My journal of life as it pertains to our family and homeschool. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:45:00 -0600 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:45:00 -0600 Another long gap between blog posts.  I really should get better at this--would like to make it a priority again, but haven't gotten around to it. In bullet points: *Getting back into a school routine.  Only 8 weeks left of Core 3 Sonlight. *Last week, my husband had meetings in Grand Rapids.  Since he was driving, we got to pack up the school books and go along.  The weather was nice. *Highlight of the trip--my sister and her husband came up for the day.  We went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.  It was awesome!  A place to go if you're ever in the area. *Back home, no snow on the ground yet.  It is an absolutely gorgeous day today, and the frost patterns on the top of the van this morning were beautiful! *I'm getting a new camera--an early birthday present.  When one's birthday is in January, it makes sense to shop the pre-Christmas sales.  I got the camera and memory card both on sale at a price almost as good as Amazon in the States, and I don't have to pay shipping. (It was also less expensive than the same camera in a store in G.R.)  I'm very excited about it, as the current camera is getting worse and worse.  It should arrive tomorrow.  (Perhaps I should plan time in the schedule to figure out how to use it....hmm...) *Time to call the kids in from the sunny outdoors to get back to the books. Here are a couple of the latest photos from the old camera.  These didn't turn out too badly.  I really like the one with the red and gold leaves together. This one is a farm just on the edge of town--an early morning shot. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/746855/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:45:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/746855/ I've been so busy lately that blogging has gone low on the priority list.  But I did promise photos of the Scotland trip.  And I suppose that an update on life might be nice too--at least it might provide me with the sense that I've been doing something lately. I do have to apologize for the camera though.  It was acting up a lot, and I don't think the colours in some of the photos are perfectly true.  Still, I have picked the best of the lot to show you. Cawdor Castle.  We've been there before, years ago.  I think perhaps it may have been my first trip to Scotland, or maybe the second, when Belle was a toddler.  If you know your Shakespeare, this is supposedly the scene of MacBeth.  It is an inhabited castle--so one isn't able to see the entire building, however the rooms we were allowed to see were very interesting.  One thing that helped a lot was the quiz the children were given to fill out.  It drew one's attention to details that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. This is the countryside around Inverness.  I really really love this area.  My husband's Aunt lives up in this area, and we had a lovely visit with her. The Fisher Woman statue in the town of Nairn, and the beach beyond.  It was a grey day but the sea was beautiful anyway.  The pinkish hue to the photo of the statue is due to the camera rather than the lighting. Chatelherault, a former hunting lodge of the Duke of Hamilton, and now a country park with play area.  I believe the building, and grounds are often used for weddings. The last three photos are of Bothwell Castle, again a place that we have been to on nearly every trip.  It is located about five minutes from my sister-in-law's house.  It is a very old castle.  We were actually there twice this trip.  The last picture is from the first visit, a late afternoon walk with Granny's dog.  I have a lot of good photos of the ruins from previous visits.  The castle is very photogenic with the red sandstone walls.  This time the weather didn't permit great photos, but I like this silhouette, even though the lines are caused by...you guessed it...the camera. It was a bit rainy the second day we visited, when we actually went inside.  We climbed up a very steep, slippery, narrow, winding stone staircase to the top of the tower.  I didn't get photos of that because I was a) holding on with both hands to the rope attached to the wall, and b) because every time I looked at the stairs, I felt a bit dizzy.  Going up was difficult, and going down was SCARY.  But the view from the top was beautiful.  And yes, the kids went too--Daddy in front and me in the back, watching every step they took.  For some strange reason, nearly all of us had sore leg muscles the following day. We had a great time browsing the wee shop in the castle and making some purchases to bring home, among them a book of castles (Usborne), and a fridge magnet for my collection.  The gentleman in the shop chatted with us for a long time.  I believe he probably hadn't had another visitor all day. So a few photos of the trip.  It was a lovely visit, and fun to reminisce about it.  Just sorry the pictures didn't turn out better. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/743468/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:32:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/743468/ Back to our home.  Back to real life.  Back from a great holiday.  Back to the land of computers and internet and other time-consuming but necessary things. I'm feeling ambivalent about the computer these days.  I spent three weeks away from it all--and the only thing I missed was the contact with family and friends.  Now I'm back, and under the tyranny of email again.  Oh well, one has to admit that the computer is very useful, and I doubt I could easily live without it for a long period of time.  After all I do everything from banking to menu and lesson planning on it.  I didn't have to do any of that stuff on holiday. If none of this makes sense, I attribute it to jet-lag and the fact that I've been waking up anywhere from 2 to 4 a.m., and having to get up because at least one of the children wakes up then too.  Only five hours time difference--hopefully we'll be back to normal in another couple of days. For the friends who aren't already aware, we are just back from a trip to Scotland.  We spent our time there visiting the other half of the family.  And we did a bit of sight-seeing on the side--to a couple of castles and museums.  We had a great time, and the weather was lovely--maybe the best it has ever been when I've been there. Hopefully soon--once the camera and the computer get together--I will have photos to tell the story.  That is yet to happen, for I am in the throes of unpacking and laundry, and planning for next week, AND paying the bills.  The camera is a story in itself, for it has decided to go all jiggly and pink at times.  Fortunately I was able to get mostly clear photos--if I could be patient enough.  How does a digital camera die?  Does anyone know? The biggest plus?  I got hours and hours of cross-stitch done (Relax TP--it isn't THE cross-stitch).  I even had time to take out a large chunk that I had stitched with two strands when it was only supposed to be done with one.  My travel project is a kit of Eilean Donan Castle that I bought on my first trip to Scotland about 13 years ago.  I was so motivated by it that I hope to be able to work on it more at home--whenever I can manage to get off the computer. I also got to see two and a bit parts of the new four part BBC TV series of Emma by Jane Austen.  I am very upset because I will miss the last part, and BBC iPlayer doesn't work outside of the UK.  I did buy the book to read on the way home.  Hopefully I can finish it now.  I did read three books all by myself (not to the kids) while away.  I think that is the most I've read in that short a time since Boo was a newborn. So it was a lovely time away, and now the house needs a clean and tidy, so I'm away too. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/738691/ Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/738691/ Well, the Fall Fair was most enjoyable.  As a family, we entered 18 different items.  In a nutshell, we won 6 first places, 6 second places, and one third place.  There was quite a bit more competition in some categories than there has been in previous years. Belle won first place for her oatmeal raisin cookies, and second place for her skirt.  The beaded bracelet she made didn't place, but as that was her first attempt at anything like that, I am still pleased with what she made. Here is the skirt.  Isn't it pretty?  She wanted it quite long. Boo placed second in both the Lego category and the "My Favourite Collection" category, in which he put his collection of fishing flies.  He had taken the time and made the effort of carefully writing out the name of each fly.  I was proud of him.  He placed third in "A Big Cookie".  He had made M & M cookies, and they were delicious. Here is his Lego effort. It is a cutaway of a mobile police/emergency mobile station. My husband took first place in both the Tea Biscuit and Cheese Scone category, and second in the Shortbread.  We have to chuckle over the shortbread because for some reasons the judges seem to prefer "whipped" shortbread (which looks to me like those buttery cookies you get in tins) to the real Scottish style shortbread.  Oh well, two pounds of butter as second prize is nothing to sneeze at. I managed to do pretty well with my Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Breadmaker White Bread--taking first in both again this year.  The winners in that category get auctioned off to raise money for next year's fair.  The same lady who bought my cake last year, bought it again this year! I also earned one first and one second in the Amateur photography section.  That was a first for me this year, and I entered 6 photographs.  I was pleased that a couple of them placed well. Last but not least, was the cross-stitch.  I didn't have time to get it framed (nor did I really want to frame it here because I plan to take it to Scotland).  The competition was quite stiff and the first-place piece was very pretty.  Mine placed second.  And for those of you who have been waiting.... Borders, borders and more borders!  I do still like the colours though! So that is the Fall Fair for this year.  I am a week late in posting about it because I hadn't gotten around to uploading my photos until this evening.  One forgets how busy life gets when school is on. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/728572/ Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/728572/ Man this was quite the bug!  I am over a week into it and still have a lot of congestion.  I think I've got chest wall pain from coughing, and while my energy has increased, I still don't feel 100 %.  Boo had a fever from last Tuesday night until Monday morning.  I took him to the doctor on Friday, and she started antibiotics.  It still took two days until his throat felt a lot better, and nearly three before his temperature stayed below 100 degrees F.  He is still coughing a bit, but is much much better!  I was quite worried about him one night--a horrible croupy sounding cough and significant fever.  His cough changed sometime during that night to one considerably less scary. She didn't put me on antibiotics, but I wasn't nearly as sick as Boo.  And I do feel like I am getting better--just a bit more slowly than I would like. Belle is much better from her bout with it, but she also sounds stuffy and coughs quite a bit.  She had nearly a week's head-start on the antibiotics. By the time we were feeling able to start on our lessons again, we'd had more sick days than we'd had days of school.  That was depressing!  However, we are picking up the pace again--if only I can keep up.  Our upcoming trip to Scotland will be here before we know it.  Yes, a trip is in the plans.  It is time to go and see the other side of the family again.  I am looking forward to it, but not looking forward to getting ready for it. Last night we took sandwiches with us and went fishing!  The kids loved it--I enjoyed the time outside by the pond, looking at tall trees and peaceful water.  Unfortunately for me, my fishing license had expired, so I was unable to spend time casting a fly into the water.  I was impressed by how my children's ability to fly-fish is increasing!  I took my knitting, but didn't knit.  Instead, I spent the time walking back and forth between the kids, watching their bees float in the water and chatting with them.  It was a very restful time, and felt like the first time I'd been out in two weeks (although it wasn't--I'd been out taking either kids or myself to the doctor). On another note--today I finished a cross-stitch project that I have been working on (off and on) for nearly eight years.  I started it when I was put on bed-rest for pre-term labour with Boo.  I spent somewhere around five weeks on bed-rest, and got nearly a quarter of it finished.  Needless to say--the rest of the project took a lot longer to complete.  Remind me not to do another project with borders for a long time!  This one had double borders with design in them, plus gold lines around each border.  And the backstitching!!!! Ay yi yi!  This thing had backstitching on everything--on the borders, in the borders, on every aspect of the design itself.  Did I tell you that backstitching is my least favourite thing about cross-stitching?  The backstitching took two years to complete--I'd work on it for a month and then get fed up.  Did I not know all this before I started the design?  I did, but it was the colours in the design that grabbed me--blues and golds and pinks--Gorgeous! But alas, my faithful readers will have to wait for the photo.  I have to wash it, block it, and figure out a way to display it (I don't have time to get it framed before the Fall Fair next week).  Only after that will you get a photo.  I am delighted that it is finished.  Now I have to find another UFO to finish--of the several that are in process.  I am thinking about one that is nearly done.  Then I need to find more time to stitch..... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/723420/ Wed, 2 Sep 2009 19:24:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/723420/ A few weeks ago, I blogged about the project I planned to work on when my husband went away on business.  Well, we did it! Unbeknownst to my dear husband, I purchased a book cataloguing program, with the aim of cataloguing his books.  Now mind you, this wasn't a project I thought I could complete in odd hours, or in a day or so.  The dear man has 28 boxes of books on the porch, and assorted others scattered about the house in piles or on bookshelves.  I knew I needed lots of time and simple meals, and as much help as possible from the kids.  And I needed him to be away.  The opportunity presented itself...and we plotted and planned. In addition to cataloguing the books, the goal was to clean the porch.  I shall post before and after photos--they do speak louder than words. Before: This was what the porch looked like on the day we started. We moved about nine boxes a day off the porch into the living room, as well as the piles stacked on top.  I set about getting them into the computer program.  The children read ISBN numbers off the books that had them, and then I did searches for the ones that did not.  (I still have a small pile of books I couldn't find on any of the searches--I will probably have to enter those manually.) We did nine boxes each day from Wednesday to Friday, plus piles.  I also did the books upstairs where his "office" corner is.  By Friday night, the books were all moved off the porch, and it looked like this: The living and dining rooms looked like this: And yes we do store books in diaper boxes! On Saturday, I had to do the last couple of boxes of books, clean the porch, put everything back, and clean the  house, all before we had to pick up my husband at 8:00 pm that evening.  (There was a reason I needed to have simple meals--I spent nearly all my waking hours doing something with books.) We accomplished our goal--at least mostly.  I still need to do the books on the shelves in the house. Here are the after photos:   I was going to post one of a tired but satisfied wife, but just realized that Boo had crept into the photo under my arm.  Since I don't make a practice of posting photos of the kids, you don't get to see the one of me either, until at least, I can do some photo-editing. It is lovely to be able to walk on the porch without tripping over something.  It is also nice because I rearranged the shelves so we are able to get one window open for air.  I could even fit a chair back there some afternoon if I need/want to hide. And I think that my husband is pleased.   He didn't say much, but I do find him wandering around out there on a frequent basis now. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/721092/ Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/721092/ We've had a week of stuff!  Belle got sick with strep throat symptoms last Thursday.  I took her to the doctor and he put her on antibiotics right away.  I was so glad of that because Grandma and Grandpa were coming for a visit on Friday. The antibiotics took away all of her strep symptoms within about 36 hours.  That was great.  She was just starting to feel a lot better when she started coming down with a bad cold--cough, and low-grade fever again, and then the nose started to go.  At about the same time I got it--sore throat, post-nasal gunk, and swollen glands, but no significant fever.  My throat doesn't look bad, just red. Today Boo woke up with a fever and sore throat.  The other symptoms haven't appeared yet, but he was walking around today with a temp of 100-102.  If it got above 101 he started asking for Tylenol, but he doesn't act or appear really ill. School is a not-happening thing this week...my first week that was supposed to be a full one of lessons is turning out to be one of no lessons.  I am hobbling through, doing laundry and getting meals on at about half my usual speed.  We've spent time watching educational dvds and working on a jigsaw puzzle--which the whole family finished together tonight.  It hasn't been a bad week--unless I think about the things I would like to be doing and am not. Oh well, this too shall pass.  Thus goes this entry--the first of at least two--and at the bottom, so you can read it and move on to more satisfactory things. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/721080/ Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:00:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/721080/ I haven't blogged in so long that I've even toyed with the idea of giving up blogging entirely.  I don't really think I could do that though, for no sooner would I close down my blog than I would think of something I wanted to say.  So apologies to those who check faithfully for an update.  I shall endeavour to provide you with one. Last week I had the pleasure of a visit from my sister, Photogal, and her two boys.  Her husband and boy number 3 had to stay at home, unfortunately.  We would have enjoyed having them here too.  They were only here two nights, so we had to make the best of it. The first evening, my sister and I went for a long walk.  I did not take my camera so have no photographic evidence of our walk, but we used the time to do some debriefing on our mother's condition.  It is nice to be on the same page.  It has really helped me this summer that both my younger brother and older sister have paid visits to Mom and Dad.  I am the closest in location, and sort of the first responder if they need help.  I deeply appreciate the backup and support I've been given by my siblings. On Friday we took them to one of our favourite places by the lake.  Photogal spent time and money in a very large farm toys (think model tractor) store.  It is also one of Boo's favourite places.  Then we visited a farmer's market, and looked at the views of the lake. Or boats by the lake. Or at sister looking at the lake.   It was a fun evening.  We came back home to a late supper of hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill. They all left Saturday morning.  I've spent a large part of the week catching up. This is our last week of real summer break.  Our lessons start again on Monday.  I am not ready--or rather, the school books are ready, the school shelves are organized, some of the lesson plans are done for Homeschool Tracker--but I need to get spelling lists put into a spelling program I have to review, and I need to figure out what we are doing for French.  I decided not to try to lesson plan our history core since we only have twelve weeks left of that.  I will put my energies into lesson planning the next core. Between now and Monday--I have two children's bedrooms to clean and organize.  Since we do most of our schoolwork up there, there is quite a bit of work to be done.  I also have to re-inventory my freezer and pantry, since I got behind the last few weeks with visitors and all.  I should clean out my hall closet again (it needs doing at least every year). One blessing is that we had visitors over for lunch today.  That caused me to attack several piles around the living areas.  It is nice to see those areas tidy for a bit. My dryer has been on the blink for a week.  Our fixit man says it is the "rollers".  At the moment I can still use it--for light loads, but it is very noisy.  I spent a good part of the week hanging clothes either on the line or on a rack in the house--alas I had only enough clothespins to hang a small load outside.  My dear husband got me more pins the day the fixit man came.  Oops, I just remembered that I have a few wet things still downstairs. I'm looking forward to getting back into the routine of lessons.  I struggled during the break with a lack of routine, and feeling like I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.  I did do quite a bit of stuff, and not a lot of fun, relaxing stuff--why is it that I think I will have time to cross-stitch when I'm not teaching?  Why is it that I think I will have time to cross-stitch in the evenings when I am teaching?  Oh well, I live in hope--and the expectation of getting off more email lists so I am not swamped in email all the time. We are starting into things slowly.  Next week I plan for two days of school and three days of working on a major project--more details to come.  The kids are planning to help, and it will be a surprise for my husband.  I just hope that when the time comes, I can do it because it is a LOT of work. I've been interrupted by kids and a phone call and I'm done. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/715062/ Thu, 6 Aug 2009 20:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/715062/ Too much clutter Makes me suffer I need a buffer Or I will mutter.. Grrr!!! I have clutter-itis Not hepatitis Or bronchitis Nor tonsilitis This isn't illness of the body It's an illness of the house! True, it's Friday, and I haven't cleaned since last Thursday, so maybe, after tomorrow, I will recover some of my equanimity. First on the list is the children's bedrooms, which look as if a tornado went through.  I've already warned them--it will be the fifteen minute (at least) clean-up tomorrow.  That is when I set a timer for 15 minutes and we blitz through the rooms.  I must say I admire folks that limit the number of toys etc their children have.  I just do my best to help them stay organized and periodically go through to give away stuff the children have outgrown. Next on the list is the bathroom--our one and only.  Fortunately it is tiny, and most of the counter stuff is already contained in baskets.  Mostly, it just needs cleaned. Then our bedroom.  Piles of clothes need putting away.  I really need to go through my closet and remove stuff that I no longer wear--but that may await another day.  My husband's piles of books have also taken over the table I carefully fixed up for him when he was away this spring.  Those piles may also have to wait for another day. The living room:  The school shelves are a mess, not having been organized since we finished school.  They are also in greater disarray because I am lesson-planning for next year.  The pile behind my easy chair needs to be gone through.  The CDs and cassettes need a quick tidy.  And the pile behind my husband's chair needs to be dissolved. The dining room:  Games lying around need putting away.  Paper hotspots need putting out.  I need to find a path through the books to the china cabinet.  Those book piles are left over from when my husband's desk was in the dining room--moved 1 1/2 years ago?? Kitchen--I did a deep clean in there a few weeks ago.  Not too much to do except remove the clutter on the countertops.  And the floor will need mopping after vacuuming. Hallway, the trunk that lives in there is piled with junk.  The bureau needs decluttering and dusting. The Porch:  The present bane of my life.  30 boxes of books?  Plus additional piles?  My husband's library.  At present they sit upon fast-becoming crooked shelves, getting dustier by the day.  My dream would be to clear everything out, deep clean, and then find a way to organize the books so that they could be put away much more easily.  Did I mention that the porch has windows on all sides?  Suggestions are welcome...  Needless to say, that won't be done tomorrow.  The best I can hope for is a tidy of the entrance area. Well, now it is all listed out, it doesn't seem too bad.  Hopefully I will awaken with enough energy and a good attitude to tackle the list. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/708973/ Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:48:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/708973/ It is being a bit of a weird summer again.  We haven't had that many hot days, and the few that have been hot have been so muggy it is hard to do anything.  At least with cooler days, one has more energy.  It just doesn't feel like July--more like early June, or September. The children are in their second week of swimming lessons, and both have made progress.  It will be interesting to see how they come out at the end. My feet are improving--I say as I sit with them on ice again today.  The chiropodist gave them quite a workout yesterday, and I imagine they are sore because of that.  I am so glad that the calf stretches are helping!  And when I use the ice, I get so cold, I have to put on a fleece! What do I do with my time?  More baking than usual has been one thing.  Another has been to do some cross-stitch (note to self to pick it up again after not touching it for two weeks). Another thing I've been doing is working on learning the new (to me)  full HomechoolTracker program.  I am hoping to use the Lesson plan option on that in order to decrease the time I spend inputting stuff during the year.  It is taking quite a lot of time to learn how to use it now.  I am very thankful for the lesson plan sharing sites that are available.  It will save me a lot of time.  I hope I am able to figure things out well enough to give back to that at some point. Another thing that is still on my list to do is to work on stuff in our garage.  I have boxes of stuff that I haven't really sorted through since we moved--nearly six years ago.  A lot of it is stuff I have kept from the past.  If the ravages of time and weather haven't taken too much of a toll on it there might be some stuff worth keeping.  If it is destroyed by damp muggy summers and cold snowy winters, it just needs to be gotten rid of.  I am hoping to tackle a box this afternoon. The children are torn between playing by themselves and wanting to do "family things".  That means that Mum and Dad "need" to play with them.  We've played catch with ball and mitt, and with lacrosse nets.  We've taken an evening and practised batting.  We've played Sorry and Scrabble and Boggle.  It is fun. Our Thirteenth Anniversary came and went.  Boo had a cold so we couldn't go out.  Also there was a death in my husband's family, and we haven't really felt like celebrating.  Still, I am very very thankful for all the years the Lord has given to me and my husband together. Best get on to either doing something productive, or taking a short nap.  The nap sounds really appealing... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/708220/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:34:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OurLittleSchoolRoom/708220/