Feb. 17, 2008 - Great family fun in the winter
I have to admit most of the time I am one of those people who complain about winter. It's cold, it's wet and it is so much work to get the kids ready to go out. Then there are days like this when I catch myself wishing it would snow a little more often so we could go "horse sledding" more. This may look a little goofy to some of you (it is) and a little bit lazy to others (it is , I know, "when I was a kid I had to drag my sled all the way up a hill to go sledding" I did too ;) ) but this is great. First of all, it is wonderful quality time with Grandpa. We adore Grandpa, he is one of the most Godly men I have ever known and he is smart enough to think my kids are just the best
! It is also so much fun, though I have wondered what people think as they drive by. Did I mention it is not just the kids on the sled Trav and I join in too
. It is funny, Grandpa started this years ago when Jessy was about 6, this year we let Gabriel do it and he is five and if you notice Bri is on there too and she is only 22 months. Gee, makes you wonder, if we have another, shall we just have him pull her home from the hospital 
I am glad to live in an area where the seasons change, though it is really cold and windy tonight and I am so looking forward to spring!!
Enjoy your family!
~Tammy
Gabriel, Grandpa, and Jane
Grandpa, Gabriel, and Brilynn too!
The kids can't have all the fun!!
~Tammy
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Feb. 16, 2008 - How the time flies
This is our "porridge" and some of our favorite versions of Goldilocks.
I can't believe that two weeks have flown by without blogging. I really do love this, as much as I love reading other's blogs. I think I have hit a mid-February slump. I have had to push myself to do school, even the fun stuff. Last week we read The Three Snow Bears by Jan Bret and compared it to many other versions of Goldilocks. Gabriel really enjoyed that (as did I). We also made "porridge" (a.k.a. oatmead;)). That went over better then expected. Next week we are working on teeth. Our local library is doing a story time Monday on teeth. I just love it when things like that happens. Gabriel really loves going to the library so maybe his enthusiam will help me get my act together. Homeschooling is such a blessing in so many ways, even when I can't get everything checked off during the day that is in my planner, as long as I am faithful to God first, He will work out the details.
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Feb. 4, 2008 - Ahoy Mateys
Now I can add pictures . Now I can share what we have done the past two weeks. We officially ended our pirate unit today with a pirate party at a friends house-what fun. We both have learned so much about pirates and privateering not to mention parrots. We even took a trip to our local pet store to see some real parrots. That was fun, except they had a pet cat that roams through the store, little Brilynn loved that so it was a little difficult to keep track of her while trying to learn about parrots, ah the joy of multiple children 
. I mean that, I love my kids even when they are running in three different directions. Live is good and God is great!
~Tammy
Pirate Gabriel
This is our "treasure cake" we made. It had a golden surprise inside
This was Gabriel's favorite parrot on our visit to the pet store.
~Tammy
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Feb. 4, 2008 - after christmas tree
I am sooo excited, not to mention extremely grateful, I can add pictures again! My new dear friend Emily helped me work my way through photobucket. Thank you so very much Emily!!
This is a picture of Gabriel and our "after Christmas tree". This tree has been through a lot with the recent high winds we have had. We have had to set it back up once and refill it twice. The birds are really enjoying it. So our we.
Have a great day
~Tammy
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Feb. 1, 2008 - Life without pictures
Well, for now I am going to blog and get over this childish desire to have pictures to go with it. I have had my dear daughter try to help and a couple of dear friends offer assistance also. Maybe soon but until then... We are still having great fun on our homeschool journey so let me share. We have been working on pirates for the past two weeks and we are having a LOT more fun than I thought (because it is all about the fun right!?) We have learned about pirating and privateering (new to me-pirates that were allowed to plunder ships for bringing back the "enemy" who knew??), we have learned that there are more famous pirates than just Long John Silver (haha ok I did know a little more than that) I found out that Gabriel can make a compas rose and get the cardinal directions right without any help from me-yeah (quite amazing since I am the most directionlly challenged person I know) We have also made and bought enough pieces to make "Gabriel the pirate" (see I really do need pictures!!) And for a great ending to a fun unit Gabriel has been invited to a friends house on jMonday for a pirate party-oh yeah!
For all of you that know my wonderful eldest daughter Jessy, she is leaving Sunday morning to spend eight days in Honduras. We would so appreciate your prayers for her and her team. For their saftey and that God will open more doors for their ministry. The team will be returning to the "dump" (she was there in August) to minister to the children who live there (yes, an actual land fill dump-these children live there eating others trach and scavaging what they can to sell). It is so hard to imagine how these precious children are forced to live. Please pray for the dump children and for the AFE school that "educates" and feeds lunch to some of the children that live in the dump. You can also pray for me. I have absolutely no doubts that Jess is following God's will for her life, yet she is only 17 and she is my baby. Honduras is a long way from home and it is a very dangerous place. Ok I have to stop there. 
Thank you friends for reading my blog and praying for my family
~Tammy
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Jan. 23, 2008 - Can't Add Pictures-Ugh
I am sure that you can figure out from my title that I LOVE pictures-taking them, looking at them, scrapbooking them, adding them to my blog... It appears that I am out of room here and need to go through another source to get them here??!?. Without someones help on the computer I am helpless (or is that hopeless)
I have been wanting to blog but couldn't stand to knowing that I can't add pictures. Oh my, anyhow, trying to move on.... We had a great week last week finishing up info on snow and lapbooking one of our favorite books, Katy and the Big Snow. This week we are having alot of fun learning about pirates. And I do mean we are learning. I knew very little about pirates before now. Isn't homeschooling great?! I was trying to find a creative "pirate food" to have for tea time but all I seem to find is hardtack and rum!! Hmmmm, probably not! We are also learnig Psalm 23. I found a great picture book at the library and a dear friend helped me make (you know computer issues again!) flash cards. I had hoped to have Gabriel have it completely memorized by the end of the month but after our slow start getting back to school well, we will see.
Have a blessed day with your family,
~Tammy
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Jan. 18, 2008 - After Christmas Tree
Due to losing Grandpa last week and my reluctance to get back in the school mode to begin with we have been doing a hodge podge of books with a basic snow theme. We have read Snowflake Bentley, the After Christmas Tree, and Katy and the Big Snow. The After Christmas Tree I "found by fluke" as I was walking out of our library one day. It fit perfectly for us since my dear son did not want to get rid of our tree and his dear mother was ready to throw it out after the first week of January
. In case you haven't read the book it is about a family that have an after Christmas party, go ice skating, collect pine cones and then decorate their tree for the birds and other outdoor animals. Well, this was just great for Gariel and Brilynn. We had so much fun making suet and seed pinecones, we filled grapefruit halves with peanut butter and stale cereal, strung popcorn and cranberries, and used the leftover boilded suet to fill styrofoam cups added birdseed and cereal, when they hardened we peeled off the styrafoam and hung them too! I am sure this will become a tradition around here! The birds are loving it and Gabriel and Brilynn can watch themfrom his bedroom window. I just love when God gives our homeschool an extra blessing such as this!
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Jan. 18, 2008 - blogging in my head
I have been blogging in my head for a week now, I guess it is time to sit down and put it in type. Last Tuesday, my Grandpa suddenly and quite unexpectedly died. I think this was one of the most shocking events of my life. This seems so silly, he was 87 years old yet it was. Just a couple weeks prior Grandma had been taken to the hospital with chest pains and we have been watching her and praying for her. Grandpa seemed like his always stong, healthy self, then suddenly he is gone. What a terrible week it has been for the family. With God (and only because of him) we will make it through. It just doesn't seem right. I am using this time to teach (and reteach myself) the importance of not letting busyiness, and dare I say selfishness, keep us from showing our love to our loved ones. My Grandpa was a wonderful man. He loved his family without words. I never wondered if he loved me or my kids, of course he did although he didn't say it. He also loved his country in a way few people truely do. He served four years in World War I. So many people were blessed because he lived. I am sooo very grateful that he was my grandpa.
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Jan. 8, 2008 - snowflake snack
Gabriel loved our snowflake snacks. Just hot cocoa with "snowflakes" (marshmellows) and snowflake mints (peppermints with snowflakes made from icing). He is so easy to please!
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Jan. 8, 2008 - Snowflake Bentley tea time
Gabriel with his Snowflake Bentley tea time. We had fun reading the book and will probably re read it when he gets older.
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Jan. 8, 2008 - hmmm...time to start school again??
Well, it is January 8th and my sweet son is begging to start school again! Oh my, I, in my official planner, of corse, had decided to ease back into school starting next week. (As an "ex" public school teacher I take my breaks a little too seriously:)) So, now here I sit fighting the urge to tell him no school again this week and trying to decide what to do (he actually started asking about school on Christmas eve!). I guess I should count my blessings and bring out the books. God is so good, he knows just what we need. God bless all of you in your schooling or your resting wherever you happen to be.
Happy 2008
~Tammy
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Jan. 3, 2008 - Meet my sweeties
These are my wonderful blessings. Jessy is our oldest daughter. She is 17 and will be graduating this year (oh my!!) She has a beautiful heart for God and will be attending college to study missions. (you can pray for me concerning this. It is so hard to watch your "baby" go even when you know she is following God). She is blessing to so many people I am so amazed that God entrusted her to us. Gabriel is our son, he is in kindergarten this year. He fills our day with laughter, surprises and boy noise. He loves to learn and makes homeschooling so much fun, every day is an adventure around here! God knew that our house needed some shaking up and Gabriel certainly accomplishes that!! Brilynn is our baby. She is soooo sweet. She is an extra blessing I was not sure we were going to get yet God is so faithful in giving us the desires of our hearts. He is also using her to teach me patience ( a trait I really need to improve) She adores her big brother and does everything he does no matter how high or how fast She keeps life very interesting especially during homeschol time. Well, more on our fun lives later. Have a blessed new year!!
~Tammy
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Jan. 3, 2008 - Trying this blog thing
Welcome, this is a first (actually, a third but whose counting those failures out there in cyber space?!). I am hoping to join with many other great homeschoolers to share our day and meet new friends while having a place for distant, and not so distant, friends and relatives to see what it is we do all day . I am going to end here for now just to see if I, without the help of my wonderful tech savvy daughter, can finally get an entry onto my page. God bless you all and have a great day!
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