Sweet Sixteen

We celebrated my oldest daughters birthday today. A little early but she wanted to have a small party (which we haven't done in a number of years.) Her actually birthday is the 28th. We decided on trying to do an English Garden theme. She did a few games with either words from birthday, party, or words related to England. She also did another game with British literature where she read a quote from a book and her guests needed to guess the book and the author. After that they played a simple version of pictionary just for fun.

Her sister Natania and I decorated the basement in as many floral type things as we had. I bought some fabric, tulle, artificial flowers, and xmas lights. Thankfully those were at the stores very early this year. I did not want to hunt for those among our Christmas decorations - we have many, many boxes. Here are some of the photos:









I had her cake made at Sam's club and it was really good and a good price for the size that it was. A couple of the girls last minute couldn't make it which was too bad. I certainly couldn't have made this:






We also had a small section of a table with a few different types of candies - some hershey kisses, skittles, sweet tarts, dinner mints and life savers laid out in a variety of floral dishware. This was to be the "Sweet" in sweet sixteen. The girls had small purple bags to fill with some candy to take home.







A tribute to a sister. . . Arianna came up with this last minute and asked one of their mutual friends to help her with it.



She tried to put this to a rap kind of beat but here are the words:

S-i-x-t double E - N
thas right
she'z my best friend
smilez
cuz Gabrielle b the 1 who putz the smile on me
Mz. G-A-B-R to the I-E-L-L-E
We rappin' to say Happy B-day

Hearts for Home -October 20th USA

I stumbled upon this website the other day http://cherishedheartsathome.blogspot.com/
and am hoping to remember to participate in her Tuesday encouragement meme.

The things I am going to try to focus on for this coming week will be:

1. To make it a priority to read out loud to the kids. We do this for school but rarely find the time to do it for fun. We started the other day the book Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black. The kids seem to enjoy the story (it's an allegory) and each chapter ends with discussion questions. I'm curious to see how to the book continues and what connections they will make with the characters.

2. I'd like to get the girls involved in crafting. Some of them on occasion have worked on a few things but I'd like to get them working with their hands more either a craft or even cooking skills.

3. To encourage them as much as I can in their abilities and in their faith.

4. I personally would like to not get frustrated if we fall behind in what society would call and academic subject in school because we were focusing on building family relationships instead. After all which is really more important?

5. I was convicted that I have fallen short of teaching my kids to have a more eternal focus so that will be a continual goal. To show them the importance of their beliefs and how that affects their choices in life.

If you would like to find encouragement along your journey of raising your children pop on over to the website mentioned above. She has some interesting posts to read, great suggestions and beautiful artwork.

Funny Moments in the Children's Sermon

Yesterday, our vicar was doing a children's sermon and he was taken out of a bag some special items that held meaning for him. First he took out a teddy bear, then some military medals, and I forget the 3rd item because when he asked the kids what the item was (the medals) Micah said "they are World War I medals". He laughed, the congregation laughed and he told Micah he wasn't quite that old. The funny thing is we have been studying that time period in history class for the past several weeks. Every once in a while Micah comes out with some interesting comments that show he is really paying attention in school. A few weeks back he remembered that the first military tanks were nicknamed "mother". The congregation doesn't really approve of us homeschooling so I wonder if they even made the connection between Micah's comment and our history classes. But as the teacher I love these moments!! We need more of them to keep plugging along.

A Fun Read

Annaliese is getting into a new found series of books by Lois Walfrid Johnson. These books are great for two reasons first they are Christian fiction for kids. But this particular set is about the civil war which is one of her favorite time periods. She tells us often how Abraham Lincoln is her favorite president.


Here is photo from our summer vacation to Gettysburg. We had such a great time.


This is just one of the joys of homeschooling. Finding the subjects or topics that really interest your child and watching them just take off with enthusiasm. I'm going to blog next about Micah's funny church comment.

Daybook-October 19th

FOR TODAY...October 19th

Outside my window... a crisp, sunny fall day (my favorite time of year)

I am thinking... about the many things that need to get done today

I am thankful for... our homeschool group

I am wearing...still in my bathrobe. I thought I'd do this really quick before getting into the shower

I am remembering...fall days in New England

I am going... to snap fitness later today

I am reading...chapter 21 in the book of Isaiah

I am hoping... to get all our school work done

On my mind...how to create an English garden for my daughter's 16th birthday, that's her theme

From the learning rooms...I have sleepy children, not quite ready for a day of school

From the kitchen... breakfast is underway

Around the house... we need to get your typical cleaning done

One of my favorite things . . . apple picking

From my picture journal...

Go here to read what other woman are doing.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

My New Ride

We just bought this used truck recently. We can fit 10 passengers which is great plus it is 4wheel drive. We don't plan to use it for just "around town" or local places but it will be good for vacations and our frequent drives to Eau Claire especially in the winter months. I do okay driving it on the highway but I need a little more practice with parking lots that way I will feel more comfortable with driving it on my own.

Going From Six to Seven

My youngest Micah will be turning seven in November. I wouldn't have thought that one year could make that much difference in a little boy. He has really changed in school. He enjoys learning to read now, he works on his workbooks sometimes independently, he gets up for our long drive to choir without complaining. I've heard how boys learn differently than girls and how some are not academically ready for school until a little bit later than the traditional kindergarten age requirement. That seems true of Micah. Last year he did some things with us but after just a little while he would want to go play. I'm glad I let him and didn't give into the pressure one can sometimes feel with homeschooling. The "keeping up" with the educational system and kindergarten enrollment. In just the past few weeks Micah has been wanting to print everything on his own for his projects. That can be a lot of writing for a boy so in the past I've had him dictate to me what he wants to write down. Not this year, if I even suggest helping him he insists that I don't. The other day he told Gabrielle that history was his favorite subject.

Simple Woman's Daybook October 5

Okay, I am a day late on this daybook idea but here is my first attempt at trying this.

Outside my window... cold, rainy just plain yucky outside

I am thinking...how much I miss a New England fall day

I am thankful for... my husband and my kids

I am wearing... jeans and a new shirt from Goodwill

I am remembering...how good the sun felt during the warm summer months

I am going... to be taking my daughter to the orthodontist which she is dreading

I am reading...through the book of Isaiah

I am hoping... to find time to sew some primitive decorations for xmas and use a few for the churches cookie and craft sale in December

On my mind...not much right now, except how to make a link back to Peggy

From the learning rooms...how good Gabrielle is doing in math and how much the younger kids are learning about WWI

From the kitchen... fixing sandwiches

Around the house...trying to get caught up on the laundry

One of my favorite things~ the smell of pumpkin pie

From my picture journal...

Here is where you can join in the fun.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

All ready on Week 6

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here. Driving two times a week to Eau Claire gets very tiring for us or at least me. I feel like the weeks of school have just blurred into each other. We've been spending the majority of our time focusing on World War I for history. The younger kids have been learning about trench warfare, weapons including the use of gas, how soldiers spent the Christmas holiday during the war and we will move on to specific battles next week. I'm trying to finish up our lapbook pieces so I can throw in some weeks of studying the holocaust before jumping right into World War II.

The older kids have a more indepth study of the people and events of World War I. I don't really supervise their work -they do pretty well getting it done on their own.

We've been enjoying using Institute for Excellence in Writing that helps to teach the skills of key word outlining, paragraph structure, story writing and will eventually deal with essays and research papers. So far that is going really well for us. It takes the burden off of me to remember everything. It's funny how sometimes you can write yourself but not be able to explain the process very well. At least as a young adult, I was told I could write well but now that I am having to teach the process I thought I better get some additional help.

The younger three are learning about Europe for a little bit of geography. We have covered Spain and Portugal with a few details to finish. Then we will move onto France. Today I gave them a blank outline map of Europe to see which countries they could label either from what we've studied before or just somehow they pick up information that I didn't even know they had. This went really well. I expected alot of complaining but we broke it down into small sections, had a few incorrect guesses but that's okay, but they named as many as they could. We will do this a few times a week starting each time with a blank map to label. I bet in know time at all they will know all the relative locations of the countries that make up the continent of Europe. I'm hoping we can incorporate a few projects and recipes as we go.

Our apple picking field trip was rained out. We have had nothing but rain, clouds and cold around here for a while. I'm hoping we find one warm day before the apples are all gone.

We've started planning Gabrielle's 16th birthday party. It's hard to believe she is 16 now. She is having an English garden theme -hopefully I can pull that off. I'll post some pictures if it comes out the way I envision it. I keep trying to find a few minutes to post pictures from our summer vacation but I keep forgetting.

Happy Fall ya All

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I have a few children born in the season plus the trips to the apple orchards and pumpkin patch. I don't look forward to the cold but I do enjoy the signts and scents of the season and quick approach of Thanksgiving.

The Weeks are Flying By

It's hard to believe it is fall already. Our weeks are going by quickly. Last week we were learning about the Panama Canal, Albert Einstein, President Taft and Wilson. We are beginning a study of World War 1 following Tapestry of Grace (loosely for my younger 3) and incorporating lapbook projects from Hands of a Child. They are a unit based type company that produces lapbook study guides that are very easy to follow.

In addition to that we finally found time to start up our study of Shakespeare. We haven't gotten to far along but have talked about where he was born but that we have to use his baptism date for a general idea of when he was born because no one knows for sure about that. Here is a list of the books we are using for our study of Shakespeare.

We started the first lesson in Institute for Excellence in Writing level A for the younger two girls and level C for the older. This went really well. I wasn't sure if Annaliese would be able to follow the video and concept but she came through with flying colors.

1 Down and 35 to Go

We completed our first week of school for the 2009-2010 school year. Among our regular subjects the kids will be learning about poetry and Shakespeare. For the older two girls we will be studying Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Mid Summer's Night Dream using Parallel Text from the Perfection Learning Company. I'll do those same plays with the younger three but using the Shakespeare Can Be Fun Series that most libraries carry. I haven't decided on our composer or artist studies yet this year because our weeks will be busy now that we added an extra trip to Eau Claire (an hour away) for the kids to participate in a co-op. The older two will be getting drama and writing while the younger kids are enjoying PE, a science craft, and a class on the human body.

We are in the 20th century for history. So this week the kids learned about the Wright Brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, and Henry Ford.






Some of the things were learned about Orville and Wilbur was they were from Dayton, Ohio but also lived in Iowa and Indiana. Wilbur was the oldest. They opened a bicycle shop first before trying their hand at building an airplane. They tested their gliders in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and in 1903 they have the first controlled, engine powered glider the "Flyer".



Teddy Roosevelt was married twice. His first wife died after the birth of their daughter. We also learned he attended Harvard (our home state). Then we learned a fun fact that the the toy, a teddy bear, was named after him.

We also learned about Henry Ford and the Model T car. I was trying to post Natania's writing about Ford but I can't seem to get it to copy and paste correctly. Any other bloggers out there who can help me???

Now only 35 weeks to go! Happy Homeschool journey to all you fellow homeschoolers.

Take a Dip

I'm joining in the fun and posting a dip recipe from a recent southern living mag. Here it is: Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
7 bacon slices chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages cream cheese softened
1/3 cup half and half
4 oz crumbed blue cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat walnuts in a skillet over medium low heat 3-5minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove from skillet. Cook chopped bacon in skillet for 10min or until crisp. drain. Wipe skillet then add garlic and saute one minute. Beat cream cheese on medium speed with mixer. Gradually add half and half. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives. Spoon mixture into 2 (2 cup) individual baking dishes. Bake at 350 for 20-25min. or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Serve with grapes, pears, flatbreads or crackers. Enjoy!!

Another Broken Arm

Again, I find myself writing about broken bones and again from use of the trampoline at the neighbors house. My 9 year old Annaliese landed funny as she came down she tried to brace her fall with her hands. She ended up breaking her forearm just past the wrist by about an inch. We couldn't see the other bone but the doctor suspected that with this type of break it usually affects the other bone as well but it might just be a crack. She gets a full cast on Thursday or Friday and will need it for about a month to 5 weeks. She was pale as a ghost when it happened so that was one clue to me that it was broken, not to mention the constant pain, inability to move it and "don't touch it" over and over again. So if you are reading this send up a little prayer for speedy healing. We started school today and tomorrow starts our homeschool groups co-op. Annaliese is refusing to stay home and rest her arm because she doesn't want to miss out on the fun. So I'm bring along lots of motrin and a pillow so she can at least rest her arm part of the time. She broke her right arm last year. I can't believe all the broken bones lately.