3rd Day of School

Today was actually a sick day. I woke up at 6am. Got out of bed at 6:15 and by 10:30, I needed a nap. I fell asleep while getting school things together. Didn't wake up until 12. The kids on the other hand are getting better at waking up early by themselves. Brandon was up at 6:30 and Jamie woke up at 7:30. They were ready to get started. I even have happy smiling faces! hehehe They didn't just sit around though. Jamie is getting really good at taking care of things around here. Poor babies. Because of my migraines, they have really adjusted. She made lunch for herself and her brother. They played together. Then they decided to paint.

Here she is working on a canvas.

Here's the boy working on his painting.

1st Day of School 2008

Well, my goodness! It has been a while since my last post. I don't think I can even remember all of the events in our life since then. One major thing is that Dad has been on a looonng vacation and now 5 months later is back to work. He has a much better job.

Now on to school. We have begun schooling since yesterday. The kids are getting up early and we get started by 9am. The boy gets finished 1st of course. His load is light. My poor daughter has way more, but she is doing well and without complaint. Already I can see lots of improvement. I have a few goals that I would like to post about, but I will have to do that another day. As for now I have to get some sleep. Getting up at 6am is too much for me. hehehe

Summer Is Coming!

We have been getting ready for it this month. First we had to level out the back yard. We bought some sand to fill up the low spots. Then we got to work on setting up the pool. Yes, they have been in it everyday since. Hehehehehe Instead of going to the beach, we brought the beach home to us. hehehe

Long Absence

I know, I know. I've been absent for a while. Too much going on. Nothing I would like to talk about. hehe I do however have something I would like to share. This is my daughter's work.

I love horses. They can be your best friends. They are so beautiful. They help you to have patience. They can be so kind and gentle too. They will protect you and love you. You have to show that you love them back as well. That is not hard to do. Well, at least not for me. They are hard headed as well, but just the way they act is so beautiful. I love them and I love that they are hard headed. I think about my horse so much and I love him every second of everyday. This is why I love him so much.

History Project

I have been really bad about posting lately. I wanted to post Jamie's history project. She had read about Molly Pitcher some time ago. We just got around to doing the project. Molly was known for taking pitchers of cool spring water to the men at the battle of Monmouth. She also fed the men and dressed their wounds. She made Johnnycakes for them to eat. They are made from cornmeal and can be served like pancakes with butter and syrup.



She's turning into a real good cook. Yummy!

IN OUR BACKYARD

(Oops! I forgot. If you go all the way to the bottom you can pause my music, so that you can hear the birds.)

It sounds like spring! We were outside at noon and this is all we could here for almost 30mins. I got a phone call and couldn't even hear the person on the other line. I love that big oak tree. It holds the most wonderful surprises. We also have a large cage that the kids love throwing birdseed into. Unfortunately the cats and dog love the cage too. This is what they caught today. As you can see they love our birdseed! This is a red winged marsh blackbird. He and his friends were very loud today. They were also very hungry as you can tell by the last picture.

Today was very exciting in my backyard.

We also had a friendly honey bee that joined us for a cup of tea. It kept coming back for more. It was actually eating the Stevia that was on the side of the cup.

I hope to post more tomorrow. It's been a week full of illness and work. I did take plenty of pictures and got some school work done.

Restaurant Critic

Have you ever driven down the highway on an empty stomach? In Texas, it can be pretty far from one place to eat to the next. What do you do? When you get to the first available place, do you pass it up or stop for a bite? If you're like me, you are kind of leary and unsure of where to stop. I mean, is it clean? Will the food be any good? What about the price or the kind of food they serve. Most kids are a bit picky about what they eat. Well, we were hungry and decided to stop at a restaurant on our way home. So we stopped here...

The food was really good and the place was really a nice rest stop.

Isn't this a big swing! hehehe

Cute bridge

Yummy! Fried mushrooms!

Great place to play!

I have to admit the food and price were good. The picnic area in back was great! I definitely recommend it.

Field Trip!!

(updated to include photos)

I am sitting in the dark in our hotel room. Nothing fancy. Just a Super 8. It's clean and it's a place to sleep. I am in San Antonio. It is expected to get into the 20's overnight. By midday it should be in the warm 50's. Brr! Well, it's warm in here and the kids are sleeping soundly. That's all that matters at the moment.

Today we came out to the Witte Museum. The latest exhibit is Our Body The Universe Within. It is actual human bodies. I'm sure you've at least heard of it. Well, believe it or not the kids wanted to see it. So here we are, in San Antonio. I couldn't take pictures or video. Too bad! If you get the chance, go see it. Parental discretion is advised. These are actual human bodies and are anatomically correct. We did not have a problem with it. Neither did the kids. It really shows how "we are wonderfully made". They had a complete human skin laying encased in glass. It looked like a large piece of dried out leather. The kids liked the Prenatal area. They had babies from 12wks of gestation up to 36wks. They even had clean organs and diseased ones. Very interesting. Especially since I had just had a gallbladder attack a few months ago. We were there for 2hrs, but I'm sure we could've spent more time inspecting.

I hope we get to go again before the exhibit ends in May.

School At the Beach

The weather was beautiful today! Homeschooling indoors was definitely out. Outside that is. We took a blanket and our book to a park by the water. We read for a while, but the temperature outside was a warm 81 degrees. With the sun beating down on us, we got pretty hot. No I didn't take pictures. We did get to walk by the water so Brandon could pick up some shells. His new venture is making art out of shells. He was pretty excited when he found a shell that was intact and partially open. We almost brought it home. It seemed all dried out. He placed it in the water to be sure and yes, it did close. Obviously it was alive, so he put it back in the water. After walking the beach a couple of times, we decided to go home and get a long drink of water. Tomorrow will be cooler. Maybe we will take a trip to the library. No other school allows this kind of freedom or this type of motivation.

Ups and Downs

That's how it's been lately. We schooled a little on Thursday. Mostly bookwork. Friday I was not feeling very well. Then I had many errands to run. By the time I was ready for school, it was 3pm. The kids were ready to do something else. Sometimes I have them school anyway, but it was Friday. We didn't do any school on the weekend either. By Saturday, I could tell the little one didn't feel well. He had an earache and sore throat. We ended up missing Sunday meeting. He was in bed most of the day. Poor guy. He is finally feeling better today.

School today consisted of some reading, language arts and of course he loves to do math.

Jamie worked on Phonics, Critical Thinking and reading.

We'll see what's on for tomorrow!

Today's Homeschool Fun!

We did not have traditional school today. Here are some pictures of what we did.

We had a field trip to Chuck E Cheese!! We even took Mamo. I didn't get pictures of her playing the games, but she did like shooting the alien from Aliens. Ha ha ha It was yummy and a lot of fun.

After we came home, we read 5 chapters in A Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

Then Brandon made dinner. He made Italian Chicken Sandwiches from a recipe from a Kraft magazine. Yum! He loves to cook.

School Day!

Ah, Monday. It was cloudy and drizzling all day. The temp was between 66 and 69. Not too bad. A day in the life for the kids was as follows:

• Breakfast
• visit with dad (he got home from work around 10am)
• cleanup
• school (for Jamie)
• playtime (for Brandon)
• Brandon went with dad on motorcycle to grocery store
• Jamie helped clear school work bins (probably had papers in there from last year)
• late lunch
• more time with dad (they went to the grocery store and movie store)

All the while we were listening to songs on You Tube. Brandon loves High School Musical so we looked up songs from the movie.

A day in the life for me is as follows:

• wake up and make bed
• get dressed and put some clothes up from the day before
• wake daughter (son is already awake and boiling water for Rahmen Noodles)
• clean sofa entire sofa with Resolve (cleaning up Brandons cheese flavored noodles)
• daughter finally is up and in bathroom
• unstop the overflowing toilet in the main hall (which dumped out what seemed like an inch of water)
• keep son entertained by giving him a lesson in plumbing while I do the work
• throw load of towels into the washer (the ones that got soaked in the great flood)
• clean restroom now that we had a nasty over flow (might as well, I'm already there)
• make breakfast
• get things ready for school (clear off dining table and desks)
• still making breakfast
• turn on computer to put on upbeat music to help ME start the day on a positive
• Oh forgot coffee so I beg hubby (who just walked in the door from having worked nights) to make us some coffee
• serve breakfast, feed animals, grab my plate to sit at the computer to IM my brother at work and look for more music on You Tube
• visit with hubby
• get daughter out of her room again to school
• entertain son
• send son outside with dad
• took a quick ride with hubby on his motorcycle around the block (trying to squeeze in time for him too)
• school daughter
• dear hubby folds laundry that is waiting for me on the sofa
• still IM'ing
• play with my blog
• send hubby and son on errand to grocery store
• still schooling daughter
• checking on laundry/sending son to get clothes out of dryer
• (sigh) is it lunch time? throw corn dogs into oven
• do breakfast dishes
• heat myself up some leftovers so I don't pass out from low blood sugar
• give up on schooling son (sigh)
• sit at computer again
• pick up whatever is on the floor
• try to clear dining table a little
• start dinner (boiling chicken for casserole)
• no more school, but still listening to You Tube
• finish dinner and sit down for the day (on the sofa and ready for a movie)

All this takes place by 5:30pm. Now today my daughter made the statement that I have been at the computer all day. Ugh! Hahahaha!

I still have to wash dinner dishes, but I was waiting for everyone to finish up their showers. Dad took and short nap and joined me for the movie. It was Nanny Diaries. Then he put them both to bed. The little one gets and story and says prayer with daddy. The older one just gets tucked in and prayer with daddy.

Of course this is by no means typical. Anything can and will happen. Wake up time can have an effect on our day as well. This is just what took place today.

Bad Day!

Today was one of those days. I'm sure it was mostly me. My hormones are crazy. I had too much to do. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I just sent them away to public school. Then, because I'm emotional it makes me feel selfish. Is it normal? Is it just me? I hate feeling this way. It all started because I couldn't get them to come in and school or help with the chores this morning. I know I overreacted. I feel terrible about it. After they realized how I was feeling, they sat and did their work. I hate feeling this way. I hate myself for making them feel that way. On the other hand, the things I do are not for me alone. I always think of them first. Maybe that's the problem. I feel as though the time I spend on myself late at night is selfish too. Oh if only I could find the balance in my life. I was on the verge of tears, as were they. One day....one day I will wake up and I won't have these terrible sad days. One day I will wake up and "the former" things will have past. Oh how I long for those days. When life will be as intended by the Almighty Himself.

So I chose the song Bad Day by David Powter to add to my playlist. In hopes that singing a sad song will turn it around....

Books and Hot Chocolate!!

Today we read our last 5 chapters in GOOSED! It was a very cute book. Both of them really enjoyed it. The story is told from the dogs point of view. It was a lot of fun to read. They really enjoy the different voices of the characters especially the puppy. Definitely a must read. Here is a picture of them getting ready:






It was cold and rainy outside. The perfect weather for a good read. Our next book is called MR. TUCKET by Gary Paulsen. We begin next Tuesday.



Ok, now last week we worked on lapbooks. You take one topic and make a book out of folders then basically display what you learn. It reminded me of a science fair project. Of course, you can use it for any subject. It really helps in many subjects. Writing, research, reading, mathematics, history and art were involved. It helped them retain the information they learned as well. We only had 3 or 4 days to work on it, so they didn't really finish. However the whole experience was different from our normal routine and made it more exciting. It sure helps with burnout!





I am so proud of them. They didn't like it at first. By Thursday, they were ready to put the finishing touches. That would be the nice front covers. Don't they look good?

Homeschool Party!!!

We had so much fun! A small group got together to enjoy each others company and celebrate our homeschoolers accomplishments. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing. Sometimes those are the most fun. Since we were working on our lapbooks for the week, we thought the kids would like sharing their work with others. This also gave them a chance to see what others were working on. We even had them do the Mentos/Coke experiment and the vinegar and Alka Seltzer.

School This Week

Ok. I haven't posted in a while. It's not that we haven't been schooling this week. It's that we have taken a different approach. We are not using school books or work sheets. No drills or any usual manner of lessons. This week we worked on lapbooking. I must admit it was difficult somewhat. Mostly because of the timing. We began by printing all of the activity sheets on Monday. Jamie worked on sled dogs and Brandon worked on Tigers. On Tuesday, we had to really get on the ball. Our projects were to be finished by Friday morning! There was much research and paper cutting to be done. Then they had to glue the information to the folders. I don't have pictures yet. I hope to print them tomorrow. I will post more. There is much to tell.

School Today (Friday)

The kids have really been having a hard time getting to school this week. I don't really know why. Since Wednesday they have been kicking and screaming (ha ha) when it comes to doing their work. They are both grounded from any electronics. Brandon got his privilege back Saturday and Jamie on Sunday.

Friday they had the usual work then we went out to eat lunch at Pizza Hut. They enjoyed that. School usually takes 2-3 hrs a day. Calvert sure does make it easy for me.

Huh!!!! (huge sigh)

Today has been one of those days. Ok. I said I would post about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, here it is.



Not good, I know. It shows exactly how I feel today. Blah! It was a typical morning. Jamie has been getting up early and coming to the living area dressed and ready to help with breakfast. Joe was already in the kitchen making menudo. Yum! I have to admit I slept in. I didn't wake up until 8:20. Brandon woke up late today too. He was up at 9:30. Brandon wakes up singing. They love to see their daddy in the morning when he gets home from work. I thought everything was going good. UNTIL....(insert JAWS! theme here) the homeschooling mommy calls for students. Aah! Shriek! Scream! Kids start running for cover. Jamie was fine at first. She finished with her journal entry. Then after Brandon was told 3 times to wash up, he finally stomps off crying about the injustice. Jamie takes a break in between each different subject, so I can set Brandon up with his schooling. Well, when he gets back and learns he has to journal, he begins to cry. Again! He doesn't write in his journal. Brandon's is a drawing journal. His topic was: I get angry when... I thought it would help get rid of some of his frustration. Afterward we went for a walk. It was so cold (brr!) and windy. They all practically ran. ha ha! They were ready for more school work. Most of the problem was that I was trying to print some things out and not paying much attention to them. They just couldn't handle it. They were like that all day except when I would get all tyrant on them. I had my ruler in hand the whole time.

Jamie worked on spelling. She had words with sh, ch, and th. Then she had phonics, hard and soft c, hard and soft g. For reading, she had the Legend of Mulan. She was supposed to have an art lesson, but she isn't feeling well. Poor baby!

Brandon worked on reading comprehension. We discussed a story about the rain forest. He had to paint a mural of it. In history, he read about the Incas in South America and had to paint a picture of a silver and gold house. For phonics he read "Rain Day". He even practiced the spelling of words with the long a sound using ay and ai.

Well, That's it for today's school. I'm sooo glad it's over.