With three girls, pink is everywhere! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:35:00 -0500 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:35:00 -0500 Here are the rules... my list starts after the rules. The 100-Species Challenge 1. Participants should include a copy of these rules and a link to this entry in their initial blog post about the challenge. 2. Participants should keep a list of all plant species they can name, either by common or scientific name, that are living within walking distance of the participant's home. The list should be numbered, and should appear in every blog entry about the challenge, or in a sidebar. 3. Participants are encouraged to give detailed information about the plants they can name in the first post in which that plant appears. 4. Participants are encouraged to make it possible for visitors to their blog to find easily all 100-Species-Challenge blog posts. 5. Participants may post pictures of plants they are unable to identify, or are unable to identify with precision. They should not include these plants in the numbered list until they are able to identify it with relative precision. Each participant shall determine the level of precision that is acceptable to her; however, being able to distinguish between plants that have different common names should be a bare minimum. 6. Different varieties of the same species shall not count as different entries (e.g., Celebrity Tomato and Roma Tomato should not be separate entries); however, different species which share a common name be separate if the participant is able to distinguish between them (e.g., camillia japonica and camillia sassanqua if the participant can distinguish the two--"camillia" if not). 7. Participants may take as long as they like to complete the challenge. ******************* Sounds fun, yes?  I think there's just one thing around here.  Sagebrush.  Fortunately, the reality isn't so bad. 1. Sagebrush  :-P  Okay, I lied.  It's not sage, but it is tumbleweed, which is commonly associated with sagebrush.  We do have sagebrush, too, but I'll save that for another post.  This particular tumbleweed is Kochia, thanks to this website. 2. Flowering Cherry- I'm not certain beyond this.  They don't produce fruit, mostly white, and as yet are not drooping. 3. Aspen- populus tremuloides, one would assume 4. Sunflower- ours are voluntaries, and prolific.  This is a good case of a weed being only what you don't want to grow.  We let our weeds go wild, and we're enjoying every bit of it! 5. Lilac- we have several lilac bushes, but I have no idea what variety.  Not one I like very much.  Mostly purple, but I believe one is white. 6. Snapdragon- also voluntary weeds.  Mostly red. 7. Clematis- We chose these!  :)  Ours are a purple variety. 8. Maple tree 9. Snowball tree, aka swamp elder There are two types of cactus in the field I would like to identify.  It will have to wait for a cooler day and better health.  I also saw a rose of sharon recently, but I'm not sure how close it was to our house. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/573052/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/573052/ Today, Danielle made her first unpromted unguided letters.  H and a little i.  And Os, but she's had practice making circles.  :-P http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/568105/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/568105/ Well, I had this nice post all prepared, but found that Melissa Wiley has said it better. Recently, I've had a couple of conversations with friends about our homeschooling journey. The common thread has been that homeschool parents must be highly educated because it's just not possible to homeschool effectively without it. In one particular conversation, my friend mentioned that my husband and I are both certified teachers, so it's okay. We're not certified.  :-P  I started my certification, my husband taught as a grad school TA, but no, neither of us have that oh-so-important piece of paper. But, you know?  This friend knows us quite well, and he knows that we'll do a good job teaching our children.  So maybe, just maybe, we made a difference in one person's perspective of  homeschooling.  I can only hope it will ripple to even more people.  Homeschooling is not something to be afraid of celebrating. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/545637/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/545637/ Danielle has received a preliminary diagnosis of JRA.  She has also seen an eye doctor, who diagnosed her with uveitis.  She needs eye drops every four hours, and her mobility is slightly impaired. I thank God that he's lead us down this path, because we have the ability to meet her needs, give her meds, and miss school for doctor appointments without an IEP or a doctor's note or any other red tape. How much school is she doing, anyway?  Well... she's showing those pre-reading skills- pretending to read, recognizing letters, learning sight words.  How exciting! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/543414/ Thu, 5 Jun 2008 12:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/543414/ Back in the fall, I printed out music from G Major music theory for Rachel.  Hmm, it must have been around Christmas, because I remember going there looking for Jingle Bells.  She has since subjected treated us to plinking out the music by ear, not by reading the music!  It has been SO frustrating for me, but I let it go. She did practice, a bit, now and then, but she always preferred to play by ear. This week, she's been pestering me for more music.  I told her she couldn't have more until I heard her play the ones she had using the right fingerings, etc. She did it!  She struggled just a little on things in the last two songs that would have been easy to correct, if I had known she was practicing the music.  So, she has six more songs to practice, this time with two hands. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/543411/ Thu, 5 Jun 2008 12:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/543411/ My daughter told the grocery clerk last week she wanted to be "just a mommy." "Don't you want to do something else, too? A teacher, or..." "No.  Just a mommy.  I want to buy food, and make dinner... " *heart swells* She does emulate my worst moments, too, I promise, but that moment was so wonderful. **************** Shameless Promotion As a kid, I had several tapes (that would be cassette tapes!) of Agapeland Music. I HAD to buy these for the girls.  The price made me hesitate, but I kept coming back to them.  I finally found them discounted a bit, and purchased them. They are as wonderful as I remember.  Music Machine and Bullfrogs and Butterflies are very good.  My all-time favorite is "The Story of Little Tree."  It's an adaptation, historical fiction if you will, of the Easter story.  It still makes me cry. Check them out.  I don't think you'll be disappointed when your children are singing phrases like "Sonshine, sonshine, I've got a different kind of Son!" and "I love you Lord Jesus..." http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/539371/ Wed, 28 May 2008 15:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/539371/ My mother-in-law recently emptied a pickle jar.  A TWO QUART pickle jar!  I don't know how she got it, or how she used them up, but I have it.  I almost shudder with excitement about this.  What can we do with it? We could make an activity jar. Or, maybe a good deeds jar. We could just collect coins. Or, nature materials, like rocks and such. We could make one of these. We could put scripture slips into it. We could put slips of boredom-killers. Above all, I think it should be something that will engage the kids, make them think and have fun at the same time. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/483681/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:49:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/483681/ How much is too much?  How do you know when you're stretched too thin, and you need to cut back? I'm not feeling that way, most of the time.  This week was a very, very hectic week.  Rachel has two scheduled activities now, and that's plenty.  This week, she had three, I had two, the car had one, Carol had a doctor appointment (well child visit, and doing great), and by the end, we were just ragged.  I suppose it's appropriate we visited the library and checked out a collection of Raggedy Ann stories! So, it's making me look forward, and wonder about the balance of things.  Is it a purely individual line?  My husband is sure I'm an extrovert, but I really don't feel like it, most days.  It's so hard to find the motivation to keep going out, when I'm comfortable at home. What works for you? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/482331/ Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:08:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/482331/ My poor, unsocialized homeschooler has a party this afternoon with 100 other kids, from 4-18 years old.  It should be fun! *************************** The party was *wonderful* and a great time to get to know names and faces.  I feel more connected, now.  I helped all of the elementary kids decorate sugar cookies.  That translated to interacting with each and every one of them.  There are some really sweet kids out there.  Well, they all were sweet, and well behaved.  Some tug at your heart strings a little more.  :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/480779/ Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:38:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/480779/ ... did you know that it *belongs* to someone? There's a list circulating the homeschooling world that's been swiped from the author.  I feel just horrible for her.  I know I've seen the list in several places, and if I can track them down, I'll be posting the following link to them, too. http://www.madeditor.com/2008/02/id-rather-be-hated-than-used.html Please, PLEASE, think before you share.  The footprints poem was swiped from someone, too. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/476490/ Thu, 7 Feb 2008 14:09:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/houseofpink/476490/