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I was reading random blogs today and came upon this math game. You can read about it here. How to play.
Sounds fun! I think we'll try it tomorrow. |
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The Happy Housewife is doing a Menu Planning 101 series. I could definitely use some help in this area so I thought I would participate in her step-by-step process. She asked us to list 15 meals; I decided to list as many of our favorite meals that I could recall in categories. Here they are: Beef:
Chicken:
Misc:
Pasta:
Pork:
Fish:
Soup:
Sandwiches:
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Today I was up at 6:45 a.m. I've been catching up on my homeschool journals and filling in a few missing things. I've got my 3 year old on my lap and its now after 7:30. It’s not easy to get stuff done especially on the computer when you've got a squirmy toddler on your lap. It is still hot - I hope this heat wave dissipates soon! This list came from Spirittibee's blog. She couldn't credit the original author, so I can't either. Spirittibee says, "As a perfectionist and an analytical thinker, I admit that I have been less than a perfect roll model of love and acceptance 100% of the time with my children. I tend to expect too much, lecture too much, get upset too quickly, and be too critical." Oh my gosh - I think she was describing me. See my recent blog entry. So here is the list: You Exasperate Your Children When You... |
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Today I had to process payroll for one of my clients and go visit teaching. I woke up at 6:00 and started working on the bookkeeping and payroll. Lots to do today!!! I've been doing homeschool opening exercises with all the kids for the last few days. They are enjoying my more lighthearted approach. We sing several songs including hymns and especially songs from the children's songbook. I ask each child to pick a song and it seems to go over very well. Today we reviewed 1 Nephi chapter 1 and read chapter 2. I paraphrased for the little ones and then had them act out parts. They really like to act out the stories! I also tried to find a way to explain sin and repentance. At first I asked them to remember how we planted watermelon last year and ask them what happened when mom and dad stop tending the garden. They said lots of weeds came up and the watermelon died. But when it looked like Captain and Princess my 7 and 5 year olds were not really getting it, I changed the visual picture to dirty shoes. I told them that sin was like getting your shoes all muddy, stepping in dog poo, and stepping in gum. We could wash the "sins" away, but it was hard work. The dog poo smell would linger on the shoes for a long time and the chewing gum would be very hard to scrape off. I paralleled that to different sins and how they "stain" our souls and asked them to remember to watch their paths closely so that they would not step into a pile of "sin". They thought it was hilarious. I hope the children understood. Today is our 2nd day of Rick Fisher's math program today. The workbook "Mastering Essential Math Skills: 20 minutes a day to success" seems to be a hit. The review exercises are a good amount and mix of problems to help the girls continue to practice the key skills. They are focused and attentive. I have found it necessary to teach a lesson on the “new” skills introduced, but do so in conjunction with the dvd lesson that is included for each worksheet. I think this is necessary because the dvd and worksheets don’t go to the depth adequately for the girls to understand the new concept. So far this looks like a great program. It was another scorcher today. I left the house at 11:30 for my 12:00 appointment with a counselor I’ve recently began to see. I got to the office and found out that my appointment was for 10:00 a.m., but I had put the wrong time in my phone’s calendar! I apologized and she asked if I would stay until she found out whether her noon appointment was showing up. Her noon appointment showed up afterall, so I rescheduled for the following Friday. Afterward, I refilled our water bottles at the water store, went to Petco to purchase bird food and spray millet, and to the library to pick up a book I had on order called “How to Tutor” from Sam Blumenfeld. I had to bring the water bottles in from the car. My DH usually does that, but today he didn't. Each 5 gallon water bottle felt heavier than the last. I was tuckered out after getting those in the house. We have switched Family Home Evening to Friday since DH is gone Monday nights. We had a great time. We put on a CD I got from the library today. It contains recent pop music hits from Pink, Gwen Stefani, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson - songs we only hear when we listen to the radio which isn't often since DH has an ipod. We listened to the music while DH did a slideshow for the kids of dinosaurs and animals that we projected onto a sheet. Then we had a "laser show" using laser pointers on the ceiling and danced in the dark living room with flashlights. I'm so glad my kids think this time with Mom and Dad is fun -- even my oldest who is nearly 11 isn't too "cool" for family night. I am so blessed! Breakfast: Hot dogs (Weird huh?) Lunch: Dinner: Loaded baked potatoes with chili & cheese, apples, & bananas with whipped topping & drizzle of chocolate sauce.
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Have to pay the piper. I'm still waking up at 6:45 a.m. even when I'm not going to sleep until 12:45. Thankfully, I'm feeling rested and still getting up at a decent time. I'm waking the kids up now and timing them to see if I make it a game whether they'll do their morning routine more quickly. Today, I'm going to establish homeschool opening exercises. Here is the plan: Prayer Scripture Story Songs Pledge of Allegiance Hugs We're also going to start Rick Fisher's math program today. I purchased the workbook "Mastering Essential Math Skills: 20 minutes a day to success". I am hopeful that this method will help my daughters to make great strides in their progress in math. Breakfast: Cereal Late Lunch: Kielbasa on hamburger buns Dinner: Snack: tangerines Today I do bookkeeping at a client’s office. I need to leave by 10:30 to get home by 2:30 for a 3 hour shift and 3:30 for a 4 hour shift. I'll try to work as efficiently as I can so that I can be back between 2:30 and 3:00. Otherwise, I’ll cut time too short and DH will likely stress about getting to college. (He drives 100 miles round trip Monday through Thursday in commuter traffic) I left for work at 10:45 and started work at 11:45 after making a stop to mail an ebay package and picking up lunch at Stater Bros grocery store. I left work at 2:15 and returned home around 3 p.m. after returning a bunch of books to the library. The kids had eaten tangerines for a snack while I was away, but were quite hungry when I got home. DH had to study for a quiz and didn't get around to preparing lunch. So as soon as I got home, I tried to get the kielbasa on the table and DH college snack brown bagged before he had to leave at 4 p.m. Note to self: ALWAYS HAVE LUNCH PREPARED FOR THE KIDS BEFORE LEAVING FOR WORK. Baby Zilla is sick, but he is still a bundle of energy. I came home to find that he had drawn in red ink all over the refrigerator door! |
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Today was hard. I worked at one of my side jobs for 2 hours and still managed to have completed much of the homeschool lesson plan. I need to add more fun to homeschool: more projects, art, science experiments. In the first week back to school, we’re focusing on the main subjects right now. Time flies in this house especially when the kids take an hour just to eat lunch!
I lost my temper with Captain and Princess during the math meeting this morning. Of course, I admitted my wrong doing and asked for their forgiveness. I’m not like my parents in that way – when I break the family rules , I own up to my actions and try to make amends. The rule I broke was from "The Original 21 Rules of this House" by Gregg Harris: “We always speak quietly and respectfully to each other”. I don’t want my kids to ever think that they “deserved” it. They know that mom is human and that I make mistakes and bad choices and must repent just like everyone else. I am recommitted to being easier going from this point forward. I get upset too quickly which is probably why Richard Carlson’s books like “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Families” are read and re-read. I need constant reminders to focus on the eternal perspective and not let the little things get to me. I am really hard on myself to the point of self-deprecation at times. As I look at this closely, what I have come to realize is that my high expectations for myself are not limited to just me. This was an awful realization. Nothing I did as a child was “good enough” for my parents, and I was sure that I wasn’t going to go down that road with my kids. Unfortunately, I am not always the perfect example of unconditional love and acceptance. Like I said, I can transfer much of my issues to them: I can be too easily annoyed, too critical, and lecture them into a coma. Its an area I will continue to improve. Breakfast: Soynut butter SW Lunch: Pasta 3 ways (Plain, with meat sauce, cheeseburger - something for everyone), fruit Dinner: Leftover pasta & fruit Snack: |
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I was the first out of bed this morning. Yesterday, the kids beat me by 5 minutes! The kids must not have gone to sleep after I put them in bed at 9 p.m. last night because they were difficult to rouse. Of course, Zilla my 3 year old noticed when I left the bed to shower. Since my husband is going to school in the evening now, I am concerned that working on waking earlier will make it difficult for him to get the rest he needs. However, class ends no later than 10 p.m., so after the hour drive, he could be in bed by 11:00 to 11:30 each night or take a nap before he goes off to school. I've found its very important to start our day early. There is so much more to do with 4 kids in homeschool and a very disruptive, but very loved toddler in the mix. In the shower, I started feeling very overwhelmed with how the children are progressing. If I could do it over again, I would make sure that math was worked on diligently every day. Also, Tootsie and Sugar Plum both read very well, but would be benefited in developing stronger composition skills. I hadn’t been concerned about their writing skills in the past as they LOVE to write. However, I received a list of the key skills from their charter school and for their age group it says that they should be able to write a 5 paragraph essay. I'd like to help them to learn this skill by the end of the school year. I’m going to try the following: 1. Have all the children together for Saxon math meeting time. In that process, everything that I teach my little schoolers will also be reinforced for the older children. My 4th and 5th graders do not know their math facts by heart and I think that when that time comes for the little schoolers, it will help to have the older students master them as well. The older kids can also "tutor" the younger kids and learn at the same time! We'll continue with Quartermie math, but use it for both multipication and addition/subtraction facts & whatever drills are needed. 2. Practice writing by using topics from the scripture lesson. I'll need divine inspiration for this , but I think that this method will help the kids to practice writing skills in a useful way. More on this to follow as I work out the details. For right now, they are LOVING the workbook “Draw then Write”. We're off to a slower start than I had hoped this morning. The kids still haven't gotten dressed and there is a lot of bickering going on with the youngest three. I'm going to put on some upbeat music. Today, we'll start the day with math and then phonics. Breakfast: Cereal ( Lunch: Stuffed Sole, Chicken Cordon Bleu (Omaha Farms food passed on from my mom), Rice, & Fruit Dinner: Sandwiches Snack: Dinner for my husband to take to school: |
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Today was the first official day of school. Breakfast: Spam and Egg sandwiches (Grown ups with pepper jack cheese - yummy) Lunch: Sandwiches (1/2 Dinner: Quesadillas & fruit (canned) Snack: Oreos Dinner for dh to take to school: Soynut Butter SW, tangerine, cookies, funyuns, cold water What we did in homeschool: Met together for prayer and scripture study. We read from the Book of Mormon. DH gave blessings to me and the 5 children to start the school year. Tootsie: Quartermile Math - practiced multiplication tables (0 to 5) Excel Math lesson 1 (tan book) - emphasis on multi-step word problems Spectrum Spelling Grade 5 - Lesson 1 (2 pages) Worldly Wise 4 - Lesson 1 (1 page) Literature - By the Shores of Copywork - 1 Nephi 3:7 Scripture Memory Verse - 1 Nephi 3:7 Science: Singing Planets Songs Sugar Quartermile Math - practiced multiplication tables (0 to 5) Excel Math lesson 1 (green book) Spectrum Spelling Grade 4 - Lesson 1 (2 pages) Wordly Wise 4 - Lesson 1 (1 page) Literature - Little House in the Big Woods (Chapter 1) Copywork - 1 Nephi 3:7 Scripture Memory Verse - 1 Nephi 3:7 Science: Singing Planets Songs Captain: Language Arts: Click n Read Phonics - lesson 15 Math Mat game (number recognition) Science: Singing Planets Songs Language Arts: Explode the Code 2 (Lesson 1 - 3 pages) Language Arts: SSRW Songs Princess: Language Arts: Click n Read Phonics - lesson 4 Math Mat game (number recognition) Unifix cube manipulative play Language Arts: SSRW Songs Science: Singing Planets Songs I took the girls to their charter school to pick up books and sign their master agreements. I got home and realized that I don't have the right Sing, Spell, Read and Write program for Princess. She needs K and it is level 1. It is also missing numerous parts and is quite dusty and dirty. Yuck. This particular charter school is not generous with new curriculum orders. They are better about reimbursement of YMCA classes, but right now none of the kids are enrolled in extracurricular classes, so I'm starting to rethink where I have the kids enrolled. DH started night school today. He is in a one year allied health program. He left at 4 pm today and classes start at 7 p.m., but he has a 50 mile drive in commuter traffic. (Yuck) He called at almost 6 p.m. to say that he was in the classroom and had already picked up his textbooks from the bookstore. (I had pre-ordered them online for an exorbitant $298!) The difference between new and used texts was only about $60, but DH has issues about using used books – the germs & he thinks its annoying to see highlighting from other people. I went to the bank with the girls today and deposited $240 that I had saved from one of my side jobs and for the cell phone reimbursement from my parents portion of our family share plan. We had just enough to pay for his books. I dropped on 2 dvds at the library today. I couldn't renew them past the 3 weeks that the teacher’s card allows. Tomorrow is trash day so I need to round up the trash around the house - bathrooms and kids rooms as well as clean out the fridge. I cleaned the kids hallway bathroom today & worked on the kitchen. With the kids help, we accomplished the following household chores before homechool: cleaned the kitchen table and set out a new tablecloth vacuumed the kitchen and living room floors tucked in the sofa & loveseat covers loaded and unloaded the dishwasher My toddler got a shower today. As usual, he screamed a lot, but he let me wash his hair without too much fuss. By the end of the shower, he didn't want to come out. (Of course!) |
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I purchased this program last year, but we haven't used it much. Just recently, my 9 and 10 year olds have been using it every day to practice their multiplication. I must say that this method of drilling is a very positive. They feel so pleased when they've won the race - especially since they are competing against their own best time. |
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I had errands to run today and made an unplanned trip to Big Lots. There I found 4 attractively framed inspirational thoughts: 1. Faith, Family, Friends (now hangs near my kitchen table) 2. Take pride in how far you've come, have faith on how far you can go. (now hangs in my entry) 3. Thank God for what you have. Trust God for what you need. (now hangs in my entry) 4. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (now hangs along side a picture of the Savior's 2nd coming) |
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I homeschool my kids for many reasons. I am a product of the public school system so I know it well. I am certain that my husband and I have much more to offer our family. Homeschooling is a privilege that I don't take for granted. I've learned that discussing homeschooling with parents of children in traditional public school, is like juggling raw eggs. I've learned that whatever I say, I will usually receive a rebuttal of some sort to defend the reasons that their children are in public school and defend why they need 2-incomes and don't have the time to homeschool. Then, there is the disingenuous compliment that I must possess virtues that they do not (for the record, I don't). And of course it usually ends with the expression of concern over "socialization". So, I don't usually go into detail when queried about my reasons for homeschooling. I try to make my answer as innocuous as possible and then change the subject. For the record, here are my top 5 reasons to homeschool:
While, I have many reasons why we homeschool, that are more positive than the article I am linking to below, I'll blog about them in greater detail on another day. In the meantime, here is a less positive list (downright scary) list of reasons to homeschool which is a compilation of stories that can certainly lead a person to the conclusion that public schools are in trouble. 101 Reasons To Homeschool While it can be argued that we shouldn't shelter our children from the "real world", who decided that these horrors should be accepted as the real world? Even in my own elementary school, back in the late 70's, a teacher married his student in a "shotgun" ceremony after it was discovered that she was pregnant with his child! In today's society, he would be labeled a pedophile - but back then, the poor girl became his child bride. So, its not like these horrors are only happening of late. |
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We occasionally purchase groceries from a food co-op. Because you don't get to choose the items in the food box, sometimes there are things that build up in the pantry or have to be given away. Since I have a daughter with a severe peanut allergy, there is always something that must be given away that contains or was manufactured in close proximity to peanut. When I've calculated the cost of the food we can use vs what we give away, I've always found that we still save a lot by purchasing through the co-op. I've done the math, and for $25, we still end up with about twice as much in value even after deducting the items that we don't use. Once we had 4 large cans of menudo without hominy. My husband is Mexican and grew up eating menudo, but he prefers when I make this spicy soup with tender pieces of pork instead of tripe. I've tasted tripe and even sliced pig ears in menudo and pozole so its not like I'm unwilling to try something different. (I've even tried fried grasshoppers - Hey, it was good enough for John the Baptist, right?) So no offense intended, but I would not choose to eat the remnants of an animal again unless we were in much more desperate times. Thankfully, we were able to give the soup to a relative so it didn't go to waste. I wish the same could be said for the gourmet Mozzarella/Prosciutto rolls that sat in the fridge for 2 months before I finally tossed them. I hate to waste food, but the strong basil flavor was so overly pungent and infused the entire cheese roll. It would probably be an ingredient Rachael Ray could do something with, but it just wasn't kid fare and the grown ups here weren't likin' it either. Well, along the way I've collected 4 large boxes of Jiffy Buttermilk Pancake Mix. I made pancakes with them once, but everyone decided that our regular recipe was much better. I wanted to make muffins today, but I was out of baking soda and baking powder. So, today I tried using the pancake mix to make pumpkin muffins. The results were not spectacular as the muffins were very dense. However, I'd call it a frugal success - 4 out 5 kids liked them. Pumpkin muffins with pancake mix (makes 24 muffins) 4 cups Jiffy Buttermilk Pancake Mix 1 cup sugar 1/2 cube of melted butter 2 eggs 2 cups canned pumpkin 1 cup water 1 cup Raisins Pumpkin pie spice (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon) Preheat oven to 425. Mix together as you would with muffins (mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine). Pour into greased muffin tray or into paper muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Serve with honey-butter or cream cheese. |
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I was surprised to find out that Elmer's School Glue can go bad. My husband was in our school supply drawer looking for wood glue to fix the kitchen drawers. He asked if our Elmer's Washable School Glue was wood glue since the color was brownish yellow like what he was looking for. I opened the bottle and sniffed. Ugh! What a mistake. It was obviously past its useful life. I looked at the bottle, but found no expiration date. Only the following stamp: M09C112 which meant nothing to me. So I went to their website and in their FAQ they state: "If stored properly and capped tightly, Elmer's school glues and wood glues have an average shelf life of 2 years; Krazy Glue, also known as a cyanoacrylate, has a shelf life of approximately 12 - 18 months." So, this glue was obviously over 2 years old. |
 This is my storage and transporting solution for library books. We have at between 25 and 50 library books checked out at one time. There is no room on our already crowded bookshelves so this folding garden cart is the perfect solution. It is sturdy, but rolls quietly through the library aisles. |
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Until now I've been relatively unaffected by the economic down turn. As a freelance bookkeeper, my clients have been steady and consistent over the last 6 years. However, a few days ago, I received a perfunctory dismissal. They had decided that they were going to "go in another direction with a less skilled but less costly alternative". They needed to "make cuts across the board" to turn a profit. Fast to process my options, I surprised them & myself by offering to meet their revised budget for my services. They hadn't considered that I would be willing to stay on for 1/2 my customary wage. Afterall, who would be willing to do that? I'll tell you who. Me - someone who is already living paycheck to paycheck - freelancing part-time so that I can be home with my kids. From that perspective, a reduction of 50% is better than a reduction of 100%. Now I have to figure out how to earn the difference which turns out to be a net reduction of 22% of my monthly income. Ouch. |
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This afternoon we went out to the backyard to help my husband clear the weeds. During the winter and early spring, the backyard looks green and pretty. However, as soon as the weather turns warmer, the green is replaced by lots of tall, brown, weeds. So, he got out the weed whacker to clear away the overgrown and now not so pretty weeds.
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Today I had to drive into the back country for business. The forecast was for rain. It was overcast & dry on the coast, but during the drive east, it rained and even hailed. We ascended from sea level to an elevation of 3000 feet within the hour drive. On arrival, 0ur destination felt so much further than the 50 miles we had traveled - so foreign from the coastal suburban area where we reside. On the way, the kids saw Indian reservations, acres of orchards & oak trees, and even buffalo! It was a drive for us, but we got to test DH's new GPS. I'm sure I would have gotten lost a few times on this trip were it not for our new navigator. We purchased it at K-mart. After rebate, the net cost of the Nextar X3-03 was $79.99. It is affordable - a great value for the features. We found it easy to use and slim and sleek in design. I loved the speed limit warning beep. The voice is clear although the pronuciation of some of the Spanish names sound quite strange. All accessories were included . We are definitely pleased with the performance of this budget priced luxury item. |
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I spend one afternoon a week at a client's office. I am really blessed to do most of my bookkeeping from my home office, but the work for this client needs to be done in his office. I had a lot of errands to run today -- I needed to mail bills for another client, return dvds to the library, check out campsites for our upcoming local campout. So, I asked my husband to do the leg work for me. I was pleasantly surprised that he agreed to do so and even more surprised when he called to tell me that he was stopping off at Jack in the Box because the kids were hungry. He hates when I presume to know why he feels a certain way, so I won't guess. But I do know that he is frugal and he doesn't like spending money on fast food. He also prefers to ride shot gun when I'm ordering from the drive through. So, to me this was a big favor. |
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We went to Sea World today. The kids had a great time.
We splurged and purchased the $6 trays of fish to feed the bat rays and sea lions. I fed a bat ray and was startled by the strong suction on my hand. It was like a vaccuum hose! So perhaps the thrill was worth the exorbitant cost of a tiny fish head. The kids thought it was great to feed the animals so...cost of 5 fish heads $6, smiles on the kids faces...priceless! |
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I've done 4 loads of dishes today. In case you're wondering, when you have a family of seven -- 2 parents and 5 kids -- that homeschool and are at home for 3 meals a day, it is very easy to get behind with the dishes. Thankfully I have a dishwasher and 2 helpers, my 8 and 10 year old daughters. They've each helped to unload the dishes once today. My 8 year old even helped by rinsing the first load of dirty dishes. My daughters both hate loading. It is disgusting since so many of the plates and utensils aren't rinsed although that is the rule. So, needless to say, the crusty food or soggy food is really gross. For some reason I feel guilty assigning them this icky chore. I'm not quite sure why I feel guilty delegating it; I'll try to process that later. I've done several loads of laundry & I'll probably do at least a few more before going to bed at midnight. Loads of towels, comforters, bedroom rugs, kids' clothes, mom's clothes -- again, easy to get behind when you have a large family. Actually, I'm not really behind with laundry. I've been doing well with keeping up with it. Its just when its time to wash all the bedding, it looks like the garage has been taken over by piles of linens. We played outside for about a 1/2 hour today -- the fun was cut short after our neighbor came to the fence to warn us that he had seen a snake coming from our yard earlier. The backyard is is a magnet for local wildlife and along with resident raccoons, skinks, common fence lizards, and frogs, we have already had a few close encounters of the serpent kind. So far we've only seen gopher snakes, but with the weeds knee high in some places, I thought it would be best to play another day after DH goes at it with a weed whacker. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, and oranges for breakfast, chicken sandwiches for lunch, tangerines & chocolate shortbread Barney cookies for a snack and pasta and mini pizza for dinner. I bought the mini pizza crusts at the 99cent only store. 4 ready-made refrigerated pizza crusts for 99 cents was a great deal in my book! Topped with mozzarella cheese & leftover meat sauce from Sunday's spaghetti , it was a quick and frugal alternative to more costly delivery pizza. All I ate today was a bag of Hersey Kissables, 2 Entenman's plain donuts, & 1/2 of a mini-pizza -- still I shudder to count the points on today's menu. I joined Weight Watchers in January, but within the last 2 weeks, I've completely lost my "momentum". I missed last weeks meeting and I've not only fallen off the horse, but my foot is caught in the stirrup and I'm being dragged down the bumpy dirt road! Homeschool went well again today. Although I'm using the same Saxon math book for my 3rd and 4th graders, I have recently begun teaching them separately. I'm working with my 3rd grader first and then giving a more prepared and practiced version of the lesson to my 4th grader. They each learn differently, and I finally figured out that even though we may be studying the same or similar concepts, they learn better when I teach math separately. I'm hoping that if we can keep up the positive, one-on-one math time, that they'll both progress well. For language arts, they each wrote a short story and spent 1/2 and hour on studyisland.com. I worked with my 1st grader Saxon math, but we didn't get to work on phonics today. For science all the kids and I continued to learn about germs. I read aloud from Bill Nye's book, Great Big Book of Tiny Germs. Then we did a simple science experiment. |