worked my booth from open to close Friday and Saturday. My mom and daughter watched it for one hour while I went to present my workshop. I arrived at the room where I was supposed to speak, and it was empty... Completely empty! Not one person came.
Now, I could have been upset, but I knew that I had run ahead of God. So, I sat down and asked Him to show me where He wanted me to be. I heard Him tell me to go back to my booth, then go home and write the next book, and leave the rest up to Him.
Reassured and energized, I headed back to my booth. I arrived to find a somewhat frazzled mother and daughter...
The booth was mobbed with shoppers while I was away!
It was the busiest it had been the entire conference.
While I had been on my knees before the Lord, He really had taken care of the rest!
We have an amazing God!
Whatever you're doing, where ever you are... take a few minutes to ask God if it's what and where He wants. He has a plan, and He is the only one who needs one.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Disney Vacation Guide
Marketing! That is a key word around this house these days. I have a wall of cases of a new book titled "Vacation Education destination Magic Kingdom" sitting in my dining room. They are just waiting for their intended owners to purchase them.
So, how do those intended owners find out about this wonderful new title that is just waiting here for them?
It's called Marketing!
And, it is mind-boggling.
So, this post is for one purpose, and one purpose alone! Marketing! Sorry if you stumbled across it hoping to get something more. If you want to actually see My Disney Vacation Guide, then follow the link to my website (vacationeducationbooks.com) and you can learn all about out series of travel guides for families who love to learn together.
But, this post here is just here so that the phrase "Disney Travel Guide" will hopefully show up on google leading potential customers here and then through the open window to my website so that they can then find out book series and purchase the Magic Kingdom travel guide that is waiting here for them, and we can make enough money to cover the cost of producing them and maybe even make enough money to produce more.
So, that's it! There is no other purpose to this particular post except to try to wiggle my way in to Google through my keywords, like "Disney Vacation Guide"
If you've read this far, and I can't imagine that anyone would, then please excuse my random ramblings, and get yourself over to vacationeducationbooks.com because if you're still reading this, then you need to get yourself a copy of one of our book titles where you'll find 160+ pages of my prose.
Thanks for stopping by
Corinne Johnson, author, vacationeducationbooks.com
So, how do those intended owners find out about this wonderful new title that is just waiting here for them?
It's called Marketing!
And, it is mind-boggling.
So, this post is for one purpose, and one purpose alone! Marketing! Sorry if you stumbled across it hoping to get something more. If you want to actually see My Disney Vacation Guide, then follow the link to my website (vacationeducationbooks.com) and you can learn all about out series of travel guides for families who love to learn together.
But, this post here is just here so that the phrase "Disney Travel Guide" will hopefully show up on google leading potential customers here and then through the open window to my website so that they can then find out book series and purchase the Magic Kingdom travel guide that is waiting here for them, and we can make enough money to cover the cost of producing them and maybe even make enough money to produce more.
So, that's it! There is no other purpose to this particular post except to try to wiggle my way in to Google through my keywords, like "Disney Vacation Guide"
If you've read this far, and I can't imagine that anyone would, then please excuse my random ramblings, and get yourself over to vacationeducationbooks.com because if you're still reading this, then you need to get yourself a copy of one of our book titles where you'll find 160+ pages of my prose.
Thanks for stopping by
Corinne Johnson, author, vacationeducationbooks.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
14 days of homeschool
This is not mine! I received this in an email from a friend and just had to share it.
14 Days of Homeschooling
To the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas."
On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can you
homeschool legally?"
On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Are they
socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Do you give
them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about
P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool
legally?"
On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "YOU ARE SO
STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they
socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How long will
you homeschool, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , do you give
them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Look at
what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO
STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they
socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Why do you
do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool,
YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they
socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "They'll miss
the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long
will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E. do you give
them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about
graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what
they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!,
what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you
homeschool legally?"
On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "I could
never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do
you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you
homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them
tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can they go
to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll
miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how
long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you
give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: "They Can
go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we
don't like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing
nothing, we'll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them
P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL
LEGALLY!
On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How can
I get started, why didn't you tell me, where do I buy curriculum,
when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE'RE STRANGE? I think
we can do this, if you will help us, we'll join a sports team, and
we'll homeschool legally."
14 Days of Homeschooling
To the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas."
On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can you
homeschool legally?"
On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Are they
socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Do you give
them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about
P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool
legally?"
On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "YOU ARE SO
STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they
socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How long will
you homeschool, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , do you give
them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Look at
what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO
STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they
socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Why do you
do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool,
YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they
socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "They'll miss
the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long
will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E. do you give
them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"
On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about
graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what
they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!,
what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you
homeschool legally?"
On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "I could
never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do
you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you
homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them
tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can they go
to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll
miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how
long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you
give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"
On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: "They Can
go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we
don't like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing
nothing, we'll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them
P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL
LEGALLY!
On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How can
I get started, why didn't you tell me, where do I buy curriculum,
when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE'RE STRANGE? I think
we can do this, if you will help us, we'll join a sports team, and
we'll homeschool legally."
Learning to Cook
This actually happened last fall, but it is such a cute story that I just had to share it.
We spent last week at Grampa Roy's and Gramma Ruby's. Apples were in, and so the girls spent most of their time climbing the tree, picking the apples, peeling and cutting up the apples, and then convincing Gramma to help them with the crust so they could make apple pies. We arrived on Monday afternoon and left on Friday morning, so in the three days in between, they made a total of six apple pies. I wasn't exaggerating when I said it is what they spent the most time doing, especially since we were at Norway Lake most of the day Thursday.
We arrived home Friday evening, and on Sunday Summer was playing around in the kitchen. I asked her what she was doing and she told me that she was making apple pie for Jacob's birthday. AAAAWW, isn't that sweet? Just wait, I haven't got to the punch line yet. Don't skip ahead either, wait for it.
Gramma sent us home with a large bag of apples and so Summer was working away in the kitchen, while the rest of us proceeded to go about our own things.
When it was just about time for dinner, I was upstairs organizing the linen closet when Don brought me a pie tin. It had an apple pie in it which I am quite sure was delicious (I know because I ate a little bite off the edge. I would have had a whole piece except the entire middle was missing. I thought perhaps she had given it to Jacob (he's only one and doesn't have great manners yet) and he ate out the middle, that would make sense.
But, no that's not what had happened.
When asked about the missing middle, and by middle, I mean pretty much the entire pie except the outer edge of the crust, she replied,
"I ate a little to try it and make sure it was good enough for Jacob."
Selling it!
For those of you who have been following our story - We are at the point of GUNG HO marketing strategies. I have applied for a spot at INCH and am sending them an application to host a workshop, speak in front of the group, put on my presentation.
So, here it is: My Pitch!
Comments Welcome!
So, here it is: My Pitch!
Comments Welcome!
Thank you so much for inviting me to tell you my story. My name is Corinne Johnson. I am the author and creator or Vacation Education Books. These are travel guides for families who love to learn. They will take your family on a journey around the world, as you study science, history, geography, literature and more without ever leaving your living room. These are fabulous books, and we hope to sell a lot of them at our booth.
But, the books are only the end of the story, so let me begin at the beginning.
I met my husband in 1993, and began to ask God to show us a path that we could lead together; a journey that we could travel, side by side, not two roads that often meet, but one road that we would follow into eternity. Through trials and tribulations, God answered my prayer, but it took many years. When I read the old testament, and I see God at work in the Israelite nation, I am reminded that I am also one of His blessed children. He led them through the desert (not always pleasant), and He looked past their disobedient hearts and gave them Grace, forgiveness and blessings anyway. He did the same for me and my family. My husband and I will be at INCH, selling our books at a vendor booth, while our five children spend a weekend with Grandma, but except for these unique situations, we are a family that works together, travels together, and learns together. God has given me everything I asked for, and more than I could have ever imagined.
It has not been an easy journey.
We have over the years made decisions that God has called us to, and faced much opposition.
When we said yes to homeschooling, our families were extremely opposed to it. We didn’t know anyone who was doing it, and people told us it was illegal, immoral, and just not right.
When we said yes to letting God determine our family size, we were criticized and ridiculed by family and friends. They still think we are crazy!
When we said yes to having a home birth, we were bombarded with horror stories showcasing everything that could possibly go wrong.
When we said yes to leaving secular careers to pursue a road less traveled, we were questioned still.
When we’ve said yes to God, He has showered us with blessings greater than any opposition we have ever faced.
We have not always said yes to God, but I can also tell you the ease of following others is quickly forgotten in the pain and agony of saying no to God.
The road is not always smooth, we don’t always see the map the same way, and there are many hills.
As we approach each hill in the road, and wonder what might be on the other side, we are sometimes afraid to continue on. When Joshua led the Israelites across the dry river bed of the Jordan while God held the rushing waters at bay, I imagine they also were sometimes afraid to continue on. Some of the hills we’ve been up against have seemed greater even than rushing waters. God commanded the Israelites to pick up stones from the river bed and stack them up, so that when their children asked “what are these stones for?”, they would answer them, “This is what the Lord our God has done for us.”
As I share with the audience the stories that were once mountains in our path, but now I look back and see nothing but piles of stones, I hope to encourage and inspire them to look at their own journey and see the hills that have turned to stones. I will ask my audience to point out those stones to their children and say, “This is what the Lord our God has done for us.”
Then, when we have done that, remember to keep these in mind as we continue down a road where all we can see is the upcoming hill. We have no idea what is waiting for us on the other side. But, we can go forward confidently when we know that we are on the road that God has made, and we keep checking that rear view mirror and see those piles of stones. Whatever challenges you are facing, whatever difficulties you think that you cannot overcome, see what God has done, and do not be afraid.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
When can I pause?
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but mostly grateful, as I sit hear writing this post. My children are quietly (well, mostly quietly) resting (sort of) in the next room. We are at the Kalahari Resort for the Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering (nearly 1000 in attendance I've heard). We are here for the week, and it should be a time to mellow and relax. We are here to network, and speak, raffle off some product, and maybe even make a few sales. But, we are also here as a reward for finishing the second book.
Yes, it is finished! At least from my end, it is complete, unless I get an email from the printer with something that I have to change. The official release date is March, 2008. We will be introducing it at the Illinois In Home Convention for the first time.
It is all very exciting and getting it finished meant that we could take some time off and hang out at the resort. But, we have been go go go since we left the house last Friday. I keep moving, in slow motion, and thinking when can we stop. There is the water park (Super Fun!), conference events, speakers, workshops, grocery shopping to stock the kitchen, clearance sale shopping, mall shopping, restocking books at stores along the way (Really really excited that it is necessary because that means the items are selling out, but also somewhat overwhelmed by the enormity of it all). There is just so much to do and I can't help but wonder, when will I pause?
What are we doing today, the kids want to know. Could we do nothing? Would that be alright? Well, the adrenaline is pumping and everyone is excited to get out and explore the resort. So, unpause and back to changing babies and searching for life jackets, making sure no one loses their suit, or shoes or anything else along the way.
And, what might we do tomorrow?
How about nothing, just for one day, wouldn't that be alright?
Doubtful.
Yes, it is finished! At least from my end, it is complete, unless I get an email from the printer with something that I have to change. The official release date is March, 2008. We will be introducing it at the Illinois In Home Convention for the first time.
It is all very exciting and getting it finished meant that we could take some time off and hang out at the resort. But, we have been go go go since we left the house last Friday. I keep moving, in slow motion, and thinking when can we stop. There is the water park (Super Fun!), conference events, speakers, workshops, grocery shopping to stock the kitchen, clearance sale shopping, mall shopping, restocking books at stores along the way (Really really excited that it is necessary because that means the items are selling out, but also somewhat overwhelmed by the enormity of it all). There is just so much to do and I can't help but wonder, when will I pause?
What are we doing today, the kids want to know. Could we do nothing? Would that be alright? Well, the adrenaline is pumping and everyone is excited to get out and explore the resort. So, unpause and back to changing babies and searching for life jackets, making sure no one loses their suit, or shoes or anything else along the way.
And, what might we do tomorrow?
How about nothing, just for one day, wouldn't that be alright?
Doubtful.
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