OK, I saw this at another site and thought I'd see what came to mind.  Are you up to reminiscing with me?  If so, copy and paste to your own blog, then let me know so I can come take a peek!

What were your 3 favorite things to watch on TV when you were a kid? 

1) Daniel Boone, 2) The Monkees, 3) The Brady Bunch.

What 3 commercials do you remember most from when you were a kid?

1) My Bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R, 2) My mom's the onle with the wrinkley legs (pantyhose) 3) LIFE cereal - "He likes it!" Hey Mikey!"

What 3 toys were popluar when you were a kid?

1) Barbies, 2) Easy-Bake oven 3) My favorite was a Velvel doll complete with a first-rate wardrobe brought by Santa (hand-sewn by Mom)

What 3 things did not exist when you were a kid?

1) cell phones, 2) more than three channels on my television!, 3) microwave meals

What 3 fads did you fall for when you were a kid?

1) mood ring, 2) hippie moccasins, 3) I can't think of any more!!! My mom used to say I was in my own clique and was the only one in it!  I was quite the bookworm.

What 3 songs do you remember most from when you were a kid?

1) Mockingbird, 2) Hit the Road Jack, 3) Chuckwagon Gang Gospel Quartet album - not that they were popular, but that's what we listend to most Sundays.

What were your 3 favorite movies when you were a kid?

We were very poor and didn't see many movies.  1) Song of the South, 2) Seven Alone, 3) ???? 

What are your 3 most embarrassing moments from when you were a kid?

1) Feeling like I stood out like a sore thumb in a Little Miss pageant the neighbor convinced Mom to enter me in.  The neighbor's daughter was pageant material - I was not. 2) When I got stung by dozens of ants while walking at night and had to be stripped down to my underwear in front of company to get them all out of my clothes (the ants, not the company) 3) attempting to lick the frost off the butane tank only to find my tongue frozen to it.

What 3 things do you wish you could get back from when you were a kid?

1) A relationship of respect and affection between my father and brother, 2) our family's arrowhead collection 3) stories, poems, etc I had written.

Ahh, the good old days

I'm sure I had a creative title for this entry about an hour ago, but said creativity seems to have left the building.

The house - Again, things have slowed, though the plumbing rough-in inspection was completed this week and electrical is scheduled for Friday.  I hear I should plan on one more month of workers.  I hope that's all it is, but it's really out of our hands.  Hardwood flooring was re-scheduled due to plumbing inspector not keeping his first appointment.  So flooring starts on Monday.  I believe one of the guys is planning to start my tile countertops tomorrow and I should have a kitchen sink by Monday.  Woo hoo!!!!!  I've been washing dishes in the bathroom sink since April.  We might not have a dishwasher and garbage disposal at that time, but I haven't had those things in at least 15 years so what's a couple of additional days?  I see that they've torn out part of my bedroom wall, so tonight with DH in South Dakota, the house is open to the elements and the neighborhood cats!

The kids are in swimming again this week.  I can't believe we will have done 6 weeks of swimming by the time the summer is over.  Not what I had planned for the summer, but it's been ok.  K is progressing well and C is a lot more comfortable in the water.  We've also kept various kids in our home lately.  A couple of friends one day last week, cousins a couple of days this week and another friend tomorrow.  That coupled with the three (yes, three) new dogs, and we're all a bit tired today.

School planning?  A bit.  I want to get some more in, but want to wait until I have a bit more energy.  DH is out of town for a couple of days, so hopefully tomorrow evening I can do some planning/preparation.  After compiling our tentative schedule (see last post) and setting Fridays aside for special projects/classes, I received some preliminary information about our homeschool co-op's plans for the year.  I had planned to have a specific time on Fridays for missionaries and a specific time for geography.  Ends up co-op is planning a geography emphasis this year, with a lot of missionary stuff incorporated.  So I asked hubby whether we should participate in co-op to get these things or if I should plan to go it alone as previously scheduled. 

A side note:  We've never fully participated in the co-op portion of our church's homeschool group.  We've done some field trips and participated in Keepers/Contenders, but not the co-op class.  Hard to explain why, but it's just never felt right. 

DH suggested going with the co-op.  It's twice a month - Friday mornings - followed by Keepers those afternoons making for a long day for my little ones.  But I think we'll fully commit for the semester, then see what happens after that.  I think it will be nice to not have to plan those two additional subject areas, except for whatever I am asked to do to help with co-op. 

As for DH, his business is picking up again.  For new readers, he has a full-time job with the county and a consulting business on the side - crisis prevention and de-escalation, primarily working with staff that work with juveniles.  (schools, residential treatments facilities, detention centers, etc)  He had a great year in 2007 which has helped us be able to do our remodel.  This year was steady in the spring, slow in the summer and getting ready to skyrocket again this fall.  His employer was good to let him off the month of October 2007, but I don't think they're going to go for it again this year.  So I think he'll be quitting the county job soon.  Possibly by the end of August.  I know he would be happier with just the consulting business and I know God will be faithful.  He always has been!  But between now and end of Aug, DH has lots of odds and ends he needs done with the business - mostly marketing - and needs my help.  So life looks really busy in the near future.  But once the house is completed, I have dreams of operating much more efficiently, like a well-oiled machine.  One can dream, right?

Sorry to babble on and on, but that's what life looks like around here these days.

Blessings to you

Robin

 

WEEK OF: ___________________				Theme: ____________________________________
				Goals: _____________________________________
				___________________________________________
		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9:00-9:30	Bible & Memory Verse Review					Keon Piano Lesson
9:30-9:40	Daily Journaling					Chiara Piano Lesson
9:40-10:00	Spelling					Chiara Piano Lesson
10:00-10:20	Phonics					BREAK 10:00-10:15
10:20-10:35	Wisdom Words/ Grammar					Missionaries 10:15-10:45
10:35-10:50	BREAK
10:50-11:30	Math					Geography  10:45-11:15
11:30-noon	Science or Social Studies					Spanish 11:15-11:45
	Art, Health, Observation Projects					Art/Music 11:45-12:15
noon-1:00	LUNCH
1:00-1:15	Personal Bible Time
1:15-1:30	Character Trait
1:30-2:00	Reading / Book Reports
2:00-2:30	Quiet Time

I thought I'd see what it looks like when I copy my schedule over here.  This is primarily a schedule for K.  While he is doing spelling and phonics (on his own as much as possible) I will work with C in math and phonics.  She is beginning kindergarten and will join C for Bible, writing (handwriting and creative) and the science/social studies topics.  She'll also participate during individual Bible time, character trait studies and reading.  The Friday schedule will vary if we have Keepers meetings, co-ops, etc.

Wow, it looks like a lot. Or maybe I'm just thinking about planning for all of it!  We use Weaver for Bible, science, social studies and often for related projects.  Wisdom Words is a grammar program associated with Weaver.  I may also use First Language Lessons for K's grammar studies.  We've worked through all the first grade lessons and probably one-third of the 2nd grade lessons.  K's spelling and phonics are AOP Horizons, math is Saxon 3, and our character trait studies will coordinate with our Bible studies, supplemented from various sources, including Doorposts For Instruction in Righteousness.  C's math is Math-U-See and her phonics is primarily practicing reading, working through Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and an occasional workbook page. 

They will both have allotted time for computer time, chores and Keepers skills.  I'm glad to have this schedule figured out.  I couldn't sleep last night and spent some time working on it around 3am.  I'm just glad that by the light of day, it still looks like it's what will work for us this semester!

Shouldn't everyone in the middle of a remodel take on ownership of a new dog?  Ok, what about 3 dogs?  Yes, that's us.  When dh and I married 11 years ago we had 4 dogs.  But we haven't had any for a couple of years now.  So I guess it was time to stock up again!  Dh & I got a yellow lab, 6 months old fro the Humane Assoc.  The kids have picked out a puppy for each, and we pick them up on Monday (following their spaying and neutering surgeries.)

Work on the house slowed this week.  We'll see what the weekend brings.  I'm pretty tired of living in chaos, but I've also begun to accept the reality that the house will not be finished by the time I wanted to begin school.  So I'm gearing up to start anyway - planning on Aug 11.  I've been doing some lesson planning and schedule review. 

The Spanish curriculum I ordered came in today and I think another family wants to study this together.  It looks like we'll do our regular activities 4 days a week and leave Fridays for special studies - music lessons, geography, Spanish, missionaries and arts and crafts.  Some Fridays we will have our Keepers meetings, so on those days we probably won't get these other things done.  I think the hardest part of our schedule will be having K work independently while I work with C on phonics and math.  He reads well, so phonics will be mainly review of concepts.  And he should be able to do his spelling on his own, except on pre-test days.  For the final tests, I put them on spellingcity.com and let him take the test on the computer.  Since he is doing Saxon math and C is doing Math-U-See, it's not something I can teach simultaneously.   I've also moved the Weaver portion of our studies to right before lunch after we've completed all our language and math.  This way we can take our time with the day's topic without feeling a need to rush to get to the other subjects.

Are you gearing up for next year?  What changes are you planning to implement?  And what are you most excited about for the coming year?  I'd love to hear!

Blessings

Just a few quick updates:

The house - I think we are making progress.  The majority of the kitchen cabinets are in.  No flooring, countertops, dishwasher or sink yet.  I've decided to go with tile for the countertops and hope to do some of it myself.  They've begun putting in the subfloor for the addition (family room), but now we're beginning to have issues between the contractors.  Plumbing and electrical are the two holdups right now.  Need these done to get inspections and move to the next phase.  The one putting in the wood floors is scheduled to begin a week from today.  That will be exciting!  I am really looking forward to when it's all done and just staying home and enjoying it rather than running here and there to pick up materials, or to grab something quick to eat since the kitchen has been out of commission, or to the dump, etc.

Hubby - His business has been slow the past few months which has allowed him to be faithful to his county job and to be here for the remodeling decisions.  But he's starting to set some dates for training classes in the next few months - Eastern South Dakota, Tucson and Baltimore coming up with Sacramento probably added to the mix too.  I'm trying to decide if the kids and I should go with him on one of the trips.  We're considering Baltimore or Sacramento (depending on if we have any $$$ left after the remodel!)  I've never been to either place and the kids don't care as long as the hotel has a pool.  Hubby has a dr. appt for tomorrow.  He's had surgery on his knees in the past, but they've really bothered him recently, so he's going to get it checked out.  It's hard to age, isn't it?!

Kids - Better than I deserve!  We're in swimming lessons. C fought it the first day, clinging to me like a baby baboon. Now she loves it.  She's making progress as is K.  They continue to play reasonably well together.  We've been so slack with academics this summer.  Praying that the remodel will be finished when I hope to start school - Aug 11 or so.  We are doing some reading, but that's about it.  I've done some planning to for next year, and it looks like we'll do our regular school stuff M-Th, then reserve Friday for co-ops, music lessons, etc.  K is still in gymnastics and I can really see improvement in his strength and coordination.  I'd like him to stay with it, but he's got his head set on trying fooltball next.  I've order a Spanish curriculum for K & C from www.theeasyspanish.com and we're talking to another family about co-oping it together.  I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine, though I'm certainly not ready today.

Several projects to do today, so off I go.  Blessings to you.

In no particular order, some of the things I've noticed during our remodel:

• All landfills and dumps are not created equal.  We know which ones are opened on which days, which ones accept construction materials, which ones will only accept cash, which ones cost the least.  Just ask - I'm an expert on area solid waste management.
• It will always cost more and take longer than you had expected.  Lots more - time and money.
• Dh's priorities differ from mine.  I couldn't care less about the pitch of the roof or the texture pattern on the walls.  But the kitchen, that's another story.
• Trips to Lowes, Home Depot, the dump, the tile store, Home Depot, Lowes, etc can be educatinal - possibly even considered school time if I am creative and imaginative.
• The fun of yet another "field trip" to Lowe's or Home Depot quickly wears thin for ds age 7 and dd age 5.
• Flexibility is a virtue.  I'm reminded of Corrie Ten Boom who said something along the lines of being reminded by God not to hold too tightly to anything, because it hurt so much when He had to pry her fingers from it and take it.  Same with decorating ideas, must-haves, etc.  There really are no must-haves.  Nothing is important enough to spend an unreasonable amount of money on, or fight over.
• HGTV can be a tool of the devil!  They sell this idea that you must have the perfect house with the perfect appliances, the perfect paint color, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.  It's almost impossible to get a sales associate to talk to me about choices other than granite. 

OK, that's all that I have off the top of my head.  I'm sure more will come.  I'll post pictures soon, but that always seems to take me a while to figure out.  The roof is completely done - new trusses, an almost colonial blue facia and silver metal for the roof.  Stucco will be the very last thing. Workers began installing kitchen cabinets last night. Not sure if they'll be working this holiday weekend or not, but the cabinets should be in by next weekend.  Most, anyway.  There are a few cabinets that will be in the transition area between the kitchen and new living area that cannot be installed yet until the living room floor is built.  They are framing the addition for the new master bedroom's bathroom and closet. That should go pretty quicly, too.

Just remembered I'm supposed to call someone for a quote on the shower.  Blessings to you.

Robin

This week's theme at www.unplugyourkids.com was garden, with freedom to do whatever you wanted within that topic. I've found myself fascinated with the frogs in our backyard this year (something we didn't have on the dry, dusty ranch of my childhood.) This fascination drove our craft selections in this, our first week to participate.

 The frogs in our yard one night. One has an injured back leg, a casualty of the remodeling.

 Origami frogs! 

 Frogs from crushed soda cans.

K cutting out his frog's feet 

 and C attaching the google eyes.

Head on over to unplugged and see the creative ideas others came up with!

Robin

My last entry was a whiny one.  But shortly after posting it, I received several comments of people praying for me, and the melancholy lifted. 

I am slowly becoming more interested and excited for the upcoming school year.  I am finally ready to do my year-end evaluation (not required, just kept for my own records.)  I hadn't wanted to really examine last year, because so much of it felt like a failure.  But I'm now ready to "sharpen the saw" as per S Covey - reading some motivational and how-to books, considering books I want to read, etc.  We're doing a "no-tv day" and I have planned a few things to go along with www.unplugyourkids.com theme this week (garden.)

I attended an Usborne book party the other day.  I picked out a couple of books though we rarely purchase full-priced books.  I usually see what we can find at the library book sales for $1-2 that coordinate with our studies.  I felt a little out-of-place at the party.  Everyone else seems to have the SuperMom thing down - taking kids here and there to various activities, making various crafts, being involved in their own various bible studies.  Uggh, I feel like a slug!  We've been in survival mode lately, but it (and some of the reading I'm doing) has challenged me to consider our family's priorities and what God wants for our family.  If I am following His plan, our family might look differently than those around us.  We may not have that many outside activities.  I may not have made a tie-dyed t-shirt with my kids.  I may not have completed any scrapbbok pages or been involved in three separate Bible studies.  Way back when I first started this blog, I did a post about using other people's children as a yardstick of comparison against our own.  I am reminded that this doesn't just apply  to children, but to families as well.  Thank you Father for your gentle reminders.

I am reading the free e-book provided for ordering TOS Home School Planner.  It's based upon Charlotte Mason's teachings.  I've never been a fan of labels, so I've never identified myself as a disciple of hers.  But after reading this little bit of her thoughts, I have found some very useful information and inspiration there.  One specific gem: Do not let the endless successio nof small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind."  I have been so guilty of this lately.  The tyrrany of the urgent rather than the value of the important.

The house is progressing.  In theory, the special-ordered windows will arrive today.  The one worker who was to work on my kitchen has had a change in his real job hours, so we haven't seen him in a couple of weeks.  So no cabinets yet.  Pro-panel roofing to arrive tomorrow with plans to attach it this weekend.  Most of the heating/cooling system has been completed.  I think the major systems will be completed soon and we can get to some of the interior detail work.  (Of course, I could just be wishful-thinking, too!)

Blessings to you and again, thank you for your prayers!

Robin

I'm a bit frustrated with myself - knowing what the problems are, and knowing that I contribute to the problems.  It's easy to feel like everyone else out there knows more, is a better mother and educator, keeps a cleaner house, etc.  I suppose I really should read Todd Wilson's book Lies  Homeschoolers Believe.  I'll put that on my 'to-do' list. 

My frustrations stem from the disorganization and lack of schedule around here, all of which I can blame on the remodel.  But I'm afraid that it's really just me!  The remodel just provides a convenience excuse.  My summer hopes/plans for an Olympic study are off to a slow start.  Neither I nor the kids have really gotten into it.  So we've just puttered a bit - various worksheets and puzzles.  I have K working through some math review. But I haven't been organized and focused and my children are getting the short end of the stick.  Please pray that I would shake this laziness (or whatever it may be) and give the kids days to enjoy and remember.  Both have done some reading, but not devouring any of it. 

I'm also ready for the remodel to be done!  Unfortunately, we're not even close.  Probably another 6-8 weeks.  The plumbing contractor is working today, putting in the vents to the rooms for the new heating/cooling system.  And while I'm glad he is here working, a part of me just wants everyone gone.  But I'd rather have everyone gone and my kitchen restored.  (Oooh, what a grumbler I've become today.)  Meal prep has been almost non-existent.  Though we have a stove top, we don't have an oven, sink or countertops.  I don't really enjoy cooking, so when it's made into a challenge, I like it even less.  But I'm pretty sure that once I have a kitchen again, I'm going to enjoy it so much that cooking/meal planning and prep will almost be a joy!

It's been hard to want to plan for next semester, for this summer's learning etc while we are disorganized and scattered.  One of dh's cousins was over last week and pointed out a piece of metal landscaping border protruding from the ground.  He expressed his concern about the kids getting hurt on it. (It's a piece of metal border the kids are aware of and it's been there about 7 years.)  I said, "Raymond, at this point, that would be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." 

Finished a large editorial project last week and this week needs to be spent getting caught up on paperwork for dh's business.  So sorry for the complaining.  I thought of deleting this entry without even posting it, but I could use your prayers and I know it will be nice to look back at this in a couple of months and see this time as something in the past.

Robin

Finally, one room almost completely put back together.  Or close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades.  I have the school room organized!  All the stacks sorted, papers organized or tossed, and I can find things now!  I was rejoicing with K who said, "I want to do school."  So we'll start some organized activities on Monday - mainly math practice, reading and hopefully get started on our Olympic unit study.

K is finishing up swimming this week.  I'll probably try to sign him up again for another session later in the summer to keep up his progress.  No workers are scheduled for this weekend, so dh and I will have some down time.  The monthly library sale is Saturday and I plan to go, then getting together with dh's family for a Father's Day barbeque on Sunday.  I have quite a bit of computer work to get done - editorial deadline next week and lots of paperwork for dh's consulting business.  So off I go.

Blessings to you this evening!

I love it when I can see the progress!  The plywood is now on the biggest portion of the roof and much of the heating/cooling ductwork was installed today.  My cabinets should be here tomorrow, but we probably won't get them installed until next week.  The floors aren't ready and our workers all have other family projects lined up for this weekend so we won't see them again until Monday.  I did get a dishwasher today and my desk and file cabinet for the school room.  Once upon a time I had vowed never to get the kind of furniture you have to put together.  I evidently forgot that vow and have spent a huge part of the day assembling the desk and hutch.  Yes it saved money, but goodness it took a lot of time!

Ds just turned seven last week.  No, I can't believe it.  I'm already starting to dread when he leaves home, even though it's at least a decade away!  But we've been having a few issues lately.  He is such a great kid, that the problems are few and far between, but this week we've had more than his usual share.  Mon, Wed & Fri he gets an hour of computer time to play games.  Well yesterday, he and C were fussing and not being obedient so I took away the computer privilege for the day.  He was heartbroken and said some of the funniest things.  "Computer time makes me happy, so I won't be happy again until I have computer time."  "I won't eat or drink anything until I play on the computer again."  (All said between heartwrenching sobs.  My response:  "Well you'll save me money on groceries that way."  (What a meanie, huh?)

Then today, the television was contributing to his delinquency, making it hard for him to obey, etc.  So I shut it off to his dismay, and again, loud wailing.  He has been appropriately disciplined, we've discussed the computer and television becoming idols in his life, and he's been assured that if the television continues to be a problem for him, we will have a "No TV Week" instead of our usual "No TV day." 

I'm always amazed at how loving and affectionate the kids are after a sound dose of discipline.  It's like it restores the proper balance in the universe of our family!

The construction workers evidently worked on other projects while waiting on our trusses to be built.  The trusses were delivered Friday, so the construction crew was back in force that evening.  They put all the trusses in place this weekend and are about half-way through attaching the plywood sheets to the trusses.  This is a major part of the remodel and I think once it's complete a lot of the interior detail work will move pretty quickly.

The kitchen cabinets should arrive in the next day or two.  We may not install them right away though, as we still need to do some work on the kitchen floors.  The plumbing/heating guy is working today (another major component of the remodel) putting in the duct work to give us central air and heat. 

Hubby is havng a hard time with the disorganization around here.  (Me too, but it was his turn to feel overwhelmed by it this weekend!)  He would really like me to finish getting the school room ready, without stacks of stuff sitting around, so he sent me out yesterday with instructions to get what I needed to finish organizing the room.  I need a desk and file cabinet.  (The desk I had in the old room is just too massive.  It takes up too much room and is too heavy for me to even help move, much less move on my own.)  Alas, I came back empty-handed.  I found items that would work at Office Depot, but I have a coupon for 20% off that starts Tuesday.  Couldn't bring myself to spend the money on Sunday knowing what I could save by waiting two days.  I also found something I liked at Ashley Furniture, only to be told that they are only a showroom and all their furniture is ordered.  I would have to wait a month or so.  (That wouldn't help hubby's current disposition!)  So I tried another furniture store, but felt their prices were out of line.  DH was ok when I explained all the reasons why I couldn't finish the school room yet.

We have a homeschool promotion night with our h/s group at church tonight.  It's the first one this group has ever done so it's unchartered territory.  Each family can have a display table to showcase some of their year, and each family will have a couple of minutes to talk about their kids accomplishments, etc.  I'm finishing up the display board for our booth (yes, waiting 'til the last minute!)  DH will say a few words and I'll present their Keepers/Contenders awards, and certificates of completion for the grade they completed last year.

I've spent the morning shampooing sofas.  I'm so glad we bought the carpet shampooer this spring!  And I was appalled at the dirt in the water once the job was completed!

Today is another "No TV" day.  We've done one a week with this being our fourth week.  The kids seem to get along much better on these days - fussing is reduced, noise is limited, and they are more creative.  It's an experiment I would highly encourage.

Lots of rambling about nothing.  Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Not sure where they went?!  But it gave us a chance to do some painting, etc.  Painted the school room - two walls white and two a bright yellow that I had on hand.  Then painted the dining room - white with a corner accent area a light muddy brown color.  Hubby thinks it's a bit dark, but I think we'll give it a while and see how it feels.  Plus, we don't have an overhead light in the dining area right now (electrician didn't work this week) so it's really hard to know how it will look with light! I used the same color on the back wall of the large pantry area too.  And painted the kitchen area it's first coat of white.  Will paint another coat in the near future.

Today dh and I worked on the pantry shelving.  I got to use a power circular saw for the first time.  Fun!   But the HGTV stars have nothing to worry about with me.  I won't be taking their jobs anytime soon.  It's funny to see how their hosts show up to paint in heels, jewelry and makeup.  I must be doing something wrong, because be the time it's over, I look like I've taken a paint shower.

Next up, carpet for the school area.  I'll get that done early this week, then finish getting it set up.  It's nice to finally be putting a few things back instead of just taking things down/out.  DH and I will then move our bedroom area to our current den/office/school room) then getting our vacated space prepared for dd.  I hope to have her and K's areas completely done in 2 weeks.  Just need carpet and paint for the most part.

Our "no TV' day went well this week.  I think we'll try another one this week.  We start two weeks of swimming lessons tomorrow for ds.  C didn't want to this time around.  She also had a hard time today with the promotion Sunday and moving up to the kindergarten class.  But by the time I picked her up, she was ok.  We attend a very large church, and children under the age of 9 are not able to sit in the sanctuary during services.  Now there are family rooms and other areas where families can sit together.  And while this can be a con against a large church, there are definite pros, too.  On Wednesday night our guest pastor was Dr. David Jeremiah.  I listen to him on the radio from time to time, and he was just as good in person!  A great message on being salt and light.

Blessings to you and your families.

Last week was a productive week.  We ordered cabinets for the new kitchen and windows for the new family room.  It started raining Thursday, the day the concrete trucks arrived and foundations were poured for the family room addition and the addition of the bathroom and closet off what will be the new master bedroom (currently our den/office/school area.)  It rained all day Friday, but on Saturday the building crew came and really kicked out the work.  The two additions are now framed, and a good part of the interior has been sheetrocked, taped and textured. 

So today's plan is for me to do a lot of primering (is that a word?) in order to paint.  I'll primer the kitchen, dining and new school areas.  Speaking of the new school area, it looks like that's the first room that's going to be all put together.  I'm looking forward to getting everything organized again.  It's all been such a mess the past couple of months. 

Today's a "no-TV" day.  We were planning on doing this on Monday's, but since DH was home yesterday and it was a holiday, we decided to change our fast to today. 

OK, let's see if I can remember how to get photos into this post:

"Real construction workers!" dd squealed when she saw them.  I don't know what she thinks the guys who've shown up the past two months are!  I guess the difference is the vests and hard hats!

K wants to be a construction worker when he grows up, so he was pretty impressed when the cement truck pulled up.  (Thought this picture had rotated - sorry!)

A break from the construction following a day of rain.  Again, sorry I didn't get it to rotate!

The beginning of the day.

The middle of the day.  Seriously, I stepped out for about 45 minutes and upon return, found my whole exterior wall gone!

The end of the day.  You can't see it but plywood has been put back into place to cover the exterior opening while the work continues.

And the kiddos looking out through our window openings.

Today we expect the plumbing contractor to come.  Hopefully the productivity of last week will carry over into this one!

At least not this school year.  With the remodel and the messy state of our house right now, I'm simply not able to do the Weaver the way I'd like to - in depth, making it fun while learning.  I had hoped to finish the unit we are in now, but it will wait until I can focus on it better.  We're finishing up a unit on protection and peace and the last few days are to be spent looking at the scientific principles behind several tools of war such as a catapult, ships, airplanes and bombs.  I think this could be really interesting for K, so I want to be able to do it well rather than half-way.

Not sure when that will be.  The house will be torn up for a while, and I want to do a relaxed unit study this summer on the Olympics.  Hopefully the house will be a little better in a couple of weeks and we can start the Olympics study in June.  K's birthday is early June, as is promotion Sunday at church and our homeschool group promotion night.  I think we're going to have a table to showcase what the kids have accomplished this year so I need to get to work on that, as well as birthday plans.  Promotion Sunday will most likely be difficult for C. She doesn't handle change well, including new people.  It took her quite a while to settle into her current class.  I pray this adjustment will be easier for her.

We finished our first Hank the Cowdog book.  K (my reluctant writer) completed this report on the book:

Hank the cowdog is not smart. He thought it was a coon but it was a porkypine. He thought it was a bagger (badger) but it was a skunk. And he went into battle with a milk cow. Hank thinks Drover is a chicken dog.

We also had a "No TV" day in our home yesterday.  I had let the kids know last week that this was coming.  K is enjoying TV way too much, trying to plan his activities around what might be on television.  Anyway, yesterday went really well.  As we were reviewing the day last night, I suggested we implement more of these days - perhaps twice a month.  K suggested once a week - every Monday.  So that's what we are going to try.  I'm thrilled!  The TV can be such a negative influence and time-waster.  I know many of you shut if off completely, but this is a small victory for us and I'm going to enjoy it!

Blessings to you!

Robin

The kids and I have been reading Hank the Cowdog at bedtime.  Though not quality literature, we've had quite a few laughs.  With my ranch background, I can easily identify with Hank and his skewered thought processes.  Our reading last night had Hank a bit drunk after getting into the silage pit.  I had to explain to the kids a bit about alcohol and it's effects.  It occurred to me that if the kiddos were in public school, they would already have been exposed to various "Just So No to Drugs" programs and such.  I like that I'm the one to explain it to them rather than a different teacher, peers or older kids.

Our favorite line from the book so far?  It occurs after Hank has been advised of a murder on the ranch (of the chicken variety) and goes to investigate the scene.  "We reached the chickenhouse and, sure enough, there was the hen lying on the ground, and she was still dead."  Gotta love that last part!

Blessings!

Yesterday, dh asked K if he liked school.  K's response, "No, it takes too long."  We've done so little schooling lately, that I think he's gotten spoiled, thinking that every day should be so loosely structured with lots of free/play time!  But not today!  We' got it all in today.  Bible - Read and discussed Moses and Miriam's songs of praise after the Red Sea Crossing with both drawing a picture of how they imagined the celebration scene.  We're beginning the process of learning Eph 6:11-17 - the armor of God and used a portion of this for handwriting practice.  Then we read quite a bit about our eyes and how we see.  Both K & C read aloud from library books.  K had a spelling test and did a writing exercise where he had to complete a story when given the beginning and middle of it.  He doesn't really enjoy writing and I was pleasantly suprised at how well he did with this assignment.

Math with both - K's reviewing concepts previously learned in Saxon. C working in Math-U-See primer.  She's doing well with it, but not really loving it yet.  (Will she ever really love math? I have my doubts.)

Then since K's so sure school isn't fun these days, I made a point to include a couple of fun projects.  Thank you to pam at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hip2schoolathome/ for the link to an interesting blog  http://www.unplugyourkids.com/  At this site they are considering things to do in lieu of television and electronics.  This week's theme was newspaper, so the kids and I made newspaper puppets and copied Pam's idea of a letter collage from the newspaper, spelling out our family members' names.  No pictures, but it gave K and C something to do rather than the standard school fare.

I downloaded an Olypmic unit study from currclick.com with the plans to work through some of it this summer.  Should be a fun rabbit trail!

Blessings to you!

Robin

Nothing earth-shatteirng to share, but want to maintain that "once-a-weeker" title.  The remodel continues.  I'm in the process of choosing cabinets, though we are a long way from having the kitchen ready for them. I've gotten one bid and have another appointment tomorrow.  I've also had someone bid outfitting the schoolroom with shelves, drawers, etc.  I think her bid was too high (imagine that!)  but it gives me a starting place and an idea of what to do with the space.  Design is definitely not a strength of mine.

A reasonable good day at school.  As we continue our Weaver studies learning about protection, today's Bible readings focused on how obedience to His word gives us protection.  We also discussed the concept of "pure" using a white sheet of paper, then placing a tiny speck of black ink on the paper ruining it's purity.  K & C drew pictures of their heads, then added pictures of thoughts inside their heads - trying to get the concept of thinking on things that are lovely, true, pure, etc.

We also watched a video about the nervouse system, read a book about the brain and visited an online site where a portion of the brain had been mapped out - the portion controlling  motor skills.  The kids were able to click on an area of the brain and see which body part moved as a result of their probe.  Handwriting for both, reviewed memory verses and beginning to undertake the passage in Ephesians about the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17)  Both read aloud to me.  C is doing well, though we really haven't had much structure teaching in phonics.

Introduced this week's spelling words for K and also reviewed the concept of pronouns for grammar.  Math - we're still reviewing concepts from Saxon 2 and have been pretty hit and miss with K's math lately.  But overall a good learning day, and still had time for a trip to Home Depot. 

I bought Math-U-See for C at our HS convention a couple of weeks ago but haven't had the time or inspiration to pop in the DVD yet.  I think I'll do that tonight. 

Have any of you tried the Learnables program for a foreign language?  if so, please let me know what you thought of it.  We're looking into programs for next year and the Rosetta Stone rep said it's more appropriate for 3rd grade and up.  My eldest will be in 2nd grade, so we're seeing what other options are available.

Blessing to you as you teach you children!

Robin

We have about 17 days of school left in the required school year, and find ourselves with very little structure these days - mostly because of the remodel and it's associated errands.  Met with Planning and Zoning today (received the building permit!) and spent a couple of hours at the GMC dealer waiting on their courtesy shuttle to bring us home.

Fortunately, K is ahead of schedule in math, spelling and reading. So though we've lost structure, I'm not losing a lot of sleep over it.  I also know we'll do a bit of school through the summer to keep our skills sharp.

Today we did math (assessment and fact review of X3, X4 & X5), reading, map skills workbook pages and spelling review of words missed yesterday.  PE- riding bikes, life skills - laundry, art - drew a tiger based upon a library book about drawing cats, nature - gathered flowers.  (I intended to have them draw a picture of what they picked, but didn't get around to it.)  It's interesting how you cannot keep them from learning.  While we read aloud before bedtime, they are always asking what various words mean.  And while we do errands, they usually take books with them or do puzzles I've printed up from the internet.  I'm especially fond of the hidden pictures puzzles as C can do as well as K on these puzzles since they don't involve reading, grammar, deciphering, etc.  Check them out yourselves at:  www.highlightskids.com.  

One problem though is that with all the disruption, they seem to be arguing with each other more.  DH thinks it's because they aren't getting the focused attention they are used to.  I think it's the lack of structured schedule.  Both are things to consider and work on.

Sleep well fellow bloggers!

This is where I once had a kitchen.  Complete with cabinets, a sink and an oven.  Hopefully one day in the not too distant future I'll have a kitchen again.  Until then, lots of sandwiches and cold cereal! 

No Dorothy, there was no tornado in central NM.  It just looks like it!  This is my front yard.  Don't you know the neighbors are thrilled.  The front yard is now home to the old kitchen cabinets, sink and countertop, our old door and a stack of lumber and sheetrock.

And where we once had a covered patio.  The plan was to enclose the patio, making it our family room. But upon closer examination, the patio wasn't very sturdy, so the crew ripped it out and we'll start from scratch.  The white poles have since come down and our house now looks very naked.

DH left town for the week, so it's less of a struggle managing meal times.  I always feel like I need to feed him something more substantial while the kids and I can manage on a lot less.

Sorry to bore with the remodeling photos, but I really need the practice to insert photos on my blog and unfortunately, these are the only recent photos I have.  I knew the work crew was coming to start tearing out existing sheetrock, re-wire, put in support beams, etc. but somehow I didn't realize they were planning to take out the kitchen this weekend.  It caught me by surprise, so I wasn't prepared with places to store all the kitchen stuff so the disruption would be minimal.  Instead, with about 5 minutes notice, I unloaded cabinets and drawers, moving everything into what will someday be our new schoolroom.  Everything is in stacks and piles scattered around and I never know where anything is.  But I remind myself that this is only for a season.

Schooling is a bit of a challenge right now.  Every room in the house has been affected by the remodel with stuff moved around to accomodate the work areas. So our school room has been overrun with stacks too, making it difficult to plan and organize our days.  I think I will just plan to get the basics done with an increased amount of reading time.  I also have a couple of educational videos from ACT that I need to return this week, so we'll watch them Monday or Tues.  I recently ordered Math U See for C and received it a couple of days ago.  I had hoped to start it tomorrow, but I don't think that's going to happen!

Wishing you a good week in your homes and in your schools