Wordless Wednesday 22

SICK

Kyle bronchitis.

Alexis ear infection so just taking it easy.

 Zachary wanted to make something to help daddy feel better and this was his creation.

Daddy loved his gift and it did help him feel better!

Nature In Winter

My kids love nature. I'm very blessed to have them enjoy being outside whether it’s to play or hike or even do school. Before we moved in July we had lots of winter weather, tons of snow, ice and just down right freezing temperatures. However this winter has been a huge change for us. We have been able to go outside without an extra layer of clothes on! Just placing a jacket on for us is highly odd.

We aren't used to the weather down here just yet. It seems insane to be January and the temperatures bordering 70s!!! 

We have not been outside a lot this winter simply because we have had some kind of sickness since the first of December. We have been sick a lot! I think the germs can't get killed out properly because of the warm temperature!

We can still play outside just as we do in the summer to be honest! The kids wear a toboggan and a large jacket and off they go.

They constantly want to play outside. They love playing Cowboys and Indians, playing with our pets and they also shoot their bows for practice.

As for nature.

We observe birds. We have a lot of Cardinals, Male and Female pairs. We have put out feeders just for them. My oldest has been studying birds for the last 2 weeks in his Biology and Lexi started last week in to studying them with Apologia. They have both started being more observant on what's in the yard. Because of it being colder weather we try to make sure we have food in the feeders since food is scarce for them. 

We have made bird houses and placed them around in trees away from the yard to try to encourage them to stay around. Nothing is sweeter than waking up to the sound of a bird song.

 

We have put out apples hanging in the tree just to see if they would eat them and yep they did and seemed to enjoy them a lot.

We have chickens that we keep for eggs and we do slaughter some of them for meat. We do get quite attached to them, my daughter especially. She names and loves each one. They are responsible for feeding and watering them and never see it as a chore, its considered play time. They even talk "chicken" and the chickens will run to them.

We have done 2 scavenger hunts. One in autumn and one since it really got cold for winter. The kids always seem to love a good challenge.

Last week it was really cold and we did get some winter weather! 

ICE!

 So trying to keep with the theme we made some of our very own icy snowflakes. I'm horrible at craft time but I was determined to improve this year remember my word was "intentional". 

We used colored pipe cleaners, cut them and wrapped them around to make a snowflake shape.

You’re going to need Borax,  a deep pot or Tupperware container and hot water.

Mix 3 tablespoons of Borax to each cup of hot water you have to use to fill up your container. I actually needed 9 cups to fill my container up. I measured the container before the project with just plain water to see how much Borax I needed to measure out.

Mix the hot water with the Borax and dip the snowflakes into the mixture and let them sit overnight. The next morning you will have some beautiful crystalized snowflakes like we did.

This is how we decided to display them! 

I just twisted the pipe cleaner around a plastic coat hanger and hung in our favorite window!

I hope you enjoy the winter. It’s not my favorite season but it is necessary.

 I'm part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew's Blog Cruise on Winter Nature! Go on over and check out all the wonderful ideas the other homeschool mom's have about this topic!

T for Trust Kids - NOT

 

This is my first week participating with Marcy on her Blogging through the Alphabet adventure. I'm starting very late since this week is letter T.

When I think of words for T I think of:

Trust

Tulips

Trucks

Temperature

My pick is T is for Trust.

Trust is something that is earned not just something that is given.

Do you trust your children? Just when I think I've made some huge progress I get showed that they are indeed still children.

Take for instance last week...

The kids went outside to play on one of our not raining days. We've been getting so much rain lately. They played out for a while and then Zachary came in and asked if they could play with their airsoft guns. I didn't have a problem with it simply because they understood our rules for using them.

See the airsoft guns are something both of my boys have gotten into loving. My nephew is a year older than Kyle and goes to public school and he informed Kyle right at Christmas time that his friends and he enjoy having an airsoft war.

How did hubby and I find this out you may be asking?

Well because they were going to have one. Kyle asked for some of our science goggles and I don't normally question them simply because I love for them to use their imagination. Sad to say I may ask next time when its "off the wall".  

They got goggles and proceeded to shoot each other with airsoft bb's. It's the new thing! I mean what kind of mother and father would we be if we didn't allow them to pursue ideas as others do? 

Needless to say they have been grounded from the airsoft guns for almost 2 weeks.

The 2 week period was up on this given day and they asked for them after being outside playing some more. I reviewed the rules for having them and everything was understood.

 Sure it was...

What to my amazement happened? 

They shot each other again. My smallest started it and my oldest decided since Zachary had done it first he would just follow. So much for the oldest being a good role model! I knew to keep an eye on them and needless to say they had a little fit when they noticed me watching. I told them to bring them in and place them on hubby and my bed. That we would talk about this when daddy got home.

Then the crying starts just because I normally take care of things so they knew they crossed the line when "waiting for daddy to get home" was used!

Daddy comes home and sits down at the table for a talk. DH asks them why they broke the rules. Zachary said "because daddy we are idiots!" Kyle denies doing any shooting. He lied 3 times before confessing to shooting and being in on it with Zachary. The lying got him a spanking. That is the one rule that I enforce with GREAT CONSISTENCY. I can't stand to be lied to; I can't stand a liar, especially from my children that I sacrifice everything for. Not only did he lie to hubby and I but the example that it sets for my other 2 children is unacceptable. Don't get me wrong, we do not punish this way normally, but you can only tolerate so much sin in your home and for me it’s lying.

I guess it comes with a sense of trust. A liar can't be trusted. It takes years to repair lies. Just like a theft, you wouldn't trust them. They are no different than a liar. 

My children are great kids. They make mistakes just like I do. I remember being a child and lying! It’s part of childhood and exploring and growing into who you are going to be.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.   

Romans 3:23         

By the way - I much would of rather blogged about Tulips... 

Weekly Menu 1/28

This week The Arrowood Zoo is eating:

Monday

Little Hamburgers with broccoli rice

Tuesday

Chicken Casserole

Wednesday

Beef tips

steamed carrots, cauliflower and broccoli

with rice and shrimp sauce

Thursday

Homemade Pizza - Yum

Friday

Porkloin rice and beans

Saturday

Breakfast - Eggs, bacon and hash-browns

Sunday

 YOYO

 which normally means leftovers!

Weekly Wrap 21

 

 

This week has been great. I love our new schedule and man do we get everything done this way. I wish I would have been more intentional about fixing our slump before now, BUT I'm just happy that it has got done. The kids have come to understand the entire schedule and Lexi even wore a watch a few times this week because we do keep to a strict 30 minute time for everything.

Alexis is having a lot of fun with a review item from Apologia. She loves it. I have enjoyed watching her read and learn and do the experiments within. She has a favorite though... The notebooking journal!! 

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and we celebrated this just by going over some basic history of his life and legacy left behind. The kids do this every year or so. I try to change what I do just so they have knowledge of what the day means. We did do school. We didn't take it off for a holiday.

We also started a new review item on Monday. We received Gods Great Covenant: Old Testament 1. We will tell you more about it in our upcoming review! However let me just say I have really enjoyed it so far. It's great to talk to your kids about the Bible and read it but I do feel like putting some work into the Bible will help them retain the information better. I am truly blessed to have children that enjoy learning about God.

 

Tuesday we enjoyed getting to treat hubby's sister to a birthday supper. Since moving down closer to family we have really enjoyed having people over. She actually comes normally once a week to eat supper with us and laugh, joke and just talk with us. We love her so much. I had text her asking her if we could steal her on her birthday and I was totally shocked when she said she didn't have plans!!! I was so happy because I knew just what I was fixing her. Baked Spaghetti, Salad and garlic toast with sweet tea and a slice of cheesecake!! Her favorites! The kids had made her birthday cards and we had to run to Wal-Mart that day so they begged to "buy" her something so we choose a gorgeous set of pink roses for her to enjoy. The funny part was as soon as she walked in she commented on mine in a vase on the table and said how long it had been since she received any. It was so sweet to be able to show her we loved her with something she hadn't had in a long time.

The rest of our week was just schooling as normal! 

Kyle had to make a birdhouse out of a milk carton in his science this week and he enjoyed that. He decorated the milk carton and then enjoyed climbing the tree to place it high up in. I hope that a bird will enjoy the home because he is monitoring it. He has also really started liking his Business Math - Pet Shop. He has made his logo which I posted a couple weeks ago and has moved along to making an inventory list of his first order and pricing all the items. He had to figure his cost for the items and then the markup which was a little hard for him but he actually wouldn't use a calculator. I'm proud of that however I will totally tell on myself, since hubby wasn't here to check I totally had to use the calculator to check the problems. I know horrible but I'm just keeping it real! I'm not good at math and I have learned and gotten better over the homeschooling years but still have much to learn and refresh on.

We have made so much progress on All About Spelling with this new schedule I just can't be thankful enough. He is doing really great with the rules and me reviewing.

Kyle also joined me for my Luke Bible study. We are on week two with Good Morning Girls. They posted a child study and so he said he would enjoy it with me.

Alexis really enjoyed her science review item this week. She loves the notebooking journal and does it without being asked or lead to complete. She enjoyed the experiment this week too. She laughed and really enjoyed it. Look for my review soon. She is doing so great with her multiplication. The new math is a huge hit with her and Zachary. She and I had some rare alone time this week, Thursday to be exact and we hit Fatz(her favorite place) wide open for lunch. We ate for under $11, then we went to the library(one of her favorite places she got the next Little House on the Prairie book) and to the Dollar Store because she wanted a few things. We bought some decorations for Valentines and came home to decorate our large picture window. It was a wonderful evening of mother daughter time that we rarely get. 

She also finished her gigantic book!! She finished Little House on the Prairie in two weeks. I am very proud of her for this. The book was huge and she is only 9 and finished it all on her own. I read a few chapters here and there but only because I wanted to read to her not because she asked me. Not only did she love reading it but she was able to comprehend it wonderfully too!

Zachary has had some issues this week. He is the only one that isn't thrilled about the schedule. He thinks it’s to long for him to have to do school. However he gets more breaks just the time is outlined on what to do. He loves his math book. He is really learning more of a variety now which was some of the highlights of changing to something new. He is learning to tell time and learning to add up to the thousands place. He is also working on a review from Handwriting Without Tears. He has mixed feelings about this but that’s alright we will work that out or maybe we won't, but I love it. Does that count?

 

All About Reading has took a turn in the slow lane. He is really trying so hard that he's getting frustrated with himself. I see him losing the love for it. So I have talked with Kevin and we are just going slow and kinda back tracking to make sure he feels comfortable before we try to move back forward. He has picked up the /ch/ /th/ and /sh/ blend really well but more than that is to much for his little self right now.

 

He has been learning about Birds still this week and we wrapped that up.

We did a craft this week!! Woohoo me!! I know that’s awful; however I’m trying to be more intentional remember that’s my word for 2013. We made borax snowflakes and they turned out so pretty. The kids really didn’t think it would work. I told them it would look like real snowflakes after it soaked all night. Still they didn’t believe me, so the next morning they were ready and guess what? They looked like they had been iced over for a while. The colored pipe cleaners really made it look awesome.

 You use 1 cup hot water to 3 tbsp Borax to fill up whatever container your going to use. Stir and try to dissolve the Borax,  Then just allow them to soak over night and this will be your results. (BTW it took 9 cups of water for my container)

 

Today is National Opposite Day and man oh man have my kids had fun and I mean F U N with this one! It’s sleeting at our house and we are getting ice and a little snow but more ice than anything. So I am just praying we keep power! The kids said mom maybe our snow flakes could really have ice on them by the end of the day.....

I started exercising this week. I have been feeling blah and get tired easy so I thought I was going to do something about it while I still could. I am exercising 3 days a week for 45 minutes to a Jillian Michels DVD. Might I also add that the first day I thought I had done so well got through the majority of it and by night I wasn't sore. I woke the next morning barely able to walk for about the first 10 minutes of the morning!!!!! Kids had fun with that one. I am no longer sore on my legs... It moved to my stomach!

Wordless Wednesday Week 21

Weekly Menu 1/21

 

Menu planning is simple and doesn't take me a few minutes but in my week it helps save me so much time and energy. I ask the kids and hubby of course what they would like. I also look for sale items and see what is in our freezer. This is a life saver for me a lot of weeks. I stray sometimes but over all this helps me so much. I am a little OCD with planning things but everyone in my house will admit they enjoy knowing what the meal is for that day. It will also help you save money!! 

 

Monday - Left Overs

My mother cooked a lot of food for my birthday supper yesterday so we will be eating that again to not be wasteful. By the way it was also very good lol.

Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti, Salad and Garlic Toast.

This is for my sister in laws birthday. I love her so and I'm so happy that we are close enough now to provide a simple meal for a special occasion. We will also have a cake or pie, I haven't fully decided yet simply because she is more about the food than the dessert!  

Wednesday - Bow Tie Chicken (we didn't eat this last week)

Thursday - Soup and Grilled Cheese

Weather is suppose to turn cold again so this will warm us up!

Friday - Steaks and Baked Potatoes

Saturday - Left Overs or Sandwiches

Sunday - I haven't fully decided on a roast or chili I guess this will depend on the weather as well.

What are you eating this week?

Weekly Wrap Up 20

 

Wow has it really already been 20 weeks of schooling?????? 

How time flies.

This week has been really wonderful. I've been sick but still the week was great. Our new schedule is great. It’s a wonderful fit for us. In last week’s post I talked about unexpected guests and it kind of messed up the homeschool schedule I had ready for our new year.  Man we got a lot finished and accomplished this week. 

I'm going through some stomach/digestive issues. My big 3-0 is this Sunday and I feel as if I'm falling apart. Yes thirty isn't old but it is age defying to me. Personally it's a battle I've had for years, I actually cried when my husband turned thirty. Seriously I am having issues with my stomach that I can't control. At first I thought it was a virus. This started back in December and has stayed back and forth the entire time. I'm starting this week to keep a food journal and try to rule out what the issue is. The odd part is it started kind of out of the blue. It bothers me all night long; I'm not being able to sleep well. Cramps, like a washing machine in my stomach. I've tried not eating and well I love food so that didn't help and besides I kind of need food to live. Please pray the Lord will guide and heal my issues.

We are sharing a lot of our time in the mornings with Bible, Classical Conversations and Math. This again has worked out greatly this week. We really had some interesting Bible study this week. I had the kids make a few sketches during our talks and readings and this is just some of my favorites!

The pictures are about putting our treasures in the Lord. The other lesson was about are we pretending to be things we aren't, but for us to remember we can't fool God.

Classical Conversations for us this week was parts of a plant. We also learned new timeline motions to go with our timeline.

Don't even ask about that wild smile...

Kyle worked on his 17th Century Lapbook and made a pretty large dent in it this week. He has really enjoyed his Growing with Grammar and LLATL to my wild surprise. Hey - he is growing and changing. I'm not saying they are his favorite but he isn't grumbling in completing them!

Lexi has done really wonderful with everything. She loves school work and anything that involves us together! During her down time this week she enjoyed watching the rain. The porch is right in front of where she is looking out and the rain falls off of it onto the ground which is something she enjoyed watching! We've had a ton of rain this week. We also teamed together the first part of the week on Science with Lexi and Zachary learning about Birds. How and why they fly, why the land, about feathers, nests, food and their beaks. You will see her very pretty labeled bird.

Okay if you will look at the bottom of her page the lesson was asking her a question...

Why do you think the words you underlined 

start with a capitol letter? 

Her reply was - I do not know :)

I just laughed and then went back with her over why we capitalize the word Bible and He when speaking about our Lord.

Zachary wasn't too happy about this new schedule that was introduced Monday. When he looked at his and saw that it had a time until 2 in the evening he panicked. Really, he had a little fit. I was S H O C K E D. I just couldn't believe he reacted this way. It was kind of funny but sad all in one time. There are breaks and remember he can't read very well so he didn't know anything but from 9 till 2 was a long time! Bless his little heart.

 He loves his new math book. He really has enjoyed the selection of items to do on each page. This is a really great fit for him at this point in his learning.

 Reading time this week at different points... I love these moments best...

And last but NOT least. National Dress Your Pet Up Day was Monday. Simon would like to say thank you for letting Lexi know this valuable information.

He was a Cow-Boy for a few hours.

Also National Appreciate a Dragon Day was Thursday and we watched Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We love all Narnia movies and wish they would just go on and on. Perfect movie for the appreciation of a dragon!