I, CoffeeHeidi, share the triumphs and tribulations of homeschooling her only child - an energetic, creative, and "weird in a good way" 10 year old son. Enjoy science fiction and unique families? Then grab a cup of coffee and come see the craziness that is our homeschooling life. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:45:00 -0500 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:45:00 -0500 Technically, it was completed last night and today is our Celebration Day. We've never celebrated it because I've never really kept track as there wasn't the need to. However, since lots of other hsers do, we decided to give it a try. K. wanted the Ds game Spectrobes 2 as his 100th day present. When he saw the end coming, he just couldn't take the anticipation any more. Yesterday he asked if he could do 3 days worth of work in one so he could get the game today. What'd you know, he did it! Math, grammar, spelling, geography, history, more history (did his schoolwork while listening to the presidential debate,) and reading - all done and no complaining. Of course it helps that he's now only required to work on the math and grammar problems he doesn't know as long as he can pass the quizzes and understand the new concepts. So today we hit the local Game Stop, who loved his Turtwig coat and him :-). the bookstore (for me :-), McDonalds, and had lunch with Daddy at first work in order to also show off his new coat and see folks who've known him since he was born. Did I mention that K. stayed up all night because he didn't want anymore dreams about the game? Yeah...just a little obsessed. LOL! Right now he's in bed playing and will hopefully fall asleep soon. ~CoffeeHeidi http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/605717/ Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:45:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/605717/ What does a mom do when she feels guilty for neglecting sewing for her son (aside from Halloween costumes) the past couple of years? She agrees to make him a Turtwig coat. He needed a new coat and some pjs anyway... First, a pic of the Pokemon Turtwig Now the coat pictures You never saw a happier kid when he's wearing this coat. He skips around and makes Turtwig sounds. Lastly, thanks to all who replied to my last blog. Y'all are so sweet! ((Hugs)) ~Heidi http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/603007/ Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/603007/ At ds' request, I bought one of those classroom calendar centers and stuck it to the china closet in our living room. However, he hasn't kept up with it, despite my nagging. Our main calendar just got taken off the kitchen wall in order to make room for the "big green thing" (bureau-bookcase combo) that got taken out of son's room and now happily holds a ton of kitchen stuff. Son's calendar got taken off the hallway wall to make room for the bulletin board - another victim of the "big green thing" move. I swear to goodness that all this past month (Sept.) my husband and son have told me that my birthday is on Friday. Dh made a point of asking off from both jobs. Again, a big deal since he's usually working at the theatre on Friday, a busy night. Last night, I got sucked into season 2 of 90210. Brian Austin Green grew up *very* well and is now looking mighty fine in Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, so I just had to go buy season 1 and then season 2 of 90210, which I used to watch as a teenager but missed a good number of years. So anyway, 8 am. rolls around and I'm still awake so I go to wake up dh for work. Half an hour later, I wake him up again and the conversation goes something like this: "Honey, you're going to be late for work. You have to get up now!" "No, I don't. It's your birthday. I took off work." "No, it's not. My birthday is on Friday." "No, it's today." "It's still September. My birthday's on Friday. You and K. have been telling me it's on a Friday." "Look at a calendar." "We don't have any calendars up!" I go and check the TV and computer. And guess what? It is my birthday. LOL! I haven't had any sleep because of the above insomnia DVD fest. Ds was up all night playing video games and he's asleep. Dh went back to bed. And it doesn't feel at all like my birthday because it wasn't supposed to be until Friday! So, please, once again, use my crazy life as a lesson and go out and get a calendar and put it up in a visible area. LOL! ~CoffeeHeidi, 38 today and will still be it 2 days from now http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/598087/ Wed, 1 Oct 2008 08:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/598087/ When the movie Mamma Mia! came to theatres, K fell in love with it instantly. Who knew that he'd been listening to those times when I'd play my ABBA Gold album? The kid knew all the words and was singing along to the movie! After just the first viewing, he gave himself the goal of seeing it 10 times. Only 10 would give him "bragging rights." (My 9 does not.  ) On August 21, 2008 at the theatre his dad manages at, K. met his goal. Here's a picture of him on that day. He's sad because it was also the last day the movie would be shown in the theatre. We have the soundtrack and listen to it whenever his dad/my husband isn't around. Did I mention neither K nor I can sing? According to dh, we sound like cats being tortured. Ah, but what we lack in vocal ability we make up with enthusiam! Mamma Mia! oh how we love you! ~Heidi/CoffeeHeidi http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/591895/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:01:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/591895/ Hope this makes sense because almost a week later, I'm still ROTFLOL! In brief, I'm active on FOX's official Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles board. http://terminatorwiki.fox.com/ Turns out, the cast of the show do indeed read a lot of the posts there. And the proof? A very petty little comment (which I said in a post praising the episode) that I made about the actor Brian Austin Green's hair during the season 2 premiere episode, was indeed read by him. He commented on it in an interview. Text and link below (the part about my comment is in bold): http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2008/09/brian-austin-gr.html Part of the fun of a set visit in Hollywood is the sense of dislocation, being able to sit next to the gazebo from Gilmore Girls talking to one of the stars of FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles about The CW's 90210.The Terminator star in question is Brian Austin Green,we're half a block down from John Connor's former residence on a ruralstreet on the Warner Brothers lot and the topic of 90210 is completely organic. Green joined the cast of the FOX drama last season, playing DerekReese, future robot fighter and uncle to Thomas Dekker's John,humanity's eventual savior. Derek's introduction produced a majordeviation in Terminator mythology and instantly concerned Green, a fan of the franchise. 'I was terrified,' Green admits. 'I was really scared. Originally itwas only supposed to be six episodes for the character and I knew goinginto it that fans of the show and the franchise were going to have hardtime knowing that I was going to be playing the character that I wasplaying. I had the chance of either succeeding and doing well orfailing miserably and letting down a bunch of people who love thefranchise as much as I do. It was a lot of pressure, a lot of stress.' But fans of the series welcomed Derek into the Terminator universe and helped turn a six-episode guest spot into a regular role for Green. 'It's because of the fans that I'm still on the show and as far asI'm concerned it's great and I appreciate everything that they say,'Green acknowledges. 'I'll go onto sites sometimes and see what they'resaying, what their concerns are and things that they like and don'tlike and I keep them in mind because ultimately that's who we're makingthe show for.' Of course, that doesn't mean Green is immune to occasional wariness at the attention-to-detail of some obsessive fans. 'They get a little nitpicky,' he laughs. 'They start going 'Youknow, I really didn't like his hair in the last episode. It was kind ofdown to the side and it reminded me of my dad's hair,' and it's like'Really? It's the Terminator show and you didn't like my hair in thescene? It was too much like your dad's? That's what you're worriedabout? How'd you like the show?' But there's nothing you can do aboutthat.' This leads quite naturally to the question of how this sci-fi fanbase is different from the throngs who watched Beverly Hills 90210. 'It's a completely different audience,' Green says. 'There's nocomparison at all. Being on the show was much like being one of theJonas Brothers. You make the show for the young girls who are lookingfor good-looking guys on television and whether you are or not, youjust kind of jump in and fit the mold and wear what they tell you towear and that's really what the focus becomes. With this, I love thefact that I have two pairs of pants and two different shirts that Icirculate through and one jacket.'Green didn't watch the two-hour premiere of The CW's new 90210,but says he hopes to watch future episodes, laughing at the notion thatthe show could possibly make any choices for an off-screen David Silverthat he'd disapprove of. 'I don't know if you could possibly screw it up more than it wasscrewed with over 10 years,' he says of Silver's backstory, whichincluded drug addition, Babyface and years of sexual frustration withDonna. While more than a few actors have shied away from youthful entries on their resumes, however possible, Green doesn't hesitate. 'I don't have any sort of ill feelings toward the show,' he says.'It was a great 10 years of my life. There were great sides to it andthen obviously there were really tough sides to it also, as far asmoving on from it. But it's what it is and I wouldn't change it.' Of the new show, he adds, '[I]t's a new start. It's a new show. Theaudience that's watching the new one, a lot of them were too young towatch ours, so it's a new cast and a new take on it.' So what would it take to get Green to do a cameo on 90210? 'I don't know. Time, I think, ultimately. If I had the time, I think I'd do it.' Green, after all, is enjoying is current gig. 'I love it,' he says. 'I grew up loving action films. I grew up loving Terminator.I play video games. The 'Dungeons and Dragons' episode from last seasonwas the closest thing I could have experienced to playing Gears of War on the 360. It was unbelievable, a great experience.' What did I actually post:? http://terminatorwiki.fox.com/thread/1843715/Sampson+%26+Delilah+Discussion RE: Sampson & Delilah Discussion Monday, 9:18 PM EDT OMGosh! OMGosh! OMGosh! Liked: 1.How it wasn't all neat and easy removing Cameron's chip. Like how they shut her down, how the screw driver wasn't the right size, the knife too dull. Love how they pinned her the 2nd time. 2. How Sarah and John finally had to kill someone and got the crap beaten out of them. They've had the training but they needed the reality in order to beat the machines and human traitors come Judgment Day and to prevent it from happening 3. Lena's fluent Spanish, at least it seemed fluent. (I only know a few words but have PR in-laws so I hear it a lot.) Disliked: 1.I KNOW this is so very very petty but I hated BAG's hair when he was in the church kitchen. Brushing the front to the side reminded me of my dad's haircut and he was born in '44. I liked his hair much better inS1. Like I said, very petty thing. 2. That we have to wait 7 more days till the next episode Not Sure If I Liked or Not 1.Derek's attitude about Charley and how he can't have Sarah. It's not a shipper thing more of 'give the woman a freaking break, even in the future people are having s*x' thing.' So, basically, via an offhand comment, this crazy homeschool mom from New Jersey made some kind of impact, small as it was, on one of her favorite actors in one of her favorite shows. To read more of the hilarity and my attempts to apologize, go to the following thread and look for posts made by CoffeeHeidi. The hilarity begins on page 2 with a post by TJack. http://terminatorwiki.fox.com/thread/1846698/Brian+Austin+Green+acutally+reads....... Lastly, if you haven't seen the show, check it out at least once. Even if you don't like sci-fi or the Terminator movies, the actor, Brian Austin Green, yes, the one from 90210, grew up and got HOT. Very nice droolage for the 30's crowd. :-) My son enjoys the show too. You can catch it on Monday nights, 8 pm EST, on Fox. It's also available on their website. I leave you with this - sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself. As John Crichton (Farscape) once said, "D'Argo, I mock us all!" ~Heidi/CoffeeHeidi/the Homeschool Mom Who Made Fun of Brian Austin Green's Hair http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/590086/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/590086/ So sorry that I haven't updated my blog, nor been around HSR, the past couple of months. What have I been up to? The list is long. * working hard on the 2nd draft of my sci-fi novel that I hope to finish and get published before I'm 80 * canning homemade and home grown salsa (turned out great this year!) * wondering why more than half of my 30+ tomato plants didn't make it and where the frell is my garlic that was growing so nicely just a month ago? * getting "dissed" by an actor in an interview for a comment I made on a fan board (a funny story for another entry) * trying to be good about homeschooling * having a 1 week break (son's request) turn into a 3 week "gotta watch the entire Alias boxed set that's been sitting on the shelf for 2 years" marathon * spending 2 1/2 weeks machine sewing, hand sewing, cursing, bleeding, getting poked by needles and pins, ripping out seams, remaking parts, making pattern pieces from scratch based off of online and video game imagines, and wondering why the bleep I'm hand sewing 52 leaves for a stuffed animal costume all in order to make K. and his Daddy Puppy this year's Halloween costumes * Trick-or-Treating at his Godparent's house (We're trying a new thing of going to friends and relatives houses early so Halloween night isn't spent running around like madmen.) * thinking about turning 38 come Oct. 1 * trying, oh so trying, to get K's room cleaned and organized for the first time in years On to pictures! (Sorry that some are big and uncropped. I swear they were edited but the photobucket code keeps posting them as they were originally.) This is the Pokemon, Empoleon, which K swears most kids will know. This is the main picture that I had to go by minus a brief glimpse of the back via his video games. What follows are the pics of him in the costume.   Daddy Puppy is the "no one will know him unless they're online or live in Japan" Pokemon, Shaymin. Thanks for reading and don't forget to watch my current favorite show, Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles on Monday nights, 8 pm, EST on FOX. Who can resist a show that focuses on the lengths a mother will go to for her son? "Not I," sayeth the geek mom of an only son. LOL! ~Heidi/CoffeeHeidi http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/588451/ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/588451/ We have our lives back! After 2 weeks of planning, buying over $400 worth of garage organizers, wood and paint for new garden boxes, border bricks, mulch, and flowers, and working 6-8 hours a day in sweltering 100+ degree temps with high humidity, we are DONE! There are still a few minor "leaf debris" areas that there just isn't the time nor energy for but you'll see from the pictures below, we did our best. If we still get fined, we'll be fighting it tooth and nail. Lastly, thanks to all on Homeschool Reviews for their support during this trying time. It was appreciated more than you know. You all allowed me to vent and wail every day, and offered up encouragement. Thank You! Now, onto a ton of pictures! ~Heidi The driveway Before (the Can't Mind Their Own Business Neighbors own that white fence on the left) The driveway will resort back to this state every time it rains or the wind blows. It's what happens when you have 6 trees on a tiny property. When you have a busy life, you also choose to sweep it just once a week or so, not every single day like the neighbors do. The driveway After The garage Before  (I knew the garage needed a dejunking. It was on our To Do list before this happened.) The garage After Backyard Before (doesn't show all of our "violations") The backyard After (multiple pics) Garden beds to the right of our yard and the cherry tree Before The same area After Part of the gazebo and the middle of the backyard Before (Those aren't just leaves, it's soil and leaves, all lovingly placed there on purpose in order to create a deep enough layer for current plants and future ground covers. The strawberries love it!) Same area After (note the two new bright blue compost and potato boxes) Gazebo After Behind the garage and gazebo After (sorry, dh didn't take any before) Front of house Before (note our real problem - the porch needs a paint job and the Astroturf removed) The front After (don't know why there's not one of the same shot because I know I took one! Instead, we have pics of those 2 problem areas to each side of the porch where nothing grows well. As for the porch, image all the recycling totes removed, the porch and sidewalk thoroughly swept. All that gravel you see under the porch is what we removed from the side and front yard our first year in this house - a good 3,000 pounds of it. Want some?) And lastly, 2 very boring pictures. The side of the house and side yard Before and the same strip After. I'll admit it, I was always lazy about this area because it's a pain to clean. This is the side yard we might get in trouble for since all the leaves and twigs couldn't be removed. We've been planning to dig it all up and turn it into a food bed (aside from what's already there) next year. Same area After (note the remaining leaf debris) And that's it! Oh, there are a few more pics we took to cover our bums and some I wish were taken but weren't. I wish there was one of the entire mulch area. I'll try to get one before we leave on vacation. Thanks for viewing. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/546881/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:49:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/546881/ Just some pics of us building the new gazebo bed (the redesigned right side,) shopping for plants, and finally, K releasing 2 of his butterflies from their butterfly habitat. (We're still taking care of 3 of them as one has a shredded wing.) ~Heidi The gazebo bed - leaves, peat moss, perlite, manure, compost, vermiculite, and earthworms - heaven to plants Plant shopping at Lowe's - one of many many trips. Plant shopping a local nursery, but not the one we discovered that's closer and even better. "I thought you weren't going to buy anything from the Ag. Fair this year, honey..." Releasing butterflies that were carefully watched and cared for during their caterpillar and chrysalis stages. One quickly flew away, the other decided to stick around the clematis for a while. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543709/ Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543709/ Here are some pics. of our Panda Scout troupe (ie. K and myself) preparing for our mother-son camping trip that's coming up soon. If you look a couple of entries down, you'll see a close-up of the T-shirt design. Since we're the Panda Academy, it only made sense that we be the Panda Scouts. I'll explain the pics as I post them. ~Heidi Panda Scout K. poses for a picture in his official scout T-shirt. Here we are earning our Camp Stove Cooking badge. Also known as "testing out the new propane stove, non-stick mess kit, and homemade pancake mix so we don't have a repeat of our one camping trip with Daddy where God would not let our family have the ability to make a fire of ANY sort, including one on our tossed-in-frustration duel-fuel stove." How's that for a run-on sentence fellow homeschoolers? The Panda Scouts see if mom & son can set up their new, smaller, tent. (It also had to be seam sealed.) Step one - remove all the twigs from your site. Step 2 - lay out your tent Step 3 - hammer in those stakes, baby! Step 4 - put together and insert fiberglass (?) support rods Step 5 - wake your husband up from a nap so he can help you with those bleeping rods that you swore were going to break because they were too long for the bleeping tent when you bleeping tried to get them in the bleeping grommet holes near the tent stakes. Step 5b - reassure husband that you and son really can set up this tent all by yourselves. Step 6 - success at last...if you don't count two minor inside tears. (I knew those bleeping poles were too long for the tent!) Step 7 - get a lesson in how wind loves to blow away lightweight rain covers. It's called...something to do with aerofoiles and wings and lifts and such... Step 8 - Success at last! The Panda Scouts have earned their Tent Setting Up badge. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543691/ Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543691/ To save time, I'm just putting up the pics, big as they are. Sorry if it's too much. I've got tons to do tonight and wanted to share our garden progress plus show you all the "leaves and debris" we're in trouble with the health dept. for so you can see for yourself. Thanks for reading. ~Heidi A long shot of 3 garden beds. Front to back we have: Salsa Bed - planted with garlic, white onions, tomatoes, 3 surviving purple asparagus, and cilantro Bean and Pea Bed - planted with purple, red, and blue beans and peas, cucumbers, dill (not doing so well,) and I think some cabbage (if it's not a companion plant, then no) Melon Turned Tomato Bed - 8 rows of melon seeds and plants and only 1 plant is living. It got replanted with 6 tomatoes and some white cabbage In this year's Asphalt Garden Sign Bed we have an eggplant, a tomato plant, and some strawberries. This is in front of the flowering cherry tree and an area we'll be bricking around and mulching to make it an "official bed" so we won't get in trouble for it. (You can see my eyes rolling, right?) Beside the Asphalt Garden Sign, we have a small bed. One day, it will hold a climbing rose. For now, it's a spot for green squash and strawberries. The squash was only supposed to be there for a short while but it'll stay for now. Our Pile-O-Dirt Potatoes! So proud of these guys. An old potato, cut up, and tossed into a pile of dirt has become our best growing potato bed this year. Go Mother Nature! This will soon be surrounded by a new garden box since the unknowing only see "dirt, leaves, and weeds" rather than a mound of food for the winter. Our main Potato Bed - planted with red potatoes, blue potatoes, red cabbage, white cabbage, and 2 fairy tale eggplants. Behind it is one of the Blueberry Beds which also contain strawberries. Our Wheel Barrel Bed planted with...I have no clue but they were pretty! We also stuck in some Brussels Sprouts because we didn't have space elsewhere for the whole flat. Oh, on the ground, which you can't really see since it's behind the wheel barrel, are 2 rhubarb plants and some daffodils. This Strawberry Bed, now sports 2 tomato plants, red and white onions, garlic, and red leaf lettuce. Tucked away in the corner between it and the gazebo is an onion and some strawberries. I love using up little spaces for food plants! Strawberry Bed on the side of the gazebo. This one too, we're worrying about because of the leaves. Strawberries decayed leaves, btw. Clematis and Climbing Rose bed. I must post a more recent picture of this. The miniature rose bush is in full bloom and so pretty! Go Nor'East Miniature Roses! I save the Gazebo Bed for last. Here we have tomatoes, basil, red and white onions, and some parsley in the back. The lower tear holds romaine lettuce and the edible flowers (assuming they come up) of Johnny Jump-Ups and Bachelor Buttons. Note the lettuce plants tucked into the large cinder block holes between tiers. I thought it was such a cool idea. Next we have more tomatoes and tucked in herbs and onions in the back. Sage, rosemary, and basil are in the lower tier. On the floor are flats of ground covers that were "seeded" in the front yard. There are now more flats of ground covers waiting to be planted and lettuces to give to my hsing friend, Kel P./3littlemonkeys. This is the newly reconstructed right half of the gazebo. The back was built the same as the left - 2 cinder blocks high and one cinder block wide. This allowed tomatoes and peppers to be planted at their proper depths and to be supported by poles and fencing. The lower tier just happened to work out the way it did. Cinder blocks are big and heavy, so you do the best you can. This design allows for easy access to the back row. In the back, we have more tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Below them and to the middle of the picture, we have lots of herbs (oregano, bee balm, thyme, and whatever else caught our fancy.) The two lower beds towards the bottom of the picture contain lettuce, spinach, Brussels Sprouts, and chives. This the last section of the right side of the gazebo. It's K's section. In the back tier are his 9 pepper plants...maybe he's up to 12 now. He has a row of Bright Light's Swiss Chard in the back section of the lower tier. Behind them, another row of peppers. In front is the lettuce and spinach bed with the chives and Brussels Sprouts in the left lower bed. One last thing, promise. I counted the other day. We have a grand total of 32 tomato plants. Yes, 32 plants for 3 people, one of whom won't touch 'em, and another who is mildly allergic. If just half survive to produce, we'll have more than last year. The plan is to can up as much as possible, not just tomatoes, pickles, and salsa but ratatioulle and stew as well. Thanks for reading. ~Heidi http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543617/ Thu, 5 Jun 2008 20:26:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeeheidi/543617/