• Nov. 24, 2009 - A new Peter and The StarCatchers!
Posted By hypermusicmom
• Nov. 24, 2009 - The Blind Side
Posted By hypermusicmom
| I often try to read the book before attending the film. I know I will generally be disappointed in the film - the book is always better to no surprise. The Blind Side is a great film, I found it appropriate in my filter for my 11 year old and up. |
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• Nov. 24, 2009 - Thanksgiving Quiz
Posted By hypermusicmom
• Nov. 23, 2009 - Lately...
Posted By Karen
Another long gap between blog posts. I really should get better at this--would like to make it a priority again, but haven't gotten around to it.
In bullet points:
*Getting back into a school routine. Only 8 weeks left of Core 3 Sonlight.
*Last week, my husband had meetings in Grand Rapids. Since he was driving, we got to pack up the school books and go along. The weather was nice.
*Highlight of the trip--my sister and her husband came up for the day. We went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. It was awesome! A place to go if you're ever in the area.
*Back home, no snow on the ground yet. It is an absolutely gorgeous day today, and the frost patterns on the top of the van this morning were beautiful!
*I'm getting a new camera--an early birthday present. When one's birthday is in January, it makes sense to shop the pre-Christmas sales. I got the camera and memory card both on sale at a price almost as good as Amazon in the States, and I don't have to pay shipping. (It was also less expensive than the same camera in a store in G.R.) I'm very excited about it, as the current camera is getting worse and worse. It should arrive tomorrow. (Perhaps I should plan time in the schedule to figure out how to use it....hmm...)
*Time to call the kids in from the sunny outdoors to get back to the books.
Here are a couple of the latest photos from the old camera. These didn't turn out too badly. I really like the one with the red and gold leaves together.
This one is a farm just on the edge of town--an early morning shot.
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• Nov. 17, 2009 - Counting down until Thanksgiving Break!
School has been going pretty good this year. Right now I'm behind on grading papers, but tonight or tomorrow night I'll get caught up with that. I'm almost done making assignments until Thanksgiving break. I'm going to have the kids do school on Monday and somewhat on Tuesday. It will be more of "holiday school". We'll be shopping for food items, reading Thanksgiving books and watching holiday movies, but it will also be a catch-up day for my high schoolers if they need it, and they probably will.
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• Nov. 10, 2009 - The Cox Chronicle--Latest Edition
Posted By Susie-Q
I'll try to put all the "new news" in one post, for convenience' sake.
In recent weeks, we'd battled a chicken thief--a red, furry chicken thief. He made off with one, and we caught him in the act with a second, but he sagaciously dropped the hen and made his getaway. (Hubby had to doctor the poor chicken by stitching up a huge gash in her back. He had a surprisingly able assistant in Anna Kate.)
So, in addition to reinstalling and improving the electric fencing around the chicken yard, hubby's taken up yet another side hobby: trapping. To make a long story short, he's downstairs tanning the thief's (or his relative's) hide as I type.
We do have pictures of the skinning process, but I'll spare my sensitive readers. :) The older children were fascinated, and Anna Kate even got a little biology lesson (identifying organs, checking stomach contents, and other gruesome "extras").
We caught the fox on Halloween, and that same day added a new friend to our chicken yard.
He's a handsome Rhode Island Red, same type that fathered our Golden Comets. Once we find an incubator, we will be able to add to our flock!
We had a fun holiday. We went to a little dress-up activity with some homeschooling friends, planned brilliantly, as usual, by the super-amazing local homeschool mom, R.
Indoor marshmallow toasting:
Cowgirls, soldiers, fairy princesses and froggies, oh my!
Ian went as "Guy in a Flannel Shirt":
Anna Kate, as usual, went as Mom's right hand.
Don't know what I'd do without her, and neither does Aidan. Both my big girls are hugely helpful.
Making mask cookies...
We went to the pumpkin patch right down the road a couple of days later and bought carving punkins. Here is Dad's barfing pumpkin:
Lights on...
Lights off...
Once again, I tried roasting the seeds, but even though I boiled them first, the shells were quite crunchy. I liked the spicy recipe better than the sweet.
Last Friday marked week 10 of Classical Conversations. Hard to believe we are almost done with the first semester! We have memorized a large body of material. I say "we," but the children easily out-memorize me. Here is the timeline they have mastered so far:
(FYI: Those last few are not in order, I discovered later. :) )
Eight cards per week! And that's in addition to history sentences, science facts, Latin declensions, math facts, and more. The history timeline is repeated yearly in CC, and I do hope my younger students will be able to stay with the program through the three years' cycles to benefit from repetition (we are in Cycle 1 this year). It's an expensive program (for a family our size) but so very worth the investment!
Of course, my three older students are also mastering grammar and writing in the afternoons. I am thoroughly enjoying sentence diagramming, something I missed out on in school. Anna Kate and Olivia are taking ownership of their writing now, and really blossoming.
We are learning the tin whistle, along with basic music theory, as part of the CC fine arts segment. I was inspired by this gentleman's lessons to take up the tin whistle myself. So far this week, I've gotten in daily practice. I've mastered "Dawning of the Day," but still stumble through "Peg Ryan's Polka." It's fun and motivating, starting right out with traditional tunes. My limited experience with the recorder has helped a bit. Unfortunately, our only remaining computer speakers are on the fritz, so I'm not sure when I'll get to the next lesson.
In other news, we snagged a used woodstove last week, and hubby is preparing to install it to specs, and have it inspected (for insurance purposes). It's a cast-iron stove. We want a soapstone, eventually, but this one will keep us toasty warm and prevent nasty electric bills this winter. Pictures of installation to come...
Yesterday, I thoroughly cleaned and de-cluttered the master bedroom in a desperate search for missing tractor keys. We later found the keys outdoors, but I sure was glad to get a clean bedroom out of it. I can actually relax in there now that the clutter's gone. Naturally, anything I couldn't get rid of went straight to the junk room, but at least it's out of sight. The "decider" can deal with it whenever he sees fit. :) I'd love to tackle the schoolroom next.
The big girls are still involved in riding lessons. We'll take a break when the weather turns truly cold, but we've had nice weather here, for the most part. Mondays ordinarily are riding days, but this week's lesson (Olivia's turn) is on Wednesday. I'm so pleased to see them gaining confidence with the horses. Like our CC work, proper horsemanship takes much practice and repetition. It's starting to pay off! I'm even learning a bit, since I typically catch the tail end of the lesson (literally, as the girls lead the horse back to corral or pasture).
We're eagerly expecting a visit from Mama Cox and Uncle Barry tomorrow. That probably means I should tackle the guest room before the schoolroom. Heh! It's a tangle of clothing containers right now. Our CC family presentation is this Friday, and I hope all our family members will be able to come and see it, as well as introduce themselves to our CC friends. :) We're hoping Daddy can steal a bit of time from his work schedule to be there as well.
Until the next update...God bless you friends! |
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• Nov. 9, 2009 - Long-Awaited Photos?
I've been so busy lately that blogging has gone low on the priority list. But I did promise photos of the Scotland trip. And I suppose that an update on life might be nice too--at least it might provide me with the sense that I've been doing something lately.
I do have to apologize for the camera though. It was acting up a lot, and I don't think the colours in some of the photos are perfectly true. Still, I have picked the best of the lot to show you.
 
Cawdor Castle. We've been there before, years ago. I think perhaps it may have been my first trip to Scotland, or maybe the second, when Belle was a toddler. If you know your Shakespeare, this is supposedly the scene of MacBeth. It is an inhabited castle--so one isn't able to see the entire building, however the rooms we were allowed to see were very interesting. One thing that helped a lot was the quiz the children were given to fill out. It drew one's attention to details that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
 
This is the countryside around Inverness. I really really love this area. My husband's Aunt lives up in this area, and we had a lovely visit with her.
  The Fisher Woman statue in the town of Nairn, and the beach beyond. It was a grey day but the sea was beautiful anyway. The pinkish hue to the photo of the statue is due to the camera rather than the lighting.
 Chatelherault, a former hunting lodge of the Duke of Hamilton, and now a country park with play area. I believe the building, and grounds are often used for weddings.
   The last three photos are of Bothwell Castle, again a place that we have been to on nearly every trip. It is located about five minutes from my sister-in-law's house. It is a very old castle. We were actually there twice this trip. The last picture is from the first visit, a late afternoon walk with Granny's dog. I have a lot of good photos of the ruins from previous visits. The castle is very photogenic with the red sandstone walls. This time the weather didn't permit great photos, but I like this silhouette, even though the lines are caused by...you guessed it...the camera.
It was a bit rainy the second day we visited, when we actually went inside. We climbed up a very steep, slippery, narrow, winding stone staircase to the top of the tower. I didn't get photos of that because I was a) holding on with both hands to the rope attached to the wall, and b) because every time I looked at the stairs, I felt a bit dizzy. Going up was difficult, and going down was SCARY. But the view from the top was beautiful. And yes, the kids went too--Daddy in front and me in the back, watching every step they took. For some strange reason, nearly all of us had sore leg muscles the following day.
We had a great time browsing the wee shop in the castle and making some purchases to bring home, among them a book of castles (Usborne), and a fridge magnet for my collection. The gentleman in the shop chatted with us for a long time. I believe he probably hadn't had another visitor all day.
So a few photos of the trip. It was a lovely visit, and fun to reminisce about it. Just sorry the pictures didn't turn out better.
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• Oct. 24, 2009 - I'm Back!
Back to our home. Back to real life. Back from a great holiday. Back to the land of computers and internet and other time-consuming but necessary things.
I'm feeling ambivalent about the computer these days. I spent three weeks away from it all--and the only thing I missed was the contact with family and friends. Now I'm back, and under the tyranny of email again. Oh well, one has to admit that the computer is very useful, and I doubt I could easily live without it for a long period of time. After all I do everything from banking to menu and lesson planning on it. I didn't have to do any of that stuff on holiday.
If none of this makes sense, I attribute it to jet-lag and the fact that I've been waking up anywhere from 2 to 4 a.m., and having to get up because at least one of the children wakes up then too. Only five hours time difference--hopefully we'll be back to normal in another couple of days.
For the friends who aren't already aware, we are just back from a trip to Scotland. We spent our time there visiting the other half of the family. And we did a bit of sight-seeing on the side--to a couple of castles and museums. We had a great time, and the weather was lovely--maybe the best it has ever been when I've been there.
Hopefully soon--once the camera and the computer get together--I will have photos to tell the story. That is yet to happen, for I am in the throes of unpacking and laundry, and planning for next week, AND paying the bills. The camera is a story in itself, for it has decided to go all jiggly and pink at times. Fortunately I was able to get mostly clear photos--if I could be patient enough. How does a digital camera die? Does anyone know?
The biggest plus? I got hours and hours of cross-stitch done (Relax TP--it isn't THE cross-stitch ). I even had time to take out a large chunk that I had stitched with two strands when it was only supposed to be done with one. My travel project is a kit of Eilean Donan Castle that I bought on my first trip to Scotland about 13 years ago. I was so motivated by it that I hope to be able to work on it more at home--whenever I can manage to get off the computer.
I also got to see two and a bit parts of the new four part BBC TV series of Emma by Jane Austen. I am very upset because I will miss the last part, and BBC iPlayer doesn't work outside of the UK. I did buy the book to read on the way home. Hopefully I can finish it now. I did read three books all by myself (not to the kids) while away. I think that is the most I've read in that short a time since Boo was a newborn.
So it was a lovely time away, and now the house needs a clean and tidy, so I'm away too.
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• Oct. 13, 2009 - Thought Snippets and Photos in No Particular Order
Posted By Susie-Q
One of the glories of homeschooling: you can start whenever you start, and finish when you wanna. Another: Convenient excuse for moms who are a little nuts about office supplies.
Pre-schooling at the Cox homestead: Three-year-old snips up bits of leftover card stock (scissors skills), while 22-month-old sucks them up with the vacuum hose (chore training).
One corner of my life is officially organized. See below.
Making their own flashcards counts as math, in my book. I never had to memorize the15's table, and might do well to quiz myself with the cards.
Ah, the noble chicken:
(Chicken photo by Chicken, a.k.a. Anna Kate.)
Our apple tree needs some doctorin', but hubby's got it on the winter Honey-Do list. It bears spotty apples...
...but they don't taste half-bad stewed with the requisite sugar & spices. Apples after peeling away the spots...
Buds.
Buds who are, on occasion, moved to thwack each other with toy tractors...but buds nonetheless. Compatriots in grime.
Ah, the noble turkey...
Discreet enough to skedaddle at the slightest noise or movement. (Probably best we settled on the bald eagle for our national emblem.)
Ah, the noble stinkbug.
Not.
I gather the stinkbug is to Virginia as the mosquito is to Louisiana. (Unofficial State Bird.)
Isn't this what Daddy does during his time off?
Boy, do these guys love our barn.
"Please, sir, I want some more..."
A future in broadcasting...
Future general...or pirate...we're not yet sure...
Goodbye!
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• Oct. 12, 2009 - With Gratitude to Chris Klicka
Posted By Susie-Q
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