Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjan2tWOkIU
Ok, Dad and Julia made it back safely! They went from Tri Cities Airport to Charlotte and from Charlotte to Phoenix and then to Sacramento. Grandma's going to spend Christmas there, and will probably be coming back pretty soon sometime in January. It was both of my cousins' birthday, and they were there for that, too.
We are going to have a guys' night here Saturday! It's going to be so fun!
We are just going to play cards and maybe PS3!
Beav
Julia is going because she doesn't get to go on that many trips with JUST DAD! So, it's her turn now!
So far little Chloe is doing pretty good! She's growing, and Mom says that she is kicking a lot!
We were going to go to a party Saturday for our friend's graduation, but Paulie has WAY too much school so we aren't going to be able to make it. :(
We are going to a dance on New Year's Eve! It's going to be fun! Our whole church and more will be there!!
For Christmas we are going to have some fun! Not sure EXACTLY what we will do yet though. We are still planning it all out.
Beav
It was really fun! (the Estabrooks hold an Apple Gala every year) We mainly played outside games like, Ultimate Frisbee, Capture the Flag, Freeze tag and Football. (there were probably....at least 50 kids there)
Mr. Estabrooks made apple cider with his 100 year old apple machine thing. It was really good! 10 or 12 of the people brought pies for a contest. (It was the "Best Pie Contest")
After it got dark, and everyone went inside, we all (the kids) played card games! We played Uno and Rummy. (from what I saw)
Sunday, we went to the Marcums' house for our friend, A.J.'s Birthday! He was turning 21!
Mrs. Marcum made a huge rib and pot roast feast. They were the juiciest most tender ribs I had ever had.
After we ate, Paulie, Luke, A.J., Mike, A.J.'s sister Emily and her husband Josh, and I went outside and played Football and Ultimate Frisbee. It was really fun!!
Mrs. Marcum made 2 big German Chocolate cakes! (A.J.'s favorite I guess)
After everyone left (except us and Mike) Mike, Paulie, Luke and I played Rummy for like.....2 hours or something. We had a great time over at their house! Thanks, Marcums!!
Beav
Ok, I told you that I would post this week, so now I'm posting.
We drove near Cades Cove (and went to Gatlinburg) Saturday and we went on just a pretty drive Wednesday. (we went to Newport and saw all the pretty Fall colored leaves!) After all that, we ate at Olive Garden! It was pretty good, except, Sani barfed every where.
Today Mom went to her doctor's appointment for a checkup. We hope the baby comes out healthy.
Usually, we have a bible study with some friends every Thursday, but we aren't doing it tomorrow because Mr. Marcum isn't feeling good and there is a lot of sickness happening now. We don't want to get sick with the baby and all.
Our studies usually are pretty fun! Sometimes people bring snacks and we have a good time.
Ok, Mom just came back from their appointment, and it turns out that she is NOT having a boy!! (I have to admit.....I REALLY wanted a boy. But I also REALLY like the name Chloe Abigail!) Yes, that is the name of the baby!
Over and out!
Beav
This morning, all 6 of the TOS staff left. We had lots of fun with them over.
It's going to be nice getting back to my normal schedule.
Julia's party went really well!
She had lots of people over, a huge cake and presents.
We all had a great time.
My brothers and I are a little late, but we are going to get her a GameCube!
We (our whole family) are going to the Gonzalez' house this weekend for a game night! (just board games and poker) It's going to be a lot of fun!
Well, I can't think of anything else to say; I'm not really doing much this week, but I'll post again next week.
She is turning 13! Her birthday is on Sunday, and we are going to be having some staff over.
It is going to be a lot of fun. One of the great things about Julia is that she is always giving.
Every time I ask her if I can ride her bike, she always says yes. (my bike is broken)
She is always watching Sani, even if we have company over.
Sometimes I take advantage of what a great sister Julia is.
I am going to try to be a better brother to her, too.
Thank you, Julia!
I just got back from Mexico not too long ago! Dad and I went because we wanted to see our great aunts before they died. We drove to Tasco and I bought myself a silver bracelet. Dad got the boys one too, and Julia a set of earrings, a bracelet and a necklace. We were down there for Mexico's Independence Day. It was a great experience.
Beav
So here we find ourselves again! I love September - the scents, the colors, all things fall. This year we have five children in our homeschool. All five! I have 9th, 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st graders this year. (!!) It is the first full year for Emma and this year she will learn to read in earnest. She knows her sounds, but we are working diligently at mastering it. I will be very happy when all my children are reading. It is a milestone of growth and development for me - like potty training! :+)My two oldest are on the trip of their lives for ten days to Washington DC and Virginia with my mother and her husband. They are seeing places I have never seen before and their trip has been wonderful so far. It has been a joy to talk to them at the end of every day because their excitement and wonder at what they are experiencing is palpable. Today they will visit Colonial Williamsburg. I think it will be one of the highlights of their visit! They both loved Monticello and both purchased things to bring home from there. They chose things totally congruent with their personalities - one chose garden seeds and one chose a book about Jefferson's books. Those of you who know them will know which is which!
We have begun our homeschooling in earnest with the younger three. We are using some new curricula choices this year and so far they have been big hits. Writing Tales II is something John is using for writing and grammar and I am very pleased with the way the program is working thus far. I love the way the author communicates the information to the student and I really like the "Tales" she has chosen. John just finished writing, in his own words, the first one by Aesop, "The Bundle of Sticks." It is a very worthwhile program. John is also going to be using (as soon as it arrives from Rainbow Resource) Building Spelling Skills. This will be a "first try" for us with this program, but I loved the table of contents and I hope we love the book too. :+)He is also using a cursive handwriting/copywork program from LightHome Publications. Since he is studying animals of the 6th day this year for science, I am having him do their A-Z Exotic Animals. He has really been enjoying it and I am pleased with the wide variety of different animals they chose for this book. The sample at the link gives you a good idea of what is included in the download. I discovered this company some time ago and really do love their handwriting/copywork books. I have used several of them thus far over the last year.
Land Animals of the Sixth Day: Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 is the science source we are using for John and Abigail's science. They are making this lapbook to go along with it. We have really loved using Jeannie Fulbright's books--and we learn so much in such an interesting manner! Abigail and John will also be using the intermediate level from Science Excursion. This is the neat curriculum I told you about when I came home from Modesto this July. What a fantastic company!
Math U See is still our staple for early math. Emma began her MUS journey yesterday and we have lots to learn together. She tends to have a fatalistic mindset about school until she sees she *can* do it. I don't even know where that comes from, but by the end of the lesson she was showing me place values and was very happy with herself. :+) That can be a trickly concept to understand, but she is slowly getting it.
The Mystery of History: The Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations, (1455-1707) Volume 3 will begin once the girls get home. I cannot wait! I love this time period and am really looking forward to learning Ren/Ref with Linda Hobar. Her book is just beautiful! We have learned so much and have truly *enjoyed* our history study with her two previous volumes, Mystery of History, Volume 1 and The Mystery Of History, Volume 2: The Early Church and the Middle Ages. I cannot recommend this series enough.
John has been joining Emma and Elizabeth on one of my "Ah HA!" journeys. Last year I was sharing with a dear friend Nancy, that if I could do it over again, I would do Beautiful Feet's Early American History. She pointed out that I *could* do it over again (so to speak) because I have two little ones! So we are reading almost all the wonderful books in this set and making their beautiful timeline and they are loving it! I am loving it too. So thank you, Nancy, for reminding me that some things can be do-overs. :+)
One of the best parts of our year is our weekly co-op. I am continually blessed by this group! We are studying a variety of subjects that at least our family always seemed to have a hard time getting to in the course of our homeschool life. Art and artists, music and composers, hymns, poetry, scripture, and geography are this year's subjects. You can follow our journey here as well find out all the resources we are using. Many of them are free online and ready to use! Our co-op is a small one, with only four families, but that makes it intimate and the children get to know each other well. I am also blessed to build relationships with the mamas! Well, that is about all I can do for today. I just wanted to share a bit about our homeschooling this week. I will share more about what we are doing with the others in the future.
I hope your new year is going well!
"The Democrats want to spend $1.5 trillion over a decade, impose an $800 billion tax increase in the midst of the worst recession in a generation, increase federal borrowing by $239 billion (on top of the $11 trillion the Obama budget already requires us to borrow through 2019), impose costly mandates on employers that will discourage hiring as unemployment nears 10 percent, force individuals to buy one-size-fits-all government defined insurance, and insert the government in countless new ways between doctors and patients. All of that would occur whether or not the plan includes a "public option," which at this point it does include and which will exacerbate all of these problems." (source)
Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans' Admin have proven that actual costs are horribly underestimated—these are examples of “Government Health Care” – Do you want to be cared for by these kinds of organizations? Do you want anything remotely like it?
As evidenced by other countries with socialized medicine, quality of care DOES suffer. Why do Canadians and Britons come here for their care? It is so they will receive the best care in the world. Do we want that to go away? US health care is the benchmark for innovation. Socialized medicine is a lesson in how to stifle innovation and quality of care. Again, I ask you - Why do Canadians and Britons come here for their care?
The only way to control costs in this system is to RATION care – WHO wants their care rationed?? Do you??
This rush to cram legislation down our throats in spite of public outcry against it is irresponsible and downright dangerous. Why is this administration forcing its ideas on a huge number of people who do not want it?? Does he speak for you?? This congress and president should stop forcing their version of the American Dream down our throats. This article details exactly the kind of non-American actions those in Washington are taking. It is wrong wrong wrong! We do not live in a socialist country where the government forces itself upon us!
I may be put on some sort of government list for opposing this change in our land, but I *do* oppose it and I think we should all know what we are getting into. This bill is 1018 pages long. How many of your representatives have even read it? How many different dangerous things could be interjected into that many *pages* of a bill? The Constitution, the founding document of our country, has only 4543 words in the original, unamended Constitution. This includes the signatures!! What are our representatives, led by this president, doing to our country?
There are always - always - other options than this monstrous bill and I oppose it. I hope you do too.
Yet again, here is another tag. I shall post about something else later.
1. What time did you get up this morning?
6:00 am
2. How do you like your steak?
Medium
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Up
4. What is your favorite TV show?
I don’t watch much TV
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Maybe California, I don’t know much about other states. I would love to live in the wide open countryside!
6. What did you have for breakfast?
Zucchini Bread
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Amercian Beef, Zucchini (with parmesian cheese), Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy!
8. What foods do you dislike?
Cottage cheese, asparagus…
9. Favorite Place to Eat?
In the backyard
10. Favorite dressing?
Western Style Ranch Dressing
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
A Golf Cart at the moment…(I really can though! Heheh)
12. What are your favorite clothes?
A long denim skirt and a long & loose T-shirt.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, so many places!
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
1/2 full
15. Where would you want to retire?
Retire? Who said anything about retirement? Not on the To-Do list!
16. Favorite time of day?
EARLY morning
17. Where were you born?
Roseville, CA
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Fencing, Basketball, Racing, Skiing, Snowboarding, Professional Skateboarding, BMX, Dog Agility, Herding trials, etc. I don’t know!
19. Do you prefer watching movies in the theater or on DVD?
DVD
20. What bad habit do you have that is hard to break?
Laziness
21. Name something memorable you have done.
Gotten about 5ft. of air with my bike on a tabletop jump. :+)
22. Bird watcher?
No.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning
24. Do you have any pets?
1 dachshund dog, 1 mixed-breed cat, 1 leopard gecko, 10 fish (I won’t name them all!)
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I have decided Gerber knives are one of my favorite brands. And Siberian Huskies are officially my favorite dog breed. :+)
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
Everything
27. What is your best childhood memory?
Squeezing my little kitten because I was so excited to have him.
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Dog person. I like cats though.
29. Are you married? How long?
No. No…
30. Always wear your seat belt?
….yes…mostly…
31. Been in a car accident?
No
32. Any pet peeves?
People “reminding” me more than once to do something.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Sausage, bacon, cheese, onions, and pepperoni!!
34. Favorite Flower?
The small yellow ones you find on vegetable plants that show you will be rewarded for your labor!
35. Favorite ice cream?
Triple Dark chocolate w/fudge, caramel sauce, and whipping cream! Hehehehehe.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
In and Out
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
...hopefully, 0…in a few years
38. From whom did you get your last email?
From my Mother :+)
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Big 5, Sports Authority, Online, PetSmart, a Gun Show :+)
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Decided I was going to make myself a medieval sword fighting outfit, and bought the materials to do so.
41. Like your job?
Yes
42. Broccoli? Cucumber?
Cucumbers
43. What was your favorite vacation?
Camping. I would love to do cross-country backpacking though.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
The family
45. What do you like listening to?
Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Big & Rich, Country music!
46. What is your favorite color?
Blue and Green
47. How many tattoos do you have?
None.
48. What is your favorite song?
I don’t have one
49. What time did you finish this quiz?
10:12 am
50. Coffee Drinker?
Yes…BLACK
Thank you very much for reading this. Anyone is welcome to complete this tag on their blogs. I would love it if you would post a comment and tell me so I can read it!
God Bless You
~Cornflower~