2 Months Absent

WOW!! Time sure flies. It has been 2 months since I have posted. A lot has happened in that time. Nothing really great as far as schooling. By that I mean we do our usual. The 3 R's! Believe me, I am grateful just to get that done. We have finished a lapbook on maps and globes. It was fun and had a lot to learn.

Dad changed jobs again. Went back to his old one. :( Nope we are not too happy about that. He is working Monday thru Friday and gets out early, but there are still other issues there.

The next big thing that has kept me busy is our new "diet". We are now eating raw. I would say 80% raw. Yep that's what I said. We have hardly any meat and when we do its chicken. The rest are raw fruits and vegetables. We were doing a lot of nuts and seeds, but I want to keep the fats down to a minimum. I feel so much better and I definitely do notice a difference in energy level. It has been since December and I can actually say I even see a smoothness in my skin. It is very soft and even the fine lines have seemed to begin smoothing out. I personally don't have cravings to go back to fast food or beef, but i think hubby does.

We also had a death in the family. Hubby's grandmother. We have been busy with family. It's unfortunate that we don't see each other until someone dies. I guess that happens to most.

Oh and we have a new family member. Not named yet, since we don't know if its male or female. We should be able to tell in another week.

Isn't it cute?!

And look at this gift we received from a dear friend....







EWW!



THANKS, FRIEND!!!

Out With the Old, In With the New

Isn't it nice to start new. It's like Spring. hehehe You know, when everything looks nice and fresh and bright green. New books, pencils, pens, paper, and a new schedule. It's almost time to start up again. We have only the weekend left. On Monday we will have an easy day. Just going over expectations, the schedule, and their new chores.

This week was all theirs. They have nothing to do and all the time to do it in. hehehe I have repeatedly asked if they are bored and the answer is always, "No". They have gone swimming, read books, slept in, woke up early, attended the District Convention, played with friends, cooked, had hard times, good times, and some easy times.


We collected bugs.

We went swimming.

We rescued birds.


We rekindled old friendships.
Recharged our spiritual batteries.
Now it is time to get back to our school schedule. Hopefully I won't be too tired to post on Monday with new 1st day of school pictures.

Something New

Ok, first of all, I just want to say that I changed my music playlist. I wanted it to reflect how I feel about my family....even if they do drive me CRAZY at times. hehehe

Now to get to what this blog is all about. We haven't been working on school too much except to do some writing, Bible reading, meeting prep, a little math, and art. Not much, right? hehehe
Today I will begin working on a schedule. Hopefully we will be able to keep up with it, but we will do our best. For me, I need things written down that I can see to help keep me on track. I am wanting to have at least 1 full day in the ministry so that must be included. Of course, we will still have out weekend for that as well, but since we are living in "critical times, hard to deal with" I thought this would be good for me. As soon as I get it all together, I will post my page on here. This is all the update I have for now. I may be on again later. hehehe

Lapbooking

Here is what we've been doing this week.

Since the girl loves horses, I thought it would be fun and educational for her to do a lapbook on horses.

The boy is working on his own lapbook. Learning all he can about snakes, of course.

So far they have worked on vocabulary, classification and geography. This is their second lapbook and I'm sure it won't be the last. Lapbooking covers quite a few subjects. The hands on learning they get from it helps them retain the information. They get up in the morning and it is already set up at the kitchen table. They begin working and reading right away. Best of all it's fun! Can't wait to see the finished product. I'll be posting that soon.

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.

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.

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.

School Today

Today started a little late. I've been kinda out of it lately. I can't get up very early. The kids had school this morning. They both worked on math. Brandon had a friend come over today. He finished his work so fast and eager, I couldn't believe it. It sure was a nice incentive. He was happy to work.

Jamie worked on spelling, reading, critical thinking, her journal, and mythology. Her incentive today was going to see Winston, Dad's horse. It's nice having something they like that they work towards.

Not much else to report. I am enjoying my blog. It really is fun.

School Today

Today they both had math. We did some drills while I was ironing. I used multiplication. Then I had them do a couple of sheets in their workbooks. Jamie has to journal each day, so she did that. Then she had some composition, and reading. Brandon worked on words that have the long a sound using ai or ay. He did a couple of worksheets on that.

Then they ran off to play with the keyboard together. I don't know what song's they played. As long as they get along, it doesn't matter. ha, ha I will never understand why they complain to get their work done. They began at 12:30 and finished by 2:00.

Fireworks!!!

My son LOVES them. He didn't care for them too much last year. They were too loud. Their grandpa on Joe's side has a firework stand. Brandon told him he wanted to attach a toy to a rocket and watch it fly up in the air. Boys! He ended up getting some free rockets to use. He discovered that the added weight made the rocket fly backward. Not a good thing. When it came back down the little man we attached was still in tact. I used little red firemen from the Dollar Tree so we could see it better. Brandon thought it was SO COOL!

Mmmmm....

As you can see, we had cooking class. Don't those tamales look good? See the look on Brandon's face? It had been a year since we made tamales. He was ready for them. Today they learned that it's a lot of hard work and takes all day, but the reward is oh so good.

The rocket there beside him is his new project. Hopefully we can fly it soon. It's been too windy.

Manic Monday

Well, this is homeschool. The kids were having a hard time getting it together. I couldn't get them to do anything. They love to play the "we're best friends" game. They don't hardly get along until it's time for school. I decided we would sit and read on the sofa. Jamie rolled her eyes while her brother rolled on the floor. They complained the whole time. We went outside, but then they started arguing. Huh! What to do! I finally decided they would work until 8pm. They didn't even have much to do. Some math, some language arts and some reading. It only took a couple of hours. You would've thought they were doing hours and hours of bookwork. Ha!