Posted in FIAR book activities
This book tied in very well with our science readings (which is why we scheduled it for this time).We also filled our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, as the due date is fast approaching for our church’s collection. The kids had a grand time picking through our stash of goodies and supplies, and seeing which they thought ‘their’ child would like. (We do two boxes, one for a girl and one for a boy.) Then Ted asked where the boxes would be going. I was not able to find that online, but I did find some very cute coloring pages with questions and answers that you could fill out and include in your box. So we did those too. (insert link) Unfortunately, our storybook about the shoeboxes is filed away with the Christmas books … next year I will make sure we have it handy.
Tuesday was Veteran’s Day, which I had not intended to take as a holiday (and we did still squeeze in some work), but our plans had to change when the Cub Scouts decided to take advantage of their day off and schedule our TV station field trip for noon that day. The field trip was actually a hit with the boys, particularly the chance to be in front of the green screen and act like weathermen. Maddy loved it too. They even got to flip switches in the control room, and the only accident was when the tour guide spilled his soda all over something that looked very important … he spent the rest of the time cleaning up, and another fellow took over the tour. The other impressive part was being taken outside to see the satellite dish and see the view … it’s very high up the mountain and quite breathtaking.
Tuesday is also our anniversary (the 8th one), and we had a nice steak dinner to celebrate. We had agreed not to do gifts this year, but Lysle couldn’t resist, and put together a sweet slide show starting with photos from our wedding and going all the way through, picking the highlights. The kids enjoyed it as much as I did, seeing themselves as tiny babies especially.
Due to a badly timed appointment, Daddy came home and got to do some lessons with Ted on Wednesday while I went out. They did well. That afternoon we started on the model boats for the Rain Gutter Regatta (and promptly stopped when I realized it was way over my head, though Ted did get a good start on sanding), and we played with Webkinz World’s new story maker (not very good), and studied primary and secondary colors by mixing play dough blobs. We even tried melting our leaf collection into waxed paper, but that didn’t work very well. Possibly I didn’t use high enough heat on the iron, but another mom online mentioned that they don’t make waxed paper the way they used to, so it wouldn’t melt in the microwave. I prefer that explanation, as it makes me feel much better. J
The kids put on puppet shows Thursday afternoon, once Daddy got home from work (he’s been doing much overtime lately).
Saturday we did more on the boats, and the kids spent the afternoon and evening at Grandma’s, so Lysle and I could go out and celebrate our anniversary. We took the opportunity to stop at the mall and walk around. Getting Ted a new winter coat was a priority, and we were lucky to find a sale. The saleslady was quick to point out all the coat’s merits, one being its brand name. Personally, I’d have preferred it not be a brand name, but it was all they had in red, Ted’s favorite color. And though I didn’t mind her chatter (she was both friendly and helpful), I thought it was sad that she thought the brand worth mentioning, and insisted that such things mattered to seven year olds. I truly hope not. Is public school really that obsessed with fashion even in the primary grades? We ended up getting the wrong size and Lysle had to exchange it later, but it’s still a nice coat. And then we browsed some more, picking out some stocking stuffers in Hallmark (thanks to coupons) and then picking up a dinner at Subway (and being surprised by a grand opening sale which saved us even more money… we really do have luck with shopping on our anniversaries!). We came home to quiet and got to eat and watch some Dr. Who episodes he really wanted me to see. The kids were returned to us at bedtime, and went down with minimal fuss, leaving us with more peaceful time afterwards. It was VERY nice to have this time together in the midst of his overtime chaos.
