Boy, I feel like I have been away forever!!  Haven't written down anything since November 4th.  The holidays just blew the homeschooling schedule right out the window.  Luckily we started back on track yesterday.  I will have to remember this for next year.  School break from Thanksgiving thru New Year's Eve.  Good thing we homeschool year round.  Anyway, let's get some things down on this journal regarding what we have been doing this last month and a half.

November 6th:  We are visiting Italy for the months of November and December.  Today we read "Buried Treasure" and watch the movie "Clown of God."  Both were about Italy.

November 7th: Went to Tehachapi Co-op and did American Girl (Josephina).  We made Feast Day cookies and a memory book.  With our around the world girls we did some FIAR activities re. Clown of God, colored Italy flag and people, and did watermelon seed count.

November 8th: Girls went to gymnastics and Mark did some worksheets with them.

November 11th: KDD-Geography day having to do with North American.  The focus was on Illinois-Chicago in specific.  Lapbook was done and good food eaten.

November 12th,13th, and 14th:  Moving days in our home.  We moved the girls into the master bedroom and parents into the second bedroom.  End result-more room for the girls and Hurray!!!!-Mom and Dad have their own bed back.  The girls are sleeping together.  One parent is putting them to bed every night.  We also moved the office room around so it is more user-friendly and we have a twin bed in there for when friends/family come to visit.  On the 14th we also did some schoolwork.  We played Animal Dominoes, read stories about hares and made camouflage sundaes (hares from ice cream, etc.).

November 15th: Girls at gymnastics.  Jessica did some hidden words, coloring, letter A-D worksheets.  Angelina did dot-to-dot worksheets (her favorite thing to do right now).

November 16th: Went to the garden.  Girls did "ab" word family activities.  They also made toothpick/marshmallow constructions.

November 17th: Colored bunnies.

November 18th:  Mark and the girls went on a bike ride.

November 19th:  Colored clown for Clown of God book.  Painted rabbit and camouflage picture.  Did Bunny Hop Numbers.  Girls are enjoying the activites for Italy and Bunny Curriculum.

November 20th: Went to church.  Finished book 1 of Kirsten-slow reading re. American Girls.  Getting behind on it.

November 21st: Tehachapi Co-op was Dr. Seuss activities and Polar Bears in the Artic for Magic Tree House.  We also made rabbits from fancy paper and did a "Down By The Bay" picture.

November 22nd:  Jessica went to Girls Scouts Juliette Meeting.  They did activities for Thanksgiving.  We are getting ready for our trip to San Diego to see family and friends.

November 24th-28th: We were busy down in San Diego seeing family and friends.  We did get some schooling done.  The girls made an alphabet book, watched Raffi's tape as we are doing "Down By The Bay," colored a whale picture and did some Thanksgiving activities-sequencing page, dot-to-dot page, etc.

November 30th: Went to Fresno for Angelina's Eye Dr appt.  This was her annual exam.  Looking better-talk of discontinueing the patch this summer if Angelina wears the patch as much as she can between now and then.  Got a new prescription and Angelina wants them to be sunglasses.  Went to a new library (new to us) in Clovis.  Got to check out over 30 books and 17 VHS videos.  Family was in heaven!!!  Girls did coloring books around the letter A & B.

December 1st:  Went to the Downtown Christmas parade.  It was much warmer this year than last.

December 3rd: Girls went to the Holiday Kids' Camp at church from 9-3.  Mommy got to scrapbook all day and night.  Yeah, finally got the first scrapbook done.  It's from our Bakersfield to Florida trip that we took last Christmas.  Also got some work done on both of the girls' baby books.  The girls were tired from their fun day also.

December 4th: Went to Xmas concert at church.  The girls got to sing three songs with the other youth in front of the concregation.

December 5th: Techahapi Co-op was about American Girl-Kirsten.  We have only read the first book and listened to half of the tape for the second book.  Jessica and Angelina still had fun making butter and painting a wooden spoon.  For the around the world curriculm we made pita bread pizza (easier than regular pizza for Italy) and did Papa Piccolo activities.

December 6th: Girls went to gymnastics and did some work with Daddy.

December 10th: Family is starting to fight whatever sickness is going around.  Mostly tired, coughing and runny noses.  The girls and Mommy did go to the NOR Xmas parade.

December 11th and 12th: Put up Xmas decorations and did some Xmas activities.  Mark was down for the count-sleeping a lot.

Dec 15th: Christina's home from work today and tommorrow.  Got bronchitas and asthma-sleeping a lot also.  Had girls coloring Xmas pictures, making Xmas cards and Jessica did some sequencing sheets.

Dec 17th-Whole family went to Emily's Bat Mitzvah (homeschooling family we are good friends with).  First time we had gone to one.  It was awesome!!!  Unfortunately, most of the family was not feeling well.  Jessica started a fever again while there so we had to leave.

Dec 18th-Did some more sequencing with Jessica and Beautiful Feet activites regarding Clown of God and Runaway Bunny.

December 19th-Tehachapi Co-op was a Polar Express Pajamas Party.  The whole family went to this.  Lots of activites and watched the movie.

December 23rd: Mark worked and the rest of the family went to Hart Park and played.

The rest of the year was pure relaxing and getting well physically for the whole family.  We went to the Xmas service on the 25th.  On the 27th we went to the Holiday Lights Tour at CALM.  On the 30th, Christina spent a good 7 hours doing scrapbooking-working on Angelina's pictures.  The girls stayed up till 12:30AM on New Year's Eve and we paid for it the next day with whining, tired girls.  Oh well, they had fun!!!

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day was spent cleaning and decorating the house.  We took down the Xmas decorations, put up posters in both the girls room and ours.  We hung Chinese lanterns in both bedrooms.  We rearranged the girls room and living room as the girls got tents from their aunt & uncle (had to find room for them).  We put up and decorated our shrine.  All are liking the changes.

Mark and I are talking more and more about needing to get ready for a move to Tehachapi.  Probably going to look into getting that pre-approved home loan in February.  Maybe we can get taxes done on the same day....hmmm, sounds like a babysitter day on the horizon.

New Year's Day we got some homeschooling done.  Both Mark and I felt like it went by the wayside with the holidays and everybody being sick.  We started our China curriculum.  We are going there from our seats in January.  The girls listened to "The Empty Pot."  We talked about being honest versus telling lies.  The girls then watercolored paintings on round paper (the illustrations for the book are all in a circle).  They also hung Chinese lanterns with us.  They played outside in the rain for a little bit also (till they got too cold).  Jessica is enjoying her Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten computer program that she got for Xmas.  Angelina is liking her new My First Leap Pad (we had to buy a new one as the old one got worn out between Jessica and Angelina).  I am enjoying my own bed.  Actually get to do some reading.  Just finished the sixth book in the Chronicles of Naria series.  And Mark is enjoying me at home during the holidays.

So that is us up-to-date again.  Looking forward to our China travels.

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