I know I've been so lax about posting!  I have come to Homeschoolblogger several times, meaning to post, but having nothing to say.  All is well, the kids are doing great, and life is smooth right now.  I don't really have much of interest to write about (I didn't even do my weekly menu plan yet!), so I'l post a few pics from the past month or so:

R is now a big girl who rides a bike without training wheels:

The kids got new pajamas (and other clothes too!) from their grandma:

The boys in our homeschool group building a tipi at the park:

R played on the big arch at the same park:

The boys practiced hanging upside down on the bar:

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

Last night was Halloween, and we all went out and enjoyed trick-or-treating.  It did not rain until we were just about done, and a good time was had by all.  We have waaaay too much candy.  Our  normal candy bowl was completely overflowing, so we had to start a candy basket, plus we have all of the lollipops just laying on the counter.  I need to find a container for them.

Here are the kiddos all dressed up.

R was Tinkerbelle:

And J was Megatron, who, if you are not in the loop, is a Transformer:

I did not dress up, but wore an orange shirt to show my holiday spirit.  I do not have a photo to show you, though.

I just uploaded some pumpkin picking pictures, so if you're not on Facebook and haven't seen them, scroll down to the next post!

Here's our menu plan for the week:

Monday  Breakfast for dinner: eggs, pancakes, bacon, apples

Tuesday  The kids and I will grab something out, because we are going to be out of the house all day.

Wednesday  Pork roast, baked potatoes, frozen vegetable.

Thursday  Whole chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, frozen vegetable.

Friday  Leftovers.

Saturday  Dinner with extended family.

Sunday  Spaghetti and meatballs, raw veggies.

Happy menu planning!

We went pumpkin picking in between all of the rain and snow (yes, I said snow) this weekend!  I was glad to have a nice day to go, though it was cold.  Here are some pics:

The kids waiting for the tractor to take us to the pumpkin field:

On the hay ride:

Looking for the perfect pumpkin:

Carving:

The three pumpkins that we carved.  From left to right, J's flame face, R's smiley face, and my little monster:

All lit up:

Foot Update:  I'm doing better... walking on crutches is harder than it looks!  I can actually limp around now without them, for the most part, and the swelling is down.  So I'm very thankful that I will hopefully be able to drive again by Tuesday for Bible study, and that I did not break my foot!

A Like List:  If anyone is interested in joining ALikeList, it's a fairly new website that has lists of places that people like and recommend.  I was invited by someone else through a writing group that I'm in, so I thought I'd pass around the word.  If you click on the link to it, I will get some sort of credit for having referred you... though I'm not sure for what!  I'll let you know if people sign up!  LOL

We've been mostly lying low and hanging out.  We made Halloween shaped sugar cookies this afternoon, and homemade pizza for dinner.  We played Yahtzee and made our own board game out of butcher paper.  I think that's about it!

Have a good weekend!

Although my poor foot is painful, swollen, and bruised, the xrays confirmed that it was not broken!  They wrapped it all up, gave me crutches, and told me to stay off of it for a few days.  So hopefully I will be back to normal by next week!

Thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts!

This afternoon I took the kids to Andie's Bounce Barn.  We'd been there before, and the kids love it... they have big bounce houses and inflatable slides.  It's a lot of fun!  I bounced and slid too.  No one had any injuries, except for a little bit of vinyl-burn on my elbow and R's finger.  Hey, that's just par for the course, right?  LOL

Anyway, we were walking out, and I tripped on a very low curb in the parking lot.  My ankle rolled under and I went flying.  Scraped my knee and my hand... and I'm afraid I might have broken my foot! 

It hurt a little right away, but I limped to the van and drove home.  By the time I got home, I could not put very much weight on it.  I sat with it elevated and iced for a while, and then sat down at the computer to get some writing done.  And now, 6 hours later, I can't put ANY pressure on it.  AHHH!!!!!  Unless a miracle occurs and I can walk in the morning, I'm going to have to have an xray.  I didn't want to go to the ER this evening when it happened, because I knew I'd end up sitting there for hours with a bunch of sick people coughing and spreading their germs.  Thankfully, there is a walk in clinic here in town that does xrays on the premises, so I hope to show up there bright and early in the morning. 

Any prayers that you could spare would be great... I'm hoping beyond hope that it's just a little sprain or something, because I really don't want to be stuck home for weeks in a cast!  It's my right foot, so I won't even be able to drive!  (Is that right?  I've never had a broken bone before, except for a couple of toes, so maybe I'm assuming the worst case scenario here!)

That's about all of the excitement around here... the kids had a cold the past few days, but were feeling great today, which is why we went to the Bounce Barn in the first place.  We don't really have any plans to speak of for the rest of the week or this weekend, I don't think.  My calendar is in the other room and I don't want to hop to get it to make sure. 

I hope to have a good update for you tomorrow!

From Rhymes With Orange

I didn't get around to doing our Day in the Life this week... maybe next week!

Anyway, here is a photo of my big boy J with his glasses on.  Doesn't he look so big?

Well, we are off to Lego Club, then the park, then karate, so have a good Friday!

It seems as though I'm not updating as much as I would like to be, but I will be working on that, I promise!  I actually am considering doing another Day in the Life this week at some point.  I would link you to previous ones that I have done, but KodakGallery has deleted thm, unfortunately.    I still have the pics on my memory cards, but not the captions.  I'll have to find somewhere else to upload any subsequent ones!

Anyway, here is the menu plan for the week:

Monday  Steak, leftover potatoes (we have leftover mashed and baked from the weekend), peas.

Tuesday  Whatever the kids and I grab.  John has a class, and R has dance class as well.

Wednesday  Spaghetti and sausage, raw veggies, and dip.

Thursday  Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies, and cranberry sauce.  Yay, turkeys are on sale!

Friday  Leftovers

Saturday  Kids will be at their grandmother's house, and John and I will be at the Melting Pot celebrating our eleventh anniversary!

Sunday  Turkey soup and sandwiches

Oh, one other thing:  J had been squinting for a few weeks, so I took him to the eye doctor, and he needed glasses!  We got them this past week, and he says he can see so much better.  He looks so cute with them!  I'll post a picture when I get a chance... if not, I'm sure you'll see them when I get around to doing the Day in the Life slideshow. 

Happy Monday!  Have a great week!

We had a nice day today, after having a bit of a late start.  We did some school in the morning, then accepted an impromptu invitation to play at the park.  We ended up back at a friend's house, where the kids played and the moms talked. 

Our menu plan for the week:

Monday  BBQ chicken legs, mashed potato, frozen veggie

Tuesday  Leftovers, cereal, or eggs  (John has a class on Tuesdays now, and R has dance class.)

Wednesday  Meatball sandwiches, raw vegetables

Thursday  We're going to the Big E, and will eat there!

Friday  Eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit

Saturday  Kids:  Pasta and sauce.  Adults:  Filet mignon, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable after the kids go to bed.

Sunday  Whole chicken, baked potatoes, vegetable, rolls

We're not exceptionally busy this week, which is a good thing.  The only medical-type appointment that we have is having our extraction sites checked at the oral surgeon, so hopefully it stays that way for the entire week! 

Happy Monday!

Yesterday, J and I had teeth extracted.  I had had a root canal and a post, and was waiting on my crown, when I ate a piece of popcorn and cracked it right in half.    J had a baby tooth that never came down, and was impacted.  He had to have that one surgically extracted, and the one in front of it taken out as well so that the oral surgeon would have access to the impacted one.  He did great!  He's a little swollen and sore today, but he's happy to be eating Jello and pudding, and glad to have gotten out of boring spelling and math, LOL.  We are spending the day recovering and watching movies. 

We had a week full of doctor/dental appointments, so we weren't as productive as I would have liked.  Bible study started this week, though, and that was exciting for everyone.  This year we're studying the book of Acts.  I had actually already done this study when we lived in Florida, but I'm sure that I'll still learn something new doing it again.

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!  Off to go watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

We have a busy week coming up, so we're focusing on the bare minimums as far as school and dinners go!  Bible study starts this week, as does R's dance class (this year she's taking jazz and acrobatics).  She has a dental appointment, J has an orthodontist appointment, and J and I both have an appointment with the oral surgeon.  I also have a regular doctor's appointment!  I need to call the karate studio for J to find out when he will be starting as well.  Phew!  I'll be glad when all of the assorted dental work is done and we can get into our normal routine!

Here's our menu plan for the week:

Monday  Steak and mushrooms, tater tots, and frozen veggies.  (We planned to have this yesterday, but John found spiral ham on sale and brought that home for us to have instead!)

Tuesday  Chili in the crockpot, cornbread, raw veggies.

Wednesday  Leftover ham, mashed potatoes, frozen veggies.

Thursday  Baked potatoes, broccoli, leftover chili.

Friday  Takeout, either pizza or Chinese

Saturday  Eggs, pancakes, bacon, fruit.

Sunday  A picnic lunch/dinner at the park with our homeschool group!

Have a great week!

Here it is Monday, though it feels like Sunday, since John was home today!  He's traveling again this week, so dinners will be easy.  ;)

Monday  Today we had a cookout at my inlaws' house, and just grabbed leftovers or had eggs for dinner.

Tuesday  The kids and I will have a picnic dinner at the park: sandwiches, chips, fruit.  And bread for the ducks.

Wednesday  Tacos and corn

Thursday  Out for dinner!  Not sure where, but we'll go have dinner out.

Friday (John's home!)  Whole chicken, baked potatoes, frozen vegetables

Saturday  Steak, french fries, veggies

Sunday  Spaghetti with Italian sausage, salad

Easy peasy week for me, dinner wise!   Regardless, I will be soooo happy with this project that is consuming so much of my husband's time is over, which will be the middle of next week!

Hope you had a nice and relaxing Labor Day!

Well, our first official week back to school went well!  We had bookwork to do at home two days, a dentist's and a doctor's appointment (both for me), a field trip, LEGO club, and a lot of time out enjoying the beautiful weather!  Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite season?  Unfortunately, it leads too soon to winter, but we're going to enjoy the crisp nights (that will be leading very soon to crisp days) before they get too cold.

On Friday, we went to our first LEGO club meeting.  It was just a time for the kids to get to know one another, and we met up with a family that we'd played with before, so that was nice!  The kids are excited about this new club; we'll meet monthly, and they'll make various projects.  One nice thing is that J and R will be in separate age groups, so that will give them some much-needed time apart.

R will be starting acrobatics (held at the same dance studio that she took ballet/tap at last year), and J will be starting karate at a new studio later this month.  Bible study will also be starting soon, as well as homeschool PE (I think!), so we'll be back into our routine very soon!

This coming week John will be away again (boo!), and we'll be starting our KONOS (yay!).  The first topic is frontiersmen, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, and grizzly bears. 

Have a nice long weekend!

Today our homeschool group went on a field trip to Hop Brook Park in Middlebury, CT.  Hop Brook often has a problem with the beach being closed due to high bacteria levels, and today's field trip showed the kids what they were testing for, and why.  The lake is currently closed, so they tested samples for things such as E. Coli, nitrates, phosphate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and turbidity.  We also learned how to make water safe to drink if you are out in the wilderness by treating water in different ways (actually, the water was pre-treated), then testing for E. Coli.  Very enlightening... potable water tablets, filters, and boiling water for 3 minutes did not remove all of the harmful bacteria, and those samples tested as positive for E.Coli.  Boiling for 10 minutes removed the E. Coli from the water.  Just a tidbit to keep in mind next time you find yourself in the woods, thirsty, and with no water on hand. 

Here are some pics from our day:

Kids reading the directions for performing the tests:

..

Water tested positive for E. Coli (a negative sample would turn orange):

The water samples after being treated with tablets, boiling, and filters:

And last, our "unsocialized homeschoolers" playing in the field afterwards! 

Yippee, we're starting our new academic year today!  The summer was crazy and hectic and fun, but all of that gets tiring after a while.  Time to settle down and start our new routine.  We have some plans already set for this week, so it will only be a few days, but I'd rather start now than wait until next week.

Here's my "after" picture after getting all of the school books organized:

The kids each have their own magazine holder with their workbooks for math and spelling/reading/grammar, and their own ziplock bag with their markers, glue, pencils, etc.  We had tried keeping everything in common baskets, but it just made a mess.  I think this way will work better.  The bottom shelf is all of the books that I plan to use later in the year or in the next couple of years... I weeded out a LOT.  The other magazine holders on the top shelf are for library books pertaining to our KONOS and art topics. 

John is traveling again this week, so my menu plan consists of things like leftovers, pancakes, and chili over spaghetti noodles.  While I hate when he's gone, I do like being off the hook for cooking, LOL.

Okay, off to get ready and start our day!  Have a great week!

Maud left on Tuesday, signaling the end to our summer!  R is still getting rid of her virus, and I can tell that I'm fighting it off, so we're lying low for the rest of this week, I think.  We need to do some much-needed cleaning and organizing, and we need to get ready to start our homeschooling year.

My original plan was to start our year on September 8, but then, feeling ambitious, decided to move it up to August 31.  We'll see how we all feel this weekend, and how much I'm able to get done.  Currently, our school books are piled up on the counter in no real order.  I really need to have some time to go through them, decide on what we're going to start off using, and getting them stored in some semblance of organization.  For my own motivation, I'm posting a pic of what it looks like now... I hope to be posting an "after" picture by the end of the weekend! 

The weather is cooling down this week.  We had only a few weeks of real summer weather, but I wonder if this is the end already?  It would be nice to get a few more days of swimming, but I'm looking forward to the leaves changing and going apple picking and carving pumpkins once again.  It seems like we were just enjoying fall weather a few short weeks ago... it's amazing how quickly time flies! 

Okay, off to start my day!  Enjoy the cooler weather!

This afternoon we will say goodbye to Maud, our French exchange student.  We had a good time with her during her stay!  Unfortunately, both kids were sick for a few days (a week apart), so that put a bit of a damper on things, but I think she still had fun!  Right now, she and the kids are playing in her (R's) room, then we'll go to the post office so that she can mail her postcards home. 

For the rest of this week, we'll be cleaning, organizing, and planning our school year!  I had considered waiting until after Labor Day to start, but I think we're actually going to start this coming Monday.  John will be traveling on and off through the end of September, so it will be good to get into our groove as we head into fall.

What a fun, albeit hectic, summer it's been!  Savor the last days of warm weather, as fall will turn into winter far too quickly for my tastes!  Have a good week!

We've been having fun with our French guest.  We are leaving in the morning for Maine for the weekend (just Maud, the kids, and I... John is having a break, LOL), but before we go, I thought I'd upload a few pics!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but J found a peacock feather for R last time we went to the zoo!  Here they are, posing with it.  He was so proud to be a hero to his baby sister!

Here is Maud and the kids at the zoo, on the monorail:

And here they are having fun in the pool:

Okay, talk to you when we get back from our little trip!  Have a great weekend!