I love my family so much! Read about my daily joys and sacrifices, as I try to be the best stay-at-home/homeschooling-mom I can be! My son B is 6 years old and currently in first grade. My husband works hard to let me stay home! I also juggle college on top of homeschooling. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:50:00 -0600 Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:50:00 -0600 B is taking soccer lessons once a week.  He just plain loves it.  (Photos to come soon - just got a new computer and don't have all my programs loaded just yet.)  He gets his physical education and socialization all in one.  hee hee I'm taking six credit hours at Purdue this semester:  Environmental Sociology and Sociological Aspects of Health & Medicine.  Both are looking like interesting courses, although we haven't done much so far (only week 2 of 16). I also have a job interview tomorrow afternoon with the local natural foods grocery.  I am really excited about that, because not only will I get a 10% discount all everything I buy there, I will get out of the house and possibly meet some new people.  We did a 2nd co-op at our apartment last week.  The theme was the Arctic and the kids got to see how it feels to have blubber (shortening) and polar bear fur (cotton balls) when in the cold.  They thought that was too cool.  This week the topic is Penguins/Antarctica.  I still haven't pieced it all together....  I am going to work on that today while the boys are watching football.  Next week another home school parent volunteered to do the planning!  (Whew!) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/272629/ Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:50:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/272629/ We had a co-op at our apartment yesterday.  The theme was SNOW, and I think we all had a great time.  I did not take any photos while the kiddos were here, but I snapped a few shots of the crystal snowflake B made.  The photos do not even BEGIN to show how beautiful this thing is!!! (In fact, I am thinking about making another crystal tonight...but in the shape of a Christmas tree.) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/254745/ Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:52:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/254745/ B spent a few hours at Lakeside Learning Garden for an art class.  (This was a few weeks ago...yep, I am JUST NOW getting around to posting photos...hee hee) The children learned about the primary colors, and made color wheels.  B's is supposed to be Tweety, his pet parakeet.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/254743/ Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:46:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/254743/ B has been studying the hippopotamus.  We watched Hippo Beach on PBS, a video called Kenya Safari, and read several books (fiction and non-fiction).    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/220378/ Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:19:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/220378/ Just a little fall project we did this evening.      This is Brem's, obviously.    This is the one I made.    And this is the one DH made. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/213076/ Mon, 2 Oct 2006 20:13:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/213076/   This is an illustration of the poem "The Caterpillar" by Christina G. Rossetti.  (The brown line in the bottom left corner is the caterpillar.  The blue circle is a pond with a rock, and a toad on top of the rock.)     This is a rubbing DS6 did at Science Central.  (It's a dinosaur.) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/205346/ Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:39:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/205346/ As a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, our family was given the opportunity to "Be A Tourist In Your Hometown!" today.  We picked up a "passport" at a local grocery store, and hit the road at noon.   There were ten different locations open to the public entirely free today.  DH, DS6, and my mother and I only chose to go to four of them.   We just had to start at Science Central.  This was DH's first time there.  I was a bit disappointed, as DS6 was too short for the bicycle experiment and for the timed slide.  (He was disappointed, too.)  There were several M. C. Escher prints on the walls of the lower level, and a few from Salvador Dalai (both of which I LOVE!).    Next stop was the Fort Wayne Firefighter's Museum.  Our family doesn't have a particular love for or connection to firefighters, but it was fascinating to see old models of fire trucks, an old-style ambulance, awards received in Fort Wayne, and even an old "trampoline" (AKA The Atlas Life Saving Machine) for jumping out of buildings that are on fire.  (hee hee)   We spent some time wandering The Lincoln Museum, and then climbed to the top of The Lincoln Tower (okay, we took the elevator to the 19th floor, but climbed the rest of the way).  We had a great view of our city!   I can't resist a free field trip!  hee hee http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/199822/ Sun, 10 Sep 2006 19:31:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/199822/ Yes, we took today off from school.  hee hee   Yes, I'm doing okay.  I'm back in college full time, so that is definitely keeping me extra busy.  I'm taking Intercultural Communication, Principles of Persuasion, Intermediate Expository Writing, and Reporting, Writing, and Editing.  These all require a lot of writing, which is extremely time-consuming.    DH is supposed to be doing a lot of the home schooling for awhile, but he is pretty darn clueless, so I have to do the prepping and planning (which is MOST of the work, sheesh!).  So far Explode the Code and Think-it-Through Tiles is just not enough school work, so I am hoping to find the time tomorrow to page through some more material and make some lesson plans for the boys.   <sigh>  So much for helping.  lol http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/196301/ Mon, 4 Sep 2006 22:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/196301/ I had quite an eventful summer, complete with a two-week vacation in the hospital.  (I laid around and had my meals brought to me, but it wasn't very "relaxing"...)   This year, DH said he wants to help with the home schooling, which is WONDERFUL since I am still mentally recovering from my hopsital stay, and the events surrounding it.   Today B did a few pages of Explode the Code Book 3 and a few pages from his second math book that goes with the Think-It-Through Tiles.    It was an easy day, but it will get worse!  ha ha  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/191997/ Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/191997/ I forgot to mention we went to the Botanical Conservatory for their Bugs and Butterflies exhibit.  DH even went with us.  It was just too cool!    I am looking at insects in a different light .. hee hee .. they don't seem so "creepy crawly" anymore.  ha ha ha ha   I'll post some pics of our field trip soon. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/165171/ Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:34:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CallmeAravis/165171/