http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 2 Sep 2009 16:12:00 -0500 Wed, 2 Sep 2009 16:12:00 -0500 My lovely friend Suz (who has the most lovely speaking voice and should be paid to talk to people) has some FABULOUS ideas for shaking up school on Fridays.  She has graciously started a blog and she posts  weekly what she and her kids do. ~ Her Fun School Friday blog is worth checking out.  I don't know how to subscribe to it or I'd suggest that too.  We haven't "officially" started our year yet, but her latest ideas are fabulous (but ha, you'll have to wait to find out what they are!!)  So, this week I plan to do FSF just because it looks so good.  ~ Confession:  I'd ignored the first 2 weeks since I wasn't "doing school" yet.  That was dumb.  Don't be dumb like me. ~ And just in case anyone wondered, we have had a rough time of it these last several months.  I'd sure appreciate your prayers.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/723371/ Wed, 2 Sep 2009 16:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/723371/ My father is: angry mean unwilling to change waiting for someone to change him blaming others for his condition running out of time and me? I am too many of these things I choose today, for this moment to get up move BE who I want to be who I ought to be even if I don't feel like it. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/663868/ Sun, 1 Mar 2009 14:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/663868/ Untidy bookshelves Footprints across the floor A floor that "holds" everything and is difficult to clean Dirty walls, doors, light switches and the like Dysfunctional floor plans Ill placement of furniture The fact that all flat spaces seem to be "storage" spaces... That it matters not that SOME things actually DO have an AWAY in which to be put Poorly functioning furniture that doesn't fit the space Visual chaos of cord disorganization Being unsure as to how to solve the above without being a shrew http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/660950/ Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:29:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/660950/ So, Einar made a sign that said: ~ Restaurant NOW OPEN Daily Specials Monday-Tuesday until 5 ~ He then hung it up at the end of our cul-de-sac on the stop sign post. ~ Someone turned around to read it. I'll bet THEY thought it was hilarious! ~ Wayde made him go take it down. He's kind of a party pooper. Always worried about the kids inconveniencing people (sp?) ~ Poor Einar. He came in totally dejected.  But then, in a sudden turn of attitude he shrugs and says "THAT plan failed. I won't make money with that one.'  mutter mutter  "Nope, not with that plan..."  The boy is HILARIOUS.  ~ I of course had to hold in any expression of humor in the situation.  But now, here it is at HSB for posterity. ~ He took the sign to mom's to start a restaurant there.  Guess he figured he had a location problem rather than an idea problem! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/659485/ Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:17:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/659485/         I know most of us know about the Erskine Family's website Homeschool Radio Shows offers a free weekly radio show.  But there are MANY other sites out there offering free downloads.  Some of great quality, some of dubious. But it is worth checking out.  We use the mp3s we find as bedtime stories while we're summering in Alaska.  The laptop lives in our kids' room and I just make up a playlist and let it go.  We also bought inexpensive Sansa Shakers for about $11 (including shipping) on ebay for each of them. ~         Ok, so, on to the links: ~         www.wiredforbooks.org/mp3/ has author interviews, several Shakesperean plays, poems, fables and a couple classic children's titles.  There is a portion of the Aeneid read in Latin and the Iliad in Greek.  I know that some of you classical style homeschoolers will geek out over that.  I grabbed Walt Whitman's poems, several plays, a couple novels and a lecture on African American Oral History. ~         http://wiredforbooks.org/kids.htm has Beatrix Potter's stories read in English,  French, German and Japanese.  These are RealAudio presentations rather than mp3.  I don't know if they can be downloaded for later use. ~         The main site has a HUGE assortment of things you can listen to online, though I don't think they can be saved like the mp3 files can.  I have not listened to any of these yet. ~         The CurioSoft site has several fairytales, Alice In Wonderland, Peter Rabbit and Twas the Night Before Christmas to download. ~         Learn Out Loud has many free and cheap downloads.  You'll need to scroll down a bit to see the list.  There are several podcasts that look good too.  There is a LOT of "spiritual" junk on it, so be careful with what you grab.  But there are many things worth checking out.  One in particular I thought was cool was a series of Art History  "talks" about great paintings.  There is a pdf to download of the paintings too.  So those of you doing Art Study ala Charlotte Mason (or otherwise) may find these very worthwhile.   Several are linked to other sites (which is how I found the ones above) but several can be downloaded directing from LOL.  I grabbed Aesops Fables  (scroll down for the mp3 links) and the Art podcast I mentioned above.  There is so much on this site, I'm going to have to pace myself.  Too easy to sit downloading "important" stuff only to ignore your family!  Not all the links go directly to something downloadble.  Many are simply free listening, not free saving!  ~         If you know of a site that has great audio downloads, let me know!  I've also been successful finding stories on music sources like Rhapsody and emusic.  You have to get creative with your searching, but we've found Bible stories, ethnic tales, fairy tales and such and often in other languages.  Lots of good stuff for adults too - humor and such.  While emusic and rhapsody are "free", many have unlimited download subscriptions or trials and it is worth taking the time to find some good stuff for your money's worth.  Sort of like a buffet, except you get to keep the leftovers! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/656677/ Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:57:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/656677/         I had wanted to make a "general reference" mini-office.  You know, things that are used often and while they may be "subject specific", it is only one aspect, rather than a whole she-bang.  My slick tip is to use large labels to print on.  I used my husband's UPS labels.  2 per sheet and since they're equal in size and the margins are equal all the way around, it was easy to manipulate for printing.  It was very nice not to have to glue very much! Front Cover         This is a cursive chart with directional arrows.  The arrows are hard to see, so I'll have to do something to correct that.  (For my daughter's, I found a Princess chart that is so cool from www.lapbooklessons.com.  I wish they had a prince one, but alas.  Not yet anyway!) Inside ~ Inside Left         At the bottom of the Months of the Year list I wrote "12 months = 1 Year" and at the bottom of the days of the week I wrote "7 days = 1 week" and "52 weeks = 1 year".  Some of the images came from "mini office" or lapbook sites and others are just from Google images.  When using Google images, JUST BE AWARE!  And don't do it when you have kids around!  (Trust me!)           You'd NEVER believe what comes up on the 1st page when googling "days of the week"!         Also note how Alaska and Hawaii are in the "right" places (at least approximately!) ~ Inside Right         By the clock I wrote "60 seconds = 1 minute", "60 minutes = 1 hour", and "24 hours = 1 day".  The music chart is one I found via Google images.  I fiddled with it a bit in my photo software to get the contrast to be better.  I wanted the lines going from the notes on the staff to the appropriate keys to be actually VISIBLE!         There is also a sign language chart showing finger spelling, a number line from -10 through +10. ~           I'll probably include some basic music theory items too such as common time signatures or even what a time signature means, how to find a key signature, names and duration of notes and the equivalents (such as quarter note = 1 beat, 2 eighth notes = 1 quarter and so forth along with graphics.)         The back for now is blank.  I wanted to leave some space so I could add as we went along.  I am considering a skip counting chart and a chart of Roman numerals.  We'll see.  I'm open to suggestions so if you have any, please comment!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/648470/ Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:14:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/648470/ Einar opening some duplos. Eme's Betty Crocker Cake Decorating Set William playing with the Duplos Eme decorating RIGHT AWAY!  It was good of Wayde to do some cake baking the same day! ~   William's new "guitar".  (It's really a ukelele.)  Now everyone has a right size guitar in the house! Wayde made pigs-in-a-blanket for Christmas Even dinner.  The bread he used was AWESOME.  I am not a big hot dog fan.  When he said he was doing pigs in a blanket, I thought he was going to use pancakes and sausages.  Not so much.  But they turned out looking cool!  And the kids liked the dogs - I liked the bread.  Wayde liked it all.  It worked out! William enjoyed Eme's cupcakes AFTER he enjoyed the pigs-in-a-blanket.  Gotta love the frosting/ketchup combo. We were going to try and see my parents that day.  We'd been snowed in for quite awhile (for here at least!) and thought we'd attempt it.  As you can see from the following pictures, I married a LONG SUFFERING man! ~ ~ ~ ~ I thought he'd be soaked by the time he got back in, but not so much!  And it didn't even make him cranky.  We had a really, really nice Christmas Eve.  It was relaxed, warm, good natured.  It had the same feeling you get when looking at "pretty" Christmas pictures.  (But it didn't look that good!) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/648458/ Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:53:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/648458/   Christmas Greetings           It is still dark, this early morning.   EmeRose has been our primary decorator this year and a glob of lights hangs from her big toy.  She wrapped them around the porch railing with Wayde’s help and then later added a loooooong string that was to be wrapped around the big tree trunk out front.   It didn’t make it that far.  It sat in the dirt for several days.  Somehow, they made it to the big toy.   Anyway, they are oddly sweet this early morning.             We’ve had quite a year!   Do any of you feel as though you live in a soap opera?   Looking back, our family life has been so full; it seems almost over the top.   The beginning of the year found us in pretty dire financial straits.  Wayde hadn’t worked the previous summer in Chignik (because we’d just had William) choosing instead to work for an outfit in Lacey.  We counted on his being able to work all winter and that pretty much didn’t happen.    Right about August, the hours fell off and by September he was calling in to see if there was work.   By mid month, I think even that was abandoned.   So, the long months of fall and winter were upon us.   Our big expense was propane: over $700/month.   He had a little unemployment he was able to collect and sold things on eBay.  By February, unemployment was done.   We’d already decided by then he’d go back to Chignik this summer.   He left in early April. It was still really cold.  We still  didn’t have money. I remember running the oven and trying to bake just to supplement the heat. The propane was just too dear. (So much for global warming in our neck of the woods!)  The kids and I joined him about two months later. It was a grand summer for the kids. They had an absolute ball running and biking around the docks and to the donut shop (yum!) and playing in the tidal slough. ~~ Einar being Huck Finn Einar befriended John the Welder (if any of you know the song “Oh John the Rabbit” that always goes through my mind when Einar talks about him). John let him hang out in the shop and answered a lot of his questions. John had a son that wasn’t able to be there with him. I think Einar filled some of that void. Einar learned to ride a bike over the summer too! Eme would pick from the profuse wildflowers and make the just gorgeous bouquets. She surprised me with her knack. (I’ve recently discovered she can arrange food plates beautifully too.)             Chignik was harder on me and Wayde this year. Having a toddler up there is NOT easy!  William was just over a year old when we left. He started walking almost immediately upon our arrival. Wayde’s schedule changed several times and he just never got into a groove. That was hard on both of us. It was sort of a tense season up there employee-wise too. His dad had to be medivac-ed out for an apparent heart attack. It wasn’t, but he did end up having a quintuple bypass. Yes. Quintuple.   Kids and I saw him in Anchorage when we left at the end of August. Wayde stayed until the first part of October. Oh, and there was a small matter of the main processing plant catching fire in July.              October brought my birthday and folks, I had the best birthday I think I’ve ever had. It was relaxed, I got good presents (you know as an adult, that doesn’t happen so often!)                Einar gave me a “Walk Around the Block with a Flashlight”. He’s kind of a funny one. Eme’s was the best gift though. She colored some shells with crayons and gift wrapped them. But that wasn’t the cool part. I found a bunch of buttons for her summer before last at a garbage sale and had put them away. She got into them when we returned from Chignik. There was one batch that had the most beautiful buttons.   They really reminded me of my Grandma Edna’s button stash. I tried to beg or buy some from Eme to no avail! She did finally relent and let me have the tiniest handful. Well, what do you think was in that bag with the crayon-colored shells?? Those buttons.  All of them. I think I cried! For a selfish little stinker, she can be pretty thoughtful.  November was a nice uneventful month.  Regular in our home school and family life. We did go down to my cousin Natalie’s for a really great Thanksgiving time. There was only 1 marred moment there and even it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. (Involved my ever-sensitive Father of course, but thankfully, his joy wasn’t directed my way for once!)  The significant happenings in December are Eme’s birthday (8th) and our Advent celebration.   Advent isn’t something I grew up doing. I know mom tried as I have memories of the calendar with the flippy doors, but I didn’t really understand it as a time of anticipation or preparation for Christ’s  arrival. I belong to two online forums for homeschooling and the mommies there talk a fair amount about Advent. Well this year, I decided to do something. It is really basic, but it has been something *I* don’t have to do the reminding on and there is no flippy calendar filled with chocolates for motivation either! I found a list of suggested scripture readings so Wayde does that. ~~ The Kids loved holding candles during carol singing. ~~ We all color a page that either matches the scripture or adds the kids’ nativity scene. It is slowing filling. We light the candles and sing carols relevant to the scripture portion. The kids’ favorite is the Seven Joys of Mary. I know.   It isn’t an Advent song.   It isn’t a Christmas song.   It is fun though! We’ve had a lot of dancing happen during our singing time. Mostly Eme and William. I have a video of William dancing in one of the Advent entries.  I hope this finds you all well. We are well for now. I don’t anticipate any major change to that status, but one never knows. There are rumblings in our extended family on both sides with health and personal issues so who knows what the next few months hold. Thankfully, I know Who knows! I pray that you do too. Blessings, Carriejoy (representing the rest of my family)   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/636421/ Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:45:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/636421/ Round Two of Attempting This Post         Yesterday was just a banner day for us here on The Dirt Farm.  Eme made a GIGANTIC snowball.  This thing just DWARFED her.  (and she isn't a little thing!)  These are a little hard to see, but here is the snowball. And look closely, you'll see her pushing this thing along. And a video.  This is all done with my cheapo Sanyo.  It doesn't like dusk, things far away and snow all at once! ~~~  Igloos         Remember Einar wanting to build a snow fort?  Eme started building an igloo.  Einar did some helping.  Not so much though.  She used a small tote and packed it with snow to create her bricks.       Wayde helped her stack the bricks.  They didn't finish but we still have snow, so who knows.  Making an igloo was one of those things in my childhood I would have been simply mad over.  Alas, I never got to make one.  It is fun to see my kids being able to do many of the things I couldn't.  My mom will read this and feel guilty.  I could tell her not to feel guilty, but it won't matter.  Hi mom! Doesn't Eme just look so cute sitting there in her creation? ~ ~ BIRDSEED CUPCAKES         I know you've all been dying to see these.  Wayde started off by boiling lard, peanut butter, birdseed and water.  Looks scrumptious, no? ~~ A couple ingredients.  Eme stirring and stirring. ~~~~~ Doesn't he look as though he's just been "caught"? While Eme stirred, Wayde placed wool string into the cupcake pans so we could hang these up outside more easily. ~~~ Einar had to get in on the act Eme filling the molds. ~~~ Cooling and hardening in the snow The top picture has 2 different mixes in it.  Wayde ran out of room in one saucepan so he transferred some to another.  I'm not sure what happened to the ratio of ingredients, but one was definitely soupier. Eme and I added seed to the top once she'd poured.  It made them much prettier, no?  I know.  The birds don't care too much.  But I like to have a little fun with it.           If you note the directions in the recipe, you'll see we didn't follow them to a "t".  That may explain some of the not so hot results!  We also did not use the peanut butter pictured above (which has hydrogentated fats added to keep it "together" so you don't have to stir it.)  Wayde used my "good" organic, need to stir it peanut butter.  It's possible we didn't "cook" it long enough too.  I think the runnier peanut butter really made a difference in the soupiness of the project.         The string, while a great idea in theory, didn't work so well in practice.  The cakes fell from the strings.  I suspect the cakes just weren't hard enough.  The ones we first put out did not go in the freezer.  They just hardened outside and didn't get really firm.         Recipe we used: BIRDSEED CUPCAKES   2 quarts water 1c butter/lard/margarine 4 c cereal (cornmeal, oatmeal, farina, cream of wheat, roman meal) (note we used old cheerios - that may have made a difference!) 1 c pb (crunchy’s best) 1c chopped fruit (apples, raisins, currants, dates) (our seed had dried fruit in it.  don't know if Wayde doubled up the seed or not to compensate) 1 c birdseed chopped nuts or sunflower seeds (optional)         Bring water and butter to boil in a large pot.  Slowly stir in cereal and cook until thick, 5-15 min depending on kinds.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and fruit.  Let cool before adding seeds or nuts.         Spoon into small non-metal containers (not necessarily necessary).  Store in fridge or freezer.  (we used metal) ********************************************************************************************** _______________________________________________________________   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/636026/ Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/636026/ I have to tell you that it is just gorgeous here right now.  HUGE flakes falling from the sky and everything covered in 4+ inches of snow!  I don't think my boots are tall enough to go walking in it!  They're just over my ankles!  Might hvae to figure something out though.  I love it when it's like this.  Wayde is out with the olders right now hopefully having fun.  He was "shooting for" an hour :eyes:  I'm shooting for 2-3.  First sign of being wet, he'll haul 'em home which is too bad.  It's 32 degrees and we're close and they're active so I'm not worried for frostbite or anything.  He's just kind of a Nervous Nellie.  I'm hoping his "inner child" will come out and play with the kids.  Einar's been dying for a snowball fight and also to make a snow fort.  We might get enough snow to do the fort!  (Don't think Wayde was counting on that!) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/635064/ Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriejoy/635064/