Mar. 11, 2006
Week Off
|
It feels like I took a week off with the snow and my push to fix up the house. We were supposed to have a visitor on Sunday from CA but we found out tonight that he pushed back his trip a few weeks. At least the house is somewhat clean and less cluttered from unpacking! Last week I left off with RightStart Math needing to make 2 geoboards. They are done. I've already reviewed the next lesson and am ready for tomorrow. We picked up a new game called "Rush Hour" and it has been a huge hit with Boo. We'll be spending more time on this so she can start to develop her awareness of thinking past one or two moves to free up the car stuck in traffic. I like that it's compact and fits in my backpack. Moo ended up with a Barbie laptop. She has been so left out when Boo jumps on the computer so I finally caved in and picked one up. I'm sure there's something better out there but for now it works. This week we lunched with great-granny 4 times this week. Please say a prayer for my grandmother, Maybel, if you have a moment. She's got chronic back pain and is slowly getting over pneumonia. She will turn 90 at the end of this year and has been my family's quiet "rock". Today marks my 4th workout this week. I know we'll be up at the pool a lot this summer and my size 15 needs to drop down to a 12 (10 if I knock out all the sweets at night). I have been using this one workout video for over 15 years (gasp!), it's the only one that I enjoy and it targets my thighs & butt, tummy and wiggle in the upper arm. It's Cindy Crawford/Shape Your Body Workout, specifically the second workout. Let's see how my willpower holds out next week. I just need to do this another week or two and then I'll be in a good routine that I'll find hard to break. |
Mar. 6, 2006
Snow Day!
|
The rest of the week was a bit lax. We had a beautiful snow day on Thursday!! This is our 3rd BIG snow storm since we've moved from CA and it was amazing. It snowed all day. We layered on our snow clothes and went for a long walk. My schedule for hs work is all over the place, I still don't have a routine yet. I am organizing things so I can prepare a few things the night before. I'm getting there :) We do keep up with educational tv shows (lame, I know), educational PC SW (not as lame, she does learn) and read-a-louds/story-time. Add to that lots of family and extended family time and I think we're doing fine for now. Boo has had a few meltdowns from time to time. I think it's partly adjusting to our move (she remembers things from our old home and neighborhood) and partly growing up. I have been so busy with packing and unpacking these past few months! Last night I looked at her and thought, wow, almost 5 years old. How many more times will I have to just cuddle and stare up at the sky with her? I am listening to those that have been there and trying hard to get things done as well as enjoy these early years! It's not easy when you're as impatient as I am (something else I'm working on :). Today we worked on ETC (7 pages), RS Math (finished the other half of lesson 10) and 4 pages of PP. I'm working on consistency. |
Mar. 1, 2006
Productive Week So Far
|
This week has been a good one so far. Monday we read stories, had lunch with great-granny where they watched a talking words Leap Pad video, stoped by my sisters house to play with her kids and ate taco bowls (crushed tortilla chips, taco meat and shredded cheese). Tuesday, I made some corn muffins for the girls, we printed up some of the Zoombinis worksheets and did the easiest ones. I'm not sure how much Boo understands these worksheets but she loves working on them. We lunched with great-granny, Boo was a bit "off", not as well behaved as usual and I realized later that she needed a nap. Before dinner we painted noodles (to make necklaces). We haven't painted in a long time and they both quietly painted for about an hour. Later I escaped, I finally found a chance to join my mom, aunt and 2 of their friends and learn how to play mahjong (FUN!). Meanwhile, daddy played hide and seek with our counting bears. Boo loves to find things using the hot-cold method - "you're getting hotter, oh noooo colder cold freezing", and Moo would run around and find the bears that were somewhat easier to spot. Dad thinks she's fine with her colors, I was approaching it wrong :-\ Today we read some stories and then put our noodle necklaces together. We finally colored and cut out our paper lizards (pretty cool - once I find a provider I'll start posting images here). I bought a cantelop melon home and we cut, seeded and scooped out little melon balls. Boo loved them, Moo thought they were "yucky". They buttered their own bagels for lunch and will have some free play time before my sister and her kids come by to play. |
Feb. 26, 2006
Sunday
|
My dear husband is working today so I tried to get back into our old hs routine with the girls, even though it is Sunday. Boo did pages 40-43 of Get Ready for ETC (Book A) and managed to get through half of lesson 10 RightStart Math (Level A). She was gunning for laptop time so her interested waned fast today. I've managed to get her a collection of educational pc games cheaply from amazon.com. Off a recommendation from TWTM boards I picked up a cheap copy of Zoombini's and we do this together on my laptop (my laptop is new and fast, her's is an old one donated from a previous job). I'd like to find another game that we can do together since it worked so well with her on my lap figuring out most of it on her own. I'm not sure, but I wonder if Moo is somewhat color blind. I try to get her to sort the counting bears in to the right colored cups and she seems to confuse blue, green and purple. I need to work on that more and see if I'm right. My husband has a little bit of color blindness, but more with deeper shades like navy blue and black. I have finger paints ready for after lunch. No walk today, the rhododendron's leaves are curled up tight and that tells me it's bitter cold outside (about 20 degrees F). Maybe we'll make corn muffins, too. Let's see if I can be more rigid with our routine next week. The days slip by so quickly and I don't need much time to hs since they're so young. |
Feb. 26, 2006
Clean Friday
|
Friday was a bust for any homeschooling but high marks for fun. It started off slow, they watched a few videos while I cleaned great-granny's house while she was out with my mom. I was happy to clean, I know her place needed it badly. She is still fairly independent and doesn't want anyone to clean for her, 'tis why I did it while she was out. We were still there when they got back from doctor's appt and a ride up north to pick up my brother's 2 kids (ages 5 and 3) for the weekend. Great-granny was happy to see us and seemed to have had a nice time out with my mom. The rest of the evening was spent at my parent's house. They all played very well together, ate chicken nuggets and other treats. I did manage to install studydog and bookmark starfall.com. Boo and her older cousin both muscled in for a chance to play (learn) on grandma's laptop. My mom is seeing the benefits to educational fun :) her middle child might not be so weird after all. Saturday we all chilled. Daddy baked brownies with the girls while I ran to the grocery store, and later he took them out for a walk. |
Feb. 23, 2006
Thursday Library
|
At noon we headed over to the library near my parent's house for storytime. They have a few computers loaded with kids games and wonderful-sunny reading corner in the children's area. My sister and her 3 kids met us there (4 yrs, 2.5 yrs and 1 yr old). The 2 yr olds are on a big puzzle kick and must do all the wood puzzles at the library. Next, we were off to a late lunch with great-granny. I think she really looks forward to our visits. While we were there my 4.5 yr old learned how to knit (with my help on yarn tension) with one of those knitting spools. Great-granny fixed our afghan, the one my vacuum cleaner took a bite out yesterday. They danced around and sang and before they got too wound up I pulled out a Magic Bus video. On one of the next visits she'll start teaching us to crochet. After dinner, Boo (my 4.5 yr old) and I did a few free worksheets from Dover. Once in a while we'll print up a few pages to work on for something different and fun. I've got her starting to do cross word puzzles so she understands the concept. We also did two "how to draw" pages of a plane and a train, and cut and colored a very cool paper lizard (I'll probably buy this book on my next big order). Moo (my 2 year old) and I did a few 24 piece puzzles. Tonight is a soup night, easy and relaxing. I would like to get them in bed early so my hubby and I can watch American Idol. I'm rooting for Katherine McPhee and Tyler Hicks. |
Feb. 22, 2006
Family
|
Yesterday, we started having lunch with great-granny to help out my mom and aunt. Great-granny has pneumonia and needs to move around, eat and get some mental stimulation. She's just shy of 90 with chronic back pain but manages to get around and out to church on good days. After having read "Hold Onto Your Kids" I find this an excellent opportunity for my girls to bond with the last of her generation. I'm also enjoying reconnecting after being gone for the past 10 years. The girls like to sit in her lap and kiss and hug her, something I know she enjoys greatly. Tomorrow my 4.5 yr old and I will try our hand at crochet. Great-granny is a master at crochet. She has managed to keep up with gifting all her children, grand and great grandchildren with a twin afghans. Last count was at about 34 great grandchildren! This morning we played a little go-fish and right now we are making paper mailboxes from "Paper Capers" and filling them with hearts. What I feel like doing is napping with my youngest. I'd classify today as a fuzzy-warm and slow day. Tonight, we will make the weekly trek to my parents house. My parents love being grandparents and like to take one set of grand-kids one night a week. Sometimes for the weekend if needed. The girls will play board games, eat loads of chocolate (we feed them well before going to soften this perk), dance, stamp, play hide and seek, throw pillows at each other and jump all over the furniture (ugg). My parents are fantastic grandparents, and I'm overjoyed to have my girls bonding with them each week. After raising 5 kids, which was mostly a chore, they can finally enjoy childhood through the grandkids. |
Feb. 19, 2006
Here I Am
|
I love the thought of homeschooling my girls. But since we've moved into a great neighborhood with a great school system I am going to give it a try. There are some positives for them to be in the school that I do like, such as having 5 other cousins in the same school. I am very much aware of the downside to public school systems and will be working hard to counter any negative issues from home. I've been researching homeschooling for over 3 years now. My first introduction being from a mothering board and from there reading The Well Trained Mind. I was hooked rather fast, still am. I've interviewed other mom's who have chosen to homeschool, read countless pages of posts on all the pro's and con's of homeschooling and tried to keep up with active homeschooling boards. I love reading product reviews and have just about memorized all the great book lists posted. I love discovering great books! Even better is finding one used for a few bucks or less! :) That's my fix for a bad day, a trip to the bookstore or amazon knocking at my door. Literature therapy. I hope to be here for a long-long time. |