Well, this has been a very interesting two weeks.  Around two years ago, a friend of mine hosted a Japanese student from a program called "LABO".  It made such a profound affect on her life that she AND her unschooled daughter (18 at the time) went to Japan themselves last year in the same program.  Now, my friend is a local coordinator for the program and asked if our family would like to host a child.  The way the program works is you have to have a child of your own around the same age and the same sex as the exchange student. So, my oldest son would be the host brother. He is 13 years old. Our exchange would also be a 13 year old male from Japan? Am I still making any sense??

Ok, so...after alot of thought and some pursuasion due to my hubby, our family agreed. Ryan was thrilled to host a Japanese "brother", in fact, so were my other two children.  Well, we picked up our boy two weeks ago!  His name is Tomohiro...we call him Tomo for short.  He is a very polite and very reserved young man.  At first, I thought I made a terrible mistake!  I didn't realize how much we do in the privacy of your own home that we couldn't with a "stranger" staying with us for 4 weeks....little things like run from the bathroom to my bedroom after a shower with a towel on or wearing tanks bra-less at bedtime in the hot summer - you know - silly stuff like that.  And, of course, our young boy was so tired from being jet-lagged. And, coming to a strange home in a strange country and trying to adapt to sharing a room for the next month with two american boys....I wasn't too sure about the whole thing!

But, I tell you - it has been such a wonderful cultural learning experience!  He has come around full circle and has adapted very nicely to our crazy-little-family of homeschooled kids and animals and critters!  He is so amazed at how things are in America, things we take for granted - that is has made all of us (even my 7 year old) really look at how we live and how much we have and how fortunate we are.  Tomo comes from a very nice family himself, but - it is amazing how families around the world look "different" and then again, look "the same"......

I realized I don't cook nearly as much as I thought I did (lol).....also, that I live a very basic hum-drum type of life. I don't yell much when he is around, and our whole family seems happier and busier too!

Well, we are going camping for a few days and I wonder how Tomo will like camping in the woods with a bunch of hog-wild kiddos and their families! LOL!  time will tell!

Shuishi, Ryan and Tomo (from left to right) 

Me and Olivia are beginning our first "Lapbook".  We are having so much fun.  She chose "Chimpanzee's" as her topic, and we BOTH have learned so much already!!
Want to know more about lapbooking....well, I am no expert...but, here is a blurb from a popular website about the artform...

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check out www.4himkids.com/lapbooking.html also, you can join a VERY active and popular lapbooking yahoo group: lapbooking@yahoo.com

This has been some of the most fun Olivia and I have had....just sitting next to each other, cutting, pasting, reading, talking, laughing....it has been a great experience!  I will post a picture as soon as we finish!!

Our family was introduced to letterboxing about 3 years ago during a homeschooling support class.......we did our first letterbox find with a huge homeschooling group, and we were "hooked"!  We started letterboxing with friends and family, and we have already filled an entire book each and started a new one with our letterbox stamps!!  Now, you may ask, "what is letterboxing?"  Good question!!  IT is sort of a hiking-treasure hunt-using navigation skills and good sherlock holmes clue seeking all in one!!  I really suggest you visit www.letterboxing.org and find out for yourself!!  You will be surprised at how much fun it is and EDUCATIONAL TOO!!!!  Here is a blurb from the website for you to read:

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England.

Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.

TRY IT!  You'll get "hooked" too!

I have tons!  But, here are just a few to begin with!

www.homeschoolfreestuff.com

www.howstuffworks.com/index.htm

www.kidsgardening.com

www.neopets.com

www.vmk.com

www.4himkids.com/lapbooking.html

www.hwtears.com

www.awesomelibrary.org

This is an adorable, highest quality, luxury skin care product and more business located in Ct and run by a HOMESCHOOLING Mom and daughter!  You will NOT find anything like this in a store or on the web! 

www.woodspritesoapery.com/

(ok, ok, The owner is my Second mom, her daughter is my bestest friend since childhood AND, my daughter, Olivia is the model on the website....so, do you think I am bias yet??????

Try it out!!!! You will like it!!

Claude-Pierre (aka, Pierre)  is our tiny

toy poodle.  He joined our family shortly

after the death of my mom....he was a great

therapy for all of us (but, especially ME!)

HE IS TOO TOO CUTE!