Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jan 28, 2012, 12:11 am
All day long Emily talked about this bake sale she wanted to have and she even made a sign. After the 40th time she said something about it, I clued in and thought we’d better set up a bake sale and add some silent /e/’s to the words BAK SAL. Then we dug out some pennies and sent daddy for tim b...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jan 21, 2012, 12:51 pm
African Violet Pointillism – by Emily Homeschooling Lesson of the week…patience! For the both of us, or should I say for ALL of us because this included Avery and Daddy too. We had a regular week of school followed by a completely irregular weekend. Normally, I dont use words like irregular un...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jan 7, 2012, 12:50 pm
First Week back at school and we are reevaluating EVERYTHING! Kindergarten needs to be fun, so we are taking ourselves less seriously and playing more. This is one of our favorite Games: Kids of Catan. Gotta start em young!
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Dec 2, 2011, 12:00 pm
Homeschooling in the winter is super cozy. We spend as much of our day as we can curled up with a good book, or sitting at the table, looking out the sliding doors at the snowy wonderland. We’ve been trying to get outside when the sun is shining, but this is the biggest problem we have… Avery h...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Dec 1, 2011, 1:09 am
I did it. I dropped of the face of the blogosphere for more than a month because I took on the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge. The challenge was to write a 50,000 word novel start to finish in the month of November. You can’t finish something you started already. It needs to ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Nov 24, 2011, 1:50 am
It was a very surreal thing to get my daughters first report card. It was kind of cool to see that Im raising an over achiever who will struggle with perfection like her dad and the need to be ahead like her mom. Its weird to see something of yourself in your child’s kindergarten report card. She ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Nov 17, 2011, 1:59 am
For school today, we put the books on the shelf and the math manipulatives in a bin and tied on our aprons. Earlier in the day I pre-dotted the letters for a recipe in Emily’s Journey book. She traced the letters and sounded out the words for reading and writing. Then for math, we made the recip...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Nov 10, 2011, 2:05 am
Please excuse the pics. I only had the ipad and it really takes terrible pics, but at least I have them We tried a new experiment this week. We were working on a unit about measurements, weight, volume, and mass. I’m pretty sure Emily things the experiment was about mixing colours, but that’s ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Nov 3, 2011, 2:13 am
We have ben book crazy lately. We borrowed the largest bag of books from our neighbours and we are trying to work our way through them. Here’s our favorite so far!! If you think Poo is funny, this book is for you! Emily just about giggled out of her pants while we read this! Christmas stories ar...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Oct 26, 2011, 1:41 am
One of the projects we worked on this week was for Phonics Museum. We were working on our short “A” sound and the final part of the lesson was to make a piece of art. We did “Apple Stamps”. We cut an apple in half and dipped it in acrylic paint (Mommy needs to find the cheap tempura paint ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Oct 19, 2011, 1:24 am
We decided to switch phonics programs and we are loving our new program. It’s called Phonics Museum by Veritas Press. We will continure to use Explode the Code, Reading Eggs, BOB Books, Progressive Phonics and a bunch of other things as resources, Phonics Museum has taken the lead. Its an aweso...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Oct 11, 2011, 11:45 pm
Boy are we sure enjoying fall. It’s always been my favorite season. I like all the seasons, but fall is my favorite! I wrote a paper in school based on a speech given by Carl Honore titled” In Praise of Slowness”. Basically the gist of it is that we live our lives at 100 miles an hour and we m...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 24, 2011, 12:00 pm
I’m going to guess you’ve heard of Thanksgiving and maybe if you are nerdy enough, you’ve heard of Slapsgiving, but I’m going to guess you’ve never heard of Sproutsgiving! Probably because we made it up. In other words, it doesnt exist…but it does! Sproutsgiving has become a tradition f...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 23, 2011, 12:00 pm
I am super proud of my girls today. Em has come a LOOONG way in the last two years. When we first started suspecting she has sensory processing issues, we tried some of these kinds of things.  They didnt go well… She would NEVER have dug her hands in like Avery does. But look at her now! A ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 22, 2011, 12:00 pm
I always new Avery liked peanut butter. I assumed she would eat it for every meal if given the chance. When asked “Do you want jam or peanut butter”? She ALWAYS says “or Peanut  butter”! But I really had no idea to what extent her love of peanut butter had grown to. Busted Baby! I doin nuf...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 21, 2011, 12:00 pm
This is the post where I tell you that my new obsession is Couponing! I’m a wannabe extreme couponer… seriously! This is the latest trip to the mail box! Its like an amazing reward to just check the box and get free stuff or scads of coupons (Pronounced Koo-Pons for us Canadians!) I just start...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 20, 2011, 12:00 pm
One of the first pictures of us. 8 years is a relatively short time in life, but it’s how long I’ve been married to Mr. Right. I should say, Mr. Mostly-right because if I’m Mrs. Right, we cant both be right all the time can we. Let’s be realistic now… On September 20th, 2003 we promised ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 19, 2011, 12:00 pm
... ’ve been reading forever, but I finally gave it a try! Muffin Tin Lunches! The idea is that you put a bit of everything in ... butter sandwich. This one is Avery’s Lunch, hence the sippy cup! Almonds, blueberry yogurt, banana, cantelope, carrot, strawberries, cheese cubes, ... back ou...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 18, 2011, 12:00 pm
Got my new calendar! Colour coded it already! Im such a geek, but thats ok with me! Emily is getting pretty good at taking pictures!
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 16, 2011, 6:41 pm
Geography has been our favorite subject this week.We’ve studied different maps and learned how they work. We’ve looked through maps with physical features and political maps too. Emily can tell you about the continents, where she lives on a map. Where our Compassion sponsor child lives in Africa...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 13, 2011, 1:04 pm
So I figure we need to carve out a blogging time on our schedule. I think I need to find something the girls can do a couple times a week so I can blog. Currently they are whining cause they have to clean the play room. Emily: “I cant clean this playroom up all by my self” Me:”Thats fine hon...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 7, 2011, 5:25 pm
I should probably be sleeping too because you see, I am not well. I’m many things, but well isnt one of them. August has been officially written off. Some time in the begining of August I caught a cold, which turned intho an upper respiratory lung infection. No biggy. Round 1 of antibiotics. Scor...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Sep 6, 2011, 5:33 pm
“it’s back to school time. or as home-schoolers call it, stay-where-you-are time.” – Steven Colbert That makes me snicker, but I’ll tell you, I really enjoyed watching the bus drive by this morning while my kiddos were in their jammies eating breakfast. Welcome to our first day if homes...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jul 15, 2011, 12:00 pm
This is Violet P. She is a 7 year old girl who was born with an extra chromosome. She has Down Syndrome. But that isn’t something that holds her back. They are labels, but they aren’t that big of a deal compared to her other label. Her other label is harder to deal with. Orphan. She is alone. n...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jul 14, 2011, 7:45 pm
-eat breakfast, then coffee -make your kids watch something other than Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and they will stop saying MOUSTACHE! -you should paint something once in a while…other than walls. -remember when you used to play your guitar? -finish writing your story already! -Stop to...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jul 13, 2011, 11:46 pm
Curriculum. Not a new word to me, but usually a boring one. A word like algebra or dental floss. boring words. Not anymore! Curriculum means ideas and a path to follow. It mean creativity and learning to learn. It means all kinds of fun. Im compiling a list of the curriculum Emily and I will be usin...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jul 12, 2011, 12:00 pm
The term summer school was the worst thing you could say to a kid while I was growing up. It might as well have been a swear word. No one wanted to do summer school. It was a punishment. Well, not in our house! Summer school means FUN! Emily(*previously posted her name as “email”!How nerdy am I?...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jul 12, 2011, 1:00 am
I love roller-coasters! Any roller-coasters. When I was in Edmonton a couple weeks ago I went to go on the big roller-coaster in West Ed Mall, but it was closed. I felt like throwing myself on the floor like Avery does when she isn’t getting her own way, but my Mom promised a ride on the smaller...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 9, 2011, 12:00 pm
Yep we are! We are moving to a house that is much closer to where my hubby works. We will have an actual yard to play in, with a fence to keep my hooligans close by and the doggy closer! There’s a perfect room for a big portion of our Home Learning. It will be a playroom/T.V. Room/Learning and c...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 8, 2011, 12:00 pm
No that’s not the name of someone. Otherwise his brothers name would be Phys Ed. Lame I know. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on Christian Education, but I’m going to focus on Home learning and Christian education rather than Christian School. Firstly, I think it is important. The Bib...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 7, 2011, 12:00 pm
I’m not sure where I first heard the phrase “homeschool weird” and I don’t think I made it up anyways. Its a phrase used to describe a kid who acts different socially, whether they are home schooled or not. I used to use the phrase light heartedly, but I’ve come to realize that there reall...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 6, 2011, 12:00 pm
I realized that I forgot a few different Methods or philosophies of Home Learning and so here is Part 2 of the Methods you can work with for homeschooling.Read Part 1 here. Better Late than Early or Moore Method –  suggests that children aren’t really ready to start academic pursuits until the...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 5, 2011, 12:00 pm
I last wrote about Kirill on March 26th when my heart broke in two for a little guy who had no hope of having a family and having any form of life. From then on I have been praying and praying and praying for that little guy and the family that desperately wanted to bring him home. Last week God ans...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 4, 2011, 12:00 pm
One of the things I didn’t know about home learning is that there are many different ways/methods/philosophies that you can teach your child at home. When I first considered home schooling Emily I knew about  schooling at home and unschooling and neither was quite right for us. Then I did my ho...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Jun 4, 2011, 12:43 am
I was planning on watching a show this evening to relax, but I’m trying to be quiet until the kiddos go to sleep, so I’m blogging instead. This weekend I have 5 kids! I have my girlfriends 5 year old and twin almost 3 year olds, so it’s going to be a busy weekend. Having someone else’s kid...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 27, 2011, 1:47 am
So we’ve had this HUGE decision weighing heavy on us for the last month. Emily is 5 and it’s time to think about school. Having been a Public school kid, I just assumed thats what we’d do. So I enrolled her in French Immersion. But then I started reading a couple of adoption blogs (which seems...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 14, 2011, 12:00 pm
We had the most fun ever this last Easter. It was my Grandma’s 80th birthday so we all(minus 1:( ) got together at Silver Star for an amazing weekend of fun and hanging out. I still can’t believe we all fit together in that massive house! It had 12 rooms I think. Most of the rooms had their own ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 13, 2011, 12:00 pm
Does this hat make me look cute? or what!?
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 12, 2011, 12:01 pm
Do you think Gracie and Eddy like Easter? Cause I’m thinking not so much…
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 11, 2011, 4:47 pm
Yesterday my sweet cheeks lil Avery turned 2! If you want to catch up on her birth story read this. Or Part 2 of her story is here. 2 Years ago I was here! Waiting for my c-section after 3 early labours and much chaos. Then our miracle baby Avery Faith Kasper was born! 5 lbs 14 oz. Practically ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - May 8, 2011, 2:13 pm
I have a love/hate relationship with Mothers day. I love how my girls colour pictures for me and how Morgan shows he loves me with cards and little treats. I love hugging my Mommy and telling her thank-you a bazillion times for doing such a great job with me and my sister and for all the times she c...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 29, 2011, 12:00 pm

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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 26, 2011, 12:00 pm
I keep thinking about Mexico and how to share my thoughts with you. So I’ve decided Im going to tell small parts of my week and try to show you rather than just tell you. So Im going to start with Maria. Maria is about 3 feet tall. She is about 40 years old. Her friends at the orphanage call her ...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 25, 2011, 12:00 pm
you’ve heard of a tea cozy? Well this is an egg cozy! And I didn’t make it. Teacher Karen did! We are feeling the Love!
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 24, 2011, 12:00 pm
You are supposed to respond by saying “He is Risen indeed!” in case you didn’t know the saying. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. I love christmas and I love my birthday and I have a special place in my heart for International Talk like a Pirate day(september 19th…yarrr).Easter is t...
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 22, 2011, 12:00 pm
My thoughts today are on Jesus Christ, Son of God, creator of the earth, prince of peace, name above all names, mighty counselor, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He could have called a legion of Angels to destroy the world and set him free. but he didn’t. He dies all alone for me.
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 22, 2011, 12:00 pm
My books are here!!! A Thorn in my Pocket by Eustacia Cutler Road Map to Holland by Jennifer Graf Groneberg The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis I’m so excited!! I’ll tell you all about them as I read them!
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 21, 2011, 12:00 pm
Guess what came in the Mail today????!?!?!?! Can you guess??
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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 20, 2011, 12:00 pm

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Courtenay Kasper posted an article on CourtenayMomma - Apr 19, 2011, 12:00 pm
I love making cakes. It seems it’s become my main for of art over the last few years. I used to paint, take photos, draw, write songs and everything in between, but lately it’s just been cakes. I still take alot of pictures, but rarely for the sake of art. Mostly for the sake of memories. For E...
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