We woke up this morning to cooler weather! It has been hot! hot! hot! around here for the last few months so the 70 degree weather today had us running around early this morning getting everything ready for a day long nature walk.  The boys were so excited.  As soon as we got to our destination they started running around enjoying the freedom after having been cooped up at home way too long. We identified a woodpecker by its song, picked mexican plums, tried to identify different berries and had a blast looking at turtles and insects in a pond. Wonderful Day!

throwing rocks into a babbling brook

running around amongst wild flowers

mommy, baby Zach in pouch, Jacob

Zachy with all our gear!

posin inside hollow tree trunk

water filled with bugs and other goodies

Well I am excited to be blogging again!  To make a long story short I stopped blogging for a year               1. because my pregnancy became high risk due to hypertension and I was put on bedrest ( Baby boy Zachary born healthy 5lb.s 7 oz  Jan. 23, 2007 God is Good!) 2. After sweeticums was born well...between breastfeeding, sleepless nights and homeschooling where oh where to find the time.  Now Zach is finally on somewhat of a schedule and I am looking forward to chronicling our days again.

Today I decided to make a little box with interesting little objects found around our home for Seth and Jacob to play with.  The idea came from the book Slow and Steady get Me Ready (Love this book) and it was a hit.

Little box 'o' junk....

First they spread everytjhing out on the kitchen table giddy with excitement..

An hour later.......Mom look what we made with the objects!

2 hours later ...... Hey lets add playmobil to the stuff!

Four hours later....umm boys mommy needs to clean the kitchen now...no prob. mom we"ll just move the fun elsewhere!

They played with the little objects all afternoon and well into the evening.  Who would of thought a little box of junk could provide so many hours of enjoyment!!

While they played I was able to organize the play/schoolroom. I had not done so since baby was born seven months ago!

Here it is before

and After Yay!!!!

And where was Zachy during all this you might ask..... well in here

and here..

What a good baby!

Today we made two submarines out of big cardboards boxes Dh brought from work. The boys got the idea fom a childcraft book and really enjoyed making them.  They played in them almost all day and three yr old even took a nap in his!

I really have to start posting pictures, he looked sooo cute.   Homeschooling was a struggle since ds #1 wanted to play the day away. 

 I made manicotti stuffed with chicken, cornbread and a salad for dinner. In homeschooling we did:  

Half of Spelling Workout lesson 13

Mystery of History: Colored timeline figures for three lessons and made memory cards for them

Bible: Romans 8: 31   From More little visits with God we read "God on our side"

Memory verse: Psalm 100:1 talked about it then had ds read it three time to start memorizing it.

I read to him 3 of Aesop's Fables. He narrated.

I read to him from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.

He read to me from Charlotte's Web

Spanish: we reviewed then he practiced saying"I feel happy" and "sad"

My son announced he wanted to blog.  Here he is introducing himself......

Hi  I  am 6 years old and my nickmame for this blog will be  danyl and I  do      homeschooling.I  like to   play with legos. Today  is  hot  in Texas. I  am going  to a muzic   class    on    tuesday.

by

Today was kind of hectic since I had to go and register ds#1 at the community college for beginning piano classes, which will begin August 22.  The line was extremely long and we stood in it for two hours.  Apparently registering at this time is a baaad idea because of the fall semester crowds.  I am so proud of ds#2.  When we finally got to the front of the line he whispered "I need to go potty".  I explained that we were next and if we left now we would have to go to the back of the line and wait another two and a half hours. He said "O.K." and actually held it until we were able to go 10 min. later! He is now fully potty trained. :>))

We finally got home and after homeschooling I marinated and cooked enough round steak for dinner and for Saturday lunch ( we plan to have Cuban steak and bread sandwiches complete with grilled onions and potato sticks for our Sabbath lunch yuuuum!) . I  hurriedly prepared everything for sunset since I like to have everything done before the Sabbath day of rest begins. We ate the steak with white rice and a scrumptious salad ( can you tell fom all this mention of food I am past morning sickness and acquiring quite an apetite) We then had our family devotions at sunset to begin the Sabbath Day. Whew I feel exhausted just recounting this day....  Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Homeschooling journal: 

Math u see Test 11, missed 1 problem

Writing: practiced the number 5

Spanish: reviewed the same phrases from the day before.

I read to him from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

Zoology 1: Mid lesson experiment: Eexperimenting with Glider Design. Filled out Scientific Speculation sheet.

Bible: Read Hebrews11:16, dicussed it. Read "God and all kinds of people" from "More little visits with God".  

Mystery of Hystory lesson 3 Jubal and Tubal Cain. Ds drew a pictue of his favorite instrument and put in the History notebook.

Seth  read out loud from Charlotte's Web

Today has been peaceful around here. I decided since the temperature was to be 104 degrees I would stay home and not go out.  My uncle, who is making a room for the baby we are expecting near our bedroom, was here all day banging away with the hammer.  The good thing is  he is doing everything on the outside and only when everything is done will he make the door opening that will connect it to the house.  I made a lovely breakfast and then we started homeschooling.  After homeshooling I filled a big bowl with water and put it on a towel on the floor so the boys could play in it with their lego boats.  This gave me the chance to make dinner in peace.  I made chicken fricasee, white rice and a tomato salad.  My Dh made fozen fruit smoothies to go with it.  After dinner we all played monopoly jr. and then Chutes and ladders.  Well that was our day...

Today in homeschooling :

Math u See: Lesson 11C Got all correct

Zoology 1: I read to him pg 8. He narrated and drew the birds wing diagram for his notebook. He also drew a flamingo and wrote its Latin scientific name. 

Spelling workout:  Did crossword puzzle and then took lesson 12 test. Spelled all the words correctly.

Writing: practiced the number 4

Spanish: practiced saying. "I do not want to play with you."   "I want to use the restroom."  "Stop."  "I want to eat" also the words "chair" and "door"

I read to him three poems: "Block City","Who has seen the wind?" and "What is pink?".

He read out loud the rest of Ch 3 and the beginning of ch 4 from Charlotte's Web and then narrated.

Bible: we read and discussed Mathew 7: 7-11

I read to him from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.

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Today I saw baby with the sonogram! I am fifteen weeks and they were not able to determine the sex yet.  It is so funny because everyone in my entire family (and I mean everyone) is hoping for a girl.   We have six boys in our extended  family so far and no girls, so today I received phone call after phone call of relatives wanting to know the results of the sono.  I guess we will all have to wait another four weeks for the next sono and hope the doctor can tell by then.  The suspense is killing us.

My husband and two boys were with me and they got to see the baby.  He or she was moving a lot! There are no words to express the love I felt for this tiny baby as I watched. The doctor said everything looked great so we felt grateful and my husband prayed in the car as we left the clinic thanking God for our blessings. I developed high blood pressure out of the blue after delivering our last son.  I was only 23 and have been on blood pressure meds ever since.  I am slender and have no other problems so the only explanation is that since my mother has chronic high blood pressure it is hereditary.  This pregnancy is high risk since I have high blood pressure and even though it was well controlled at conception I have a 25% chance of developing preeclampsia . I will have a sonogram done every time I see the doctor.  So far my blood pressure has been stable but my worries will not end until I have baby in my arms. Please pray for me. 

Today it was 107 degrees here in Texas.  All the grass is brown, dead from all the heat. Add to it the major drought we are in and you have a recipe for disaster.  I yearn for fall and the cooler weather it will bring.  Here cooler weather starts to show up around October. Something to look forward too for sure.

Well I hope everyone has a good night.

Today in Homeschooling DS did the following:

Math u See: lesson 11A

Zoology I : I read to him about flight and we did the "Try This" experiment.

Spelling workout Lesson 12 Did 1 page and took pretest. Got 100% correct.

He read half  of Ch 3 Charlotte's Web out loud then narrated

I read to him "Diogenes The Wise Man" from  50 famous stories. He narrated.

Bible: We read and discussed Mathew 7:1&2

I read to him from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.

I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to stay home and homeschool my children.  What a blessing it is.  I look at this world and see how our christian values and beliefs have been forgotton and I feel blessed to be able to have the time to impart them to my children.

Today I have not felt nauseous Yaaaay! maybe morning sickness is over (hopefully).

I accomplished a lot today because I felt so much better.  First I went shopping for groceries in 102 degree Texas weather .  Since I have been ill for so long we were out of everything so it took me awhile.  I then cleaned out the fridge and put everything away.   We ate a snack then started homeschooling.  DS#2 which is currently being potty trained had no accidents today! I am so proud of him.  Things are definitely looking up.

We took a break from homeschooling to cook dinner (another thing I had not been able to do since morning sickness started).  I made whole wheat spaghetti with ground beef and pasta sauce. I spinkled shredded cheese on top. We ate this with a herb and cucumber salad salad on the side. I then cleaned the kitchen and finished homeshooling.  How I love NORMAL...

In homeschooling today DS#1 did:

Math u See Alpha test #10

Zoology 1 read aloud on Animal Classification DS narrated

DS read aloud chapter 2 of Charlotte's Web

Spelling Workout reviewed words then took test. He mispelled 1 word. 

Read to him from The Burgess Bird Book for Children Chapter 2 The Old orchard Bully. DS narrated.

Bible we read and discussed Mathew 6:28-30

It has been a while since my last post because I  have not been feeling so great.  This weekend I did not experience nausea just heartburn so I thought I was home free.  No such luck...  severe nausea hit this evening from around 7:00p.m. till 9:30p.m.  I was lying in bed unable to move hoping it would pass.  Now it is 11:30 at night and cannot go to sleep because I feel so queasy maybe whining about it on this blog will help ease my frustration with this situation..  I am having a sonogram on Wednesday and maybe they will be able to tell if its a boy or a girl.  I am really looking forward to seeing the baby again.

I continue to potty train ds#2.  I finally realized yesterday that because pullups are just like diapers  he did not find it necessary to stop his play and go all the way to the potty when he could just do it in the pull up sooo today we tried big boy undies and it worked. He had only 2 accidents and the rest of the time he was able to get to the potty in time I hope tomorrow will be an accident free day.

During homeschooling DS#1 did the following :

Spelling workout lesson 11 and pretest

A full page of the number 3 for writing ( He gets it backwards a lot so he needs the practice)

He read aloud ch.1 of Charlotte's Web.

Math U See Alpha Review 10F

 I read to him Alexander and Bucephalus.  He narrated.

 I read aloud introduction to Zoology 1 by Jeannie Fulbright.  We just started this book and he was extremely excited :~)).

I intend to record on here what he does every day.  Sort of like a homeschooling journal. Well that is all for now.

morning sickness has subsided (kind of) Nausea comes and goes throughout the day but is not constant like it has been the past 7 weeks so I am finally getting up and trying to get my house in order.  After being in bed for 7 weeks it looks like a tornado hit it. I am overwhelmed as I walk through the rooms. It hits me that what my husband is constantly telling me is true! My job as a keeper of our home is the most important job on earth.  Just look at what happens when I take a leave of absence !! :~)) On top of all this I have decided to start potty training my 3 year old and start to homeschool my 6 year old again after our "break". All this with episodes of nausea thrown in. Have I lost my mind!! Not yet but I feel I am about to.

Today has been like this so far.  I get up and put 3 yr old on the potty.  I read to him the story of Corduroy while we wait to see if anything  happens.  Nothing does sooo we go eat breakfast.  After breakfast I go to their play room to start picking up.  I look around. There is chaos. A wave of nausea hits me so I go and lay down.  3 yr old yells "I need to potty".  I jump up and rush to help him sit on the potty.  Two stories later nothing is in the potty so I ask him if he is sure he needs to potty.  He says yes.  I go get two picture books he can look at himself while he waits on the potty.  I decide to try picking up the house later.  I go in the kitchen to homeschool six yr old.  We start with math. It has been 7 weeks since our last lesson so we start with a review.  He gets 100% correct so we go on to the next lesson.  3 yr old screams "I did it" from the bathroom. We rush to check and sure enough he has done number 2 in the potty. We dance around and celebrate. We call Daddy at work to tell him the good news.  I then continue homeschooling.  Three year old is in the family room playing and suddenly says "oops".   I go to check and there is a puddle on the floor.  I ask why he did not go to the potty he answers "I forgot".  I put him in the bathtub socks and all and go clean up the puddle.  My six year old asks for help with a word problem.  I tell him to wait. I am kneeling cleaning the floor when a wave of nausea hits. I look around me. The house is a mess, I have to bathe three year old, I have to help six yearold with math problem, I have to pick up the house and I feel sick.  Could things get any worse.  I suddenly hear the phone ring.  I slowly get up and answer it.  It is my cousin.  She has the day off and wants to know if she can take my kids to our local library for a little while (She is single no kids).   I smile and thank God for small mercies.  I bathe and dress three yr old.  I help six year old finish his school work. They are both ready to go when doorbell rings.  Cousin is here!  I wave as they disappear down the street. I look at the clock. It is barely 1:00.  Another wave of nausea hits. Well at least I can rest in silence while it passes and who knows maybe just maybe tommorrow will be better than today....

I was just wondering how many of you moms out there had to take a break from homeschooling due to morning sickness. I am in my thirteenth week of pregnancy and still have nausea that lasts all day.  I have not been able to do anything since this started 6 weeks ago.  With my two previous pregnancies the nausea disappeared around the thirteenth week so everyday I wake up thinking "please let today be the day it is gone for good"  but up till now nothing has changed :(.  At the beginning I tried to continue homeschooling despite the nausea but it got to the point that I could not go on soooo.... we are on a "break" until I feel better.  I am trying to relax and think about how his learning has not stopped even though the sit down lessons have.  He has learned so many things since this process started like how to make a quick sandwich and pour some milk for his brother and himself when hungry because mommy gags at the sight of food.  How to read quietly to his brother because mommy can not until the nausea subsides. How to lay quietly beside mommy in bed without asking the usual 1,000 questions since mommy cannot answer them right now and so on and so forth.  He has learned patience and compassion.  I am proud to see he always serves food to his brother first and only then does he serve himself.  I will truly be glad when this passes though. I miss being their "normal mommy" as my son puts it. Did any of you face a similar situation?  

I homeschool year around and started teaching my oldest Ds now 6 when he turned 5.  It is kind of confusing figuring out what "grade" he is in. Everyone shows an interest in knowing and will  ask my son as a conversation starter "Soo what grade are you in young man?".  Cashiers at the supermarket will ask him, family members will ask him, even my obstetrician when I took him on one of my appointments asked him!  The trouble is with homeschooling ya never know for sure so I taught him to answer "1st grade" since he is only six but last week the funniest thing happened... I decided to test his reading level to know kind of where we were and all four test results showed  he was reading at beginning fourth grade level.  Well Ds overheard me explaining this to my Dh and so the next day when my brother came over and asked him "Soo what grade are you in" he proudly proclaimed "I am now in the fourth grade" Needless to say my brother was shocked and I had to explain that he was reading at that level but was really in the first grade.  Deep down I beleive there should be no grade levels. That is why I love homeschooling!! Your child is free to advance as much as they want in the areas they love.