heartofdakota.com

Hi ladies.

I just wanted to introduce our family and send a big THANKS to you all and Carrie and Julie for your great advice and encouragement. I am starting Beyond for my second grader (DD) and Kindergartener (DD) this fall (if we can wait!) We will use LHFHG learning the basics (right side) for our K. Our ten month old will join us as she runs around getting into stuff and stealing our hearts (grin).

We have all examined our guides. My voracious reader is thrilled with the storybook box and all the great reading packages. My wiggly K is thrilled with the physical activities so wisely sprinkled throughout the guides. I am thrilled with a beautiful, uplifting and FINITE plan for the day. Like many of you, I was a teacher by profession –and I have a tendency to over-plan and over-extend our time and energy. I look forward to a balanced, rigorous, and yet spiritually and emotionally fulfilling year! Plus, more time for surfing…(the water type – I have no idea how to do this internet stuff! How do I make those cool smiley faces)

Thanks again for your encouragement and kindness! This message board is wonderful. You are so generous to share your enthusiasm, wisdom and friendship. (I can’t wait to join the HOD family!)

Sincerely,

Angela

Welcome Angela!

I'm new here too and my dd and I just started LHFHG yesterday! I think that you will just LOVE it!!!! I can't say much about beyond as I haven't seen it but I'm sure you will love that one too. HOD seems to be such a great resource!

I can't believe how easy yesterday went and there where NO tears PRAISE GOD!!! Just lots of smiles and laughter which is great anyway, but to be combined with learning is AWESOME!

Nice to meet you!

How do I make those cool smiley faces)

Just move your mouse over to the smiley you wish to add and click on it. It will appear as a code in your typing post, but as a smiley in your viewed post!

WELCOME ANGELA

We will be starting on Beyond in a week! It's very nice to have you here!

Mel

Hi and welcome Angela! We will be starting Beyond in August. Glad you are here.

Gina

Hello Angela!!

WOW! Surfing for real?!?!?!?!?! You must live near the beach.....*sigh* how perfectly wonderful.

We ended up starting LHTH early because we were both so excited! Good luck to your family this fall!!!!

Welcome Angela! Your family sounds lovely. I'm impressed that you surf. It's not easy. I'm so glad that you found HOD. I know your family will love it as mine does. Welcome and glad you are here!

welcome!! we're glad you are here!
and at surfing-I have never even seen the ocean, so the thought of surfing makes me all :::shiver:::

Not to thread-jack here but this statement.....

6timeboymom wrote:I have never even seen the ocean

Having lived most of my life in NH and the rest in various places along the eastern coastline (my dad was in the Navy, so we were always stationed near the ocean), I forget how many people havn't seen the ocean. I guess I take it for granted at times. I just LOVE the ocean!

Thank you for your warm welcomes!

My daughters are beautiful surfers (excepting the baby – although she does try to drown herself a couple times a day in her enthusiasm) I am NOT a beautiful surfer, but I enjoy it! I grew up in California, not too far from the beach. We are learning to appreciate our mushy (but delightfully warm) Gulf Coast waves.

Thank you for your cool thoughts about Beyond and LHFHG. Don’t they look so great? I hope I will be more consistent with science, history and art. Those often ended up neglected in our home with the new baby, YKWIM? (I hope that means what I think it means – I am terrible with all this – I feel like I am learning a new language!)

Thanks , Kelly, for the smiley tutorial! The east coast is GORGEOUS – I have never been to New Hampshire, but I can find it on a map. Darci, my family vacationed (without us) in Iowa and they cannot stop raving about how beautiful it was – the ocean probably cannot hold a candle. Jessi, Mel and Gina – what great mamas you all sound! Gina, I am envious (is that okay to say here?) of your SoCal summer right now!

I think it will be fun to hear about all your HOD experiences this year as we make our own journey.

Thanks again,

Angela

Angela-don't be too envious, it was 105 degrees here last weekend. What part of California did you grow up in? Unfortunately I am not near the ocean, but I can get there in about an hour(w/o traffic )

Gina

Wow, Gina! That is hot! What about June gloom and all that jazz? Hopefully you will be back to good ole' 75 degree summer weather in no time. (this is where I would put my emoticon if I could only figure out how to make them work)

I grew up in Brea. We were about 20 minutes from Huntington Beach - a little longer to Newport. So really, I consider an hour to the beach pretty close! Yikes, though, with gas prices...

Sorry to post again! My girls and I loved looking at your blog, Gina. We were so tickled by your Darth Vadar tents. We totally agree. Lucas should be getting royalties. They think you are the coolest mom to camp in a Star Wars tent. What a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing!

6timeboymom wrote:welcome!! we're glad you are here!
and at surfing-I have never even seen the ocean, so the thought of surfing makes me all :::shiver:::

Now Darci....you know you and I could both surf on all these raging creeks we've got rolling out of their banks all around us!

I just want to say E-komo mai!
I have three wahines also and two kanes. I don't surf though.
I thought at first you were in HI too(which got me excited) but I see you're in the gulf coast. You have to have some HI connection to choose that screen name
This will be my first year doing HOD too.
Aloha!

Momto3wahines wrote:I grew up in Brea. We were about 20 minutes from Huntington Beach - a little longer to Newport.

I know exactly where Brea is! I am about 25 miles east of there....just down the 91 Fwy. What a small world. Thanks for the nice things you said about my blog. I have a lot of fun with it. I'm glad your kiddos liked the Darth Vader tent. It was a big hit here too.

Gina