Notes From A Mama

Counting

2012-02-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

I picked up a pedometer. I figured I wasn't taking nearly the recommended 10,000 steps a day, so I'd see where I was and try to get up to that goal.

I was wrong. So far I've worn it for 5 full days. I didn't reach my 10,000 steps on Saturday (I didn't wear it on Sunday because of church.). I guess that's not a huge surprise, since I had someone to split all those trips to change diapers, check on children, and other things that are done upstairs. Oh, and I slept in...you know, until seven.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much walking my daily life with the munchkin's affords me. I have passed 10,000 steps every week day so far. I do run an elliptical most days too, so that adds several steps to my total. I actually fit the 'active' range. Could someone tell that to my waistline, please?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T11:14:00.004-06:00

The gals have gymnastics tonight, so we had our special dinner last night--candles, a cake with two small heart cakes on top, a table cloth I picked up on clearance after last Valentine's Day at Target, and pizza...they are kids!

We also got several cards from family and a package of goodies from my parents. The kids were very disappointed by the candy.

Can't you tell? So sad they had to eat sugar...

We'll be delivering cookies to our librarians today. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Inside Kate's Mind...

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Kate was describing Justin's lineage to her siblings during lunch the other day: "Daddy is one-quarter Scott. That means he has 25 Scottsmen in him. He's 25 cents!!!"

Gabby shouts, "I'm one penny Irish!"

* * * * *

Kate: When I was a baby did you sing to me?

Me: Of course.

Kate: Before you ever cut my hair?

Me: Yes.

Kate: Before we even left the hospital?

Me: Yes.

Kate: Did my hair glow?

Me: No.

Kate: Then I guess I'm not Rapunzel with magic. Hmph.

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

I got the 'other' quilt pieced last week.

Now I just have to find the time to quilt it. I tried sewing after the kids went to bed the other night, but they didn't sleep until after I quit. Once we get through the busy-ness of the first part of the week hopefully I can work it in between schooling and all.

As for my Double Wedding Ring quilt...it's going slowly. I can work on it at times that I can't get to my sewing machine, so it has seen some progress despite my new project.

Here's the box where I keep my pieces that are all stitched and waiting for the next step.

I have over 200 of the pink pieces joined to the blue pieces, so hopefully the next week will see that finished. Then I get to sew my pink/blues to my yellow/greens.

According to Gabby...

2012-02-07T08:24:00.002-06:00

She's being coin (coy).

Hang up shirts (tank tops) are okay attire for winter.

Obedience

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

I am a "Why?" person. I don't mind doing what you want if you'll tell me the reason. I don't think this is always a bad thing--it is good to know why, you can learn a lot that way. As such, I have tried, whenever feasible, to answer our kiddos, "Why's?"

Our minister made the point a few weeks ago that when our kids are asking, "Why?" they are no longer obeying, they are deciding if they agree. Hmm.

I still think teaching my children why we do things is important, so I chewed on that idea for a while. I came up with a new strategy. Now our rule is immediate obedience, but you are welcome to ask about the reason later.

Why immediate obedience? I know that is not popular in many circles, but here's the thing: I don't need to be telling you why I said stop as you continue walking in front of a moving car.

And then there is the other part of the parent child relationship. The one where we are learning to obey our earthly parents, who we can see, in order to learn how to obey the heavenly Father we can't.

Last week I was sitting thinking about a family who recently lost their home to a fire. It is tragic of course, but they have insurance. They will be able to rebuild and purchase replacements for things that were lost, as much as they are able to be found. I felt that I needed to make them a quilt. That was silly I thought, after all they could buy bedding at the store, right? If they bought it they would get what they wanted. I was in the middle of making my quilt. I didn't even know what sized bed they keep. That's silly. Nope. The feeling didn't go away. I still needed to make them a quilt.

Obedience.

Okay then. So I messaged their daughter on Facebook. She could tell me with what size bed I was working. When she wrote back with the size, she asked me why I wanted to know. I told her what I was up to and she told me that they had lost the quilt on their bed and this would mean so much to them. She also told me what colors they decorate in.

As a tiny foretaste of what it will be when I get to give them the quilt one of these days, the wife nearly cried when I gave them a spare blender we had accumulated. One that somehow hadn't made it to Goodwill, despite the fact it had been a in a box for donation and we have made several deliveries there.

I got my why--after I agreed to obey. Sure, their things can be replaced, but not the sentimentality of the gifts. As I go through my days I smile over the wedding gifts we received more than 12 years ago. I can still name the givers of many of those gifts. I can't replace the sentiment of that old quilt, but perhaps I can give them a new memory to smile over as they make their bed in their new home.

Sometimes we never know why we feel these promptings and sometimes we do. So when we get to know why, we can hold on to those for all those times we are left wondering.

Oh, and some day soon, I'll show you that quilt I've been working on!

Kid-isms

2012-01-30T07:48:00.002-06:00

Gabby: "I want fuzzy orange soda."

According to Nate, pancakes, which were cake-cakes, are now pan cake-cakes. He also pointed at the book we had for studying skeletons and declared, "Pirates!!" I guess that skull might resemble the Jolly Roger. Arg!

Yesterday

2012-01-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday...my oldest little darling decided she couldn't do her math. An hour later it was done, but it was not an easy hour.

My darling middle child didn't finish breakfast. Or lunch. She didn't finish them at snack time either (I hold back her unfinished meals for later, to encourage her to eat what she is served). So last night for dinner she ate the corn from lunch, the last several mini wheats from breakfast, and her large dinner salad. Do you know why? She knew we were going to have tapioca pudding (to go along with one of her sister's history lessons). She knew she couldn't have it if she hadn't eaten her normal food, so she ate it all. All. And then she didn't even like the tapioca. (Me either--ick.)

Finally, I settled down with a nice steaming cup of coffee. The littlest darling climbed up in my lap. He was going to be sweet, but then he started rocking us...hard. Nice steaming coffee was sloshing all over my lap until Justin came to take the little guy off to safety and I was able to clean up.

Maybe today will be a better day. I have learned not to say, "It can't get worse," because of course it can, but a girl can dream, right?

Quilt Update

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update on the quilt.

336...I have sewn 336 pieces of yellow fabric to 336 pieces of green fabric. I have made 672 knots and somewhere in the neighborhood of 11,000 stitches (yeah, I didn't count all of those)!

At a pace of about 12 seams per hour...that's about 32 hours, including the cutting time.

All for this teeny tiny pile.

Next up? Ironing, cutting, and then sewing 336 pieces of pink fabric to 336 pieces of blue fabric!

Maybe that quilt on Etsy wasn't over priced at three grand. But honestly, I am enjoying keeping my hands busy and I can't wait to see the thing put together.

Running Out

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

As a kid, I remember running out of school before we ran out of book. Every year. I hated that we never got to the end of anything. I never studied modern American History. We never saw what was at the end of the science text.

As a home schooler, I vowed we would finish our books. We're not going to skip from the middle of Roman civilization until after it fell. Kate's a quick study and I'm a planner, so I just outlined a schedule that ends our social studies and science at the end of our scheduled year. Perfect.

Many of our books were set up in weeks anyway, so I just followed those. As we're getting closer to the end of the year I thought I would check our progress and see if any adaptations were needed.

I found that our spelling only had 30 units. To keep our tests on Friday, on our four day weeks, we just popped two practice sheets on one day. But that means we'll finish spelling several weeks early. I have a new spelling program that I picked up used, Spelling Power, that I think will lend itself just fine to starting after we review all of our years' spelling words. Problem solved.

We ran out of our McGuffey Reader before Christmas and we've worked with library books so far, though I think I may pull old McGuffey back out later this term.

Then there is writing. Again, our book will give out about two weeks before we reach the end of the term. Well, we've been practicing copy work from the first chapter of Luke this year on Fridays anyway, so we can continue with that those last few weeks of class.

We're currently hitting grammar topically (no text) and most of our weekly subjects (music, art, etiquette, logic, and P.E.) are easily covered with the books we have or library cards and weekly trips to gymnastics.

I have one gaping hole though. We will finish the first grade math text in early February, leaving about 3 months of school remaining. I suppose the thing to do is order the next grade up. She still needs to practice memorizing all those pesky math fact though, so I debate moving on. She knows most of them, but there are still several to get down.

I suppose it is hard to match pace with those books after all. Though I somehow like this running out better than the other way!

*** We are required by our state to have 180 days of at least four hours apiece, so completely dropping subjects as we reach the end of the books isn't going to work for that schedule, plus some things like math, I think she needs to keep in practice for anyway. ***

Planning Ahead

2012-01-20T11:00:00.001-06:00

As the mother of daughters, I know that some day we may get to plan a couple of weddings. I was surprised though, when we went to buy some quilt fabric (I found a 40% off sale!) that Gabby demanded I purchase the material to make her a wedding dress that day. I told her we didn't know how tall she would be when she was grown, so it would have to wait. I really thought it would end there.

I was wrong. The girls danced around behind me choosing this fabric and that. They looked at thread colors, binding, and zippers. They chose quite the assortment of colors and textures. My very favorite was the jumbo orange zipper that they both agreed was the very best option. The dresses also have to have orange buttons to match. It should match the teal blue tulle with sparkly teal swirls that Gabby chose clashingly well.

As we were leaving the store, Kate announced that, "We can buy the least expensive fabric, even if it is kind of boyish, because it will be covered in other stuff so you won't see it anyway." Among many things she was eyeing was a roll of package ribbon at the check out.

I wanted to be sure to remember their ideas when some day they do come to me and are ready for wedding dresses, so I had them draw their designs. They drew a flower girl, bride, and bride's maid.

Kate is going for the multi-colored look.

Lest we ever forget, Kate put the orange zippers on the back of her paper.

Gabby is also planning to shave the heads of her bride's maid and flower girl. She might have difficulty finding attendants!

A Glutton for Punishment

2012-01-17T07:49:00.007-06:00

There is a quilt pattern that I have loved for many, many years. Unfortunately, it is one of the most difficult quilt patterns to complete.

The Double Wedding Ring quilt for a full/queen sized bed has 2573 pieces (in 9 fabric patterns and 5 shapes)! I don't have one to take a picture of, but if you google the images there are some pretty ones out there. The one I'm working on will be subtle. So far I have a light green and a light yellow to work with. I will either stick with variations of those two colors or incorporate some other pastels in the rings. The background will be white. I plan the places where the rings meet to be a white print and a green solid, though that may change depending on how long it takes me to get to that part and what my tastes are then!

I asked for the rotary cutter templates for Christmas, so I have cut the first two sets of fabric (672 pieces).

This is 336 pieces (in stacks) of pretty green wedges. Also pictured are some of my lovely templates, which allowed me to cut that set of pieces in 60-90 minutes. Sure beats the scissors!

I decided this will probably be a multi-year project, so I've started with purchasing the fabrics as I need them or find them on sale, rather than one big purchase at the fabric store. I'm hand stitching, which takes a lot longer, but allows me to stitch while I'm with the littles (an important thing for me at their ages, rather than being up in my room with the sewing machine, which I can do for short little projects, but not something this time consuming).

I went to Etsy the other day and I searched for double wedding ring quilts. The ones that fit large beds and are hand stitched are running $600-$3500! I guess that lets me know the time commitment I'm getting into.

I have 12 seams stitched so far...and more seams than I would care to count left to go. I'll post again when I get on to a new interesting step or finish up something worth showing. Maybe I'll finish it before Nate goes off to college anyway!

Stop On By!

2012-01-12T08:13:00.004-06:00

We had occasion to have a midweek visitor yesterday. My sister had need of some shopping in the big city, so she dropped by bearing books, which made her the favorite aunt.

The littles devoured their books, showed off their videography 'skills,' demonstrated their gymnastics tumbling, and then organized a dance contest. The dance contest was cut short though, when Little Miss Kate and Little Miss Gabby declared that they were the judges and the elder sisters were to be the contestants. Aunt declared that she, "Doesn't dance in public." Kate was quick to point out that, "This is a house, not public." Holly, despite laughing, decided to skip on the dancing just the same. Nate and I may or may not have done a tango.

We were grateful for the midweek visit and of course the books too!

According to Nate...

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

... ceiling fans are fairies.

... diaper are biapers.

... smoke detectors are spiders and so is his fireman's hat [spider=fire?!]. (I wonder what spiders are.)

... and each and every person in the house must have a kiss before he goes to bed or before any one is allowed to leave the house.

Planned Ignoring

2012-01-10T10:00:00.001-06:00

I took two classes in behavior modification in college. Two. Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. See? :)

One of the strategies is Planned Ignoring. Sounds simple. You just ignore it. If you have ever done much work in behavior modification you will know, however, that typically any behavior you opt to modify will escalate when you start to work on it (since, hey this used to work and now it doesn't so I should just turn the volume up) AND ignoring is not easy.

Planned ignoring is kind of like time out, but you can do it anywhere and the kids is only isolated during the negative behavior in that you aren't pay attention to him or her then. And people may hate you. You can do it when a kiddo asks (and asks, and asks for something at the store). Answer once and ignore ever after, but they will get louder and more annoying and you can not give in and answer or you just taught the little munchkin, "If I ask a whole bunch of times and keep getting more annoying then I get my reward (even if it is a 'no,' since half the point was just the attention)." So if you go for planned ignoring be ready for loud. But then after a few (or a lot depending on how ingrained that behavior is) you will have many more quiet trips in your future.

May I present an example? Well it's my blog and I will if I want to.

Yesterday I went to the grocery. I've moved my trips to the afternoon because then we don't have to deal with 'The McDonald's Question' because we've already eaten lunch that way. Yesterday, however, I was still recovering from the ~~plague~~ really bad cold I had, so we went earlier in the day (less crowded and my munchkins tend to do better in the morning).

One of my three really pushed the limits the whole trip, but in an effort to move things along, I mostly let it go. Nothing had been horrid, just not the behavior I expect in a store. We did make a purchase at 'Make it Donald's.' (Thanks Nate for the new name, by the way!) Typically this behavior would have kept her off the burger list, but I was trying to keep things on an even keel. I never threatened to take it away, so I wasn't breaking the cardinal rule of discipline (Never make a threat you won't follow through on). When we got home, a certain child continued to be difficult. And refused to change her tune when I prompted it. So you know what, she didn't get her Make it Donald's.

And she was mad: scream the whole way through our lunch mad. I told her once that when she calmed down she was welcome to a normal peanut butter sandwich lunch and then...I ignored her as she screamed in the middle of the kitchen. I stepped around her to get ketchup. I chatted with the other two about their meals and their days. We finished our lunch. I tucked the two with burger filled tummies in bed. I made a peanut butter sandwich (around her) and left it on the table. The whole time she screamed. She got so tired she sat down. Then she decided that standing again would gain her more attention. She was wrong. I went upstairs. I ignored her. Eventually she went and ate lunch. I ignored that too.

When she was finished, I told her she could tuck herself in, since she was so late getting to rest. When she got mad about that, I told her if she screamed I would let her nap on the wood floor (so as not to disturb her nearby resting siblings) and then I walked away. She started to fuss, but soon noticed I wasn't there.

There are plenty of behaviors we can't ignore--safety and other people's sanity depend on us stepping in--but it is a nice (if loud) tool to have in your toolbox. Plus sometimes it even gets so absurd it is kind of comical, so you aren't even mad about the behavior anymore.

100th Day

2012-01-09T07:51:00.005-06:00

We reached our 100th day of school on Friday.

This year I wasn't feeling well. I was starting to come down with the cold of the decade (it's been a tough one!), so we didn't have quite the huge celebration of the number 100 as we did last year. There were M&Ms though, so all is right in the world.

We started by pouring M&Ms in a bowl. Kate was to tell me to stop when she thought there were 100 in the bowl. She stopped me at 97. A very good estimate!

We counted groups of 10.

Then we counted to 100 by 10's and by 1's.

Then we made a distribution chart by color. We could then see that there are more blues than any other color in our sample and less oranges. There were equal numbers of green and yellow.

Then there is the most disappointing part of the day, having to divide the M&Ms into three bowls (33 1/3 each) so that the munchkins could eat them. Maybe I helped out by putting the odd one in a bowl though. Shh!

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

I guess I sorta got busy! I haven't written in quite awhile. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and are enjoying the New Year. We started back to our normal schedule yesterday. The professor was to be at work, so the littles and I went back on our school schedule. So now I can get caught up on all the writing I missed out on...well maybe some of it anyway!

We've done baking, visiting, sewing, shopping, baking, caroling, wrapping, and oh, did I mention baking?

The kiddos got some cute new PJs this year. These are a set from my parents that they modeled for me the other night. You might also be able to tell that both of the girls have had their hair trimmed. The girls adore long dresses and nightgowns. Gabby's brushes the top of her feet. It reminds me of Cindy Lou Who, and Nate has his 'Mergcy 'jammas. Covered in emergency vehicles, in honor of Aunt Holly.

Also in honor of Aunt Holly...

When we were little girls, we had some neighbors who we played with regularly. We enjoyed a lot of kickball games in our front yards, trick or treating together, and spent hours upon hours with them. The middle child was between Holly and me in age and owned a certain pair of slippers. They were 'bear claws,' fuzzy brown with plastic claws. As small children often are, Holly was scared of the claws, and she would run home anytime they came out. Of course, they were never brought out just to scare her off (ahem). Sorry Holly.

Anyway, that's why when I saw these on clearance...I just couldn't pass them up, so now Nate can scare his Auntie away. Maybe that won't work anymore though.

Kid-isms

2011-12-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

Gabby's take on the rubix cube:

"It's the color block that I need to fix."

Gabby, when Nate took a piece from our Little People Nativity set:

"Nate stole Jesus!"

* * * * *

Nate now believes that upstairs is 'up hill.' So we hear things like:

"Come down da hill!!!"

and

"She's up da hill."

Then there was, "Daddy take offone dindow." Which turned out to be "Daddy opened the window."

And also, "Biaper"

"Say 'd', 'd', diaper."

"D, d, biaper."

* * * * *

Kate, as Gabby was chattering away:

"Stop talking constantly! Stop chattering! Stop gabbing! Stop talking!!!"

[Pot, meet kettle.]

Twelve Days

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

I read a post over at Passionate Home Making that I was really drawn to. I love presents and giving them. Justin and I are on a fairly tight budget so that I can stay home, so there aren't a lot of frivolous purchases made. I saw the 12 days of Christmas idea and really thought it would be impractical, but then I started thinking about how to pull it off. After all, there are things I buy anyway that fit some of those, and some inexpensive extras that could stand in for some of the others.

Unlike the original Twelve Days, I am not repeating so we won't have 12 partridges, or 40 golden rings, or the like. And I'm also sure my sister is laughing because I can not stand the song, but it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up!

I haven't finished this little activity yet, so here's what I done so far...let me know if you plan to do this for someone in your life too. Justin isn't usually all that interested in gifts, but he has gotten excited to see what I have waiting for him each afternoon, so it has been a lot of fun for us both. Some of the things are very practical every day things or even things I have coupons for, but it makes sure he knows he was thought of, and that's the point, after all.

1 Sugar Free Coffee Creamer,

2 Bags of Popcorn,

3 Cans of Low Sodium Soup,

4 Razor Refills,

5 T-shirts,

And 6 Diet Root Beers (in the glass bottles)

* It can be hard to find items sold in groups of 7, 9, and 11, so you might want to save some homemade or creative ideas for those days!

Nine Patch Quilt Guide: Quilting

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Lay your backing material, cut a smidge larger than your finished quilt top, face down.

Next top this with the batting.

Then place your pieced quilt top (face up) on top. Be very careful that all of these pieces are perfectly flat. This helps to keep your quilt from puckering.

You then pin your quilt with quilting pins--huge safety pins that can pass through the three layers easily.

You can machine quilt (long straight lines are easiest, but you can get as fancy as you imagination allows

or that your machine will do for you),

followed by knotting the loose ends: sew the loose threads through to the back and knot with it's match on the back side.

Alternatively, you can knot the quilt. To do this, thread your hand stitching needle with several pieces of embroidery floss (not standard thread) in a coordinating color. Tie a knot on the top of the quilt and trim it, allowing an inch and a half of the floss to remain, as decoration and to keep the knot taut.

The very last step is to finish those edges.

The first option is to use bias tape (choose wide double folded tape in a color that coodinates with your quilt). Cut all of the edges of the three layered quilt to be exactly the same. Turn the end of the tape under to cover the raw edge. Fold the tape over the edge of the quilt and pin it with straight pins. When you get to the end of one piece of tape, just repeat the steps.

At corners, tuck the tape to help it form the turn. A simple straight stitch will secure the tape and close up your edges.

The other way to handle this it to fold the backing fabric over the batting

and then fold the front of the quilt in.

Again, use straight pins to hold it in place, then stitch over the edges with a machine or by hand.

Finished!

December Busy-ness

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

I've been a busy little bee, but not much I can write about. It is the time of year for secrets! Miss Kate and I have been busy sewing though. I haven't taught Gabby how to sew just yet, but she's helped with some ironing for one of our projects, supervised of course. It is nice to have them actually start to get involved in the gift making and giving this year.

We finally got our tree up. Justin and I put up the tree on Saturday evening with lights and beads, and the kids got to help us put the ornaments on after church on Sunday. I love our tree.

It is full of ornaments I made growing up, that the kids have made, that my students gave me when I was teaching, and ones that Justin and I have collected or been given over the years. There are ornaments that represent our alma maters, our hometowns, and the children's first Christmases.

We also have some of my grandparents' ornaments, though those and the glass balls my parents gave us shortly after we were married are tucked safely away for when the kids are a little older and have some plastic stand-ins for now.

And now it is on to baking...treats for a Christmas party, homemade fudge (okay, that's not baking!), and of course there will be Christmas cookies!

Nine Patch Quilt Guide: Piecing

2011-12-07T06:00:00.002-06:00

This is the second in the series of three posts in making a Nine Patch Quilt:

(click here for planning)

Stitch with the right (pretty sides together).

(Stitching 2 three square tall strips)

I piece the nine patches in strips of three blocks and then piece the three strips together, making a 9 patch block.

After all my blocks are made, I put all of the blocks in piles according to the columns in my plan.

I make each column.

Then, I piece each strip together to make up the widths of the quilt.

The final part of the quilt top is to add the border (which is totally optional).

After the top is finished, be sure to trim up all the loose threads and be sure all the strips are fully attached.

Happy 90th!

2011-12-04T08:26:00.004-06:00

My Grannie is turning 90! The kids and I had the chance to celebrate with her and some of the family yesterday.

(Five Generations)

She raised six children, has 11 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren, not to mention all the other people who call her Grannie too.

She's seen a great deal in her 90 years and we are fortunate to have had her with us for so long.

Happy Birthday Grannie!

About a Visual Latin Give Away

2011-12-03T07:00:00.003-06:00

Justin and I decided we would like to teach the kiddos Latin in elementary school. We figure it is the basis for many other languages (including ours), so it would help in language study. I've also heard it helps in decoding a lot of vocab on those SAT and GRE exams or in med school (to which my husband groans), so it will be a nice information set for them to have there too.

I have not studied Latin, so I have been looking for a couple of good Latin programs to choose from that don't require the teacher to know Latin. I had been leaning toward Latina Christiana, but thought I would take a peek at some other reviews of Latin programs at Cathy Duffy's Homeschooling Resources Review site. I happened upon Visual Latin earlier this week and watched a sample with Kate. I think she needs at least one more year of reading before we start the program, but I really liked it. It is video based, so she can see the written words while she hears it (and I can too). Hey, if I win it now I'll learn it ahead of her.

When I checked my email this morning, I found they are giving away some copies of it. So if you are interested in getting your hands on a course in Latin, here is the link to the contest.

If you tweet, blog, etc, etc, etc... you can get an extra entry.

Ha!

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

When I find Nate standing on top of the dresser we keep the TV on (thank you Daddy for attaching it to the wall!!), Kate says, "Boys, if you can't hear them they are probably taking the house apart!"

A Critic

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

We have read through all of the Little House books. The girls adored them. They routinely play "Laura and Mary." The stick horses have been renamed Prince and Lady after Almanzo's horses. The baby dolls are often stand ins for Carrie or Grace. We hear words like 'wraps,' 'milk pail' and "Nellie Olsen."

It is absolutely lovely.

After the last book was returned safely to the library, I thought I would give them a real treat. I checked out the first episodes of Little House on the Prarie, the TV show. "But Carrie's hair isn't golden. Why doesn't Pa have a beard? Pa never worked on Sunday! Why did they lie?!"

"Kate, they didn't lie, they just added more things to make a show."

"Why would they do that?!"

"The books wouldn't be long enough to last all the years the show was on TV."

[An incredulous look]

I wonder what she will do when she sees how Eponine is virtually written out of the Les Miserables movie, how they had to abbreviate Little Women to make it fit, and don't get someone else in this house get started on the Lord of the Rings!

Nine Patch Quilt Guide: Planning

2011-11-30T06:00:00.001-06:00

Making quilt can be as simple or complicated as you want. This is a simple 9 patch.

First choose the size of the quilt you wish to make--you can measure the bed you wish to cover, remember to allow if you want to tuck it in.

The next step is to plan the quilt. For example, will a border take up part of the widths or are your squares going to the edge? Will you use biased tape or do you intend to turn the edges under (requiring a few extra inches) to make the edges?

Let's say we're making a 35" square baby quilt. There will be 12 nine patch blocks and 13 solid blocks (some of mine were printed marked 'r' and others where white, hence the markings on my paper). I decided on one 5" border, rather than the two I originally had planned.

I sketch it out on quadrille paper so I can decide upon a pattern.

I decide my finished squares will be 5". I add 1/4" per side (not per width or height), so I will cut 5 1/2" squares. For my 9 patch blocks, I divide 5 (from the size of my finished squares) by 3 (as the patch will be 3 blocks wide by three blocks high) and then add 1/4" per side, for 2 1/16" square. (These sizes are totally arbitrary, just pick the size that works for you--smaller squares require more sewing, but allow for smaller pieces of fabric and more designs.)

large block = x = 5" squared

block for 9 patch = y = x/3" squared + .25" squared + .25" squared

And maybe you thought you'd never have any use at all for basic algebra and geometry after high school!

** I'll post about more steps next week! **

Kid-isms

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Some recent gems from the littles:

Gabby, as PawPaw was chasing her with the grilling tongs: "I am not a hotdog!"

Nate, upon seeing the advent candles, "Happy bi'thday, to you! Light 'em!"

Filling the Advent Box

2011-11-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

I love celebrating Advent with my family. I love the symbolic candles, the carols, the reminders about what the season means.

We keep a nifty Advent box that my father made for us a couple of years ago. The actual number of days in Advent changes each year, since it begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas, so our box has 24 drawers, one for each day in December leading up to Christmas.

I made a list of the things that will be in our advent box this year, along with the scripture verse and carol for each day! Feel free to take from it and adapt it as your own. I've seen neat advent calendars made with little gift boxes, match boxes, and even simple envelopes. Most of them match up, but there are a few odd ones--no stories about Christmas cookies or ornaments in the Bible, so those days don't 100% match up.

We bought a tiny nativity set a few years ago and that is where many of our little pieces can from. I also use little bitty ornaments.

(November 27th-Hope (Isaiah 40:3-5))

1-angel (Luke 1:26-38)

Angels we Have Heard on High

2-Mary (Luke 1: 46-55)

Mary Did You Know?

3-ornament we will make ornaments (John 1:1-4)

O Christmas Tree

4-Peace candle (Isaiah 9:6)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

5-envelope make Christmas cards (Matt 2:20)

Go Tell it on a Mountain

6-Joseph (Matt 1:18-25)

Joseph's Lullaby -Mercy Me

7-crown (Isaiah 9:6-7)

What Child is This

8-movie (Revelation 12)

O Come, All Ye Faithful

9-sheep (Micah 5:24)

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

10-bow we will wrap presents for friends (Matt 2:11)

Happy Birthday to You (Jesus)

11-Joy (Isaiah 52: 5-9)

Good Christian Friends, Rejoice

12-paper pyramid to represent Egypt (Matt 2:13-15)

Spirit of the Age -Michael Card

13-animals (Luke 2:1-7)

Away in a Manger

14-cookie cutter make cookies (John 1:14)

Deck the Halls

15-shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)

The First Noel

16-rocks to represent the line of David (Matt 1:1-17)

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

17-singing ornament we will go caroling (Luke 2:13-14)

Angels from the Realms of Glory

18-Love (Jer 33:14-16)

Silent Night

19-Nativity Ornament (Micah 5:2)

O Little Town of Bethlehem

20-wise men (Matt 2:1-12)

We Three Kings

21-lights (Isaiah 9:1-2)

There's a Song in the Air

22-candy canes (Isaiah 53:5)

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

23-star (Matt 2-1)

O Holy Night

24-Jesus (Luke 2:1-2)

Joy to the World

Two Ain't Got Nothin' on Four

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Oh my goodness. Who is this angry little thing that comes out of my normally sweet little gal?

She picks on Kate before they are to get up in the mornings. She refuses to help clean up her messes. She is becoming a full time job on her own. We will get there, but there are days it feels like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

Yesterday we were walking into the store and she let go of my hand and took off. We hold hands in parking lots. We do not go it alone. So as I was telling her this she wandered off, like into the line of one of those powered wheelchair shopping carts, so I had to pull her back. That made her more angry, so I had to carry/pull her out of the way, as half of the opening of the store was closed off and we were very much in the way. As I tried to tell her what we need to do in public, she covered her entire face with her arms. I marched onward. She stayed put. It was busy. It was crowded. She was hostile. She thought she had won, but girlie doesn't know her Mama. There was only enough snack for two, so she didn't get any. There was only enough dessert for the rest of us. Natural consequences, natural consequences. No grocery store, no special food for you. Don't mess with that laundry folding marathon I had scheduled!

Now, I suppose I better get to the store before there is no food for anyone.

2011-11-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

Twice in the past week, I've had strangers hold open doors for me. The kids are getting older and I'm no longer carting a ginormous double stroller with me, but they held the door in common civility anyway. When I thanked the first gentleman, he told that we made his week in allowing him the honor. I missed that when we were in Kansas!

I am trying to teach our children manners. It isn't always easy. People often dismiss us when we try to correct our children's manners. Sure, they are young, but if we don't teach it now, they will develop into big kids or even grown ups without manners. I love to hear Nate say, "Tank ooo," and I'm always proud to see the girls use their manners too. Hopefully as they get a little stronger, they will be holding open doors for the people behind them too.

I have an etiquette curriculum, but I have to say that I think the best thing for their manners lately has been reading the Little House books. Those kids are well behaved, treat each other and their parents kindly, and are sweet loving girls. Maybe we'll re-read these every year!

Uh-Oh

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

Oh dear. Evidently I'm not the only person who exploded coffee lately. Every once in a great while I look at the stats for the blog. I was looking at the referring searches--it's fun to see what people (in the most general sense--it doesn't tell me any details about individuals) are reading. People have checked in to look at Cat in the Hat hat cakes lately and turkey crafts. One individual typed in "microwave stopped working after coffee exploded in it." If you've stopped back by, I hope your microwave is working now!!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our little Thanksgiving craft from this past week.

Kate wrote her own from the list I scribed for her. Gabby wrote with a bit of help. I wrote for Nate, of course, but he gave me his list too.

Two!

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

The baby boy is T-W-O! Not sure where all that time went. He's a funny little daredevil and we love his giggles. He's started teasing his sisters and speaking in sentences sometimes.

We had his party yesterday, so it would be easier for my sister to hang out with us.

Here's the little monkey's monkey cake.

We love you little man!

May you grow to be a strong an righteous man, filled with wisdom and love.

It Comes in Threes

2011-11-11T18:43:00.003-06:00

So Sunday Nate got that leaf up his nose. Wednesday morning he was pukey. He's had the normal diarrhea that follows that (more laundry). Then today he had a rash. And it kept getting worse. That was the proverbial straw, so off to the doctor we went.

They asked what he had eaten lately, if he used anything new. We ate a normal dinner last night--homemade chicken noodle soup and salad of things I normally put in salad--and nothing unusual for other meals. We ate lots of 'highly allergenic foods' lately: peanut butter, eggs, almond milk, and chickpeas, but all things we eat regularly. I make our laundry detergent, his lotion is the tried and true hypoallergenic he's used since infancy, I have no idea what could have caused his itchy rash.

We're looking at allergy testing at his well visit next week...assuming he is well then. Maybe he's getting it all out of the way now, so he can be healthy, you know, for those terrible twos that are fast approaching.

Almost, but Not Quite

2011-11-09T08:10:00.003-06:00

I can't find my Mama Handbook. I seem to have mislaid it the week after Kate was born. I'm trying to look up the sleeping clause, you know the one that guarantees after one of the kids keeps you up puking that everyone will sleep in the next morning. It has to be there right between 'Mama's don't get sick,' and 'Only horrible parents have children who ever act out in the grocery store.' Maybe that handbook wasn't always right after all.

Well, we made it to almost two before the little fellow got his first puking bug. He woke me crying. As I sat up and tried to decide if it was one of those cries that will result in him rolling over and going back to sleep or if he had a dream that required a hug, I heard that sound that parents know.

We lost a few hours of sleep and there have been many loads of laundry, but he is holding crackers and water this morning (and watching Veggie Tales to distract him from his thirst because I'm trying to give him water slowly). Hoping it is over and that no one else catches it!

A Little Excitement

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday afternoon I took the littles out back to play while Justin was grading exams.

The girls hung like monkeys off of the swing set 'practicing gymnastics.' Then they made up a version of freeze tag in which whom ever was 'frozen' must spin in circles until they were unfrozen by someone, most often Nate, who declared himself unfreezable (or at least who didn't agree to be frozen).

After awhile, Justin joined us with a little football to toss around. We ran, we jumped, we laughed. Then Nate stumbled and went down face first, again. He popped up quickly, but when he turned around he was crying and as I ran to him, I thought I saw a stick coming out of his eye.

I was relieved to find it was actually up his nose. That is until I gave it a very gentle tug and it didn't dislodge itself. I called for Justin, who pulled again, this time out came the 'stick,' actually the stem of a leaf. It had a drop of blood on it. I ran the crying munchkin to the house and we wiped up a bit of blood, but he was completely fine. I really thought we had an ER visit in our future, but was grateful that we got to hang out at the house with him instead.

And to think I was a tad worried about the girls hanging on the swing set and not at all about the little fellow running on the ground...

To Kinder or Not to Kinder

2011-11-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Gabriella and I have been talking over school for next year. I'm starting to write out my list of books to purchase, so I can plan for them (it looks like Kate may finish her math books early, so I'll likely make my order a bit early, sometime in the spring). I need to figure out what books, if any Gabby will be needing too. She has been wanting to 'do' school more formally all year. I've been giving her a few preschool worksheets here and there, but encouraging her to go play, since she has the time.

Here is my quandary. Gabby wants to start kindergarten in the fall. According to the state, she isn't eligible for public school until '13 (By the way, how on earth did we get to a point in time already that I'm having to write 2013?). Of course, we can go ahead with instruction next year, but what to do about the paperwork? Do we call her first grade year kindergarten in '13? 'Skip' kindergarten (since we would have already done it)? Skip a different grade later to avoid confusion? File the papers next year stating that she's in kindergarten and see if the school system kicks it back? At this point it's just a paperwork issue. The last one is likely to be the easiest, but I kind of like not having the pressure of having to follow through if she decides she isn't ready.

I'm completely fine with Gabby taking another year to play and color, but I hate to hold her back because her birthday is three weeks later than her sister, when she so clearly wants to be part of school. Maybe the answer will become more clear as the year goes on.

Family Fun: Mini Golf

2011-11-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

We took the munchkins to play mini golf this past weekend. I bought a Groupon a month or so back and we were excited to get to go use it. The weather was nice and the place was deserted (both good for taking a young family of five)!

The kids were a bit less impressed than I expected. They did like the giant pink elephant (and the creepy carrion birds that were roosting near him), but there were several holes that Gabby chose to skip entirely. We had to watch the little guy pretty closely because he was quite interested in the water hazards!

It was a fun time, but we'll likely wait awhile before we try it again...oh and for the record the little guy and I won!

In case you ever wondered...

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

coffee can and will explode in the microwave.

I had read a recipe calling for strong coffee. We had regular coffee, so I reasoned that I could drive off some of the water and have the strong coffee required for my little recipe.

I am a reasonable person, so I heated the coffee for a couple of minutes and then stopped, so it wouldn't boil over. I came back twenty or thirty minutes later to heat it again. After one minute and eight seconds the coffee went boom and the microwave stopped (on it's own), flashing :52 at me.

I scrubbed out the microwave around the measuring cup until it had a chance to cool. Then I moved it and scrubbed some more. The inside was sparkling clean, but the big question was, "Will the microwave work after having exploding coffee in it?"

The answer is a thankful yes. I guess I'll forego the coffee milkshake. Or at least think of a better way to make 'strong coffee.'

Nate-isms

2011-11-02T07:34:00.002-05:00

When it is bright (like the lights when he first wakes up): "It's hot!"

When the girls ask, "Am I a princess?" He says, "NOOOO!" and giggles.

All dogs are called, "Toby." That is the name of my parents' Yorkie.

Boo!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Happy Halloween!"

from the vampire,

the ghost,

and the mummy too.

The girls decided they wanted to be 'scary' this year. You're trembling, right? Once they decided on their costumes we picked Nate to 'match.' The costumes are homemade, except that we bought Kate a black dress that she can wear all fall (and the teeth, obviously!). We taught the girls "We vont to suck your blood," but we've since changed it to "We vont to eat your candy."

I know a lot of Christians don't do Halloween, but we do. We refused to give Satan even one day out of the calendar. The kids will learn only to go where they are invited (i.e. where the porch light is on), so it's not truly begging, another argument I've heard against trick-or-treating. And there will plenty of thank yous and giggles, I'm sure.

Here are some older Halloweens if you want to take a peek!

2010

2009

2008

Before the blog (we really had kids and even took their pictures before the blog!):

2007 (a fairy and a pumpkin)

2006(Pebbles Flintstone)

2005 (pumpkin)

Monkeys

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

The girlies are enjoying their gymnastics classes each week. They need to work on some of the skills, namely keeping their arms and legs straight, but they are definitely improved from where they were at the beginning of the fall.

Kate has class first.

Her class alternates between learning to do these running flips with the spring board and using the high bars (she prefers the high bars) because she's intimidated by doing a flip from a full run.

(That high bar in the background with the yellow tie on it, is one that she climbs using the old horse (they don't use those anymore) and shimmies across to learn to drop to the ground--they only flip on the lower bars. They do put extra thick foam underneath it too while they are learning.)

She is learning to do a back flip by rolling over the 'barrel'

and she's getting instruction in how to do a round off.

Then Gabriella gets her turn:

Stepping through a hoop and over toys on the beam,

Learning how to do a cartwheel,

And her favorite is flipping over bars too. I think part of that is because her teacher's name here is Miss Gabby.

So that is what my biggest two monkeys are up too! I've been pleased with the increase in confidence the girls have physically. I'm not sure how long they will continue to be interested in gymnastics, but I'm glad they are enjoying it now.

Um, Oops

2011-10-24T06:00:00.003-05:00

I didn't do my research. I had a set of McGuffey's Eclectic Readers that I inherited from my grandparents. I knew they were commonly used to teach reading in schools across the country for quite some time.

We started with the first lesson in the First Reader last year with Kate's kindergarten. We didn't finish it. Then when we were ready to start this fall, I pulled out the books and it seemed that she had either picked up a lot over the summer or what she had learned last year had finally gelled. We began in the Second Reader. At our current rate, we'll finish it by Christmas. This week I started looking at the rest of the books. As I flipped open the 6th reader, where we would ostensibly be in at 3rd or 4th grade, I found Shakespeare, Byron, and Dickens. I guess these aren't a book per grade!

I suppose we'll be finding some supplemental reading to do in the next few years! On the upside, it looks like she should be able to do some more independent reading in the next little bit. One site I found tried to get graded reading levels for the readers--the reader we are in is listed at the 3rd-4th grade level.

I'm proud of my girl and we'll be off to the library to find some more books for her to read to me!

Fall Break

2011-10-20T06:20:00.003-05:00

We made a run to my in-laws over this past weekend, as Justin had Monday and Tuesday off for fall break (did you miss me? no? I guess auto-post kept on going!).

On our way up we got to stop in the town where we bought our first house, just outside of Cincinnati. We had arranged to meet one of my dear friends there--she was one of the very first people I met when I moved up there because she was one of the instructional assistance in my room.

When we got there, it wasn't just her. She arranged to have two of my former peer tutors meet us too. They are both married and have a child each (and she has one on the way)! It was such a pleasant surprise.

The gal was able to bring her daughter who really hit it off with Kate. (Can one not hit it off with Kate? She makes it hard not to chat with her.) Too bad it is a bit of a commute for a play date!

Then we headed on over to visit his parents.

Where we played in leaves,

Carved pumpkins,

Ate birthday cake,

And opened presents.

FOUR!

2011-10-18T06:00:00.004-05:00

Gabriella is four years old today.

She is maternal and sweet with a fiery streak. She has strong opinions about just about every thing. She is independent and determined.

She is bright and has a dry sense of humor

A contagious giggle

And she promises to never grow up.

To the little gal who wants to be a mother and a wife,

I pray that you are a joy to all that know you as you reflect Jesus to your family and all who you meet. And I pray that you use your determined spirit to do great and wonderful things for Him (not to make your mother and father stay awake nights trying to come up with ways to bend it for your safety and our sanity).

Write it Down

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

When I was little, I remember coming home from school with marker on me.

Not like the gals did the other day though. My teacher would write on me. She would write letters I struggled with or even put a dot on my nose if I did something well. Those were visual reminders... The dots would prompt others to ask why, and we could tell what we did right. The letters or numbers on my hand were there to remind me to practice them.

I had forgotten all about that until after weeks of trying to convince Kate to memorize the addends that made 10, I remembered that little teaching tool from my kindergarten year. I wrote two of the three sets of numbers she was struggling with and by the end of the week she had them memorized. Since then I've written a few letters on Gabby's hands and a few more equations on Kate's hands. The writing reminds them, every time they see it, and it is a reminder to me to ask them about it all through the day...giving us a lot of practice in what ever we are working on at the moment.

Dreams for the Future

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Gabby:

G: When I grow up I'm going to be a mama and if I don't have any kids I'll be a wife.

M: What do you think you'll like doing?

G: I'll make pies and pizza and roast beef.

M: Okay, so you'll like to cook, what else do you think you'd like about being a wife or mother?

G: I'll make meatballs ans chicken fingers and an apple pie with pepper & salt & apples & crust in the pie.

M: Do you think you'll like to do anything else other than cook?

G: [Exasperated look.] Well, I'll feed my kids.

* * * * *

Kate:

K: When I grow up I'm going to be a librarian.

M: Why?

K: Because I won't have to add very much and I think it would be interesting.

What's Cooking?

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Our diet took a bit of a turn nearly two years ago when Justin was diagnosed as an adult onset type I diabetic. There is no longer garlic bread with pasta. We have to round out some dinners with extra carbohydrates because there just isn't enough in baked chicken and green beans to take a dose of insulin. We've mostly found our way through--finding a few foods that are filling without carbohydrates. A favorite being cheese. Snacks are virtually gone, unless of course he has a low, then look out!

A few weeks back we'd been dealing with diaper-y issues with the little fellow. We tried a day on the BRAT (bananas, rice, apple sauce, & toast) diet to give his system a break. When I added in yogurt the next morning, the issues were back. Wierd. Then it hit me--could it be dairy? We made a switch to almond milk that day. And 'fake' cheese. And even 'fake' ice cream. Any time he gets any dairy we are right back in copious numbers of diapers. The bigger problem isn't the number of changes that are required, it is that the poop then burns his poor little bum. Evidently that is a sign of lactose intolerance--the acid in the milk is not broken down so it is still there. I've read that lactose intolerance can be an issue for a month or so after a stomach virus, so here's to hoping we're going to pass through this faze, but Justin had about 10 years of lactose intolerance.

I've been making him some separate foods for him... He likes pizza, but obviously can't have it with regular cheese. I made him up some on french bread with soy cheese. Soy cheese isn't great, but it is miles better than ~~plastic~~ rice cheese. By the way, the cheese powder in mac & cheese boxes does have enough real cheese in it to cause a problem, even when mixed with almond milk.

I've put off the pediatrician, since we're handling the issue on our own without any problems and it may well be temporary. I'm not a fan of the appointments where the doctor has to tell me wait and see, and since that's what we'll likely get until after this has lasted awhile longer. I am hoping that we will be able to get an all clear on dairy before too long or at least a dosage for the lactase enzyme, when I get him an appointment for his two year visit, so the little guy can eat our normal foods again soon.

Until then I guess what's cooking is not a creamy soup or gooey casserole, at least not for the little guy. And Justin will have to keep sneaking his cheese.

Birthday

2011-10-11T07:22:00.004-05:00

This morning my little gals brought me birthday presents.

Gabriella had told Justin I needed new bows again this year, so I gave her another idea. I told her I wanted a dark pink lip gloss. I sent a three year old with a colorblind man to choose lip gloss...I got bright red lip gloss. Thankfully it doesn't go on too thick, so it isn't as in your face as I thought it would be!

Miss Kate decided Mama needed some chocolate. Then the girls decided they need chocolate for their snack!

If you need me, I'll be eating chocolate and applying lip gloss.

What We've Been Reading

2011-10-10T06:42:00.004-05:00

The little people and I have been reading the Little House series. If the shelves are in the same place in the little school library in my elementary school, I could walk you to the shelf where those books sat when I was 8 years old. I devoured them (those and Nancy Drew that year--I know where those were too).

When Kate and I started her writing course for this year, the first copy and narration work came from The Little House in the Big Woods. We were both enjoying the little snippets, so we picked it up at the library. We've also read The Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy, which we just finished. Next we'll be on to The Banks of Plum Creek.

I've taken to checking out the book as well as the unabridged audio book. We listen to it as we drive around town and then follow up at home. Since the version we've been getting (narrated by Cherry Jones--she did a great job by the way) has breaks at the end of each chapter, it is easy to find our place in changing between the two.

I love that the girls are really enjoying a story that I remember loving as a girl. These books are rich in history too. They've learned about life before all the conveniences we take for granted, about the government movement of the American tribes, and what life was like for children of that time.

Read any good books lately?

What They Say

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Little boys are always supposed to love their mothers best. It has to be true, 'they' say so. You know the collective 'they' who tell us all the great truths like opposites attract and absence makes the heart grow fonder.

My little fellow...

The sweet child who loves his Mama best of all... That little darling boy who has always giggled and smiled when I kissed those cheeks...

He's started shouting, "Stop that!" when I give him kisses. Then he unceremoniously wipes his little face with his hands. It surprised me so much that I laughed the first time, which of course means we get a lot of encores of it.

I'm sure I'm in for a life time of bans on kisses and hugs, at least off and on, but he still blows me kisses when I tuck him in at night. I'll take it.

Toddler Theology

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

God looks like air to me. I can't see air and I can't see God.

* * * * *

Jesus and God are stuck together, 'cause Jesus is God.

The Teaching of Reading

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I told you a little over a month ago that Gabby was able to read her first word. The little gal has taken off. She has reached the 40th lesson in the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. If you are looking for a simple to use program that works, at least for willing readers, I just thought I would let you know that she's still enjoying it. She loves the silly pictures that go with the often silly stories. She loves that it is a special time with just the two of us. And she is learning new sounds and words all the time.

I love that it is easy to sit down with the book, not a bunch of flash cards or extra things to practice it. I will note, we aren't doing the writing practice that is built in. She isn't quite four yet, so while she sometimes chooses to write, I don't ask that of her yet.

Lip Gloss

2011-10-02T14:04:00.001-05:00

This is a video of Kate opening her birthday present from Gabby:

Really?

2011-09-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

"I like to wear one shoe because it feels like I'm on an elevator and I like elevators." -Kate

* * * * *

While hanging her wings up in her room, "I have to take the fairy wings back to that the other tooth fairy tonight. She lent me some because she had extras, but now I can give hers back."

Markers...

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

The other day we had out the markers for the girls to color some folders I got for them. If you know little kids and markers...well it can be a touch messy. I had hoped to distract Nate with crayons, but he's getting past the substitution stage at this point and must-have-what-sister-has. So I was thankful for washable markers and we went on with our day.

I sat right with the kids and kept an eye on them, since the baby boy had markers and who knew what he would do with them! After awhile, we packed it up for the time being. Nate was getting antsy and we needed to make a run to the grocery store.

Isn't this just a neat little postcard into the happy life of homeschool?

That afternoon as Nate was napping, I gave the girls the markers to work on their folders a bit more and headed to check my email. I hadn't even made it through all the subject lines in the list before I heard hysterical giggling. As a mom, there are three sounds that should send you checking on your children immediately: a very loud bang, complete silence, and this kind of laughter.

And I was again thankful for washable markers.

FYI

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

If you are a homeschooling family, you can register to win some curriculum prizes here:

Something Big is Coming and a $56,000 Homeschool Sweepstakes! | Home Educating Association

Busy-ness

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

How did life get so busy? We didn't have anything major on our calendar last year, or at least so it seemed. Now all of the sudden, I'm having trouble keeping up!

I dropped library story time to help, though they are constantly trying to get us to stay at our local branch. Zoo days, art days, and two days with weekly classes. Even church is getting busy this fall--classes about the church itself (2 days), membership classes (2 days), and volunteer training!

All the kids have their birthdays in the course of seven weeks here too! Visiting with our families over birthdays--my father-in-law, mother, sister, and I are all mixed in there too. Ack! Then Thanksgiving, then Christmas! Can some one wake me up after the new year?

Sometimes it makes it hard to slow down and take the time to read that extra book that we don't 'have to' read as part of our official school. But I'm going to try to do that this fall, in the middle of crazy, to walk when the sun shines, play on the swing set, chase some leaves, and make a mess in the kitchen.

A Fairy Tale, Katie Style

2011-09-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Kate had an assignment to write her own fairy tale for school. Here's what she came up with:

In case it is hard to read:

In 1805 there was a princess named Beth. She looked like she was a flower. She was from Kansas. One day she was listening to music. Then eight aliens

kidnapped her.

The next day Prince John from Atlantis read the paper and found out Beth was kidnapped by aliens.

So he went to

outerspace because he likes princesses. He went by rocketship. He found the princess on the planet of Neptune. He rescued her. When the aliens were asleep,

he snuck past them.

And they lived happily ever after.

Six

2011-09-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

Six years ago Miss Kate finally decided to grace us with her pretty little face.

My darling gal, you are so big. You have grown up so much in the past year. You are reading, writing, and calculating. You are memorizing scripture. You do everything big. You are outgoing and friendly. You can be so compassionate.

My hope for you is that you grow up to be a Godly woman with a passion to serve His people.

To the gal, who stood beside me and told me exactly how to decorate her cake.

The one who wanted Rapunzel hair for her birthday.

And who wanted to use as many of her presents as once as possible (hair, wings, skirt, necklace, book, harmonica [only Aunt Holly would give her a harmonica...I think maybe there will be a nice visit to Aunt Holly's house soon].

Love you beautiful!

Co-op

2011-09-23T06:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was our very first day of co-op. It was semi-organized chaos, as is often the first day of activities containing lots of children and people who have never been involved in the group before.

Kate took a science class, where they studied about paper floating on water and gravity. The second hour, she took a class in Tao Kwon Do. They practiced punching and good manners. She has homework for that class, in both Korean and manners.

Gabriella's classes were Montessori based. She studied numbers, letters, animals, and a parable about Jesus, but she could quite put the words together to tell me which one.

Nate and I hung out in the nursery with a couple of little ones that were tagging along with their big brothers and sisters. We grilled hot dogs and corn on the cob in the play kitchen, bathed baby dolls in the 'sink', used an indoor slide and listened to Veggie Tales music.

It was nice to be around other homeschoolers and the girls were both very excited about their classes. I was so glad that Gabby got to be involved too. I would love to have a co-op closer to us though, we had a 40 minute drive over and over an hour drive home. We'll have to see what is available in the spring!

Here are the munchkins ready for an afternoon of learning. Nate wasn't too sure about having his picture made and kept running off, so we finally got this one just before we walked out the door!

Computer

2011-09-22T06:40:00.004-05:00

I can't get over how the price of computers have dropped. Our first laptop was over $750. As I've been scouting this week, I found them for $350! And of course they can run circles around the one we had before. Now to see if we can avoid purchasing a new one for 10 years!

We were late into the DVD scene because we knew if we waited we would be able to save quite a bit. Whats more, we could by those inexpensive VHS tapes that no one else wanted. Sometimes it pays to be late to the party!

In case your wondering, we got a Dell Inspiron, at recommendation from my mother.

Peaceful Walk

2011-09-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

The other night we set off on a little walk around our neighborhood. We've done a few walks lately and Nate has been able to make them too. As we started up that first hill, it struck me that for the first time in almost exactly six years we were walking without a stroller (or carrier of some sort) these days. We were enjoying the slightly cooler than normal temperatures and the slight breeze, the time out of the house and the low glow from the setting sun.

After only a half mile, Nate gave out. He's been making it nearly a mile under his own steam, with Justin and I volleying him back and forth the rest of the way. Then, at the very furthest point from the house, Justin feels his blood sugar start to plummet. I take the little fellow and we're encouraging the girls to hurry every little chance they get. I was considering knocking on a door and offering to buy them a case of whatever soda they could let us have.

It was not the most peaceful walk we've ever taken, but we made it back. We learned our lesson: the baby is not all grown up yet and we need to take glucose tablets on our walks, even just 15 minutes after dinner.

Computers

2011-09-19T06:52:00.004-05:00

My computer went kerplunk kerpluey (as in won't even run DOS) as I was scanning in pages from a little story that Kate wrote that I planned to let you read today. The netbook I'm using can't use my scanner (no CD drive), so you're stuck with just me today.

We'll be purchasing a new computer this week, which we haven't done in 10 years (yep, we aren't into the latest and greatest), so if you have any recommendations for the most basic of laptops or ones that haven't been great to stay away from, drop me a note. I blog, facebook, and email. I store pictures, type for home schooling, and occassionally stream a TV show, if my computer cooperates. The kids play a few educational games, not the things that take up a lot of RAM. So we don't need anything fancy. I prefer laptops to desk tops as a space issue. And that Nate tends not to type on it so much if I close a lid and hide the keyboard.

Nate-isms

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

According to Nate...

Earrings are actually keys,
milk is actually knock,
and fork is a not nice word, since he doesn't have his 'r' yet.

We're encouraging the use of 'spoon' for all utensils at the moment, since his fork is more like a spork anyway.

Announcement

2011-09-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to have these in our possession!

Announcements for graduation! We are so glad to have this one behind us.

There are lots of projects on Justin's plate these days...teaching, writing for his doctoral adviser, a research project (or two) at work, and beginning on his tenure package, but it is wonderful to have this accomplishment! Maybe he'll actually have time to take some vacation next summer.

Notes From a Three Year Old

2011-09-14T06:25:00.001-05:00

An email from my Gabby girl to her grandmother:

Thank you for my ring. I love you Gam. I’ve been doing gymnastics. I’ve been running and doing a somersault. Today I read about ‘a rat in the sack.’ And I love Toby dog. Pass it over to Toby so he can see it. I love PawPaw too. I want to come to your house today.

Love,
Gabby

Teachers

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am Kate (And Gabby and Nate)'s primary teacher, but I am thankful to not be the only teacher. There are grandparents who teach them little things as they go, Justin who teaches about music, video games, and chemistry, and then other organized learning too.

We go to programs at the library, classes at the art museum, lessons at the zoo and Sunday School. Now we've added gymnastics to our list and we're planning to be a part of a co-op later this month. I am excited for the new friends, teachers, and learning opportunities we have being closer to the city now. And thankful for a calendar to keep it all straight!

Nate-isms

2011-09-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Nate's favorite game these days:

"Wheh ah you?"

(Where are you?)

as he hides behind his hands and giggles.

* * * * *

He also calls his sisters princess from time to time. They are smitten.

Flipping It

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

My littlest gal had her very first gymnastics class this week.

She was able to pass through a rotation of activities--tumbling on large foam mats, walking a low foam beam, practicing the steps for a cartwheel, and flipping over a low bar.

She had to learn to stay on her task. The first activity she was given was to walk the beam. She walked it once, but then waited to be told what to do next. After the first couple of minutes passed, she went to one of the teachers who was spotting another student. She was walked back and told to do it again. Twice.

At the end of one of her mat practice runs, she found the side of the long trampoline. There were other children taking turns on it, but that didn't stop Miss Gabriella. She hopped up and, well, hopped. One of the teachers walked her back to her activity. She got to play on that trampoline later.

She tells me that she had fun. (And Kate did too--she tried a class for older kids.) This week was a free trial. It makes for a very long day, but we're going to see if we can work it out for them.

Hand Writing

2011-09-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

What a difference a year makes!

This is a picture of Kate's handwriting sheet from a year ago.

This is from this past week. The blue circles are the (minor) errors I marked for her.

*In case you are wondering, we are using Writing with Ease (without the accompanying workbook) for writing this year. Actually, I intend to use it for four years, as it has the instructions for teaching writing for 1st-4th grades.*

Labor Day

2011-09-05T10:23:00.002-05:00

Thankful for Justin's job that pays the bills and mine that doesn't, but pays in many other ways.

I take pay in sticky kisses, silly stories, cuddly hugs, and cute smiles. Other payments are negotiable.

It is September, Right?

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

100*? 100*! Really?!

That's all.

Dog Days

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nate happened across a copy of this picture, which so aptly summerizes our children's personalities...Kate posing, Gabby hiding, and Nate (not yet walking) on the move. I asked him where Kate was and he showed me. He also showed me Gabby. Then he points to himself and tells me, "Nate a dog here."

While we were at my parents he took this a step further... My parents have a yorkie named Toby, who the kids just love. Nate crawls in from the kitchen with the dog's favorite toy in his mouth, continues over to my mother. There he drops the toy for her to throw (just like Toby). When she throws the rubber cow, Nate jumps up onto his feet and runs for the cow. He then gets back down on all fours so he can pick it up with his teeth.

Not the most sanitary of activities, but we were so surprised and laughing so hard!

Prayer Request

2011-09-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

My heart has been heavy this week. A friend of mine here in town had a stroke last Friday. I haven't made any close friends here yet...we knew we weren't staying in the first house, so I didn't put down roots. I wouldn't let myself get attached to anyone in that area. We got settled in a church and a home and I was starting to build relationships. She was one of a small handful of women who I was getting to know. And of that group, we probably share the most in common: recent transplants from out of state, trained educators who are staying home with our littles, married to PhDs (both in science, I might add), and mamas to three children each (our oldests were born within a month of each other). We've been in each others homes, smiled over each others children.

Could I ask you to pray for my friend? She has three boys, a devoted husband, and family that has traveled to be with them. They could all use prayers for grace and peace, wisdom for the doctors and the family as decisions are made, comfort for her boys, and of course healing for her. And I wouldn't mind one tiny bit if God granted a miraculous healing, the likes of which leave the doctors with nothing to say, but that God had His hand in it.

Tough as Nails

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Gabby is the more feminine and maternal of the girls. The other day I was reminded that doesn't mean she's not one tough cookie.

I've been taking the kids for a walk a few days a week. We enjoy the sunshine, the time out of the house, and we count the time in as part of Kate's PE. My kids love PE.

We had just turned around to head home and the girls were running ahead to the next mailbox holding hands. Very Norman Rockwell. Then Gabriella fell. Holding on to Kate's hand, she was not able to break her fall well. She scraped her knee pretty badly and cut her chin. I scooped her up and started to walk home carrying her and holding Nate's hand. Then my tough little gal looks at me and tells me that she can make the walk. And she did. She walked nearly half a mile home and let me clean up her scrapes. The only thing she cried about was the blood that got on her skirt. (Thank goodness for peroxide!)

Kate told us, "I would have cried and cried!" I know kiddo.

10%

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been using an online schedule/grade book for home school this year (Homeschool Skedtrack). It lets me put in the activities we're doing, keep track of grades (optional, as we are independent homeschoolers and not required to do so by the state, but it is something I chose to do should we ever opt to go under an umbrella and need those little letters!), and even has a spot to record field trips, and print transcripts and report cards.

As I am filling in all the information, it alerts me to what day of school we are on. Yesterday was day 18, which doesn't sound very far in, but it is 10% of the way through our 180 day year, which seems crazy!

R & R and ice cream

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

We went to visit my parents this past weekend. Speaking of traveling, am I the only person who feels that all the laundry must be done (including the sheets and towels), all hose keeping must be caught up, and everything put away before I can leave town? Friday night my parents kept the littles while we went to dinner without ordering for anyone else, cutting up food, running children to the restroom, or cleaning up spilled drinks.

We had considered a movie, but we didn't find anything we were really interested in, so we went to a bookstore where we wandered aimlessly looking at all sorts of books. We hadn't done that in a very long time! Afterwards we headed to my parent's cabin. We watched a little TV before heading to bed, where we stayed until after eight in the morning. If you have little children who rise fairly early, you know that is a major event.

We got to be back with the munchkins less than 24 hours later, but it was nice to have that break. We got to visit with my parents, my sister, and even briefly with my mom's cousin who was passing though town.

Then we headed off to the annual ice cream social at the church I grew up in. Burgers, hotdogs, lots of potato salads, cakes, cookies, and of course ice cream. We got to visit with some of the girls I knew when I was the age of my girls. The kiddos played in a couple of inflatables as well.

Kate made some lady's day. The woman, who I was told is in her 80's, was standing near the inflatable, so Kate asked her, "Are you in line?" so as not to cut. Everyone thought it was nice of her to try to include her, but she told Kate she was, in fact, not in the line.

I forgot my camera, but it was a nice weekend!

Habitats

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

We're studying biology this year. I've been planning our course since midway through last year. All the sudden it hit me though--the outline I had read (and loved), from The Well Trained Mind, left out a few topics I wanted to cover. Some of it can be easily worked in, other things not so much. Kate isn't as gaa gaa over animals as some children are, so it isn't difficult to shorten that study (which is supposed to last 20 weeks) by a couple of weeks to add in some other biology topics. We are starting with a unit study on habitats. I plan to teach various habitats now and then she will relate that to those animals later when we get to them.

Our unit study is in depth and costly...just kidding. I have several books I picked up at the library (The Usborne Book of Wild Places, EyeWitness Science: Ecology, The World Wildlife Fund: Living Planet, and Animal Habitats [by Judy Press]). Just about any book on habitats for children would probably work. The World Wildlife one isn't for kids, but is mostly pictures.

We read about a habitat, looked at pictures, and I tortured the child by making her draw her answer.

She loves to draw, plus I get to see that she gets it. She was facinated by the carnivorous plants...here is a pitcher plant eating a bug on the right (on the left is a parrot). And in case you didn't know this about rainforests, she tells us, "They are really wet."

I have her draw a picture of the habitat, write one sentence to describe it, and then draw a picture of one animal and one plant that she could find there. She describes wetlands with the sentence, "They have lots of water," and she illustrates a snake and cattails.

I even had her draw a picture of her habitat (our house). Excuse the blocked out portions, but I didn't really want the whole internet to have our home address! There are steps, a flower bed and a lot of windows above the door.

I then bound her pages together to make a book of habitats to have on hand that she can look at as she goes through the animals later.

The Animal Habitats book is the book I've leaned on most heavily. I have really enjoyed the art activities. We haven't done anywhere near all of them (not by my daughter's choice!), but they have been fun and fit right in with the lesson. I would recommend seeking it out if you can.

Nate-isms

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nate opened a book, gave it to Justin, and Justin tells me he said, "Read to me, buddy."

Another bookworm?

All Alone

2011-08-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

When you have more than one child, you have to be intentional to spend time with just one at a time. Let's face it, hanging out on the couch with them is nice, but is likely to be interrupted by the siblings. We try to take individual children on errands when it is feasible too, but sometimes it is great to do something special just with one of the kiddos.

Last week I took Kate to a science museum nearby, just the two of us. We got to spend time on things that are hard to do with the little ones. She got to 'fly' in the moon walk

and we went geocaching indoors and out.

This week I took Gabriella to see a movie.

We saw The Smurfs. It was her very first movie. Not one I would really recommend as a great work of cinematography, but it had some funny lines and was reminiscent of my childhood--I loved the Smurfs. Plus it was a great afternoon with you youngest gal.

Meanwhile, Justin took Nate for a nap...

Next month we'll switch and the girls can go on 'dates' with their Daddy.

A First Word

2011-08-24T06:57:00.004-05:00

I write a lot about Kate's school, since that is much of what we spend our days doing. The littles join us here and there as they want or as things apply to them. Gabby has been asking to read for a little while, so I've been teaching her with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Kate and I brute forced our way through a McGuffey Reader, but being as Gabby younger than Kate was, I thought we needed to start a little slower.

We got to read her first word yesterday. It was 'me.' I was so happy for her...she was happy for the sticker that I give when they read with me!

Another happy little bookworm in the making!

Gabby-isms

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Those blueberries don't make my tongue all comfy cozy in my mouth.

* * * * *

As the girls were 'hunting,' using their stick horses as rifles (We've been reading Little House in the Big Woods.)...

I shoot [sic] a rubber chicken over dere [sic].

Curriculum: First Grade

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love books. Maybe you can home school without a love of books, but it sure adds to the fun if you like them! I get excited about new curricula and reading all the books.

Here's what we're up to this year...

We are using Primary Mathematics (it's the U.S. version of Singapore Math). Some places I have read recommend 1A & 1B for second grade, but after reviewing the books, I'm confident that Kate has a firm enough grasp of basic math to handle them this year. It is a pretty rigorous program, I've heard, but I haven't looked at other books to compare them, just read reviews. I also picked up a math drill card. I'm hoping that she will be able to learn her math facts this year without having to count each time.

This is our language arts curriculum. We have spelling from Evan Moor. I wasn't interested in anything in particular this year and this one seemed to fit the bill as an inexpensive program that had daily assignments.

I picked up Writing with Ease for, well, writing. You can get companion workbooks, but with this book you can teach 4 years of writing, if you are up for finding your own writing samples. I am using this 4 days a week and it is our writing and handwriting at the moment, as she has told me that she dislikes writing. So long as she uses her best penmanship for this, we'll skip the handwriting for handwriting's sake. I plan to have her copy verses from the Bible for the fifth day of the week.

Next up, for grammar, we are borrowing books from the library. In our library system we don't have the entire set (Words are Categorical), so I'm hoping to get the rest through inter-library loan to teach the parts of speech this year. I also plan to cover punctuation this year for grammar. This book is a hoot though (A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink). Even Gabby call tell you about nouns now.

Then we'll be reading...McGuffey, library books, books off our shelves, signs, where ever we can find words!

We'll be reading more from The Story of the World in history (we've done some activities already, like here). I also picked up Real Science 4 Kids Biology (Pre-Level 1) book. I'm planning to follow the basic idea from The Well Trained Mind for biology (studying animals of her choosing, anatomy, and botany), but I really wanted to also introduce the concepts of cells, habitats, and classification, since we won't cover biology again until 5th grade. This book will complement that study well.

For art and music, I picked up these based on recommendations that I read last year. She will also be able to participate in activities at the art museum here from time to time. We opted to teach some basic piano here to see if she enjoys it. If she likes it, she can continue it more formally later and if not, then she learned a touch of music theory that can be helpful in any instrument she might choose to study later.

These are some odds and ends that don't fit the most basic curriculum requirements, but are things we wanted our children to learn. The girls will both be completing the etiquette book (it is very feminine, so I won't be saving this one back for Nate). We also plan to teach logic, so we're starting with this basic thinking skills book for this year. The girls are both learning to memorize scripture verses this year. I got this little book to get us started.

This book is for Gabby. She has been asking to learn how to read. I taught Kate last year and while we got it, it wasn't an easy task! I thought this might be a good way to start, especially since Gabby is younger than Kate was. So far, so good. We're on lesson 5 and she seems to enjoy it, though she did leave before we finished the last lesson we were working on.

And this is my extremely high tech record system...

It is a bound book where I make notes of what I want to teach (I have stuff from k-12 in there all mixed up, sure to make many people cry) and I little notebook to record grades. I will likely set up an Excel program at some point, but I wanted a place to record on the spot as we do questions aloud and the like. I also have a calendar. I write our topics each day in the blocks, so I can look back and see what we did and when.

Other Days

2011-08-19T11:22:00.004-05:00

There are days that go off without a hitch...and then there are those other days...

Days that start with your husband puking at 3 AM. So you're running for crackers and rags and water and glucose monitors (maybe that last one is just me!). Days that as soon as you drift off to sleep after he's finally sleeping peacefully again you hear your daughter screaming. You run in expecting to be up the rest of the night with her, only to find out that she is screaming because she wants her 'widdle wamb.' The same one she said she didn't want when you tucked her in last night. Thankful that she's fine, you still grumble that she got you up.

Morning comes...no time for coffee. Stumble through lessons with Kate crying she doesn't know how to read the word afraid though she had no trouble with between or workbasket, Gabby is crying that Nate took a toy, and Nate crying that he can't have all the school supplies.

Make it through to lunch. I'll splurge and make the processed cheese mac--no one will complain about that at least. Cook it all up, go to shake down the powder in the packet that vaguely resembles cheese, and the package tears open and flies across the kitchen, covering the floor in powdered cheese. Sigh, mix up what was left in the package to make something resembling macaroni and cheese. Sweep up the floor, shake out the rug.

Be grateful that it isn't any worse, that everyone made it through fine, and that it is rest time. Hope for good rest time and a better afternoon!

The Tooth Fairy

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

There aren't any loose teeth in the house, but the tooth fairy is back.

* * * * *

Kate: I can't fly today.

Me: Really, why?

Kate: Its a rule. If tooth fairies fly during the day, then they can't fly for 11 weeks!

* * * * *

Kate: I used to live in Pennsylvania.

Me: Oh?

Kate: Yeah. I had to go there as a tooth fairy, and it was really far away, so I spent the night, like, eleven times.

What Kind of Home Schooler?

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that there are different types of home schoolers? There are those who practice unschooling (I'm much too type A to pull that one off, but I try to take a few of their ideas in child led learning), proponants of classical education (which follows a pattern for teaching through a child's development and linking subjects together), educators that utilize unit studies (which is just as it sounds, they pick a topic and learn about it perhaps integrating all the subjects into, something like dinosaurs or ancient Babylon, then move on to the next), the eclectic home schoolers (who take what works for their family from this approach and that approach and mixes them until they are a good fit), and many other schools of thought too.

Last fall when we fell into homeschooling I raided my public library. I pulled out a very thick book called A Well Trained Mind. I was so thrilled by what a read. It outlined a rigorous and well planned course of study. I needed a plan, but it was also so clear that I didn't need a set text. I could work with library books--an inexpensive method, though time consuming. (I've settled in to some more texts this year, to reduce my planning time.)

I especially loved the way that social studies was taught sequentially and in connection with art and literature (what a grand idea--linking it all together, so the history of art and literature fall in to place naturally) and the ordering of science, so that rather than repeating each topic every year and slightly expounding on it, it is taught on a rotation like high school or college.

So, if you wondered what kind of home schoolers we are...there you have it. We are basically Classical Home Schoolers.

I liked the book so much, I even bought my own copy, though quite a few years newer it's as great as I remembered it. It's sure to be filled with sticky notes in no time! The only downside to it, if it is even a downside, is that in the new edition it does frequently recommend other books that the author published. I happen to like those books, but it might be off putting to some.

Making it Fun

2011-08-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

I try to be a practical person for the most part. Why buy a new car, when a used one does just as well without the sticker shock? The same applies to name brand products for the most part. Sure there are certain things that really are better and I'm all for purchasing, say name brand tub cleaner if you find it works better than the generic, but who cares if my t-shirt says 'Hanes' on the label, so long as it fits and lasts as well.

Kate hasn't been thrilled with the idea of back to school. She tells me, "It cuts in to my play time." Ha! Mine too girlie! I'm trying to find out what parts of it are the most distasteful and work around them where I can. She tells me that she doesn't like to write because it hurts her hand. Of course, then she spent much of the time with my in-laws scribbling out rules for her own classroom (she's really strict by the way), holding a pen much longer than I ever require, but anyway! Since writing is a pretty necessary skill, I'm trying to find ways to make it less like work and more like fun.

I saw these for sale at Target and I had to buy a couple. They are black on one side and white on the other. The gray at the edges keeps the boards from sliding on the table.

They come with the *washable* dry erase crayons and the cleaning cloth.

Sure, paper is less expensive, but sometimes you need a little something fun to mix in with the tedious. They remind me of old fashioned slates without the chalk dust, and of course with the fun of the bright crayons.

Instead of practicing her spelling on paper, she gets to do it on the board. The novelty may wear off, but her only complaint so far was when I asked her to rewrite a misformed letter.

Gabby got to practice some letter writing too and Nate threw crayons in the floor for me to pick up...several times.

** Not an advertisement, just a fun find. **

I'm free!

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I guess that could be taken the wrong way if you knew my in-laws just left, but that's not what I meant (We had a nice little visit.). I've been seeing an ophthalmologist since March because of...pink eye that wasn't taking treatment well from my regular GP. I know, lame, but at least it wasn't the amoeba I was referred for fear of! Anyway. He tells me that the inflammation that the little infection left me with has finally all subsided, and he is releasing me ~~on my own recognizance~~ to an optometrist. Great news.

The only real down part is that he recommends that I only use glasses or daily wear (wear one day and then toss them) lenses. Those my well be out of my price range, even with our vision insurance, so we'll see. He said that I could also do surgery, but I'm not really up for that one, nor is it in the budget either. At the very least, I can get myself a pair of back up glasses for the day when this pair gets broken. And I no longer have to put drops in my eye. Free!

Dinner

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

We had the occassion to eat out with my in-laws over the weekend. We headed to Red Lobster. After seeing the lobsters in the tank before heading to our seats, where our food came from was fresh in Kate's mind. She told us, "If I cook a lobster, I'll put it to sleep first, so it doesn't hurt. Putting it into a pot of boiling water? Ouch!!"

On a proud Mama note...we had two different people make a point to stop by our table to compliment us on our children's behavior.

Back to school!

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Kate and I have worked a little on her social studies in the past two weeks. I found that our book has more chapters than our school year has weeks, so it made sense to get a little ahead--we had worked some last spring, but still hadn't gotten to where I hoped to be to start our year. Plus mummifying a chicken takes some time! Welcome to a hands on teaching of ancient Egypt, ala The Story of the World. I also have been going over habitats with her, mostly in a preview of the animals we're going to be studying this year in biology.

But, yesterday was our first full day of classes. We will likely just do a few days this week and next, but start more in to full weeks after that! I'm looking forward to seeing how our new curriculum goes this year.

We also have plans to join a co-op, attend classes at the art museum again, and add in classes at the zoo and dance or gymnastics. I should keep pretty busy with the running! I love all the oppurtunities being closer to town affords us. While our nearby library (literally we could walk there, if it weren't 100 degrees and there were sidewalks the whole way) doesn't offer a lot of the books I'm interested in, but there are a number of other libraries in the area that will send the books I request there for me to pick up. I don't even have to go hunt for them--they put all of my books together for me to pick up. Awesome!

It was a laid back day. The first lessons in math and spelling, some extra reading about cat mummies, and we studied mountain habitats. We read a Middle Eastern tale of Cinderella and some other books too.

I have plans of a weekly schedule, though we'll see how that goes once our weeks start taking shape...I know that days and weeks can take on a life of their own, so I'm not sure if we will actually follow this plan or opt for something totally different!

Here's the idea, for now:

Daily:
Bible verse memory
English: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar
Math

Bi-Weekly:
Biology
Ancient History

Weekly:
Music
Art (in addition to that incorporated with other lessons)
Co-op
Library
Logic
Etiquette
Dance or Gymnastics class

I'm opting to do science and social studies bi-weekly, so we can get more immersed in what we're working on and not switch gears so often. We will have one day a week (likely Friday) to catch up on anything in those lessons that we haven't finished for the week.

We're much more focused this year in first grade than all the different skill sets we were working on last year with workbooks for cutting, and dot to dot, and adding, and letters, in addition to this that and the other thing in unit studies. I think she learned a lot, but I'm hoping this will be a better use of time (mine in gathering materials and hers in less repetition where it isn't needed, since I was pulling from several different kindergarten and 1st grade workbooks that had a lot of overlap). I'm also hoping that she will find it fun and interesting! The mummy made an impression for sure. I'm grateful to have such a bright pupil to work with too.

The Library

2011-07-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

When Justin and I first looked at this house, we couldn't believe the spaces in it. It was too perfect for our home schooling family. We looked at it despite the fact we knew it was above our budget and would take some financial wrangling to get the owners to sell it at a price we could afford. When we found out that the price was pretty well non-negotiable, we were heartbroken, but in a last ditch effort after running the numbers and finding them out of what we were able to pay, I called our insurance company. The numbers I had been working with in my estimates were based on our payments in Kansas (admittedly with a different company--this one refused to insure us there because a tree over hung that house). Evidently with using this company and being in Tennessee, the insurance costs were half of what I was expecting, dropping our monthly payments to a place we were able to make the purchase. What a huge blessing.

This room is one of the reasons we loved the house so much. It is listed as a formal living room, but we already have two common living spaces, so we knew right away this would be a library.

We were able to have my Daddy build us the bookcases, we just have to pay for the supplies.

He delivered them in pieces

and assembled them here.

The desktop computer needs to find its way to a permanent spot still and some day the little fellow won't be so intent to empty out library books from book bags and clothes from his diaper bag, so we will be able to down size the little table here. For now, this little bar works great for keeping things at least some what protected! We would eventually like to replace the task chair with something white, so it doesn't stand out so much and we're debating art for above the desk area, but it is such a wonderful blessing to have all of these books and supplies at easy reach. Last year our home school supplies were scattered about the dining room table, bookcases, my closet, and even in some piles on my bedroom floor, as there was just no where else to keep them.

Once the cases were here it became obvious that the wonderful storage underneath was a great temptation for Nate, so my Daddy put in some locks to keep out the curious little fellow!

I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our new home! If you missed some, the links are below.

The other rooms:
Nursery
Girls
Master
Kitchen
Dining Room
Family Room
Living Room

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Kate wants horibly to be a flower girl. All of the sudden a light went off in her head. She could decide what her flower girls will wear (Kate has been talking about her wedding lately.). Yes, girls. As in three of them. They are to wear her pink dress up dress (an obvious choice), a pink a blue floral cotton that she had worn on Sunday (not quite your typical wedding formal wear, but okay), and a blue tie-dyed dress. Hmm. One of these things is no like the others... Then she made a very specific request that all of the girls had to have blonde hair. No raven haired beauties, red hair cuties, or brunette sweeties need apply. Their hair must all need to match, since the dresses don't!

Next up she announces that I would be her one and only bridesmaid. I will wear a "big purple dress" and have red roses to carry.

And the last part of her little mini planning session was to decree that her wedding cake would be made from five layers of The Pioneer Woman's Mocha Brownies.(note: These are in the cookbook, not on the website, but feel free to drop by and look at her other brownie recipes and gain a few pounds just reading the ingredient lists!). She decided the flower girls couldn't have any because it would be to thick.

Dining Room

2011-07-26T12:02:00.003-05:00

There isn't a lot to show here yet, but this is the dining room. Justin and I have debated on whether we wanted one if we built our own house one day. And, while the location and its openness to the rest of the house has changed over the years, we always decided we really wanted one. At this point, with three kiddos, a little breakfast nook would not suffice. I really liked our eat in kitchen in Kansas. It had enough of a dining room feel for me, but this. This I love.

I have some plans for the walls, but other things have taken precedence...like the dissertation and getting everything else set up before my extra little projects. With a good bit of space on each side of the china cabinet, I'm hoping to put up some shelves to display some pottery we were able to purchase from a friend when she was throwing pots before having babies to care for. We also have a tea set that I bought that would be housed on the shelves. I'm sorting out some framed pictures to hang on the wall opposite the window too.

We broke in the room really well the other night, feeding 6 adults and four children in there with three more kiddos at the kitchen table!

The last stop in the tour is a goody, so be sure to stop back by on Friday.

Nursery
Girls
Master
Kitchen
Family Room
Living Room

Or Else!

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

The girls had been in bed about 90 minutes when Kate stumbled out, squinting against the light. "Gabby bit me."

"She what?!"

"She bit me."

I checked Kate's arm and didn't see even a faint red spot, so I went to chat with her sister.

"Why did you bite your sister?"

"Well, my eyes couldn't close and the tree was lit up?"

"Huh?"

"The tree. It's lit up!"

"What does that have to do with biting Kate?"

"Uh..."

"Would she not get up to look at the tree?"

Looking sheepishly down, "Uh, yeah."

So we bite our sister when she behaves by saying in her bed at night...lovely.

Living Room

2011-07-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

The living room is more formal in this house, since we have the family room.

It houses four chairs, a book case, the computer desk, and the curio cabinet, as well as the children's rocking chairs.

The fireplace has gas logs, but can be converted to a wood burning fireplace as well. The hearth is flat, which is kind of nice with little ones. It and the face of the fireplace are both marble.

Some of my favorite things in this room are the mantle clock my sister gave us, the cross one of Justin's buddies gave him, the burial flag that Justin was given (it was his great uncle's), and the denim teddy bear I made with my Granddaddy's overalls.

The other rooms, so far:
Nursery
Girls
Master
Kitchen
Family Room

Potty Humor

2011-07-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

The little fellow has a diaper rash. It hasn't gone away with the regular diaper rash cream. I'm blaming it on summer fruit for the moment, so no need to visit the pediatrician at this point, but of course we want to clear it up. So I broke out the hair dryer--on low speed and cool. But it is still stubbornly red.

Then in a fit of desperation, after his bath I let the little boy run around sans diaper in my bathroom. He peed in the floor (hence the reason we were in my bathroom, since it has tile floor). I wiped it up, and then I took the opportunity to introduce him to the toilet. Both girls had occasionally 'gone' by this point. I'm not expecting anything yet, as he is a boy and quite honestly, I've learned that it is much easier to change diapers than to potty train. But since we were in the bathroom and as he is terrified of toilets, I thought we'd take a look at it. He eventually got brave enough to stand near it and touch the seat with a little finger. Definitely not going to sit on it yet.

Then I had Justin bring me he potty chair. We completely skipped that step with Gabby (a lovely step to skip--no emptying and sanitizing), but since he seems truly afraid, I thought the intermediate step might be helpful. He sat on it for awhile. Then he got up. And he peed again. And he pooped. On the floor.

We sent the kids off to bed after I scrubbed the floor down. We laughed about it, because of course that would happen.

In the morning, however, we weren't laughing. I was making breakfast when Nate awoke, so Kate went in the chat with him as I got finished with what I was doing, but she shrieked. We found his perfectly dry diaper in the corner of the crib, along with his pajama pants. His crib, his blanket, his stuffed dog and bear, and he (from head to toe) were covered in urine and poop. He hadn't made a peep all night.

Needless to say he got a bath and his things have all been washed. But his bottom looks a bit better. See, Mama was right, he just needed some time with his diaper off.

The Family Room

2011-07-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here is where the kids hang out. At least theoretically. It seems as though if I have need to work in the kitchen they are under foot. If I am on the computer, they want their turn. And if I am upstairs I have a little crew at my heels.

Here is an over view of the room.

Next up, the toys...since that is the most important role of a room like this, right? Well a least if you are still in the single digit age range it is! We've talked about pool, foosball, air hockey, or the like when the kiddos get older.

There are storage bins and baskets for storage. And of course a little kitchen and table with chairs. The kids have the privilege to pick up after dinner every night... And I do mean privilege. Otherwise I clean up. They don't like that, because I weed out toys and put things up for later.

The kids occasionally watch some TV, but mostly it is where Justin and I vegetate once they are off to bed. We don't have cable/satellite/etc, but we do have home made antennas. We haven't watched anything that way yet. We have to figure out something before NCIS comes on in the fall (I have to find out whose paperwork was in that file!), but for now we use Netflix. We're as disappointed as everyone else about their rate increase, so we may revist our subscription this fall.

The dresser is mine from high school. It has resided in the Master bedroom, the guest bedroom, Kate's bedroom, and the girls' combined bedroom. Since the kids rooms are a little smaller here, we opted to use it in this space and I think it works well. The DVD player, Roku player are all hidden away. There is storage for our DVDs and linens for the hide-a-bed in the drawers. We like it anyway!

The other rooms, so far:
Nursery
Girls
Master
Kitchen

The Grandkids

2011-07-18T12:54:00.004-05:00

Kate: When I grow up, if my kids go straight to sleep on Saturday night, everyone is having donuts for breakfast.

Gabby: Yeah, well when I grow up if my kids DON'T go straight to sleep they will get donuts for breakfast.

Me: So you want your kids to stay up late?

Gabby: Yeah.

Me: Why?

Gabby: So they can have donuts!

My thought: (Duh! Sorry I missed that one.)

Kate: Well my kids are going to be better behaved than your kids.

And I have recorded here that the grand kiddies are getting donuts for breakfast on Sundays...I'll bet they will love me for that one!