We have decided on our plan for summer... we are going to continue with school but make it less tense and more fun by incorporating lots of ideas that I have been gathering from other blogs on the Wazley Academy ring...
The kids are really looking forward to doing just some topics that they want too, and I am looking forward to just relaxing and feeling like everything is going to get done... (sometimes during the school year, I get that tense, worried about what they are learning feeling)... I am hoping that is a common feeling shared by many homeschool moms...
It's that guilt that we feel, where we are torn by wanting to be like "SuperMom" and just getting the laundry done... where we want to make sure the kids are enjoying school, but at the same time learning what they should be...
So, we are hoping this will combat those feelings and allow the kids to stay on a scheulde somewhat, but still enjoy their summer and actually leanr when they think they are jusy having fun...
ok... just a quick note... I ordered our Butterfly Garden Habitat... I got the "Insect Lore" brand... Found it on Amazon for a steal... I found mine for less than $15 + shipping....
This weekend the kids went to a birthday party at place called "FUN EXPEDITION"... DH got the honors of taking the kidlets and playing with them as this was my weekend to work... They had such a great time... It is a great place to go on a rainy day or just for fun as everything is INDOORS!!
They have go-carts, climbing walls, games, bowling, and laser tag... DS was so excited to tell me all about playing Laser tag and beating some girls at it.. "MOM, they were teenagers and I beat them!"... The thrill of being a little boy!!!
Tonight we went to see the Lady Vols play... Instead of the usual orange and white wave of the fans, everyone was in pink for breast cancer awareness...It was a fantastic game (and I am not a baketball fan)...They played Rutgers and in the last 2 seconds there was a foul which led to the Lady Vols scoring for the win... You can read about it here .
It was definitely a very active crowd and DD was very excited to watch the "big girls" play...
I found this while surfing late last night and thought it was fun and wanted to share it with everyone...
So I found out that even thought I am approaching the 40's, am overweight, do not exercise like I should, and eat pretty much what I want when I want it, I hopefully (fingers crossed) will still have a life expectancy of 93.9 yrs. ...*LOL*
Here's the results of my Virtual Age Test:
Biological Age: 37
Virtual Age: 18.1 (I wish)
My Life Expectancy: 93.1yrs.
If you'd like to have a little fun, you can take the test here.
Is anyone out there an Usborne Book Groupie besides me? They are fabulous and especially for homeschoolers like us, they are a wonderful resource to keep in our family library...
My friend Valerie is an Usborne Book consultant and she is currently having a contest right now on her blog for a chance to win $10 in free books!! And who doesn't like books, especially FREE ones!???All you have to do is write a post about Usborne books, your favorite, and how you use use it, or what you love about it... and link it back to her website.
She is accepting entries until Jan. 31... On Feb. 1, she is putting all of the names in a hat and is going to announce the winner on her blog. Sounds great, doesn't it?
Now for the part that I like most... After you read this and you decide to enter, just make a note that you heard about the contest from me in your post or on her blog (make sure you drop her a comment to let her know that you are posting about the contest) and I will have the chance to win $10 in free books also by recruiting the most blog entries...
Currently, Valerie has listed some "INTERNET ONLY" sales with some HUGE savings...You can check them out here.
So here are a few of our NEW favorites...
The kids love them and I like being able to easily tie them into our lesson plans and the ease of use... These are some in our collection, some we use all the time... a few on a daily basis!!
DD's favorite right now is her We recently purchased and DS loves it... He reads it at bedtime...
So, if you have a favorite, which I am sure you do, share it with everyone and let Valerie know and it might just win you and me some FREE books!!!
While having the night to myself, I did some internet searching and came across these neat and fun ideas to use while working on "Spelling" ... I think we will try a few of them in the next week, just to change up things and have a little fun... Happy Learning!!
31 Ways to Practice Spelling
1. ABC Order – Write your words in alphabetical order.
2. Reversed Words – Write your words in alphabetical order – backwards!
3. Rainbow Words – Write each word in three colors.
4. Cheer Your Words – Pretend you are a cheerleader and call out your words!
5. Backwards Words – Write your words forwards, then backwards.
6. Picture Words – Draw a picture and write your words in the picture.
7. Silly Sentences – Use all your words in ten sentences.
8. Pyramid Words – Write your words adding or subtracting one letter each time. The result will be a pyramid shape of words.
9. Ransom Words – Write your words by cutting out letters in a newspaper or magazine and gluing them onto blank paper.
10. Words-in-Words – Write your words and then write at least two words made from the letters in each word.
11. Magazine Words – Use an old magazine or newspaper and find your word. Cut it out and glue it onto blank paper.
12. Story Words – Write a short story using all your words.
13. 30 second Words – Write a TV commercial using all of the words from your list.
14. Popsicles – Make your words using Popsicle sticks to make each letter.
15. Secret Agent Words – Number the alphabet from 1 to 26, then convert your words to a number code.
16. Etch-A-Word – Use an Etch-A-Sketch to write your words.
17. Telephone Words – Translate your words into numbers from a telephone keypad.
18. Sound Words – Use a tape records and record your words and their spelling. Then listen to your tape, checking to see that you spelled all the words correctly.
19. Words You Can Eat – Write your words by arranging alphabet pasta or Alphabits cereal.
20. 3D Words – Use modeling clay rolled thinly to make your words.
21. Bathtub Spelling Practice – Using foam letters, make your words by sticking the letter to the side of the tub.
22. Sidewalk Spelling – Use sidewalk chalk to write the words on the sidewalk or driveway.
23. Poker Chip Spelling – Write all the letters of the alphabet on poker chips. Use them to spell your words.
24. Scrabble Spelling – Play a game of Scrabble using the spelling words.
25. Go Fish – Each time you spell a word correctly, eat a Goldfish cracker for each letter in the word.
26. Word Processing Practice – Use the computer to type the words. Use different colors, fonts, and sizes for each word.
27. Spelling Word Finds J – Create a word find
28. Crossword Spelling J -- Create a crossword puzzle with your spelling words using the words’ definitions.
29. Spelling Puzzles – Write each spelling word on an index card. Cut each card in half and mix them up. Then match the two parts of the word.
30. Finger Paint Bag – Pour a little bit of finger paint into a Ziploc bag and close it tight. Lay the bag flat on the table and use a finger to spell the word.
31. Spelling Squares – Write your word on graphing paper, putting one letter in each box.
Yes, I let her do it... My DD has been wanting to get her ears pierced... and finally DH and I decided to go ahead and do it... afterall, I got mine pierced when I was about the same age and have loved it ever since...
So here is a photo diary of the experience... After the initial shock and pain, she was really very happy and showed them to everyone we met at the mall afterwards...
Last night I went to an ornament exchange at a friends house... I had such a great time... We had "delicious" sweets and the best rum cake ever!!!
The ornament I got was a snowman made from a lightbulb.. It was the cutest!!! The kids loved it when we got home, so we are gonna try and make them a couple for their bedroom trees this weekend...
DS had his Boy Scout Christmas Party this week... He was so excited..
They had pizza, desserts, drinks and of course candy... All the good stuff loaded with sugar to keep him up for hours afterwards talking about all the fun...He was so excited to get a pinewood racer from his troop leader... He had read about them in his "Boys Life" magazine and was pestering DH to take him to a hobby shop to get a kit... so he was thrilled...
They all took a present to exchange and then they played a Christmas game where they could trade if they wanted to... Well, I was pleased that he did trade, because the first gift he got was a "WWE" action figure... Of course, he didn't even know who it was since we don't watch that on TV... but DH and myself were relieved that he decided to trade that when another little boy wanted it..
So, he ended up coming home with a bag of sweets, his pinewood racer, and a air-gun that shoots foam darts.. (BEWARE DD, I'm afraid you will be a target..*L*)
The contest runs from Dec.10th - Dec.21st... and the winner will be announced on Dec. 23rd...
Here are the "getting to know you better" questions with my answers...
How many children do you have / homeschool? 2
How long have you been homeschooling? 3 yrs.
Have they always been homeschooled, or did they ever go to public/private school? only home
Do you plan on homeschooling until graduation? I would love to, but we take it one year at a time
Do you belong to a co-op? yes... CHEF co-op
Do you school all year long, or use some other schedule? we school all year and that way we can take off as neccessary
Do you use textbooks only, or do you like to supplement with other materials? both, we are sorta ecclectic in our methods
Are field trips included in your school plans, or are they just family time? definitely!!! That's the best part about homeschooling... not missing a great opportunity to travel or see something new!!
Do you and your kids do crafty stuff together for school time? Oh yes!! The kids favorite thing to do!!
Would you consider everyday household life stuff ‘home ec’? I consider those life skills!!
Do you have any advice for new homeschoolers? Just be patient, pray, and enjoy the time together!!!
Do you have advice for homeschoolers with little ones under foot? Again the same... Enjoy them, they grow up fast and have fun playing!!! Take time to play!!
Now, head on over to the Homeschoolestore and check out New Learning Publishing, they’re 20% off until Dec 31!
This morning as I was checking my mail, I was emailed a site where you can get your name in "Grinch" ...I thought it would be fun to do so here it goes...
"WOEFULMONSTER RASCALFOOT"
if you would like to try it yourself for a laugh, check it outhere ...
I saw this quiz on another blog and decided to take it to "find" out my personality... I was really hoping for "organized"...*LOL* (those of you who know me personally, know that organized is far from the truth)..*LOL*
and if you would like to take it yourself, you can here...
Well, it is safe to say that home-made waffles have become the kids favorite breakfast.. Definitely worth the $15 investment for the waffle iron...
This morning I had a request for "chocolate chip" waffles (as DS described them, "like the Waffle House has")... now that could be tough to live up to...
Well, first of all, I had no chocolate chips, but 2 mini-Hershey bars left over from Halloween took care of that...
Here is the recipe I used... (it's actually my pancake recipe, just altered a little)
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1tsp. vanilla ( I eyeball it)
1 1/3 c. flour
dash salt (another eyeball measurement)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
I beat the eggs then add the milk, butter and vanilla into them... then I add the dry ingredients and mix well... then I add then crushed Hershey bars... (using a hammer on the candy bars awas certainly a stress reliever)... *L*
then cook in waffle iron and serve warm with syrup... YUMMY!!!
DS is in the Boy Scouts and at last nights meeting of the wolves, they did this experiment... They were learning about "chemical reactions"... it's a pretty good one and I thought I would share it with you...
Items Needed:
balloon
empty, dry, 2 liter bottle
baking soda
vinegar
tissue
How-To's:
Fill the 2-liter bottle about 1/3 with vinegar. Place several tablespoons of baking soda into the balloon. Stretch the mouth of the balloon to cover the mouth of the bottle. Pull the balloon up so that all the baking sodainside falls into the bottle and watch the balloon get full of air... (you can even place a rubber band around the neck of the balloon / bottle to hold it in place)... Balloon will inflate from exhaust created from baking soda and vinegar...
DS couldn't wait to come home and do it again for me and DD...
Homeschooling Momma of 4has lots of great things going on at her blog.. So stop by and check it out...
155,000 Clicks Giveaway Celebration!
*This post will remain at the top until the end of the contest.
In honor of her blog receiving over 155,000 page views, Homeschoolingmommaof4 has decided to give away a $20 giftcard and a $10 giftcard to CurrClick (formerly known as Homeschool EStore).
I was just fooling around on the internet tonight and found this "How the Grinch Stols Christmas" unit...I think my kids and I will give it a try this month... and check out her blog here.. She has some great posts on lessons and plans and misc. units... (like the senses, teeth, food pyramid, and misc. holidays)...
Today was Black Friday... and yes, my DH and I did our part to help our the economy...*L*
We did find some great buys for Christmas, (I got a $15 waffle maker, WOO-HOO)but more than anything it is an annual time for us to go and just have fun watching the madness of the holiday season... My MIL comes and stays with us for Thanksgiving, so we don't even have to wake the kids as she is there to watch them...
We get to go out, have morning coffee together, do a little shopping, a lot of people watching, and then grab breakfast (this morning we ate at Cracker Barrel, YUMMY!)...
And we enjoy it and look forward to it every year...
Did you find some good buys this year? Let me know what was on your list for today?
Halloween... it's a fun time for our family... and tonight we had our annual pumpkin carving... We used the pumpkins that we picked out on the hayride we took several weeks ago...
This year we decided to let the kids do as much hands-on as possible... and with the assistance of a carving kit, it turned out great...
They had such a good time...Even DD got her hands into the "guts" of the pumpkin to dig out all the seeds... (which we saved to roast)...
![[funschool2.jpg]](http://bp2.blogger.com/_eX8-6Xp-7MM/SBXQSyGYBYI/AAAAAAAAFQY/Bnz8U_S0uPU/s1600/funschool2.jpg)
He was so excited to get a pinewood racer from his troop leader... He had read about them in his "Boys Life" magazine and was pestering DH to take him to a hobby shop to get a kit... so he was thrilled... 
Homeschoolingmommaof4 has decided to give away a $20 giftcard and a $10 giftcard to CurrClick (formerly known as Homeschool EStore).
