Okay, so I haven't gotten around to moving to the other blog site just yet. I've been a little busy with my Aunt's funeral and all... but here's a quick recap of what's been going on:

TJ has been working with Grandma on homeschooling using both worksheets and computer programs while I was gone. Surprisingly, it sounds like it went okay. I was worried because TJ can be a bit stubborn! Yesterday was the first day of winter carnival!!! Yay!!! I'll try to post some pics on the new site! Today TJ has his second Drama class with the homeschooling group. He loved the first class! He's also been invited to a chess club... now all I have to do is try to teach him chess!

Well... like I said - that's just a quick update. Will attempt to get things on track this weekend.

Well, I've been putting off posting until I knew to where I was moving the blog. Thanks to Aunt Holly for helping us figure out the best site.


I'm excited because I can do some different things with the new blog but it will take some time.

Until then, here's a brief update:
The last couple weeks have been pretty busy. Last week TJ and I went swimming on Thursday and to the Carnegie museum. In science we dissected beans and started growing some bean sprouts. We also are in the midst of the celery/food coloring experiment. In geography TJ made a compass out of a magnetized sewing needle and a bowel of water. In math, he's learning how to read and create charts. In spelling we finished our review with an indepth spelling unit on math terms. We've also been working on writing complete sentences, breaking appart and rewriting run-on sentences, and using proper punctuation. In history we continue to explore ancient Greece and Greek mythologies.

Hope to see everyone on the blog site... maybe I can even get my father to visit it - lol!

Now that we're getting better at doing more in a day, we're able to get to some extra learning/fun things. Yesterday, as mentioned, we baked a cake, played bananagrams & worked more on our model plane. Here's some pics:


"You mean I have to read the instructions??"



"Yep, no shell!"


"Math too?"


"Gotta get it just right"




As you can see, TJ did everything but put the cake in and out of the oven. He even got to check to see if it was done.


Next, TJ and I played Bananagrams. I modified the rules where I had to use words of 4 or more letters and he could use any length of words.


Okay... so once again, I've used up all the storage on here for pictures. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to just move everything over to either the site where Aunt Holly has her blog or to where Aunt Aimee has hers! Until then here is a link to the rest of the pictures... mostly ones showing TJ building his plane. This is a public picture album hosted by facebook but you don't need a facebook account to see them. Click Next (or one of the small numbers in the upper right) to click through the pictures you can't see here.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026526&id=1290120517&l=48e96f6dea

Today was an excellent day for learning! We got through all our subjects including art, where we started on a wooden model bi-plane. I'll try to get some pictures of the progress tomorrow. TJ also did some mental math problems that used to always stump me growing up and he loved it! lol! I think he just hates having to write out problems!
Lot's of things coming up: Tomorrow, we're planning on playing a new word game we got for Christmas called Bananagrams and on baking a birthday cake for Uncle Merl (he doesn't read this so we won't be giving anything away) Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! LOL! Then tomorrow night Merl and Aunt Haley are coming over for cards. Thursday afternoon is swimming for TJ. On Friday Joe has another dance. On the 21st (for real this time) is TJ's first drama class with the homeschooling group. I'm hoping to get the kids out to Swedetown (except maybe Joey... still nervous about his injuries) for some sledding.
Well, I guess that's all I'll post for now... I'm worn out!  Hope all is well with everyone else!

We're still on winter break from homeschooling but we've been pretty busy with family activities. We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, and even Great Grandpa! I'll try to post pictures later.

As for today... I'm thankful to see this year end and have great hopes for a brighter decade ahead. This year saw the end of two very close family friendships (which makes the song Auld Lang Syne all the more poignant). It also had several rough spots and stressors - especially with Jessica & Joey. Our finances took more of a hit than I would have liked, my health was strained, and (emotionally) there were several times I'd have liked to packed it all in but here I am... waiting on a new day, a new year & a new decade. Tonight we have our traditional New Year's Eve dinner & party with friends, complete with oyster stew.  Tomorrow, the plan is to laze about the house and watch movies (and of course eat black eyed peas for luck!). The weather is snowy but beautiful and the house just feels cozy!

So I wish joy, luck and happiness to you all for the New Year!  May the Blue Moon shine upon you and may you find the blessings which you seek!

With the Holidays here, we've been busy once again. Lots of family, school, homeschool and personal activities.

First, Joe's class is going with Calumet on a class trip to New York City. This has involved a lot of work, both for me and Joe as he's been doing fundraising and I've been helping to organize the parent group. Joe also went on his first real date to a dance that was held to raise money for a kid that was diagnosed with cancer. Joe also went and saw a ophthamologist about his vision changes since the accident. Unfortunately, his eye structure and general vision are perfectly normal & the symptoms coupled with the accident sound like some sort of neurological damage to the doctor. So now we've got to take Joe to a neurologist for more brain scans. Joe's grades are finally starting to come up some. I just hope it's not too little too late.

Next, Jessica has been doing okay. We've had quite a few behavorial issues that have made things a little rough with her lately. If they continue we'll have to decide if we can continue to care for her at home. If she's not watched every moment she does things like tears off her own toe nails or chews on her fingers until the bleed. She's also played with knives/matches and done other hazardous things. Unfortunately, as she gets bigger/older it's harder to keep our eyes on her all the time. Physically, though, her health is improving and she's still enjoying her new school. Recently, TJ and I were able to watch Jessica's Physical Therapy. I made a video. It's not great and the song repeats but here it is:

In homeschooling, TJ's been working hard on his spelling. I've been having him go back and review common words from the last few years. In history we're learning about the ancient Greek civilization and mythology. This has lead to some writing exercises with creation myths and some creative art projects. In math TJ's working on borrowing and carrying in subtraction and addition. Last Tuesday we went and made cookies with Grandma and Aunt Gillian. This week we'll be doing the same. Also, TJ's been doing a lot of swimming but we had to cancel last week due to Jessica's Holiday Concert.

The kids have been doing a lot of sledding and outdoor play outside of school. We also have the tree up and have done a little shopping. (Most of it has to wait until Wednesday evening). Trevor and I went to a Christmas Party for Great Lakes and had a lot of fun there. Otherwise we've been engaged in our various crafts and in some movie watching. We watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night and although it was good... it was about as sad as a movie can get!

Here are a variety of very short videos and pictures that I've taken over the last few weeks:
This was taken by Joseph and it was getting dark.


Jessica's Christmas concert (unfortunately you can't really see her because she's just this side of the center).


Pics taken the night we put up the tree.




Above is TJ designing a throne for one of the 12 Olympians of Greek Mythology.

I'm loving the snow we're getting. We actually missed the worst of the blizzard and ended up just getting a moderate amount of accumulation. It's so peaceful to look out the window from the warmth and coziness of the house and just watch the snow fall. In previous years, I've truly undervalued winter due, in part, to having to be out driving in it all the time and also due to the negativity of others. This year, I'm going to enjoy our winter wonderland! TJ and I are looking forward to sledding and snowman making. I'm also debating on whether to try snow shoeing or cross-country skiing.

As far as homeschooling goes - we had two really good days this week before schools closed due to weather. Now we're just doing in-formal activities and enjoying each other's company. As this year starts to come towards a close, I'm truly understanding what really matters and am trying to focus on my husband and my kids. I'm also getting back into craft projects and am finally finding time for myself. This year has had its ups and downs but our family has come through it stronger for the knowledge that life is fleeting and you have to make of it what YOU want it to be. Only you can make yourself miserable and only you can make yourself happy. :)

On a much lighter note, Joe has a girlfriend named Taylor. They've been "dating" for about a week now but they've been really close friends since the beginning of the year. In fact, she came to visit Joe in the hospital and helped him catch up on all his classwork when he got out. I'm not sure I like him dating but I have to admit - it's having a positive effect on Joe. He's taking better care of his appearance and hygiene without any nagging on our part, he's anxious to be at school, and he's doing his math with Taylor so at least it's getting done now. First love.... lol!

I don't even know where to begin. For those that know us well, you know we had a LOT to be thankful for this year, including:
1) Jessica's diagnosis
2) Joe's survival & recovery
I wish I could list everything else but I'm afraid I would miss something and feel bad that I did. Suffice it to say our family is happy, healthy, and close - that's all that matters!

We had a wonderful traditional meal with all the trimmings at home this year. It was a different sort of holiday as we are used to being with the extended family but in a way - it was special for that difference. I think our entire family needed the extended weekend without any sort of major activity.

During the meal prep, we watched the Thanksgiving Day's Parade. Then after dinner, we settled into a weekend of rented movies and family games. We watched UP, The Tale of Desperaux (sp?), Willow, Fraggle Rock: The Beginning, and Bed Time Stories. We played lots of Yahtzee, monopoly, cards & computer games such as Heroes. It was cozy and heart warming. On Saturday, Trevor, Jessica & I went to Marquette to pick up some Christmas Wreaths that the Masons were selling as a fundraiser. It was a quick trip there and back but it was nice too.

So far we've had wonderful Autumnal weather with no actual snow to speak of - just the occasional dusting that doesn't stick. However, as I write this I ee the ground is turning white - so I guess winter may be here. That's okay, though - I'm actually ready and happy to see it coming this year. There's just something so peaceful about the snow!

Today everyone got back into the swing of things. TJ and I had a busy, productive, and fun day of homeschooling. TJ  wants to write his own story book so we'll be working on that with his writing. I've fallen behind on recording his work in the grade book so I'm working on that now. We're studying the first civilizations in history, reviewing estimation/rounding in math, starting a new spelling chapter, reviewing the body systems in science & applying it to nutrition and health, finishing-up the Three Musketeers, and working on Yuletide decorations. We also got sidetracked in discussing/looking-up/reviewing the Italian Hall, The Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Taliban and other such events. TJ loves to try and get me sidetracked! But I don't mind as long as he's learning.

I know there was more that I was going to post - but as always - by the time I get some time to sit down and update the blog - I forget what I meant to write!

I'm not sure where to start so I think I will start with today and work backwards. Today we returned to homeschooling and had a wonderful day! We covered a lot about ancient man & the stone age. We also worked more on map keys & familiarity with the world map. We reviewed rounding and place values. We also read the first 3 chapters of Alexander Dumas's The Three Musketeers and watched the Disney movie from 1993 for comparison.
The last few days we've been visiting with Grandpa Sweeney and Grandma Danna who came for a visit from Oklahoma. Yesterday we went on a driving tour of the area and talked quite a bit about the area's history. This was great for me since I've joined a historical organization that is setting up a museum that will address the Celtic heritage of this area. (Matter of fact, I have a meeting with them tonight)
Last Thursday we had parent/teacher conferences for Joe and Jessica. Jesssica's went really well. We discussed our concerns about Jessica's apparent "back-slide" in academic abilities and some of her more unique character aspects (such as her manipulation skills - lol). The teacher was unaware that Jessica's writing had worsened or that Jessica has a tendency to try and get out of work by pretending she doesn't understand something. Overall, though, the instructor is happy with Jessica's behavior and seems to genuinely like Jess. Unfortunately, they don't give grades in the cognitively impaired program - so I can't share how she's doing in that regard.
Joey is both doing great & horrible. For the first time, all of his teachers like him and there seems to be no behavioral issues. Joe made all A's and B's except in Math - which he failed. Unfortunately, the math grade is directly linked to the fact that he missed almost a month of school due to his accident. Right now Joe has been moved to a curriculum support class in-leu of his electives until his grades come up. Hopefully, he'll be able to pull his grade up over the next 9 weeks so he doesn't fail for the semester.
Other notes on things that have gone on - We tore up the old carpet and completely redid our livingroom last week. I really like it. Hopefully, I will get some nice pictures of it soon. The entire family pitched in on the project :). We've also have been playing a lot of games together like Yahtzee, Outburst, Cranium, Monopoly, etc. Even our "too cool to hang-out with my parents" teenager has been participating in some of the games. Best of all - TJ's getting a lot of math and practical skills practice with these games! TJ's drama class has been cancelled until sometime in January due to the H1N1 virus and the upcoming holidays. However, he continues to participate in swimming on Thursdays at the local university pool. I'll leave off with some pictures of him swimming (yeah... I know - they're blurry - lol)

Well, the flu has went through Joe, TJ and Trevor (although the last two are still feeling kinda crumby) and now Jessica has it. We're muddling through but now they've shut down Hancock Schools for the remainder of the week due to illness. :(