When I was younger, I had long, blonde, straight hair. I loved it. I loved it so much that when I went to the movies, I would carefully coil it up and make sure it was all safely between my back and the seat, lest someone behind me would cut it.
Yes, I'm serious.
Well, we all know what happens when we're prideful. My long, blonde, straight hair is now shoulder-length, mousy brown with gray accents, wavy/curly/straight hair. The gray hairs curlicue up out of the other hair, standing bold and proud and waving their curly gray-hair pride flags.
My bangs have a good-hair day about every 3 weeks. The rest of the time, they throw a little temper tantrum, curling slightly but then flopping over so that they curve around instead of falling in straightish wisps to the side.
The ends of my hair do not look happy with me. They look like they are protesting hanging around for as long as I'm forcing them to. They act as though the every-couple-months coloring I subject them to is just too much to ask and would I please just cut them off already?
Oh! But it's still niiiice and thick. So thick that in order to straighten ALL of the hairs, I need to flat-iron the hair in little sections and it takes a good 20 minutes. Which I do not enjoy.
Just wear it curly, you say? It's not like that, friends. It's not a pretty curl. It's an "oh my gosh, what happened to your hair?" kind of curl.
And on top of all of THAT, I have issues. I can't stand the feeling of my hair in my face. So what I basically do is just pretend each day that I don't HAVE hair. I put it in a ponytail and then bobby-pin the bangs out of my way. It's really pretty. Yeah.
Anyone have my hair solution?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pumpkin Patch - and WINNERS!
First of all, winners of the hamster giveaway! Sadie and An Encourager are the big winners!! E-mail me at HisKids37@sbcglobal.net and I'll get your furry pets in your hot little hands!
And in other excitement, today a group of friends and I took our kids out to a local produce farm. They go all out decorating for harvest time and it's darling and fun! I love October fun that doesn't include witches and skeletons and other creepy things. Well, the farm did have one mummy and a few spiders, but we can handle that. LOL
Before we went exploring I took a few pictures of the kids with fall props . . .
Then our amazing tour guide took us on a leisurely tour of the farm! He was hilarious! He got the kids so riled up that even the quietest in our bunch were shouting gleeful answers to his questions. "Are you ready to find a PUMPKIIIN???" "YES!!!!!" "Parents! Are you feeling like CHILDREN again???" "Yippeeeee!"
First we went on a hay ride through the orchards. Bumpy fun! We chose our perfect pumpkins from the patch, dodging busy bees, then we headed over to the petting zoo. There were pot-bellied pigs, turkey-ducks (ew!), goats, sheep, peacocks - and Caris' favorite, the chickens. She caught one and it held very still while she cuddled it.
Such a fun day with good friends, delicious organic fruit to take home and of course, pictures to share!
And in other excitement, today a group of friends and I took our kids out to a local produce farm. They go all out decorating for harvest time and it's darling and fun! I love October fun that doesn't include witches and skeletons and other creepy things. Well, the farm did have one mummy and a few spiders, but we can handle that. LOL
Before we went exploring I took a few pictures of the kids with fall props . . .
Then our amazing tour guide took us on a leisurely tour of the farm! He was hilarious! He got the kids so riled up that even the quietest in our bunch were shouting gleeful answers to his questions. "Are you ready to find a PUMPKIIIN???" "YES!!!!!" "Parents! Are you feeling like CHILDREN again???" "Yippeeeee!"First we went on a hay ride through the orchards. Bumpy fun! We chose our perfect pumpkins from the patch, dodging busy bees, then we headed over to the petting zoo. There were pot-bellied pigs, turkey-ducks (ew!), goats, sheep, peacocks - and Caris' favorite, the chickens. She caught one and it held very still while she cuddled it.
Such a fun day with good friends, delicious organic fruit to take home and of course, pictures to share!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hamster Party + Giveaway!
Oopsie! I'm not supposed to run giveaways on this blog. It's still on, though - just go over here to comment! I'll draw a winner on Wednesday!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
2 Weeks in Review
Malachi and I had a date night last Sunday. SO much fun!! When we thought to take these pictures Alif called us nerds. Gee thanks Dad! We didn't care though - in fact, Malachi said, "Let's take the camera and then we can take pictures of ourselves at each location!" Sweet!
First we went to Coldstone Creamery. Oh yuuuummmmmm.
Seriously. Yuuuummmm. We sat on a walking path overlooking the bluffs and admired God's creation. And then we had to make a dash for Target because Mommy + ice cream = uh yeah. Needed to find someplace with plumbing.
One day Alif came home to find the table in its usual state of disarray and he said, "You should take a picture of the table every day as a journal!" Good idea, sweets - you can be in the first picture!
I went outside and there was Canaan, enjoying the view sans clothing. I laughed and asked him what he was doing and he replied, "Oh, nuffing, just having some naked time." ROFL! I told him he could either enjoy naked time inside or put his clothes back on. It was a BIG decision. LOL
There are some huge birds migrating through our area. I don't know what kind they are but we have really been enjoying watching them soar in circles and then move along. Beautiful!
We studied Ancient Egypt today (all of it! Ha - just kidding) and the kids had serious enjoyment of the mummification process.
Caris was such a good sport, standing so still while the boys used up two rolls of TP to make her as mummy-ish as possible. I think they did a pretty good job!
P.S. Tomorrow there will be a GIVEAWAY right here on my blog! Here's a hint!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
What a day!
Tuesdays are our wildest days of the week. We have schoolwork to do in the morning, of course, the boys have reading class, Caris has ballet and soccer practice, and Malachi and Graham have soccer practice. And somewhere in there, we must find time for a quiet time of some sort, lest we all fall apart.
Since a few of us were sick over the weekend, my friend Naomi offered to take Caris (who is well) to the fair with her family today. I said yes, but then later changed my mind because it just started feeling way too hectic today, and I started to wonder if it was a good idea to send Caris to the fair anyway, with the rest of us having a cold. What if she had it and just wasn't showing symptoms yet? Anyway - boy, I wish I'd sent her to the fair!!
At about 10:30 I was sitting at the table, getting ready to play Amazing Grace on YouTube so we could all sing along. Suddenly Caris screamed. I looked up and to my horror, her finger was stuck between the blades of my sharp orange scissors, which Canaan had apparently closed on her finger. Upon seeing this, I screamed as well, which I guess was good because Canaan dropped the scissors and ran.
I grabbed a dish towel and wrapped her finger quickly so as not to have to see the cut - er, I mean - so that the bleeding would stop. I sat on the couch and held her finger up while holding it tightly and kissing her very much. She was crying but calming down. I finally took a look at the cut and it was about an inch long and bleeding a lot, obviously somewhat deep. I called Alif and he was all the way across town so I had Malachi help get Caris some shoes and put pressure on her finger while I got Canaan ready to go.
Canaan's cries led me to his room, where he lay on his bed, shaking and crying. Poor baby, the whole accident was pretty traumatic for him too. I got his shoes on and we sped off for the urgent care. Which was not open yet. Grrr. Of course I'd left in such a hurry that I didn't have my cell phone, so we just headed to the closest emergency room, which happened to be really nice and not at all crowded.
The ER doctor was really fantastic. He cracked jokes with all the kids - including Caris, who was totally giggly by this time. He said she looks like a little Daryl Hannah . . . not sure I see the resemblance . . .
but anyway, by this time it had finally stopped bleeding and he said that he could just glue it together with Dermabond. HOORAY!! No stitches!! So several coats of Dermabond and one finger splint later, we will miss ballet and soccer this week but sissy's going to be juuust fine.
What drama!
Since a few of us were sick over the weekend, my friend Naomi offered to take Caris (who is well) to the fair with her family today. I said yes, but then later changed my mind because it just started feeling way too hectic today, and I started to wonder if it was a good idea to send Caris to the fair anyway, with the rest of us having a cold. What if she had it and just wasn't showing symptoms yet? Anyway - boy, I wish I'd sent her to the fair!!
At about 10:30 I was sitting at the table, getting ready to play Amazing Grace on YouTube so we could all sing along. Suddenly Caris screamed. I looked up and to my horror, her finger was stuck between the blades of my sharp orange scissors, which Canaan had apparently closed on her finger. Upon seeing this, I screamed as well, which I guess was good because Canaan dropped the scissors and ran.
I grabbed a dish towel and wrapped her finger quickly so as not to have to see the cut - er, I mean - so that the bleeding would stop. I sat on the couch and held her finger up while holding it tightly and kissing her very much. She was crying but calming down. I finally took a look at the cut and it was about an inch long and bleeding a lot, obviously somewhat deep. I called Alif and he was all the way across town so I had Malachi help get Caris some shoes and put pressure on her finger while I got Canaan ready to go.
Canaan's cries led me to his room, where he lay on his bed, shaking and crying. Poor baby, the whole accident was pretty traumatic for him too. I got his shoes on and we sped off for the urgent care. Which was not open yet. Grrr. Of course I'd left in such a hurry that I didn't have my cell phone, so we just headed to the closest emergency room, which happened to be really nice and not at all crowded.
The ER doctor was really fantastic. He cracked jokes with all the kids - including Caris, who was totally giggly by this time. He said she looks like a little Daryl Hannah . . . not sure I see the resemblance . . .
but anyway, by this time it had finally stopped bleeding and he said that he could just glue it together with Dermabond. HOORAY!! No stitches!! So several coats of Dermabond and one finger splint later, we will miss ballet and soccer this week but sissy's going to be juuust fine.
What drama!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Quoting a Quoter
I skimmed through my Google Reader this morning and this post was sitting amongst over 500 that were waiting to be read - er, more likely, deleted.
homeschool vs. public school.
Right off the bat I can see that the author is contentious. One doesn't compare two options unless they are weighing them.
The point of the article she quotes is that sending children to public school is beneficial, and this original author argues his point well. Kind of. I mean, I don't agree with what he has to say, but I see where he's coming from and I can respect his opinion.
Here's what irks me. It's not that these two bloggers are anti-homeschooling (I don't think either one is vehemently opposed or anything - they have simply decided it's not what's best for their family) but that there has to be a comparison, a criticism, a justification - at all. It makes me wonder, though: people who send their children to public school, do you regularly feel criticized for it by homeschoolers?
Most of my friends' kids are in a traditional school setting, whether private or public school. I can't think of a single friend that I think is making the wrong choice. I know that they have weighed their options. They have prayed and discussed and chosen to school in a certain way. And I don't stand in judgment even a tiny bit. I don't want anyone judging my decisions and I don't have a right to judge theirs either.
It's crazy and sad that we cannot stand together as a Christian community and support one another. Love one another. Encourage one another. There is so much tearing down that moms and dads are left feeling isolated and alone and criticized. Can't we just stop this and help each other to be better parents??
homeschool vs. public school.
Right off the bat I can see that the author is contentious. One doesn't compare two options unless they are weighing them.
The point of the article she quotes is that sending children to public school is beneficial, and this original author argues his point well. Kind of. I mean, I don't agree with what he has to say, but I see where he's coming from and I can respect his opinion.
Here's what irks me. It's not that these two bloggers are anti-homeschooling (I don't think either one is vehemently opposed or anything - they have simply decided it's not what's best for their family) but that there has to be a comparison, a criticism, a justification - at all. It makes me wonder, though: people who send their children to public school, do you regularly feel criticized for it by homeschoolers?
Most of my friends' kids are in a traditional school setting, whether private or public school. I can't think of a single friend that I think is making the wrong choice. I know that they have weighed their options. They have prayed and discussed and chosen to school in a certain way. And I don't stand in judgment even a tiny bit. I don't want anyone judging my decisions and I don't have a right to judge theirs either.
It's crazy and sad that we cannot stand together as a Christian community and support one another. Love one another. Encourage one another. There is so much tearing down that moms and dads are left feeling isolated and alone and criticized. Can't we just stop this and help each other to be better parents??
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Fearless
Fearless. It's not the first word I'd think of to describe myself. As a matter of fact, I'll just be blunt and tell you that fear is probably my biggest and longest-lasting struggle in life. I have always felt that I'm more fearful than almost everybody, but the more I open up to those around me, the more I realize that we're all afraid. It's universal. It wears different masks, but we're all afraid of something.
Still, when I saw the tag-line of Max Lucado's new book Fearless, I was intrigued.
Still, when I saw the tag-line of Max Lucado's new book Fearless, I was intrigued.
Imagine Your Life Without Fear
Imagine indeed! I knew this was a book I needed to have as soon as possible. When it arrived in the mail I skimmed through the chapter titles, each of which address a specific fear . . .
of not mattering
of disappointing God
of running out
of not protecting my kids
of overwhelming challenges
of worst-case scenarios
of violence
of the coming winter
of life's final moments
of what's next
that God is not real
of global calamity
of God getting out of my box
Any of those resonate with you? More than a few do for me.
Did your high-school teachers ever get onto the book choices you used in your report papers? You know how they'd say that by the time a book is in print it's completely outdated? Well, I dare them to read Fearless, then. It's very current and completely applicable. It's full of Scripture, and as we know, Scripture is never outdated. Mr. Lucado addresses our worst, our most embarrassing, our least-discussed fears with candor and comfort.
Go read it. It's worth your time.
of not mattering
of disappointing God
of running out
of not protecting my kids
of overwhelming challenges
of worst-case scenarios
of violence
of the coming winter
of life's final moments
of what's next
that God is not real
of global calamity
of God getting out of my box
Any of those resonate with you? More than a few do for me.
Did your high-school teachers ever get onto the book choices you used in your report papers? You know how they'd say that by the time a book is in print it's completely outdated? Well, I dare them to read Fearless, then. It's very current and completely applicable. It's full of Scripture, and as we know, Scripture is never outdated. Mr. Lucado addresses our worst, our most embarrassing, our least-discussed fears with candor and comfort.
Go read it. It's worth your time.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Workbox Wednesday
So I told you that this year we are using workboxes to organize our schoolwork. Well, our school year started on Monday and we are really enjoying this new system! Next week I'll do a post showing the actual workings of the boxes, but for now I'll just tell you that it's going *really well*. The kids are excited about doing their work. They know exactly what is expected of them and can see easily where they are in their day and how much work they have left. They are enjoying each subject more because it's so clearly laid out for them and prepared, so there isn't the stress of finding things, copying things, cutting things - it's just ready to go.
Our first history lesson of the year was about Jubal and Tubal-Cain so the kids got to play musical instruments . . .
We used the laptop quite a bit - here's Graham using it to watch his math video . . .
Moxy has been having his usual days, peering through the window at us and wondering what we are doing and why he's not invited . . .
Canaan's book of the week (we're using Before Five in a Row) is Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear. He's doing all kinds of fun activities to go along with it - here he is having dressed Jessie Bear and is now feeding him Teddy Grahams. One day I even dressed Canaan in a shirt of red and pants of blue, just like Jessie Bear. Oh, he loves it!
When he's not immersed in activity he's been busy finding fun things to do on his own (well, that or crying for mum-mum LOL) like photographing Mommy from all angles . . .
Playing file folder games with Graham . . .
And a favorite activity thus far has been the daily journal. I thought the kids would bristle like crazy at writing in their journal every day but they actually ask for it! After they write they get a sticker to put on the front (or inside, wherever they want it) and that has been really enjoyable for them as I have built quite a sticker collection for them to choose from.
I honestly can't believe how much workboxes have transformed our home school. We are getting so much more done, and enjoying it! Love!
Our first history lesson of the year was about Jubal and Tubal-Cain so the kids got to play musical instruments . . .
We used the laptop quite a bit - here's Graham using it to watch his math video . . .
Moxy has been having his usual days, peering through the window at us and wondering what we are doing and why he's not invited . . .
Canaan's book of the week (we're using Before Five in a Row) is Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear. He's doing all kinds of fun activities to go along with it - here he is having dressed Jessie Bear and is now feeding him Teddy Grahams. One day I even dressed Canaan in a shirt of red and pants of blue, just like Jessie Bear. Oh, he loves it!
When he's not immersed in activity he's been busy finding fun things to do on his own (well, that or crying for mum-mum LOL) like photographing Mommy from all angles . . .
Playing file folder games with Graham . . .
And a favorite activity thus far has been the daily journal. I thought the kids would bristle like crazy at writing in their journal every day but they actually ask for it! After they write they get a sticker to put on the front (or inside, wherever they want it) and that has been really enjoyable for them as I have built quite a sticker collection for them to choose from.
I honestly can't believe how much workboxes have transformed our home school. We are getting so much more done, and enjoying it! Love!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Photo overload
Sorry about the random mishmash of photos but anyway, here goes. Pardon the toys everywhere but isn't it funny how Canaan hid himself under a blanket so the tiger flashlight would have more impact? Thank you for the cute flashlight Grandma B!
Sweet spaced-out siblings
Yet another hairdo for Miss Caris - make a ponytail. Make a part in the hair on the crown side of the rubber band, and shove the ponytail up through the part. Yank both sides so the rubber band is nice and tight and the ponytail makes a fountain through the top. Is that clear as mud? Curl everything up and bobby-pin some pieces up high for flair.
Today was our annual not-back-to-school trip to the museum, and I daresay it was the best yet! We had such a good time and up until the end it was nice and cool.
Here are my bunch outside by the clock tower . . .
Canaan, who will enjoy Before Five in a Row this year - soo cute!!
Caris, my first-grader!
Graham's in fourth grade this year!
And though I can hardly force myself to believe it, Malachi's in sixth grade this year.
Here's the whole gang out at the museum. Aren't they a good-looking bunch? I think you should especially note Anna's adorableness in slinging baby Olivia. What a mother she will make someday!
And I don't know who these crazy ladies are but I think I heard one of them say that they homeschool their children. Mercy!
Here are our workboxes, loaded and ready for a half-day's work today. I'll post on Wednesday to let you know how it went!
Sweet spaced-out siblings
Yet another hairdo for Miss Caris - make a ponytail. Make a part in the hair on the crown side of the rubber band, and shove the ponytail up through the part. Yank both sides so the rubber band is nice and tight and the ponytail makes a fountain through the top. Is that clear as mud? Curl everything up and bobby-pin some pieces up high for flair.
Today was our annual not-back-to-school trip to the museum, and I daresay it was the best yet! We had such a good time and up until the end it was nice and cool.
Here are my bunch outside by the clock tower . . .
Canaan, who will enjoy Before Five in a Row this year - soo cute!!
Caris, my first-grader!
Graham's in fourth grade this year!
And though I can hardly force myself to believe it, Malachi's in sixth grade this year.
Here's the whole gang out at the museum. Aren't they a good-looking bunch? I think you should especially note Anna's adorableness in slinging baby Olivia. What a mother she will make someday!
And I don't know who these crazy ladies are but I think I heard one of them say that they homeschool their children. Mercy!
Here are our workboxes, loaded and ready for a half-day's work today. I'll post on Wednesday to let you know how it went!
Friday, August 21, 2009
I want you to know
Dear Grandma,Today is your Birthday. You're celebrating in Heaven, if we celebrate Birthdays in Heaven. Malachi asked me today, "so, once you die you get flowers for your gifts always?" I laughed and said that I think being in Heaven is probably more amazing a gift than any we could dream up on Earth. Anyway, there are some things I want you to know today, on your Birthday.
I want you to know . . .
that your legacy lives on. I talk about you to my children and they know things about you, and they do and say things that I learned from you.
That we took flowers to your grave today. I couldn't afford to buy a bouquet, so I cut some from my garden and took them in a little mason jar, which reminded me of the juice glasses you used to serve us juice in every morning when we visited.
That I cry when I think of you, but not bitter tears. I cry because I miss you and because the profound impact you had on my life makes me feel emotional and so thankful to be your granddaughter. And sometimes I cry because my children won't know you like I did - at least not until we're all in Heaven together.
That I remember you. I remember your hands tucking me in and bouncing me, your soft face, your loving eyes. I remember what your voice sounded like singing hymns next to me in the Baptist church.
That your sense of humor has carried down through the generations, and when we get together, we laugh until we cry.
That I am so glad you met three of my kids, and so sad that you didn't meet one of them. How you would love Canaan's bright eyes and sparkling smile, Grandma.
That the kids and I sang "Happy Birthday" to you at your grave. And that as I looked down and saw that enough time has passed for the grass to have completely covered over the scarred earth, I could hardly finish the song.
That, most of all, I am thankful that you passed along a love for the Lord. That you held your little girls and sang to them and took them to church and taught them to love Jesus, so that my own mother could do the same for me, and now I can pass it along to my own children. There's nothing greater that you could have done, Grandma. Your life counts for so much.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
and He loves me, too!
So believe it or not, because I hardly can, I'm still reading through the Bible chronologically. I started out in the New Testament in July of last year and when I got to Revelation, I continued on - in Genesis. I've tried so many times to read through the Bible but I always started in Genesis, and by Leviticus I was propping my eyelids open. I do read in my bed at night but still, it was ridiculous. I thought I was doomed to never have read the whole thing as a piece. Well, starting in the New Testament made all the difference for me. Something about knowing what all the Old Testament craziness was leading up to just has made it so much more interesting to read.
Anyway, I'm in 2 Samuel now, and there's been a lot of drama between Saul and David. The house of Saul keeps getting smaller and weaker and the house of David more powerful until ultimately, Saul dies and David truly becomes King. Now, I have to admit that I've never been much on history or war or things like that. All the names and order of things just lose me - now who does that guy belong to? Whose wife is that? Why do they hate each other so much, again? It's just a lot to follow.
One thing that really DID stand out to me though is that as I read all of this, in my mind it sort of plays like a movie where Saul's the bad guy and David's the good guy. I'm an Einstein, I know. Anyway. I was thinking about all of this in the shower this morning. And by the way, allow me to sidetrack and tell you that when I woke up this morning Canaan needed to pee so I took him, and since Alif was in the shower I reached Canaan's hands in there to wash them, and my husband was taking a cool shower. Not freezing, but not at all warm. How could he stand it? Ok so in my nice HOT shower, I was thinking about all the fighting and everything between the Israelites and the Philistines and how darn that Saul, couldn't he just listen to the Lord?
Then I realized something. Maybe Saul WAS the bad guy. I don't know, I can't judge his heart. But what I can know absolutely, 100%, is that God loved him desperately. It grieved Him to have to allow Saul to go to his own destruction. As much as I long to be like David, there's certainly some Saul in me. How thankful I am that He loves me, longs for me, even when I'm not listening. And that he responds immediately when I reach out to Him and ask for help. Our God is so complex. There is so much to learn. But His love is unfailing, all-encompassing, and that I can know for sure.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Workbox Wednesday
I am so lucky to have such smart friends! Last year Lynette came up with a great idea to get her daughter Ellie working independently and just keep everything organized. She decided ahead of time what Ellie would need to do that day and load the work into file folders the night before. That way Ellie knew exactly what was coming next and what she needed to complete for the day. I thought this was a smart idea but a lot of our work is straight out of books, and I wasn't sure I was up for getting that organized.
Enter workboxes! If you read many homeschooling blogs, you have surely seen this system by now. Sue Patrick's brainstorm, workboxes have many many benefits. I'd read about them but still thought it was crazy to load all those boxes every day with work for the next day, especially for someone with more than a couple kids.
Then I saw Alison's workbox system. And I fell in looooove! So simple, so smart. They don't take up much room, which was one of the things I didn't like about the workbox system. I started to realize as I read through Alison's post that this system would save us so much time during the day, and not only that but how much more we would get done. We are pretty good about getting the essentials in, but there is not usually time for the things the kids truly enjoy - art projects, history projects, Latin, nature journals etc. With workboxes, all of that will be worked into our day.
My first favorite thing is that each drawer will have *everything* the child needs to complete his task. Let's say we're doing a Color the Classics page - then that drawer will have a pack of colored pencils, the coloring sheet and the CD. Each drawer will have a pencil if it needs it, glue, whatever is required. I am giddy thinking of how much time this will save, how many arguments it will avoid ("he has my pencils!" "no, they're mine!" "where is my glue stick? someone used it all! wah!").
We're going to go out later today to buy the first few drawers. I'm going to need 12 sets of 3 drawers, and since I don't have room in my budget for that right now, I will acquire them over the next few weeks.
I did go ahead and make my lesson plans. Sometime between Friday afternoon and Monday morning I will fill in each child's lesson plans with what I plan to put into their boxes for the week. When the week is done, these will serve as records of what we accomplished.
Each Wednesday I'll post about how it's going and some things that we've put in the drawers. Since it's not set up yet, I'll show you a few of the things we bought this week in anticipation of the new year starting. I got each child a composition book (50 cents at Target) that they will use to journal in each day - this will be the last drawer of the day most days. I got a couple of sets of glue sticks for 22 cents each, and everything else is from Target's dollar section: math and alphabet bingo and several sets of flash cards. We went back to Target the next day and Malachi bought a couple sets of flash cards to keep in his room. I also got each of the kids a sketch notebook to use as a nature journal, 2.49 each with 70 pages. That should last us the year if we do nature journals several times a week. It'll be fine with me if we need more!
Enter workboxes! If you read many homeschooling blogs, you have surely seen this system by now. Sue Patrick's brainstorm, workboxes have many many benefits. I'd read about them but still thought it was crazy to load all those boxes every day with work for the next day, especially for someone with more than a couple kids.
Then I saw Alison's workbox system. And I fell in looooove! So simple, so smart. They don't take up much room, which was one of the things I didn't like about the workbox system. I started to realize as I read through Alison's post that this system would save us so much time during the day, and not only that but how much more we would get done. We are pretty good about getting the essentials in, but there is not usually time for the things the kids truly enjoy - art projects, history projects, Latin, nature journals etc. With workboxes, all of that will be worked into our day.
My first favorite thing is that each drawer will have *everything* the child needs to complete his task. Let's say we're doing a Color the Classics page - then that drawer will have a pack of colored pencils, the coloring sheet and the CD. Each drawer will have a pencil if it needs it, glue, whatever is required. I am giddy thinking of how much time this will save, how many arguments it will avoid ("he has my pencils!" "no, they're mine!" "where is my glue stick? someone used it all! wah!").
We're going to go out later today to buy the first few drawers. I'm going to need 12 sets of 3 drawers, and since I don't have room in my budget for that right now, I will acquire them over the next few weeks.
I did go ahead and make my lesson plans. Sometime between Friday afternoon and Monday morning I will fill in each child's lesson plans with what I plan to put into their boxes for the week. When the week is done, these will serve as records of what we accomplished.
Each Wednesday I'll post about how it's going and some things that we've put in the drawers. Since it's not set up yet, I'll show you a few of the things we bought this week in anticipation of the new year starting. I got each child a composition book (50 cents at Target) that they will use to journal in each day - this will be the last drawer of the day most days. I got a couple of sets of glue sticks for 22 cents each, and everything else is from Target's dollar section: math and alphabet bingo and several sets of flash cards. We went back to Target the next day and Malachi bought a couple sets of flash cards to keep in his room. I also got each of the kids a sketch notebook to use as a nature journal, 2.49 each with 70 pages. That should last us the year if we do nature journals several times a week. It'll be fine with me if we need more!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
. . . and a half
Today Canaan is two - and a half. Another half a year has slipped away, and now he is officially closer to three than he is to two. Here's what he's up to these days:
Brings me Sissy's rubber bands and says, "ban-aik in my hair?" Rubber bands and band-aids are called ban-aik. Last night he wanted two in - cute look, piggies on my boy, no? He sat next to me with his piggies, drinking ranch out of a little cup. Nice!
When he smells something, or wants us to, he makes this face and blows out really fast with his nose.
Wears size 2T-3T, size 8-9 shoes, 4T undies ("unnies"), weighs 34 pounds as of yesterday.
Everywhere we go - literally - people stop us to say how cute, sweet, gentle, precious, darling (etc.) he is.
Very, very sensitive. If he does something he knows he shouldn't, like last week when he opened up the emergency exit at the pizza place and caused the alarm to go off, (by the way, they're not very loud of scary, in case you ever wondered) I will gently say something like, "honey, you may not open doors without asking Mommy or Daddy." and he will be reduced to very sad tears.
After said tears, upon waking, before sleeping, when bored, hurt, lonely, he asks for mum-mum - Mommy almost always obliges.
Speaks mostly in complete sentences, but as of the last week or two, there's lots of stuttering. "Can I have a popsicle?" might sound more like, "C'I-c'I-c'I-c'I have a poppysickle?"
Almost completely potty trained. Poops are hit and miss. Yesterday I bribed him with Skittles and he pooped twice in the potty! YAY!
Out of the crib and into a twin bed. We only had a mattress (no box spring) so that worked out pretty well since it means that his bed is low to the ground. For the first few nights I put his crib mattress next to the bed in case he rolled off. On night two he did. Caris saw it and said he rolled right down onto - and off of - the crib mattress. He lay there crying until Alif ran in to get him and bring him into our bed. It hasn't happened since.
He finally, finally sleeps through the night consistently in his bed. Every morning around 6 or 6:30 he comes into my bed to nurse and then falls back asleep for another hour or so. This morning I left him up there to come down here and blog and I thought Alif had wakened him because I heard him yell, "nooooo!" I asked Alif what happened and he said he'd yelled in his sleep. LOL
He loves to "swim"! That boy is not afraid of water at all, though thankfully this summer he doesn't just run right in like last year. He waits at the edge until we're ready for him. Maybe next year he'll learn to swim!
Canaan, Mommy and Daddy are absolutely, head over heels in love with you! We joke that if we ever have another baby, we might wish we'd stopped while we were ahead. You are seriously delightful to have around, love bug. You make us -and everyone else - smile all day long. You are so obedient and compliant, with just a touch of fire to keep life interesting. You are strong and sweet and funny and we adore you!
Brings me Sissy's rubber bands and says, "ban-aik in my hair?" Rubber bands and band-aids are called ban-aik. Last night he wanted two in - cute look, piggies on my boy, no? He sat next to me with his piggies, drinking ranch out of a little cup. Nice!
When he smells something, or wants us to, he makes this face and blows out really fast with his nose.Wears size 2T-3T, size 8-9 shoes, 4T undies ("unnies"), weighs 34 pounds as of yesterday.
Everywhere we go - literally - people stop us to say how cute, sweet, gentle, precious, darling (etc.) he is.
Very, very sensitive. If he does something he knows he shouldn't, like last week when he opened up the emergency exit at the pizza place and caused the alarm to go off, (by the way, they're not very loud of scary, in case you ever wondered) I will gently say something like, "honey, you may not open doors without asking Mommy or Daddy." and he will be reduced to very sad tears.
After said tears, upon waking, before sleeping, when bored, hurt, lonely, he asks for mum-mum - Mommy almost always obliges.
Speaks mostly in complete sentences, but as of the last week or two, there's lots of stuttering. "Can I have a popsicle?" might sound more like, "C'I-c'I-c'I-c'I have a poppysickle?"
Almost completely potty trained. Poops are hit and miss. Yesterday I bribed him with Skittles and he pooped twice in the potty! YAY!
Out of the crib and into a twin bed. We only had a mattress (no box spring) so that worked out pretty well since it means that his bed is low to the ground. For the first few nights I put his crib mattress next to the bed in case he rolled off. On night two he did. Caris saw it and said he rolled right down onto - and off of - the crib mattress. He lay there crying until Alif ran in to get him and bring him into our bed. It hasn't happened since.
He finally, finally sleeps through the night consistently in his bed. Every morning around 6 or 6:30 he comes into my bed to nurse and then falls back asleep for another hour or so. This morning I left him up there to come down here and blog and I thought Alif had wakened him because I heard him yell, "nooooo!" I asked Alif what happened and he said he'd yelled in his sleep. LOL
He loves to "swim"! That boy is not afraid of water at all, though thankfully this summer he doesn't just run right in like last year. He waits at the edge until we're ready for him. Maybe next year he'll learn to swim!
Canaan, Mommy and Daddy are absolutely, head over heels in love with you! We joke that if we ever have another baby, we might wish we'd stopped while we were ahead. You are seriously delightful to have around, love bug. You make us -and everyone else - smile all day long. You are so obedient and compliant, with just a touch of fire to keep life interesting. You are strong and sweet and funny and we adore you!
Monday, August 03, 2009
Baker's Dozen review
It can be hard to choose toys that are both educational and actually toys our children LIKE to play with. A website called ebeanstalk is dedicated to selecting good, safe learning toys and 5 year old toys. They sent me a game to review, called Baker's Dozen from Playroom Entertainment, who makes great educational toys.
We were all super excited when this game arrived in the mail, and just look how cute the packaging is! Totally engaging. The kids wanted to play right away. It's recommended for ages 8-adult, but Caris is only 6 and she picked up on it very quickly. Canaan likes to play with us too even though he doesn't understand the rules yet.
The kids describe this game as sort of a cross between dominoes and skip-bo. The basic idea is to use up all of your cards and end up with the least amount of points at the end. Watch out or you might get waylaid by moldy donut cards!
What's educational about a bunch of donuts, you ask? Each pile created by the players can total up to 13 (get it, a baker's dozen?) and once it goes over, you have to collect that pile and keep it. Each donut has a value from 1-7 so each time you're going to lay down a card, you have to count or add to be sure of the pile's point value.
We took the game over to my in-laws' house and played, and a couple of the adults thought it was too childish to be fun for adults, but the rest of us really enjoy it. We have played this game at least 20 times in the week we have had it. I will admit that the first time we played, Mommy got a big donut craving so we had to pile in the car and go get some. LOL
After being charmed by the cute packaging, we decided later that the cards would do better to be packaged in a flat box instead of this type, because the tabs at the top got ripped by little hands. Thanks to a certain 9-year-old's crafty ingenuity, it's all repaired.
All in all, a great game that is fun, funny (the moldy cards get high marks for hilarity from my kids), strategic and smart!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Time marches on
More time passes between blogs than I intend. I think of things to write about, but when I sit down I get lost in weighty endeavors like Restaurant City, my February message board, Farm Town, Google Reader, e-mail, IMs . . . and then it's time for the kids to get up and I have forgotten to blog.
Plus, nothing terribly exciting has been going on so you'll have to excuse my ramblings.
We went to a birthday party last night for our friend Emma, who turned 5. We had such a nice time! They have one of those blue above-ground pools and my kids thought it was sure fun. Canaan asked to get in so I had Malachi take care of him in there. He could just barely stand - the water was right up to his neck. After a while Malachi wanted to get out and chase and wrestle with other boys at the party, so I nervously stayed right at the edge of the pool while Canaan walked all around that pool. First it was just around the edges, but soon he was walking all over everywhere. I couldn't imagine how he was able to stay upright at all, but he did. A couple times he got water splashed into his mouth and one time he tried to throw a noodle at me, which sent him under water. He made swimming motions with that drowny face and I snatched him out of the pool. Fifteen seconds later he was back in. The next time he choked on water I put my foot down and told him that was enough swimming for the night. Dry drowning makes me fearful.
I told Alif I was going to have Canaan sleep with us because I was such a nervous nellie about the whole dry drowning thing. Well, he seemed so okay by the time I put him to be that - well, I put him to bed. I checked on him when I went to bed at 11:30 and he was fine. Guess what I had a dream about, though? I dreamed that we were crossing a very long bridge, like the one on Horton Hears a Who, if you've seen that, and there was a little section that was missing the wooden boards. Canaan laid down next to it so he could peer down at the grass below, and right as I started to say, "Canaan, scoot back!" he slipped through. I watched in horror as he fell, laid-out, all the way down to the grass and laid there motionless. We rushed to the end of the bridge and down to him as quickly as we could and somehow got him to the hospital, where it became clear that he would be ok. Ack, the horror!
In more positive news, I watched the show Ruby thanks to Netflix. I cried happy tears through the whole show! The basic story is that a 500-pound woman decides it's time to live a normal life so she goes on a major weight-loss journey. It's incrediby inspirational. I think almost more than the actual weight loss, which is great, I really loved watching her friends love her, seeing what a magnetic personality she has - she is truly a positive thinker - and just seeing what life would be like as someone that big. Amazing viewing - highly recommended.
Are you tired of my movie reviews yet? I don't normally watch many of them! The kids and I went to the dollar theater and saw Night at the Museum 2 this week. It was - eh. Boring for me, but the kids liked it, and it did have a few cute historical references. Lynette and I went to see The Proposal and oh - my - gosh. You HAVE to see it. You have to ignore the cussing and the nudity and just laugh. We laughed so hard I seriously thought we might get kicked out. I am not kidding. Of course, I was having a horrible, awful, everything's-going-wrong kind of day that day, and I maaaaay have been just a wee bit giddy about being out of my house with my bff.
What are YOU up to?
Plus, nothing terribly exciting has been going on so you'll have to excuse my ramblings.
We went to a birthday party last night for our friend Emma, who turned 5. We had such a nice time! They have one of those blue above-ground pools and my kids thought it was sure fun. Canaan asked to get in so I had Malachi take care of him in there. He could just barely stand - the water was right up to his neck. After a while Malachi wanted to get out and chase and wrestle with other boys at the party, so I nervously stayed right at the edge of the pool while Canaan walked all around that pool. First it was just around the edges, but soon he was walking all over everywhere. I couldn't imagine how he was able to stay upright at all, but he did. A couple times he got water splashed into his mouth and one time he tried to throw a noodle at me, which sent him under water. He made swimming motions with that drowny face and I snatched him out of the pool. Fifteen seconds later he was back in. The next time he choked on water I put my foot down and told him that was enough swimming for the night. Dry drowning makes me fearful.
I told Alif I was going to have Canaan sleep with us because I was such a nervous nellie about the whole dry drowning thing. Well, he seemed so okay by the time I put him to be that - well, I put him to bed. I checked on him when I went to bed at 11:30 and he was fine. Guess what I had a dream about, though? I dreamed that we were crossing a very long bridge, like the one on Horton Hears a Who, if you've seen that, and there was a little section that was missing the wooden boards. Canaan laid down next to it so he could peer down at the grass below, and right as I started to say, "Canaan, scoot back!" he slipped through. I watched in horror as he fell, laid-out, all the way down to the grass and laid there motionless. We rushed to the end of the bridge and down to him as quickly as we could and somehow got him to the hospital, where it became clear that he would be ok. Ack, the horror!
In more positive news, I watched the show Ruby thanks to Netflix. I cried happy tears through the whole show! The basic story is that a 500-pound woman decides it's time to live a normal life so she goes on a major weight-loss journey. It's incrediby inspirational. I think almost more than the actual weight loss, which is great, I really loved watching her friends love her, seeing what a magnetic personality she has - she is truly a positive thinker - and just seeing what life would be like as someone that big. Amazing viewing - highly recommended.
Are you tired of my movie reviews yet? I don't normally watch many of them! The kids and I went to the dollar theater and saw Night at the Museum 2 this week. It was - eh. Boring for me, but the kids liked it, and it did have a few cute historical references. Lynette and I went to see The Proposal and oh - my - gosh. You HAVE to see it. You have to ignore the cussing and the nudity and just laugh. We laughed so hard I seriously thought we might get kicked out. I am not kidding. Of course, I was having a horrible, awful, everything's-going-wrong kind of day that day, and I maaaaay have been just a wee bit giddy about being out of my house with my bff.
What are YOU up to?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Mixed review
We see a lot of movies, but not many in theaters. I'm thankful for Netflix, since taking a family of six to see a movie in the theater is costly. That said, pardon my very late review of a movie you've probably all seen already. We just saw Horton Hears a Who today since it was the free movie of the week at our local theater.I have to admit that I went into this movie expecting to hate it. I'd read just enough about the movie to know that it has an anti-homeschooling slant, and that was enough to irk me.
So here is my very short review:
The movie is adorable - beautifully animated, great voices, amazing music - overall a totally enjoyable movie.
I loved the "a person is a person no matter how small" concept that streams throughout the movie. As a very pro-life person, this was a sweet sentiment to me.
I did indeed dislike the "pouch-schooling" comments. Some have said it was just one comment. I totally disagree. The mother was self-righteous, narrow-minded, fearful . . . all things people tend to think about homeschooling mothers. She is the villain throughout the movie, guarding her son from all that she perceives to be evil, and her son is depicted as the "poor little pouch-schooled" kid, looking frustrated and sad and downtrodden throughout the movie. In the end, he becomes a hero by disobeying his mother. Yes, a happy thing occurs because of his disobedience, but he flatly tells his mother, "no!" and it's like we're supposed to applaud that.
Like almost every movie out, this movie had its share of innuendo that I consider totally inappropriate for a G-rated movie. I don't understand why these things have to be included. Can't we just have a pure movie and leave out the yucky stuff? Like I want my kids to go around calling people "boob". Really nice - thanks for that, Hollywood.
So there's my review. I'm glad we saw the movie because it was fun to watch and sweet, but mostly because it was a nice time out with my children and a friend.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Photo-Free Friday
Jenn over at Girly Do's posted such a fun challenge today! She posted directions for a hairdo bt no pictures to go along with it, and we're all to link up and show off how our version turned out. Go to her site for the directions - here's our version! Caris' hair is really long so next time I would do something different with the pigtails, because a huge poofy messy bun out of hair this long isn't the best or most practical look ever. :-)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Fed UP with Google!!
Have you ever gone to www.google.com/maps and typed in your address? If you haven't, do so now. Then, when a picture comes up, click "Street View". Prepare to be horrified. This is NOT the same thing as Google Earth, which shows an aerial view of your home. This is a picture of the front of your home, and you can pan all around your neighborhood, so actually, you can see your home, your car, your neighbors' homes, etc. from infinite views.
The first time I did this, and saw my own car in my driveway, a wreath on my door, the flowers in my flowerbeds, I was shocked. Some argue that it's not an invasion of privacy, because anyone can walk up and down my street and they can even take pictures if they want to. I ask you this: can anyone, anywhere in the world, at any hour of the day, walk up and down my street and see what car I drive and where I walk? NO they cannot! Except wait, now they CAN!
Here's what's got me REALLY riled up today, though: this is not new! I first saw this - gosh, at least a year ago. I was incensed at the time and demanded that they remove any traces of my house. And they did.
So this morning? To randomly check it out again and find my house BACK ON THERE? SO not oKAY! Who wants to represent me in court???
Oh, and here - in case you hate this too, here's how to get it removed. I googled how (oh, the irony) and the instructions I found were up to date, because the sneaky snakes have made it harder.
Go to www.google.com/maps. Type in your address. When it comes up, there will be a little box showing a thumbnail of your home. Click "street view". Once the full picture comes up, you'll see a small watermark-style link at the bottom of the picture that says, "report problem". Click that and fill out the form. Make sure you click one of the blue links, then the bubble, so that you can explain why you want it removed.
Off to do some deep breathing and calm down!
The first time I did this, and saw my own car in my driveway, a wreath on my door, the flowers in my flowerbeds, I was shocked. Some argue that it's not an invasion of privacy, because anyone can walk up and down my street and they can even take pictures if they want to. I ask you this: can anyone, anywhere in the world, at any hour of the day, walk up and down my street and see what car I drive and where I walk? NO they cannot! Except wait, now they CAN!
Here's what's got me REALLY riled up today, though: this is not new! I first saw this - gosh, at least a year ago. I was incensed at the time and demanded that they remove any traces of my house. And they did.
So this morning? To randomly check it out again and find my house BACK ON THERE? SO not oKAY! Who wants to represent me in court???
Oh, and here - in case you hate this too, here's how to get it removed. I googled how (oh, the irony) and the instructions I found were up to date, because the sneaky snakes have made it harder.
Go to www.google.com/maps. Type in your address. When it comes up, there will be a little box showing a thumbnail of your home. Click "street view". Once the full picture comes up, you'll see a small watermark-style link at the bottom of the picture that says, "report problem". Click that and fill out the form. Make sure you click one of the blue links, then the bubble, so that you can explain why you want it removed.
Off to do some deep breathing and calm down!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Romancing the 70s
I'm up - gosh, I almost said late, but it's actually only 9:39pm. Call me an old lady, eh? ANYway, Alif's out playing soccer and I'm up alone, and because we do not have cable and there is nothing on and also because I'm too lazy to SEE if anything at ALL is on, there's a paid program on that's advertising 70s music. It is corny beyond belief.
But all of a sudden, in the middle of "stuck on you . . . got this feelin' down deep in my soul . . . " my eyes misted over. I didn't even know why! Then I got an image in my mind. Funnily, it was sort of washed out in 70s colors, like I'm remembering pictures, not actual memories - but the image was of my Dad and my Mom and my sister and brother and me. Jerod has on brown cords and a too-tight polo, Megan and I have matching bowl cuts. Dad has a perm (yes, I'm serious) and Mom's hair is in the classic Dorothy Hammill. And we are happy.
I would never trade my life now to go back to that time. I love being a Mommy and I love relating to my sibs and parents as adults and I especially love being a wife.
But man. Memories can be powerful, can't they? Holding tight to my Dad's shoulders as he glides underwater with me on his back . . . making my two cats get married . . . Megan saying "under to" instead of just "under" . . .
I couldn't wait to grow up. I thought when I was grown up I wouldn't have to follow any rules. Ha! And like I said, I'm really glad that I am a grown-up now, but man - I miss those times. I miss being a family. It didn't feel simple at the time, but it sure does looking back on it. Well, in some ways. I don't know, I'm just feeling a little weepy tonight thinking back on all of it.
I think I was better off watching Married With Children. This paid programming is for the birds!
But all of a sudden, in the middle of "stuck on you . . . got this feelin' down deep in my soul . . . " my eyes misted over. I didn't even know why! Then I got an image in my mind. Funnily, it was sort of washed out in 70s colors, like I'm remembering pictures, not actual memories - but the image was of my Dad and my Mom and my sister and brother and me. Jerod has on brown cords and a too-tight polo, Megan and I have matching bowl cuts. Dad has a perm (yes, I'm serious) and Mom's hair is in the classic Dorothy Hammill. And we are happy.
I would never trade my life now to go back to that time. I love being a Mommy and I love relating to my sibs and parents as adults and I especially love being a wife.
But man. Memories can be powerful, can't they? Holding tight to my Dad's shoulders as he glides underwater with me on his back . . . making my two cats get married . . . Megan saying "under to" instead of just "under" . . .
I couldn't wait to grow up. I thought when I was grown up I wouldn't have to follow any rules. Ha! And like I said, I'm really glad that I am a grown-up now, but man - I miss those times. I miss being a family. It didn't feel simple at the time, but it sure does looking back on it. Well, in some ways. I don't know, I'm just feeling a little weepy tonight thinking back on all of it.
I think I was better off watching Married With Children. This paid programming is for the birds!
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