Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Recovering

Our Holiday recovery has seemed slower than normal this year. I think many factors are involved, but we were hit with a stomach virus and several of the kids and myself just haven't felt well. Buster tried to make me feel better by cooking me up a snack, but I just wasn't hungry. Our new family room really is great in the aspect that we are able to have so many toys in there without feeling crowded. That wasn't true in the old house.

I can't believe it is already Wednesday! I am glad we still have a few days of vacation left before we are back to the grind!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!


Friday, December 23, 2011

Final Stretch



We are definitely in the Christmas home stretch now. We had a great day today. We went out to eat and to the mall. The kids got to see Santa. Only Boo was afraid and she got outta there as quickly as possible. Of course not before placing her order. Tonight we have a dress rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service and then hopefully will have time to watch a movie. I just want to pump the brakes, this is going way too fast!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

So Handsome!


Getting Our Party On

Please excuse my poor quality cell phone pics! The last couple of days we have been really enjoying the season. We celebrated at Youth Group with reindeer cupcakes which were really cute. The kids also practiced for their Saturday performance. It's going to be so cute!






The older girls also had a Christmas Party here at the house. They made gingerbread houses, enjoyed snacks, listened to Christmas music, and watched Christmas movies. There were 10 kids in the house, but it wasn't too crazy. They had a lot of fun!











If the roads clear up we are going to look at lights tonight. If not, then tomorrow night after our dress rehearsal we will. I can't believe how fast this month has gone!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Cleaning

It's important to tackle little things like dentist appointments over the break, so today I took Tea to have her teeth cleaned and examined. She did wonderfully. She has one small cavity in a baby tooth, but it is sensitive so we'll go back after Christmas to have it filled. She will also be having her molars sealed that day. It feels good to get these things out of the way.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Week in Review XV

What a busy week we had. It seemed incredibly long for several reasons I am sure, but mostly because we were so excited to finish up the week and enjoy our two week vacation.

Language Arts was fun this week. Midge read the book The Snowy Day and did several related crafts. She improved even more this week, remembering all of her sight words and such. She also knows her numbers from 0-100 and can identify them when reading. Tea finished Forest Fables and did a poster project about the characters. She also took her 3rd assessment and is ready to move on. We will work on alphabetizing. She understands the concept, but I think practice will improve her speed. Chiggie finished her unit and took assessment 3 as well. She can identify all parts of speech and parts of a letter. She will move onto a poetry unit after the break. She wrote a descriptive paragraph about her best friend this week and her writing is really improving. No more Dick and Jane style for her.

Our Church program is coming along well. If the girls don't know the Christmas story by heart, they never will. Chiggie is the narrator, Tea is an angel, and the little girls are sheep.

Math was just same 'ol this week. Midge learned how to figure the perimeter of an object using counters. She likes to do this a lot. We are working on money and will play around with that even during the break. Tea is moving onto more geometric concepts. She has mastered working with money. We will continue to cement those addition and subtraction facts over the break. Chiggie moved on to division with a double digit divisor and has no trouble. She will be working on division and multiplication facts.

We finished the moon in science. We will continue with our moon charts throughout the month. We didn't get the chance to watch the lunar eclipse when it happened, but we were able to watch a video. The girls really thought it was neat. After the break we will be moving on to Mars.

Pirates were interesting in History. We read Pirate Diary, drew pirates, made pirate flags, and drew a treasure map. We all enjoyed this.

I am so happy that we have come so far and we are able to take a break. It will be so nice to sleep in and get more done around the house! We are also having a Christmas Party/Slumber party for the big kids. I can't wait for the King to be home so the fun can begin!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Week in Review XIV

Wow! Only 5 more school days until we are out for Christmas Vacation! We are counting down the days. We are having a party for the older girls over the break so that should be fun! Things went very smoothly this past week.

In Language arts Chiggie learned about prepositions. This is the last part of speech she will cover this year. The program we are using covers them each year getting more and more in depth over time. I like this a lot. Tea read the Ox Cart Man and we did a special little mini unit on seasons, both literal and figurative. She made a picture of a tree through all 4 seasons. Midge really cranked it up this week. We worked a lot with sounds. I would say a sound and she would write the corresponding letter. We also read several books that she enjoyed including I Love Chocolate Cake.

Math was a breeze for Tea and Midge with more practice on concepts they have already mastered. Midge really understands the number line and we're working on money. Tea needs to finish this book so we can move on. I want to make sure we don't miss anything important but she needs something more challenging. A couple of days last week she did three lessons and we may do the same this week. Chiggie is doing great, but her work takes longer and keeping her focused is a challenge. We've played around a bit with timing, but the truth is if it's not your favorite than there is no great time for math.

Science was more on the moon. This has been fun. The girls learned about gravity and lack thereof and how much they would weigh on the moon. Next week we will be charting the phases and observing the moon in the sky.

In history we learned about two more colonies, The Carolina's and New Jersey. We have begun our study of pirates. They had to make a list of what they know and when we are done they'll fill it what changed. Their lists were cute!

They have also been doing several holiday related activities I have printed off of Enchanted Learning. This is a great tool for especially Tea. She loves puzzles and most worksheets. It keeps her entertained for sure!

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Buster is a Belieber



Sunday, December 04, 2011

More Snow!

The kids keep peeking out the window to see if it's still snowing. We are supposed to get a decent amount this time. We have had a snowy Fall so far. I love it when it's seasonal. After New Year's....not so much.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Parade of Lights 2011









Practicing

Buster has spent all of his bath time lately practicing swimming. I, of course, am always right there watching. He's quite a good little swimmer though...

Week in Review XII and XIII

Ideas, ideas, and more ideas. The past couple of weeks have left me with so many ideas to ponder. Last week we immensely enjoyed a small break for Thanksgiving. We took three days off which were spent with the King, and we loved every minute of it. The two days that we did school were spent on reading, math facts, and holiday crafting. It was a lot of fun!

This week was back to the grind. In language arts Chiggie is still really liking her writing book. We are seeing progress already. I love the step by step approach. Tea is learning about comma placement and use of quotations. She is reading up a storm and almost finished with Nim's Island. Midge is still pounding away at her phonics. From the beginning of the year she has really progressed.

We are handling Bible a little different for the holiday season. We are focusing on the birth of Christ, music, and their church Christmas pageant. They are enjoying this and so am I.

Chiggie is working with division of decimals in math. Tea is adding 3 digit numbers, learning different measurements, and identifying more complex geometric shapes. Midge is adding with the number line and reading graphs. Things are smooth for now.

We began our study of the moon this week in science. We all love science. I think it's definitely a favorite!

In history we finished up our study of the discovery of the Mississippi River, Peter Stuyvesant and New Amsterdam, and some mapping.

I'm not entirely sure yet, but we have made the decision to go to a 4 day school week. We really need that extra day to schedule things that come up. There are a lot more of those than I had anticipated when we started. We will also probably move towards a more year aroundish type schedule. I'd like to take at least 8 weeks in the summer!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Apprentice

"Oh grasshopper, you have so much to learn. Stick with me and you'll be fine!"

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tea vs. The Tree

Today while playing outside in the "fort", which is really just a big pine tree they like to crawl under, Tea was scraped near the eye with a branch. It got her pretty good. She is giving this sad face for dramatic effect, but I am glad we don't have Christmas pictures scheduled antime soon!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Vacation

We have had such a wonderful little vacation from "real" life this last week. Thanksgiving was awesome. The meal was delicious and we had a lot of fun playing games and just hanging out. We spent the day Friday putting up all of our decorations both indoor and out. Today I went grocery shopping and we organized a bit more. We finally hung a curtain in front of the laundry room and put up a matching valance in the kitchen. Then tonight the King and I went to see Breaking Dawn. We both really liked it. It has been so nice to have all of this time together and we still have much to look forward to. Next weekend we are going to the parade and the Christmas season will officially begin. I even baked banana bread and more pumpkin roll for the King to take back to work.

Friday, November 25, 2011

First Holiday Season


It is exciting to be experiencing our first holiday season in the new house. I was a little nervous to decorate this year. I have been decorating the same house for years, so I just knew where everything should go. Surprisingly it went even more smooth than normal. I think it is because we have so much more room here, but I'm not sure. We have a few more things to put finishing touches on, but overall it looks great. I love the feeling of being done and able to just sit back and enjoy the month of December. I like the way the new fireplace looks with the stockings hung. It really makes it feel like home!

Scenes From the Day











Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!



God

Family

Happy, healthy kids

A new house


And so much more! I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Completion







Monday, November 21, 2011

The Before

Every single room in our new house needs painted. Badly. The kitchen isn't even the most needy, but it rose to the top of the priority list because we are in here the most. As you can see it is currently lovely, or not, lime green. Seriously, think sherbet lime green. Not cool. So today it is being painted a lovely sandbar color that matches the counter tops and ties in my Coca-Cola theme. I will post pics as the process continues!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Raking Part II

Today was another afternoon spent raking and raking and raking. The King also used the leaf vacuum, but it's not really fast enough for me. The kids even had leaf bagging contests. The leaves are off of the trees for the most part and the front now looks like this. I wish I would've thought to take a picture before, but imagine a thick mat of leaves.


We got everything done but the compost area on the side of the house where the trampoline will eventually go. Whew! 35 bags and counting. We have to be done by Wednesday if we want the leaves picked up by the city.








Saturday, November 19, 2011

Fastest Day Ever

With the time change the days just seem to be getting shorter and shorter. We slept in a bit today after a very late night. Everybody was feeling good this morning so we decided to go swimming. We took my little sisters along and it was a great morning to go. It wasn't super crowded and the water was so warm. Buster even enjoyed himself and when it's chilly he doesn't. Afterwards we grabbed lunch and then headed home for naps and resting. Everyone who needed one took a nap and the others played quietly. I got some laundry and cleaning up done which is always a plus. Tomorrow will be very busy with more raking. Will it ever end? I think most of the leaves are at least off of the trees now!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Week in Review XI

What an interesting week this was. We enjoyed a day on the road, where surprisingly we accomplished everthing we need and then some. We were overscheduled this week, but we enjoyed all of the activies. I have a feeling this is going to be a very busy season for us and managing our time well will be a must.

In language arts it was a huge relief to be back to normal with Chiggie. She is starting a new writing book and works on that each morning while I am working with the little girls on calendar and handwriting. So far we love this book. It breaks the writing process down into very simple steps. She is also doing a literature study on the book Trumpet of the Swan which she is enjoying. She also got all of her spelling words correct with no trouble. Tea read a new story in her Forest Friends book and worked on adjectives and commas. We also worked in spelling with ea words which she grasped quickly. Midge's focus this week was on sharing and being thankful. She read several stories with this theme. Each week she is learning new sight words and while progress is slow at this point she is learning. Both Tea and Midge like working on handwriting and it is a great time filler when I am working with Chiggie.

In Bible we are talking about the Fall and how it effected the earth we live on. The girls have been acting out Bible stories on their own with their barbies as well. I like the book we are using, but might look for something more for Chiggie next year.

I am finally seeing why I feared math the most. It's not that it's really hard, it's just very time consuming at this point. They are all 3 learning new concepts and need one on one. I don't foresee this lasting very long though. Chiggie is learning to solve equations with +,-,/, and *. She is finally liking it I think. Tea is adding 3 digit numbers, money with decimals, and continuing to advance with telling time and fractions.

In history we learned about Marquette and Jolliet along with Peter Stuyvesant. I like that the curriculum we are using covers such a wide variety of topics. The girls enjoy it. We will be learning more about pirates soon and they're very excited for that. We also made pilgrim hat place settings for Thanksgiving. I think they turned out nicely.
We are still talking about planet Earth in science. This week we made advertisements selling the planet. They were very creative. Midge's had several drawings of things from other planets such as volcanoes, craters, and clouds of sulfuric acid with x's through them. It was very cute and shows me how much she is learning. They were all great. We also made edible Earth's. The Crust was chocolate, with a rice krispy treat mantel, and a fireball making the inner and outer core. Of course they loved this and they were pretty tasty.



As a family we are reading Stuart Little. It is much different than the movie and we're liking it a lot so far. Next week we are only doing school on Monday and Tuesday. We are excited for our 5 day vacation!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Testing








Today Boo and Midge had karate belt testing. They love testing day. Balloons and suckers are involved. Congrats girls. We now have a purple belt and a blue belt!




Monday, November 14, 2011

Raking and Staying Focused

Today I raked so many leaves it was unbelievable. This weekend's wind storm sped up the leaf dropping process. I wish I could say it's over, but 16 bags later and I would still guess we get at least 6-7 more. The kids were a huge help. They are working to earn money for little Christmas trees for their rooms. They rode their bikes while I raked and then helped me bag. It's nice that they are getting old enough to truly be helpful.

This week is proving to be insane. We have something going on every day and several things on some. From flu-shots to concerts to karate belt testing. I guess we're trying to fit it all in before our vacation next week. We are all very much looking forward to next week, but I'm trying to get the kids to understand that the more we get done now, the more we will be able to relax then.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

One Down


Here is Boo, just before she got sick. One minute happily playing on her scooter, begging to have her picture taken, the next heaving and running a fever. Poor, poor, Boo. She is so very sweet and I hate to see her feel lousy. I can't help but wonder who might be next?


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Self Portraits































Friday, November 11, 2011

Week in Review X

Only one more week left until Thanksgiving break! School is going great, but it will be nice to have some time off and the King will be home to enjoy it with us!

In Language Arts this week Midge and I read the book Caps For Sale and she loved it. Afterwards she made this neat puppet of herself wearing the caps. She had me draw the face, but she colored all the caps and glued them to "her" head. Tea started her new reader and enjoyed the first story. Chiggie finished up her unit on tall tales and I'm pretty sure we're equally relieved.

In Bible we started discussing the concept of an imperfect word created by a perfect God. I am surprised at how much they are grasping. I'm glad I decided to do a formal Bible study as I am realizing that they really are capable of understanding some of the more complex stories and ideas.

Math continued to be challenging but we made it through. Tea finished book 1 and will start book 2 on Monday. I am pretty sure I have decided to go ahead and start the 2nd grade book after Christmas. She doesn't even seem to find what she's doing challenging, but we can't skip the foundational steps. Midge is adding using the number line and it takes awhile, but she has the concept down. Chiggie is multiplying multiple digit numbers and dividing with remainders. Again, this takes time, but she gets it.

In History we finally finished up our unit on Indians. We made fry bread today to celebrate and it was a success. They loved it with honey. When I asked where they thought the Indians might have gotten honey Midge answered, "Whinnie the Pooh?" It was very cute. We cut our bread out with our gingerbread boy cutters which made it even more fun.


I would say that Science was the favorite this week. We have moved on to planet Earth and are learning all kinds of things. We read The Magic School Bus Inside the Solar System this week and even I learned a lot.

In their spare time the older girls have been working on their drawing with a site they found that gives step by step insructions. They both have a knack for it and came up with some pretty good ones. Here is Tea with her squirrel she drew entirely on her own.




We have several projects next week including finishing our Pilgrim hat place settings and making an edible Earth. Until then we plan to enjoy the relaxation the weekend promises....