Jul. 2, 2009 - Thoughts on the upcoming year

I was able to put together a workable schedule for next school year without overwhelming myself!  I guess I am going to call my philosophy right now as 3R's and unschooling the rest - well letting the kids pick.

So, the thought is that Caleb will be able to work on his 3R's with minumal help from me while I read to Jessica from her Animal World program she picked out.  Then Jessica will work on math and LA while I read to Caleb from Sea and Sky.  Then I can address any residual questions and we should be done before noon.  In the afternoons we can work on art, projects, run errands, or do clubs. 

My goals - Caleb: to be able to do his math quicker and to be able to write a paragraph on his own, Jessica: to read fluently, Heather: To recognize numbers and colors, maybe some letters and to be potty trained.

And here is Laurens newest feat:

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Jul. 1, 2009 - Quilt

Lots going on this week - but I took some time to put together tha baby memeory quilt.  Worked on it mainly because the tub of stuff was sitting in the way- but I wanted to work on it regardless. :)

This is  a picture of it 'in progress' - I now have everything except the binding done.  I will take a new picture when it is complete. 

The kids had a swim meet this week and they did so well!  PR's in just about every stroke - or close!  3 weeks left of summer swim team!!  We are all ready for a break from swimming. 

This next week is going to be crazy - 2 swim meets, a wedding, CDM classes on top of daily life.  I just need to surviv this upcoming week. 

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Jun. 27, 2009 - Summer Days

We are trying to finish painting the deck, if the weather co-operates.  Here Caleb is helping paint the spindles:

Here are just some cute pictures:

And then the last swim meet - the only outdoor swim meet, and it was cut short bya stray thunderstorm.  But I did get some good pictures (you can't take pictures inside wit ha flash because the starts use flashes and could disturb some of the kids).

Caleb is with the blue goggles.

And then the girls are really doing some nice artwork this summer:

Yes - that is Heather's work... she is 2!

Jessica's peices.  I don't know what the Fairy keeps coming sideways everytime I uploaded it.

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Jun. 21, 2009 - Weekend

It was a good weekend.  It was Adam's birthday, and he took the day off work to go golfing, but got rained out at the 17th hole... lots of storms popping up.  I made him a cake - Happy 30th!!

Then Saturday, we got a lot of housework done.  I even had a chance to start another quilt for a birthday present.  And today was good as well.  Our church is officially under construction, so we had Mass in the school cafeteria/gym.  It will be an interesting time till the new church is done! 

I am also very thankful for the many blessings we have!  Great friends, not lacking any necessities, an awesome family!!  Really no complaints! 

Anyways, here is another pucture - it looks like we could have just had our first baby -if it weren;t for the pictures on the wall!!

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Jun. 17, 2009 - Summer Swim

I have to say - I am so proud of my kids!  Summer is flying by, I can't beleive we have just about finished 3 weeks of summer swim team.  2 meets done already.  Last night was a great meet, the kids both did their best and saw their times improve - they each placed in all of their 5 events!!

Caleb: Medley Relay breastroke split - 29.3s, Breastroke - 29.69s, Butterfly - 31.55s, Backstroke - 30.2s (second place!) and freestyle Relay - 27.5 split.

Jessica: Medley Relay Breaststroke split - 42.3s, Freestyle - 35.2s, Breaststroke - 46.8s, Backstroke 37.3s, and Freestyle Relay 34.7 split.

Caleb was so funny - he is very competative, and in the freestyle relay, the first leg was a beginning swimmer - so they were almost a half a length behind and Caleb had a hard time watching.  He was the second leg and got off to last place and he was so motivated, he swam well and caught up to  1 or 2 of the other swimmers and then another leg caught up more and they placed 2nd overall. 

Jessica shattered ber backstroke time!  The other times were not her best - she seems to have gotten a bit lazy on some of her strokes, but that can be worked on - once it 'clicks' just right she will be a powerful swimmer and she has another whole year in the 6 and under catagory.  Watch out next year!!

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Jun. 16, 2009 - Kansas

This past weekend, we made a trip to Kansas for a Baptism of our new Goddaughter.  It was ana awesome trip.  Great to see friends again, Baptisms are always a cause of celebration and the kids loved seeing their friends again!

Before we left, the girls were being cute:

On the trip there, we stopped by to visit their great-grandma in Barry.  She was excited to see them, and it was her first time meeting Lauren:

Then we made it past Kansas City and reunited with friends:

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Jun. 8, 2009 - Bridal Shower

This past weekend, I had the joy of planning the bridal shower for my friend Anjali, whome I have known since we were 5 years old!  She is getting married soon (FINALLY) and ased me to be her maid of honor. 

For something different, I decided to throw a Holiday Celebration party, to gift them with holiday entertainment necessities.  It turned out to be a huge success (or so they tell me!).  Food, drinks, friends and laughter.  Here are the pictures:

The gorgeous bride-to-be:

Mother of the bride:

Mother of the groom:

The food (delicious!):

The centerpeices (prize gifts) of Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving:

Think it went rather well!!  Looking forward to the wedding!

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Jun. 5, 2009 - First Foods

Well, belive it or not, Lauren is just about 6 months old!  SHe is trying to reach and grab everything off our plates, so we tried a bit:

She liked it Ok - got a few spoonfuls and gave up.  I'm Ok with that!  She's just growing up too fast!

The kids were excited that the baby birds under the deck finally hatched.  The mom always makes a nest on a loose board that was left behind, so now we can easily lide the nest out:

We have fun each year watching the birds grow up!

We also had our first "meet" this week.  It was just an inter-squad meet, to help train the kids and parents on how meets run (with a bullpen, lineups, timers, and all).

Caleb's times: Freestyle - 25.2s (4th place), Breaststroke - 29.19 (4th place), Butterfly - 31.31 (5th place) and backstroke - 33.71 (5th place).  These were al Personal Record times (except breastroke, which was close).  So we are really proud of his efforts!

Jessica's times: Freestyle - 36.48 (2nd place), Breastroke - 44.86 (2nd), Butterfly - 44.88 (First), and backstroke - 40.76 (4th place).  Excpet for backstroke, these were all a few seconds sloer than her PR.  So I look forward to seeing these times drop!  But it looks like she is in the running to place at many of these meets!

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May. 31, 2009 - Cute Pictures

It is hard to imagine that Lauren is already just about 6 months old!  But she is a chunker.... already wearing 12 month clothes.  We decided she was actually being a belssing to be fitting in the same clothes her sisters wore in the same season, so that we did not have to buy her any new clothes!

Can't pass up sharing these:

And one of dad:

and me:

And I just had a big eye opening moment earlier this week - I have all the curriculum for next year already set, so I was looking ahed to the next year (2010-2011) and realized that I will have to buy stuff for Heather!   Eek!!  This upcoming year is my last year of just homeschooling 2 kids!!  Yikes! 

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May. 26, 2009 - Start of Summer

Well we are about to swing into summer.  I decided we will focus on Art, Science and do a unit study on Dr. Suess.

First off, the kids had another inter-squad swim meet.  Jessica beat her PR in backstroke!  Caleb swam a 28.8 second breaststroke - which beats the time of 30s to time out of the B invite!!  He is also close in freestyle.  His goal is to time out of B invite this summer, he still has some work to do, but I think it can be done!

Here are the kids latest artwork - the lesson was texture:

For Caleb's birthday party with friends, I once again made him a cake.  He requested a forest - this was the best I could do:

A cute one of the girls:

And Lauren fell asleep with the blanket in her mouth:

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May. 15, 2009 - Swimming Brag

DIsclaimer: my kids are by no means excelling in the sport, nor do I have and hopes of future olympic medalitst, but for them, I am very proud of their accomplishments!

Caleb: Finally got over his 'fear' of divining and is diving beautifully off the starting block.

Jessica: Moved up a lane and is now swimming the same workout as Caleb - which this week included swimming 1,000 yards in an hour!!

Heather: can swim 10 feet - front crawl.

Lauren: (Ok, not a swimming thing) can sit up on her own!!

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May. 13, 2009 - Good Morning!

Good Morning World!!

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May. 11, 2009 - Eighth Birthday

Wow!  Hard to believe, Caleb has turned 8 years old this past weekend!  It was a great day and Mother's day as well.

On Saturday, Caleb received a bit of an early present - junior golf clubs - to go to the driving range with dad.  We went to Mass Saturday evening, so that Sunday morning Caleb could enjoy his gifts.  I was woken up with gifts from the kids.  Drawings they had made in art class and a book that Caleb picked out for me. 

Then we gave Caleb his birthday present from us: 

Yep, a Nintendo DS, accesories and a pokemon game.

Then we had lunch as usual with family and he recieved bubbles, and chalk from his cousins, then back to grandma's house for Mother's Day/Birthday cake.  I actually made my first 'real' cake  - made icing taht was milk free and decorated it, and I have such great appreciation for those who are talented (becuase I am not), but I thought it turned out ok:

And then the kids brougt me their present that they worked on with grandma - (need to get a picture) they painted flower pots and picked out flowers - and it's just the sweetest thing!

 Then Caleb recieved the rest of his presents - some clothes, a remote control car, a few books, money and Jessica and Heather picked out a snorkel and a toy rocket set for him.  He was so excited and has really enjoyed all his gifts this year!  I just can't believe he's already 8!!  The time has flown by!!

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Apr. 26, 2009 - First Communion

Today was Caleb's big day - His First Communion!!

Words can't really even begin to describe... But here are some pictures.

First, Grandma and Grandpa (and Grandma's parents from Poland) came down and took us out to lunch.  Caleb chose Ruby Tuesday's.  Then we had to get him dressed and dropped off at Church.  The Mass was 2 hours long!!  And considering there were about 80 second graders seated there, they behaved remarkably well!  Then we went to dinner with godparents (just McD's) and then came home for cake and punch.

Here are the pictures:

Caleb woke up this morning and told me today was like crossing the Rubicon - that there was no turning back (like Julias Ceasar).  He really loves his history...

And these are pictures from the last few weeks - the kids finished their LA workbooks:

(for some reason the shutter did not open all the way)

And Caleb sewed his own pajama pants:

Caleb reading to Heather:

And a cute one of Lauren:

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Apr. 23, 2009 - End of the Year Wrap Up

Well, it is here - the end of the school year.  Just in time for the nice weather.  And it seems like all the kids have ailments that need to be checked out.

We finished reading By The Great Horn Spoon - this was a great book!! - Wild West, and Excape North.  I think the slavery issue wasn't addressed in full, but I think it will be touched on a lot more when we study the civil war.  The LA books touches a bit more on the issue, as we are reading the Crossing Freedom right now which is about the Underground Railroad.  I think by far, my favorite book was Twelve Travelers, Twenty Horses, because it set slavery, the Gold Rush and the Pony Express all in the same timeframe - not individual seperate events like I learned them.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable year.  Claeb still has some math lessons to finish.  Jessica worked ahead and is done with Math and LA.  She has taken off reading, though is now complaining that things seem 'blurry'.  She tried on grandma's reading glasses and said it was better, so we are taking her in to the eye doctor again (we went in the fall and said she was a bit farsighted but that it was normal and unless she is having a hard time, to not do anything about it).  So we shall see. 

We are also taking Heather in for her feet - they have been cracking and peeling and it seems to only be getting worse no matter what we try to do.

Heather said goodbye to her diapers, though sucess still seems like far away.... but she is very aware of when she goes, so hopefully it won't take too long!  She stays dry overnight - that's a good sign! 

Caleb has his first Communion this weekend (and God Bless my friend who offered to make the cake for us!! - We are very excited to have a nice looking cake that is Caleb-safe!!).  He is very excited and somewhat nervous.  I will post pictures afterwards. 

Over this summer, I think we will just continue reading books, we still have to finish The Secret Garden, and maybe reading some science that we don't seem to get to - we are reading through Exploring Creation with Astronomy. 

Our summer schedule seems crazy, so I am not sure when we will start with school again... we might try to do a week or two slowly over the summer when it gets too hot to play out.  But we will also have summer swim team, friends to play with, and both kids will be in camp (different days), plus we have a baptism, wedding shower, Wedding, and family birthdays to attend.  It seems like our next free weekend is actually in September!!  Yikes!!

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Apr. 9, 2009 - Exercise

I did something I never thought I would ever ever do - I put my baby in the child care room!  I have started dropping Lauren and Heather off while Caleb and Jess start swim team practice and exercising myself.  One day, I went around the track power walking with a friend (Ok, not really exercise for me, but we did get a little bit of sweat going) and then I took Heather swimming in the big pool and even swam a few lengths 'correctly'.  Makes me appreciate what the kids are doing daily in swim team, becuase it is a workout!  Then today I did a program on the elliptical... yikes!  That really burns those quads and glutes!  And then I swam some more laps (freestyle and breaststroke) and let Heather jump off the diving board many times.  Lauren was a bit overtired and wasn't staying happy so we got out and a bit before the team practice ended and started getting ready. 

A friend challanged me to a weight loss contest - I have a that baby weight to loose still, and she has much more to loose.  So to help her get motivated, we are seeing who can loose 7.5% (I don't have 10% to loose) first.  I'm at 133, so I have to get down to 123 (last time we had a contest, my goal was 125 - so this is 2 lbs below - eek!!).  Mostly, I really want my friend to loose the weight, so I would be OK with not winning, and for me to get my tonage/energy back.  Right now, I am just so very sore - I really need to work on cardio! 

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Mar. 30, 2009 - March Pictures

Here are more pictures:

First, just a few days ago, Lauren did this (yep sitting... for about a half minute or so):

Then we made pysanki over the weekend, and a friend made this egg:

Jessica has taken to drawing - this is a new skill - filling up the page:

Friends came to visit today (the baby is 6 months!!)

And Jessica learned a new skill on our neighbors bike:

 Jess has also taken off reading and has broken away from her phonics reader to read some of the early reading books, like The Sun and Wind (Usborne) and even tackling The Tooth Fairy in Stories of Fairies(Usborne first readers).

 We finished reading Twelve Travelers, Twenty Horses for American History.  It was supposed to be a LA reader, but it was a bit above Caleb's reading level so we read it as a read aloud.  We also started The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed and we are still reading The Secert Garden.  It's hard to believe that this 'school year' is almost over and the kids are yet another year older! 

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Mar. 25, 2009 - Crafts

We have been feeling rather 'crafty' as of late.... Jessica has been begging to do this wooden princess craft for a while, and we finally found cheap wooden spoons to use and a scrap of fabric. And this is how they turned out: (Yes we were on our way to swimming right after)

Then last weekend, we had a few people over for pysanki, we weren't feeling all taht well, so only a few people came, and more will come over next weekend to make more:

And lastly, from a reccomendation to use www.homeschoolart.com  (Atelier) for our art curriculum (since I know nothing about art!!) I borrowed Level 1A from a friend and the kids watched two of the lessons already, and here are their creations -

Jessica's:

And Caleb's:

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Mar. 22, 2009 - Planning for next year

In thinking about next year, I am analyzing this year, and I think I learned a few things this year.

1) I like having a guide for one subject (the main subject) that is laid out day by day.  An LA guide is ok to add on, but more than that and I feel stressed to get it all done. 

2) The kids do best when the schedule is mixed up every few weeks. 

3) We do better after having some 'fun' and cleaning breaks.

4) When the TV is turned off for several days, they will turn to coloring books, mazes, and other activity books.  And attitudes are better.

Things I want to improve on:

1) More creative art stuff

2) More time for games

3) More character building

4) More independence in what they would like to do and being available to the kids

So here are my ideas for next year -

Caleb (3rd grade) - Math: Horizons 3, LA: WP LA3, History: WP Sea & Sky, Science: WP Sea & Sky, Religion: Faith and Life 3 and thinking of adding ART: Atelier.  Plus he will have swimming, 4H, Choir, CCD, Blue Knights, Chess and a team co-op.

Jessica (1st grade) - Math: Horizons 1,2, LA: WP LA1, Social Studies: Galloping the Globe, Science: WP Animal Worlds, Religion: Faith and Life 1 and possibley the art curriculum.  She will also have swimming, Upwards basketball, Clover Buds, Chess, CCD, and a team Co-op.

Heather (K3) - Kumon workbooks, picture books, Catholic Mosiac and just following what she would like.  She will also have swimming lessons and 3 preschool co-ops.

And we will try to throw in some sewing, cooking, and other fun life skills into the mix.  Hopefully they will have enough activities to help motivate them during the day.  Wow, that looks like a lot written down!! 

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Mar. 18, 2009 - March Swim Meet

The kids had an inter-squad swim meet last night.  Jessica was the only person in her catagory, but they put several other people to swim with her as well.  There were no prizes, just getting best times.

Caleb's times (a few seconds slower than his PR's last summer):

Freestyle: 31.3s, Breaststroke: 35.9s, Butterfly: 47.7s, Backstroke: 35.6s

Jessica's times:

Freestyle: 30.6s, Breaststroke: 41.9s, Butterfly: 39.6s, Backstroke:48.5s

She shattered her PR's by 10-20 seconds! And yes, those times are correct, she beat Caleb in freestyle and butterfly!  We knew the day would come, since she has really been practicing doing her strokes correctly!!

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