Eagle Eye Academy

An amazing young woman

2012-02-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

That's my niece. She's so strong, physically and mentally. She is able to use both of her arms now. The doctor wants her to hold off on using her left arm over her head until the clavical fully heals, but because of the surgery to it, she's able to use it well. She is able to move herself from her bed to chair to the potty chair quite easily.

Next week, she has surgery to remove her pins. Once those are gone, life gets much better. We have to be so careful not to touch her pins. After the surgery, she'll be bedridden for two more weeks and then they will start physical therapy. The physical therapist will be coming to the house to see her.

And since they really don't need us and the kids are bored, we're heading home tomorrow. Grandma and Grandpa gave up their house so we could stay together and have been staying with Grandpa's sister. I'm glad that they will finally have their house back to themselves. The cousins are so busy with activities, sports, and school that they haven't had much free time. And I still can't believe that we didn't have any snow!!

We'll be heading out early in the am and driving for three days to get home. I'm longing for my own bed and I know that the kids and I are anxious to see daddy.

Iowa

2012-02-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

and no snow. Its February here and no snow. My kids are clamoring for snow to come so they can play in it. I even bought snow boots before we came. Hopefully it will snow before we leave!

Our niece is doing better. She went to the doctor and got her pain medicine switched back. They had changed hers and she was nauseous for about a week. Now she feels much better. She's able to swing herself almost completely over to the chair using just her arm. Her left arm is on the mend and hopefully she'll be able to use that soon.

We're busy with cousins and doing school. We're still getting used to the time change. We stay up late and get up late. I may just keep us on this schedule for when we go home. Hopefully we'll be able to leave in a few weeks. She has surgery on the 16th to remove her pins. We call her the Bionic Woman, but its totally lost on her cause she has no idea what we're talking about. We've been examining her xrays, looks like someone dumped a tool box inside of here with all the screws in there!

Have a wonderful weekend.

2000 miles.....

2012-01-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, then Iowa. Two thousand miles. One mom, five kids, lots of luggage and junk food. We did it in threee days. I'm surprised that I wasn't drooling by the time I got here.

This is quick just to let everyone know that we got here okay. I'll post more later.

Wow, has it been that long?

2012-01-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

It really hasn't but it sure seems like it!! My niece is doing better. She is at home now because she can't go to a rehab center with her broken clavicle. She has the bar in front of her for the next four weeks and then surgery to remove it. I'm not sure if she's going to a rehab center then or back home and back and forth to physical therapy.

Tomorrow, the kids and I leave on the really long (2000 mile) drive to IA. I'm staying south and then heading north through OK and up north. Thank you, Arby for your assistance with information on the roads in KS. We probably won't be able to stop and see you this time, but will definitely make time on our return trip. We're blessed to have some friends in OK that we will be stopping to visit overnight. We're excited, they are our best friends from Japan!

On the school front, things have been rather shabby here. We have been completing most of our lessons but not all. Too many things to do before we left. Since we're not sure how long we'll be gone, we have to do dentist appts, get new military ids, etc. I think we're finally ready and I'm pooped, but I didn't want to leave without letting everyone know what's been going on.

Take care everyone!! I hope to be there on Friday. I'll post when we get there!

Update

2012-01-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!! Our niece was able to sit up today with some help. The nausea medicine is finally working, praise God! I can't imagine the pain of throwing up when your pelvis has been broken. She was able to eat some today, but they want her calorie intake up to 1800. She hasn't eaten since the accident last Wednesday, so I'm sure her stomach has shrunken. I'm sure her intake will improve drastically the next few days. She also received a sponge bath and a hair wash today; that alone made her feel so much better.

She still has a long road of recovery ahead of her. We have put off our trip until we know some more details. She will be sent to a rehad center, hopefully closer to home. Right now, she's two hours from home. My hubby's hometown is small and she was airlifted to Des Moines after the accident to check for internal injuries. Praise God that she didn't have any!!

God Bless!

Prayer request

2012-01-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't posted. We have limited internet and December cost us a bundle, so I held off on posting.

Last week, our niece was involved in a serious car accident. She doesn't have any internal or brain injuries (thank God!) but she is in serious shape. She literally broke her pelvis in half in three places and fractured her clavical. Last week she had surgery to repair her pelvis. She has a eight screws and a plate in her, along with an external device (which basically looks like a bar sitting in front of her). Today she had seven screws and a plate put into her clavicle.

She's not eating because its making her nauseaous. Please pray for her quick recovery.

Its looking very likely that the kids and I will be heading to IA. Bailey will be in the hospital for another week or two and then in a therapy center. We will help with her brother and sister and hopefully take turns with her mother at the hospital.

Thank you for praying!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

May you and yours be blessed with a wonderful Christmas season.

Please remember our deployed soldiers in your prayers. Please also remember their families back home missing their soldier and all the spouses and children that are usually sitting on a military base unable to go home for Christmas....they are missing their soldier and their family.

Peace and joy in 2012!

Weekly wrap up

2011-12-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

We took two extra days off this week. We didn't intend too, but Monkey woke up with a high fever on Thursday and covered in spots. She wouldn't sleep and finally at 2:30am, I had to wake up Kevin to take her to the Urgent Care center. I couldn't find my military id and you can't go unless you have it. He took her and they determined that it was not chicken pox, but a viral infection. They gave us benadryl to give her. I slept for about 45 minutes while they were gone and woke up to give her the medicine. Lucky me, she's one of those kids that gets hyper on benadryl and it was 7:30 before either of us slept. Thankfully, my big kids shut my door and took care of Little Miss Trouble while I slept for three hours.

Kevin came home from work at noon and I set out to buy us clothes to wear to his Christmas party that night. We didn't pack dressy clothes and I'd rather buy than search through a 10x30 foot storage unit that's packed to the ceiling with boxes and furniture. He's been working 6-7 days a week for 12-14 hours days for the last three weeks, otherwise I would have had this done already. And, Arby, thanks for the best wishes. The inspection went pretty well. I also got a haircut, the first in four months. I didn't want to go looking like a shaggy dog.

The party started at 6 with dinner at 7. This was probably the best food we've ever had at a holiday party. Dancing and door prizes and I headed home at 10 to put myself and kids to bed. Thankfully, we're just across the parking lot from the restaurant. I got home to find that TL had cleaned the entire fifth wheel. Vaccumed, picked up, and the trash was ready to go out. I was impressed. This is not the first time he's done this for us. I was especially thankful because I was so tired.

Yesterday, the kids had bowling league and then some friends came over. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner and then we went to Fresno to Christmas Tree Lane. It took over an hour sitting in traffic to go down the street and then over an hour to drive down it. That with a 45 minute drive there and back, it was a long night. We finally got home at 10:30 and the girls had a sleepover here and TL went to spend the night with his friend.

Woke up this morning and went to the grocery store and then baked 11 dozen cookies for the single sailors. I'm wiped!!

I don't plan on homeschooling this week. Unfortunately, I have to still mail out some boxes, get a little shopping done, and do some baking. I am planning on finishing up the grades for the last six weeks and getting the report cards to the kids. TL has one more Oregon Trail class this week on Currclick. Next session he's going to study Two Towers. The girls are going to do a class on one of the Little House books. I've decided to do this because our local homeschooling group is so horrible. The leaders have high schoolers and the only few activities that are planned are geared for that age group. I've volunteered and so has several others, to plan stuff for younger ages and its "frowned upon". They only have two meetings a month and no mother's nights out. They won't print out a directory so that you could even cold call people with children in your age. I'm very disappointed. It wasn't like this when we lived here before.

Anyway, I have lesson plans to work on and some housekeeping homeschooling stuff to do.

I'm off right now, because Monkey decided to flood the second bath and now I have four loads of sheets and towels to wash.

Have a wonderful week!

Homeschooling high school part 2-Credits

2011-12-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

Last time I talked about the possibilities of homeschooling through high school. I discussed the number of credits needed to graduate. If your child is thinking of going onto college, the most highly recommended schedule is

3-4 credits of math
4 credits of literature, writing, speech
3 credits of science with 1 lab
2-3 of a foreign language
3-4 credits world history, us history, government
2 credits of physical education
1 credit of music, theater, art
other electives

Now, the big question is, what exactly is a credit? A credit is any course that is studies over 120 hours for the school year. If you do school 40 weeks and math for 5 days a week for an hour, that's 200 hours and you get a full credit for it. If you do physical education twice a week for an hour for 40 weeks, then it counts as 80 hours or half a credit.

I still highly recommend Setting the Records Straight by Lee Binz if your still confused about credits. She has the easiest explanation that I could find.

Next time I will discuss keeping records and writing class descriptions.

Hello, hello......anyone there?

2011-12-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

I should correctly say, "Look, I'm backkkkk!!!"

Sorry, we've been crazy busy and then I had a week without internet. A week!! We have a little box in the camper and our time had been used up. I quickly checked email a few days and turned it off. It was nice not to be tied to the computer all day. I felt like I spent more time with the kids and got more done.

I'm not sure how my computer addiction started. When my hubby is deployed that's our only way of communicating. If we're lucky, we are on at the same time and can email each other back and forth, so I've gotten into the habit of checking the computer a few times a day. Then, I get sidetracked.

So, I've decided to check it in the morning and night and that's it. After the holidays, I'm moving back to paper lesson planning. The computer program works great but its too distracting to me to have it open all day long. I tried printing out each day and then checking it off but I end up with the same amount of paper I was trying to avoid by using the computer.......

Our camper is decorated. Took about ten minutes. The four foot tree is up. Monkey girl keeps taking all the ornaments off. I didn't buy nice ones at all, because I knew she'd be doing that. Maybe next year. We strung up some lights and it looks a little festive in here. I'm a little sad not to have all my decorations, but its good. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to wrap the kids stuff now. Daddy may have to take them bowling one day!! lol

The kids have joined the bowling league here on base. They're having a blast with it. Little Miss Trouble gets to start after the new year in the bumper bandits league. It should be really cute.

I have lots more to post. I have some more high school stuff to share and photos. I need to get working on that. Unfortunately, the kids have been going to bed really late and getting up late. Daddy's got a huge inspection this week (prayers please for it to go well) and he's been going in at 5am and coming home at 8-9pm so the kids are up to see him.

Take care!! Enjoy your shopping and Christmas season!! I finally have my cards done, I'm usually done on Thanksgiving weekend but I procrastinated this year. Most of my shopping is done and I need to get boxes out this week to mail. Have a great week everyone!

High School???????? post 1

2011-11-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

I am less than one year away from having a high schooler in my home. Oh boy!!

I've been homeschooling since he was in kindergarten, so I'm not threatened by designing or buying curriculum for high school. I know many people are intimidated by math or science; I say Bring It On!!

I've been stalking websites, reading books, and looking at whatever information I can get my hands on to determine how to keep the records and make transcripts from all that information.

The best book I've found is Setting the Records Straight by Lee Binz. She has broken down the information into manageable bits and with humor that makes it an enjoyable read. I loved looking not only at her transcripts, but the other examples that she has listed in the back of the book.

One thing that I knew that I needed to do, was to lay out a plan of course of study for the next four years. I know that things will change as TL firms up his interests, but I wanted to have a set course of action. The first thing I did was lay out the possible classes and credits that he would earn. Then I compared my list to the list in her book and it was right on. I took a college-prep program in high school so I designed my plan according to that. I also added in computer science, because let's face it, I'm old. We chiseled our papers into stone. My one semester class in high school consisted of our teacher boring us to death with information about DOS systems (yeah, I went there). If it wasn't for Pong that was uploaded to our computers (which probably weighed 100 pounds each) we would have drifted off to sleep. And yeah, I went there with Pong. If the kids today could only see what we considered fun and enjoyed hours of entertainment with!

Back to credits. Most high schools require 19-22 credits to graduate. WA needs 22. I looked up CA, since we live here now, and they only need 13!! Are you kidding me? Nothing like setting the bar really high!! And they wonder why CA is in the toilet. I did call the school liason here on the base and she told me that to graduate to go to college, you needed 9-11 more credits........still not required just to graduate though.

The credits that your child needs to graduate is determined BY YOU as the homeschool parent. Whether it be 18 or 40, its up to you. I only compared my plan to the state's because I wanted to see how it compared. Like I said, its up to you to determine how many credits your child needs to graduate from your school.

I will be discussing this topic on length, in case anyone cares, and hopefully post information on grading, transcripts, course descriptions, CLEP and honors classes, etc. If there's anything that you want to discuss, let me know and I'll talk about what I've learned.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Two new recipes for today!!

Harvest Apple Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together and beat until smooth. Slice apples and splash with 7up or lemon juice to keep from browing.

Egg Casserole
1 lb sausage, browned and drained
6 slices bread-cubed
2 cups milk
4-6 eggs
1tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
ham-optional-1/3 lb thinly sliced and chopped

Spray 9x13 pan. Mix all together and put into pan. Refrigerate overnight or 8 hours. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes to one hour.

School is going well!

2011-11-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

Our second term has just started. I split our school year up into five terms, anywhere from 6-8 weeks long with a week off in between. Of course, we do field trips then so we try to keep it educational somewhat....shhhhhh!! Don't tell the kids that!

I also decided to alternate weeks with history and science. We just weren't focusing enough time on each subject. I didn't enjoy breezing through the material to move onto the next subject. I'm also hoping this will give us more time for projects.

TL's Oregon Trail class (from Currclick) is going really well. He wrote his first journal entry and did really well with it. This week, they're working on their supply lists. I remember when we had the Oregon Trail game for the computer....Kevin and I couldn't get out of Independence because our wagon's were too heavy and TL was already in OR. I think we lost if several moves ago....I'll have to see if I can refind it somewhere.

This past week we ended up taking Wednesday off. Our time limit for the Navy storing our household goods was up and we had to put it into our own storage. I'm glad because I was dying to get my bread machine and sewing machine back. Those movers were fantastic!! They fit 12,000 pounds of stuff into a 10x30 foot storage space. Things are stacked up to the ceiling!! But, I was able to put aside the school books boxes and put them in the front so that I have access to them. I'm sure I missed a few boxes, but at least they'll be closer to get in to!

The three big kids started the bowling league two weeks ago. TL did great the first week and not great this past week. Kevin tried to show him how to put a spin on the ball and it didn't work for him. Princess improved her average score by 20 points this week. Bug-a-bug is working hers. She's used to the bumpers so it will take her a bit. If she takes her time, she does really well.

That's all on the homefront here. I have photos to post from when mom was here, but my computer's been so sluggish that I don't want to put them on. I'm posting to Kevin's external hard drive tonight and I'm also getting a thumb drive!

Take care and have a wonderful week!

All Aboard the Oregon Trail!

2011-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

TL's taking a class through Currclick.com about the Oregon Trail. The class started next week and runs for six weeks.

Each student is assigned a pseudoname with their family and cattle information. For their first assignment, they had to write about why the joined the trail, describe their family, and tell what they expect along the way.

Kevin and I decided to do that class because we thought the exposure to another "teacher" would benefit him. I've talked lately, about his poor attitude doing his schoolwork, and today I saw alot of improvement. He was excited to write his journal entry and finished not only that but half of his work by lunchtime. I'm anxious to read his teacher's comments about his journal entry. He hates to write, especially creative writing so I was happy that he came up with some really good ideas for his entry.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! I'll get updated later this week. I got behind with my mom here!

Grammy's here!! Grammy's here!

2011-10-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

My mom and cousin's daughter arrived on Saturday. We're excited to see them. I haven't been home in five years (its too expensive to travel across country with all of us) and my mom last traveled to us in May of last year. The kids are super excited. Even Little Miss Trouble, who doesn't remember her much, and of course its taken Monkey a little bit to warm up to her.

We're going to do a couple of fun things while they are here. I'm hoping that mom gets some rest though. She works two jobs and gets pretty tired out. The long trip across country doesn't help either. I'm hoping we end up moving back to the east coast so that traveling will be easier on us all!

Daddy and three girls up in TL's bunk.

Showing how old she is.

Blowing out candles on our breakfast cupcakes.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tasty Tuesday

Okay, I have no idea how to make a button and I'm too lazy to look right now, so this will have to do.

This week I put a new chore schedule in place. The three oldest each have a section of the camper to clean: my room and bath, the living room/kitchen, or the girls room/bath. They will rotate each week. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday they are responsible for vacumming and any dusting that needs to be done in that area. On opposite days they must clean the bathrooms and the person with the living area must wash the floor. This takes them about 15-20 minutes each day.

I also put forth a rotating schedule to help with making meals, washing dishes, and doing laundry. I've decided that the person helping with meals will be able to help menu plan and we will focus on one meal a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that they will really do themselves, with my supervision. That person will still help out with the other meals, but the focus will be on that one meal. The goal is that after a few weeks rotation, they will be able to do an entire day's cooking with little supervision. I'm hoping this will help out when the flu hits, as it always does. Last year, the girls were awesome making breakfast (cereal) and lunch (sandwiches) when I got sick. The nice thing is that because we're in the fifth wheel I'm close by to help out!

So, here's three recipes. The first is from Pampered Chef. This time I made it in the crock pot, I just put in on high for 3-4 hours until the potatoes were done. Its always been a favorite here.

Double Potato Scallop

1 cup cooked ham, cubed

1 can condensed cream of potato soup

1/2 cup cool whip

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

4 large unpeeled potatoes, sliced thin

Mix all together. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Crush croutons on top and cook another 15-20 minutes or until done.

Taco Soup

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 envelope of taco seasoning

2 cans corn, drained

2 can chili beans, undrained

2 (14.5) oz cans diced tomatoes

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, beans, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crushed chips and shredded cheese on top.

This taco soup recipe is great for lunches. Its quick and easy and all my kids (except the picky eater) love it.

Pumpkin Spice Bars

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 can cream cheese frosting

In a mixing bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Combine the rest and add to the pumpkin mixture until just combined. Pour into a 15x10 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until done. Cool completely and frost.

Have a fantastic week everyone!! We're off tomorrow to celebrate Little Miss Trouble's fourth birthday. Next week we take our first break as my mom and cousin come into town!! yeah!! Haven't seen my mom in about 18 months!

Currclick

2011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone use Currclick? Its a fantastic website loaded with all kinds of workbooks, lapbooks, and unit studies that you can download instantly. I love it. I use some workbooks and lots of lapbooks. Having them on my computer versus taking up valuable shelf space is ideal for me, especially now that we're living in a camper! I also like to be able to load up the book and print the page I want instead of trying to copy it out of a book.

Another benefit? They run freebies all the time. And fantastic sales. If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll get to know all that's going on and each week they have a new freebie featured for you.

Just recently, I started looking at the other part of their website. Currclick Live. They have several clubs to choose to join. TL is checking out the Lego Club this month. I'm trying to talk him into joining the chess club.

Yesterday, he took his first "class". Science Jim's theme this month is spooky things and he learned all about dry ice. TL really enjoyed it.

I've also signed him up for the Oregon Trail class. That looks really interesting and he's excited about it. Normally, I wouldn't pay that much but since he's had a hard time focusing and getting work done lately, I thought it would do him some good. He has assignments that he has to complete and hand in so I'm hoping that it will trigger something that makes him realize that he has to get his work done. And have fun while doing it.

Have a great week!

I'm really wondering.....

2011-10-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

why I can't seem to get my entire to-do list done during the day.

why I can't seem to sew or quilt a little each day.

It seems that there are never enough hours, yet I have all the modern conveniences that my ancestors didn't have. I don't have to grow my own food (although I'd like to) or clean animals after my hubby shot them. I don't have to make every single meal from scratch (although I do that most of the time). I have a refrigerator, stove, and running water. No going to the well to get water and boiling it to wash dishes, cook, or do laundy. I won't even get into what it took to take baths.

I've been limiting my computer time. I rarely watch tv, most of the time I'm multi-tasking....making dinner, doing lesson plans, etc while the tv is on.

I have a car to drive places, don't have to hitch up a team and drive for hours to get to the store. I don't have to feed and take care of those animals.

Yet, my ancestors grew their own food, smoked or canned it, dealt without all the modern conveniences to do their everyday chores, and still managed to sew their own clothes, knit their own scarves and mittens, and make quilts. Why can't I find time during the day to do some sewing?

One of life's little questions to ponder I guess.......

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I'm a day late with my recipe post. On Sunday night, Bug-a-bug slipped and fell in the shower. Now, the shower in the fifth wheel is smaller than a normal shower and she fell and hit the shelf. Monday we took off from school cause daddy was home and she played outside. Every now and then she'd complain about it so we gave her a little tylenol to help with the pain believing that she bruised it.

Yesterday was totally different. She had to sit all day and do school. By dinnertime, she was in tears. After dinner, I took her to urgent care and found out that she has a fracture in her coccyx. Poor thing!!

So, I'm posting two recipes today. First, is a favorite around here for all of those apples you've been picking.

Harvest Apple Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together and beat until smooth. Slice apples and splash with 7up or lemon juice to keep from browning. We use red, green, and yellow apples for pretty coloring.

This next recipe I got from a friend of mine. She makes it all the time and its become a family favorite here also. Even though it has chicken in the name, there isn't any chicken.....don't ask, cause I have no idea why.

City Chicken
Boneless Pork Roast cubed
Eggs
Bread Crumbs
crisco
chicken broth
dry onion soup mix

Cube pork. Roll into egg and then bread crumbs. Fry in crisco oil until browned on each side. Put into a baking dish with soup mix and chicken broth. The chicken broth should be added until it is halfway up the side of the pork, do not cover the pork. Cover and cook at 350 for one hour.

Now, her original recipe calls for the pork to be skewed onto skewers but I'm too lazy and I can see the skewers being used as weapons, so I don't use them. This is easy and very tasty.

Have a great week!

Our little adventurer

2011-10-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Even though we live in a fifth wheel, Monkey gets into all kinds of trouble. When we went to dump last week, we couldn't figure out why the water was moving so slowly through the hose and it wasn't emptying.....well, she'd put a small gatorade bottle down the toilet. I'm also missing the toothpaste, my makeup, and my deodorant. Everything has now been put up and out of reach.

She still likes to color on the walls.

And climb....

Look what I saw today peeking out from her brother's bunk?

Who me? She wanted to just stand on the ladder...wouldn't go up or come down.

She fell asleep one day under the table. She had the chip in her hand but dropped it in her sleep by the time I got the camera.

I wonder what next week will bring with her!! Have a wonderful weekend!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

So, here's a new thing I'm trying here. I will post new recipes on Tuesdays for everyone to share. Maybe I'll try to figure out how to make a button and do a linky thing to share everyone's recipes!

I'm working on finding more crockpot recipes for my family. We need to crockpot three nights a week so that dinner is ready as soon as we walk in the door.

Last week, I tried these two recipes.

Chicken and Rice Casserole
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/4 celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup carrots
1 lb uncooked chicken breast, skinned and boned and cut into cubes
1/2 lb cheddar or your favorite kind of cheese

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients, mixing well but gently. Cover, cook on low for 4-6 hours or until rice, vegetables, and chicken are tender.

*****I made changes before I even started. No celery. My hubby is not a fan and quite frankly I usually end up throwing it out of the fridge when it goes bad because I don't use it fast enough. I sprinkled celery seed in it. I used regular rice which didn't work out well. It didn't have enough water to get the rice soft. And I used a bag of mixed frozen peas and carrots. Call me lazy, it was easier to cut open the bag and dump it in. No cheese for us....it just sounded weird.

Results: Good, except for the rice. The kids and hubby requested no rice from now on. Okay, we're rice nerds. We lived in Japan for three years, they need it to come out of a rice cooker and not mixed into their meal. It had a really good flavor, almost like chicken pot pie, which is a HUGE favorite around here.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
16oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
10oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
6 (6in) flour tortillas

Cook beef, onions, and green peppers in skillet until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain. Add next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Combine cheeses. In slow cooker, layer 3/4 cup of beef mixture, one tortialla, and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours or until heated through.

******I did not use green peppers in mine. Again, hubby doesn't care for them and they're too expensive.

Result: Hubby and I really liked it. Kids were okay....it had too many beans for them. They're not big bean eaters.

Both recipes were taken from Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook.

I have lots of soups, stews, and chili recipes. If you have any others you'd like to share, please email me at subbertfamily@yahoo.com. With your permission, I will share them here for everyone to try out!

Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-10-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

In my life this week…

Just trying to get organized and settled into a routine. The heat isn't making it easy though. With the front air conditioner broken, the six of us are stuck in the living area of the fifth wheel. This next week is supposed to be cooler!! Yippee!

In our homeschool this week…

Like I said, trying to get into a routine. The kids are going to bed really late and getting up really late. When the sun goes down it cools off so we try to get them outside to play.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We're getting to visit with friends that we've know for years but haven't seen in forever. Today we went to our friend's commission to officer. It was such a wonderful day for him and his family!

My favorite thing this week was…

hmmm, my air conditioner?

What’s working/not working for us…

This awful schedule of late to bed. Too many hours of kiddos awake for me. I need a break at night!

Things I’m working on…

I'm trying to work on a quilt for Halloween and some Christmas stuff but I can't seem to get motivated.

I’m reading…

Nevada by Dana Fuller Ross and Help for the Harried Homeschooler.

I’m cooking…

Lots of crockpot meals!! If you have any recipes to share, please do!! We are almost thirty minutes away from home between 5-6 for TL's karate class. Needless to say, the kids are starved when we get home and want food immediately so I'm making good use of my crock pot. I'll post two recipes I tried this week.

I’m grateful for…

My wonderful husband whose been putting up with my short temper (because of the heat) the last few weeks!

I’m praying for…

The soldiers and their families

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jellystone

2011-09-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Trouble and Monkey

Bug-a-bug riding the bikes

Princess riding the bikes

Poor daddy doing all the work and pedaling the bikes

What a smile!

Lots of fun on the water

Getting ready for the hay ride with all the characters from Yogi

Hayride!! Monkey had no idea what was going on and she didn't like those characters at all at first!

The girl dressed here was a favorite among my girls. I later found out that she's homeschooled and works there on the weekends. She was so very sweet. They all were, what a great time we had.

Surprise!! A photo with both of us in it!! I think I'll use this for our Christmas photo this year! lol

TL pedaling away

We had a fantastic time at Jellystone at Cobb Mountain in CA. The people there are fantastic and the kids had a blast. We had a bit of a time trying to get there. Mapquest took us this crazy way and with our size rig, the poor truck was ready to overheat! It was awful, much easier getting out of there!

If you ever get a chance check out the Jellystone campgrounds. They're mostly in the east, but so much fun for everyone!

struggling

2011-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

The last few months of last school year, TL really struggled with his work. It wasn't difficult, he just couldn't seem to get it done. I seemed to be on him all day long.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the trend this year too. Coupled with this blasted heat, my short temper has not made this easy. I yelled several days last week. It doesn't help either that he's very sarcastic (just like me), which makes me even angrier. Nothing like seeing the worst about yourself reflected in your children. All of us have been short tempered and yelling. The heat is just not working for us. My kids love to be outside too much.

I'm made a major effort this week not to get so frustrated. Alot of prayer has been spent on this. Its helped that it hasn't been so hot, however, today and tomorrow are supposed to be close to 100. Pray for me.

This week, I handed TL a list of all the work that had to be done for the week. He started Monday off trying to finish his work for the day and didn't quite succeed. Yesterday, he completed all of his reading assignments and questions for the week. He also finished all of his math lessons but one. He seems to like working this way and that's fine with me. I've also learned to make sure he's nearby so that I can answer questions quickly or gently steer him back to work.

I love that he loves to read and that he has an active imagination, but this was driving me crazy!!

I've been studying Help for the Harried Homeschooler! I figured with four students this year, I could use the help!! My focus is on fixing my own behavior to give them a good role model. I'm praying for this struggle of mine!

Our new home

2011-09-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

I think we finally may have our internet worked out. Thank goodness. I feel connected again to everyone!! I miss reading everyone's blogs!!

I thought I'd share our new home. I forgot to take pictures of the outside and should have done so tonight. It was actually nice and cool here and Kevin pulled the door open on the toy hauler area. It makes a nice patio for the kids to play on.

First, I thought I'd share a photo of me and the girls with BooBoo. We had a fantastic time at the Jellystone Campground. I'll share more photos later this week.

Our new bedroom. I'm looking for fabric to make a quilt because I hate the ugly black thing.

Our dresser

Tylar getting into my makeup in the bathroom. We found that she'd flushed some of it down the toilet when we dumped and it got stuck in the hose.

The kitchen area. Not very big, but we do have a huge fridge which is a bonus!! TL's bunk is up on top, the couch is to the right, and the door leads to the girls' room.

TL's enjoying some tv. The door leads up to our bedroom.

The girls room. Each is a queen size bunk. The bottom bunk makes into a table with a U-shaped couch around it.

The girls' half bath. Love the horse theme?

They were thrilled that they had a tv back there. We generally don't do tv's in bedrooms, but this is the only extra tv we have and daddy gets to watch football all weekend and the girls get to watch what they want.

Well, hope you enjoyed our little field trip. I miss all my extra school bunks but find it really nice to be able to clean up in a little while. I still have some things to organize and do a little decorating. I'm not a big fan of black, but for a fifth wheel its nice because its easier to clean up.

Have a fantastic week!

Welcome to the desert!

2011-09-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived at our new home last week. It was 101 at 5:30pm. We were rewarded with an entire week of over 100 degrees and blistering heat. Good thing they closed the pool already.

This week promises to be cooler. Only in the 90s. Good thing because the air conditioner has stopped working in the front of the fifth wheel. ugh.

I'm still working on having a peaceful heart at being here. There are some advantages. The kids are back into their Awana program (although I'm not as pleased with it as I used to be, its a lot smaller now with less leaders), I haven't decided if we're going back to our old church or try a new one, the quilt guild is still here, and I do have friends here.

However, the scenery stinks. The air stinks. The heat stinks. I'm working on it, praying on it. My hubby needs me to be supportive and understanding, not complaining that I can't see bald eagles anymore, just acres of cotton. It has gotten better since we've arrived but my biggest thing that I needed for support, the local homeschooling support group, is apparently no longer in existence. I can't find it anywhere. I'm sad because that really makes the kids friend base alot smaller. Usually they have alot of friends of all different backgrounds and ages. I enjoy having them around a variety of kids and not just "military brats". (Sometimes the kids can be just as competitive over their parent's rank.......I've certainly met many wives who are).

So, I'm struggling this week to change our addresses, get the kids' activities rolling, and get myself focused. Tomorrow's my birthday. Perhaps I can chalk up my lack of focus to old age? haha

Have a wonderful week everyone!

9/11

2011-09-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

TL is old enough to understand and discuss the events of 9/11. We watched a little on tv and discussed how we felt and what we experienced that day. I was teary eyed seeing and reliving the events of the day. I pray that we never have to go through those emotions again.

My husband was on shore duty at that time. This means that he was not deployable. When the President came on and said, "we're coming to get you", my hubby said, just wait, wait for me. In December we transferred to Japan and he left in January for the war.

I am so very proud of him and all that he fights for. I pray for those families that are still suffering through this ordeal, even though its been ten years their pain is probably still raw.

Our new home

2011-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

which I will not post pictures of until probably next week. We have purchased a fifth wheel and will be living in it for the next few years. It will allow us to pay off some bills and save some money and more importantly to me, be able to afford to take a trip back home.

The monster is huge with a toy hauler area in the back that houses two queen size bunks for the girls and a half bath. Happy dance for me....two toilets for seven people!!

The living area is larger than our old camper. I don't have much more counter space, but I do have a double sized fridge, which is fantastic!! TL has a bunk over the living area so he gets his own space away from his sisters. He's very excited about that!!

We then move up three stairs into the bathroom and master bedroom. I'm so excited about not having to climb on the bed to make it I can't even tell you!!

We're still organizing. We literally threw everything out of the old camper and onto the floor and every surface of this one. I'm slowly weeding through and getting it organized. My next step is the kitchen drawers and the homeschooling stuff. I hope to have that done this week so that our starting school next week isn't hampered at all.

Right now, we're blessed to stay with some friends in OR. We have having a blast. Connie is a fellow quilter and we were up late last night helping the girls make their first pillowcases. She also has a beautiful embroidery machine that she made little hand towels for the big girls. They have their names and horses on them. Very cute.

I still have to post pictures from our friends' house in southern WA. They have a gorgeous view of Mt Hood from their property. We had a fantastic time visiting them and they took us to Fort Vancouver, which was really fun and interesting!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

You must homeschool your kids.....

2011-08-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

So we're here in southern WA visiting some friends and our stay has been extended. We are looking to trade up on our camper and that's the main reason, but we had a few extra days in our schedule and spent them here.

Earlier this week we walked across the street to look at some campers across the way. The salesman was very nice and answered my questions (hubby had already been there). I was with the two older girls and when we left he asked if I homeschooled. An odd question seeing as we don't have anything identifying us as homeschoolers, but I replied yes. He said, "I thoughts so. Your girls are so polite." I thanked him, thought it was odd and moved on.

Today a woman approached me that had met my oldest two girls and stated that they were very polite and asked if I homeschooled. When I verified this she said, "I thought so because they were so polite."

Although I'm excited that my children are being respectful and polite to others, these statements have me worried. After all, there are plenty of public school kids that are polite that are not getting recognition. Its too bad that the bad public school kids are giving a bad rap. It saddens me that other children are not being given recognition.

I have to look at the upside though. Perhaps the question of "what about socialization?" will be replaced by "look at how well mannered those children are".

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Mt. St Helens

2011-08-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Big Foot Country!!! Watch out he'll get you!

I think this is a little taller than the bigfoots running in the woods

Information about the blast zone

Mount St. Helens under cloud cover. TL is running from an potential blast!

Helicopter tour of the mountain. No, we did not take this.

Nice view, but still alot of cloud cover.

Coldwater Lake near the mountain base

Monkey enjoying the lake.

Climbing!

Johnstowne Ridge. Johnstowne was on duty the day of the blast and managed a quick radio signal out to warn everyone before he was wiped out by the blast. They have never recovered his body.

You can see the devastation of the trees. There were stumps all through the blast zone and even further away. They have replanted over 18.4 million trees and plants into this area to reforest it.

The cloud cover finally clearing off the mountian. You'll notice that the mountain doesn't have any vegetation. This is because all the topsoil was blown off and only rock remains.

We're trying to enjoy our time here. The campsite that we are at is absolutely awful. No amenities for the kids, they aren't allowed to ride bikes or play on the little hill and there isn't enough room to even put a picnic table next to the camper. I'm not very pleased. It seems that they are watching us to let us know if we're going against one of their many rules. Thank goodness we leave tomorrow to go and visit some friends.

Have a wonderful week for those of you that are doing school!

Goal setting and lesson planning

2011-08-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today was our trip to Mt. St Helens. Frankly, I'm too tired to post pictures today. I'll get them up tomorrow. I took over 100, so I need to weed through them and find the good ones. We spent a good couple of hours exploring the area. When we first started, the cloud cover was pretty thick and we didn't have a great view of the volcano, but it cleared up by the end of the day. I have some really nice shots that I will share.

Tonight I'm going through the calendar and setting up our year. We won't arrive at our new duty station until Labor day weekend, so we won't start school until then. We're stopping to visit friends in WA and OR and going to some really cool places along the way. I can't wait.

After I set up the year, I'm going to work on goal setting. I have most of the lesson plans set up, just need to upload them to homeschool tracker. I hope to be all set and ready to go when we arrive.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

I'm backkkkkkkk!

2011-08-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, not having internet is nice sometimes, but three weeks of that and no tv was a little much. I felt totally lost and out of touch with the world!! We had some wonderful Canadian neighbors while camping these last few weeks. Four couples who were so very sweet and kind. We had a fantastic time getting to know them all.

We left our beloved home today and drove only three miles. We're hanging out in Olympia before heading to Mt St Helens for a couple of days tomorrow. I'm excited. Can't wait. It should be alot of fun. We're going to visit some wonderful places the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted as I can and post pictures.

I'm off for now to read everyone's blogs. I've missed my blogging friends!

No internet

2011-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted. We do not have internet at the campsite that we're staying at. We're camping at the beach here in town. I know, I know. Who cares about the internet when you're camping at the beach right?

I hope to post pictures next week when we start our travels to CA. I'll post pictures of our camper so you can see where we'll be living for the next few months.

The kids are adjusting well to the camper. The two littlest had the biggest adjustments but are doing well with it so I can't complain.

I need to finish working on some lesson plans this week. We are parked right next to a park so the kids can play while I do lessons. I almost finished before the packers came but didn't quite make it.

Take care everyone!! God Bless!

Five days!!

2011-07-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

I should be in a panic. The movers come in five days. I'm really not. I'm lucky to have to pack up the camper, and although it will be stuffed to the top, we'll have everything we need for the next six months. As of right now, all the school books are in. That took up alot of space, but we need them so they have to fit.

I'll be moving in bedding, food, and clothes this weekend. All the other odds and ends, plus toiletries. It will be stuffed until I can't stuff anymore.

My hubby bought a new truck yesterday. We've been married 15 years and this is the first new vehicle we've bought. Overseas tours make it difficult to buy new. We're excited. Even as light as the camper was, it was difficult for the Yukon over mountains and hills. At one point in West VA, TL asked if he should get out and help push it up the hill. I think we were doing 15mph. It was sad. Anyway, we'll save the wear and tear on the Yukon and be able to keep that for many more years.

I'm still trying to talk hubby into upgrading into a 5th wheel and just living in that. He'll be gone alot and this will give the kids and I the flexibility to travel and see family. Living on the west coast with all the family on the east coast means not many trips home. Its just too expensive. Plus, wouldn't it be cool to visit the civil war battlefields while studying the civil war.

Yeah, I may have to work on him some!! Have a great week!

Been busy sewing

2011-07-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

I have all the school books piled and ready to be packed in the camper. Now, I'm spending time sewing some quilt tops and wallhangings to hand quilt while living in the camper. I hate just sitting there at night. I like to read too, but that will get old after 4-6 months.

So, here's what I've been working on:

This is the first block for my Civil War wallhanging. I am loving the patterns and fabric so I may have to one day make a full size quilt! I need to applique this block down which is why there are pins in it. It represents the wagon wheel-for the slaves to follow.

My Japanese wallhanging for my bedroom. I have some really nice Japanese pieces in my room so I'm turning that into my Japanese room.

Flannel rag quilt. This is the back side.

This is the front side. I have to cut all those seams into about 1/4 inch cuts and then wash to give it a raggy look.

So, no homeschooling news, but I have been busy.

Eleven days until the packers come. Hubby comes home tomorrow and has about twelve things on his to-do list before the movers get here. My list is much shorter. Perhaps, I will sit in my lawn chair and sip lemonade while watching him do his jobs. Only fair right, since I will have to pack the camper for living 4-6 months. I have piles made already so I think I will have him pull the camper around this weekend and get the beds all made up and the school books in. Next week, I'll just have to pack the clothes and food then. I'll post pictures then!

Let me clarify!! Sorry for the confusion!

2011-07-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

I see from my posts, that I haven't been to clear in my thoughts. I know what I'm doing.....so I should expect you all to read my mind huh? I'm having old age brain!!

We are packing out of this house the week of July 25th and moving into our camper. Hubby as to report mid-Sept, but will probably arrive about three weeks early. The kids and I will be traveling very slowly, visiting WA, OR, and northern CA before arriving mid to late September. I'm hoping it will be down into the 90s by then.

The housing waiting list is about 3-6 months so we'll be camping until then. I really enjoy my camper, its nice and big with four bunk beds for the kids. We'll be moving everything into it the weekend before we pack out and I'll take pictures then and post them for you. Hopefully, since we'll be in the camper, we'll be able to do a little bit of traveling in southern CA too.

Hopefully this clarifies for you guys!! I'm sorry I've been so vague lately!!

Homeschooling Field Day

2011-07-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Our homeschooling group does a field day the last meeting of the year. The kids have a blast and its all thanks to Tina, who organizes and puts it together for us. She's such a blessing! Egg toss, three legged races, sack races, and an obstacle course for the little ones, it was a great time!

TL and his friend guiding him to the finish line trying to keep the cotton ball on the spoon

Little Miss running the obstacle course for the little kids

Bug-a-bug would have a much easier time during egg toss if she kept her eyes open!

Monkey running around

Time out for a snack

Hopping along

Getting ready for the sack race

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

yahoooooo!

2011-06-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hubby's orders have been cut. He has to be in CA mid-September so it looks like we'll travel with him. It will probably be too warm in Lemoore for us then so we'll head to the coast until it gets cooler. I don't want to blow the A/C in the camper.

Until then, I'll be cleaning and organizing. And desperately trying to figure out how to pack about six months worth of stuff into a 34 ft camper.

And so it begins................................

Photos from our walk tonight....

2011-06-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is what we see when we walk down the street. The girls love to run, pick flowers, and unfortunately, rocks.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Summer schedule

2011-06-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

We've been on summer schedule, unintentionally for about a month already. We were expecting orders to be cut for us to move so we went to half school days to clean out and organize stuff. Then the sicknesss hit that lasted about 10 days. Then it was really too late to start a new unit for science and history. So, we've just been working on math, reading, writing, and spelling.

We'll continue the same for the summer, only working four days a week, about an hour each day. Not each thing everyday, just a little. This will help too, for when we do move out of the house and into the camper.

I'm still working on lessons for next year. I want all my copies made and lessons made for history, geography, and science. I will probably be working on reading this summer. I have a bunch of books to read and prepare for TL's school year.

I'm still working on making a small stockpile of food and supplies for the house. Not extreme couponish-some of those people are nuts. I saw one lady with diapers and no child. Another had 78 bags of cat treats she got for free and she doesn't have a cat. Then why not give it to the local shelter? Some of them do, but most don't. I consider that hoarding, especially when you have 250 rolls of toilet paper under the bed.

None of the stores on the island double coupons, so I'm settling for stocking up when things are on sale and trying to use a coupon with them. Cereal is a big item. I try not to pay over $1.25 a box. I've got bbque sauce, ketchup, and a couple of other things that I've stocked up. I've got soap and deodorant for the boys stocked up. I have eight bottles of good smelly soap for the girls. Unfortunately with five of us in the house, that won't last too long! I need to stock up on shampoo and toothpaste. I would really love to know how they stock up on free toilet paper. I would love not to spend money on something we literally flush down the toilet.

Its a rainy day here on the island. I'm going to do a little cleaning and climb Mt. Laundry and the kiddos are going to have a movie day I think. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Lesson planning and financial wisdom

2011-06-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am working hard on my lesson plans. My goal is to have all/most of them done by the end of the month. I pretty much write my own history, literature, and science lessons; so it takes me a while. This year I also have to work on my preschool stuff. I've got that outlined, just getting it all set takes a little time. I'm gathering binders, books, and other stuff and piling it on the table. This will be my work space for a while.

Long ago I figured out how much money we would save if we didn't order out for pizza every week. Pizza is a family favorite and easy to make, however, costs a bundle to buy. At $20 per week, we were spending $1040 a year on pizza, and that's if we only spent $20. Usually it was more. Now, I stock up on pizza making supplies and make our pizza night really fun for the kids.

We don't often eat out, its just too expensive. We did once this week because daddy was leaving and it was a huge bill. I felt guilty for asking to go out to eat when we could have spent the money somewhere else. I guess its alright if you only go once in a blue moon, but I doubt we'll be eating out any time soon.

Our other big luxury is dairy queen. The kids love to go for ice cream. Most of the time its too cold here to go out to have any, but we go on several occassions. I've seen that bill go up and up too. My kids love when we make ice cream at home, so I think that will be our plan from now on. I plan on stocking up on fun sundae materials and of course, straws for milkshakes (another favorite).

We enjoy donuts too, however, we don't have a donut shop on the island. I'm toying with making my own. I've done it once and it wasn't too hard. I just need to find a good recipe. Anyone got one to share?

How does your family save money food wise? Do you go out to eat often? Splurge on donuts or ice cream?

Just waiting......

2011-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

One of the things that frustrates me about the military is the waiiitttiiinnngggg. We're still waiting for orders to be signed so we have official word on our move. We can't pack up or leave housing without it. So, I'm waiting......although not so patiently. You see, I wanted to be packed up before hubby leaves for seven weeks next week. I wanted to move around in the camper and see some more of WA. Nope, I'm stuck in the house, waiting, waiting.....I could get the camper and travel, but I still have to return and pack up the house.....ggrrrrr....

In the meantime, here's some things I will miss about WA. These I took while walking down the street.

Here's our Campfire Kids year end celebration. Bug-a-bug is singing with her leader. We'll miss Campfire Kids. The girls have really enjoyed it. Sadly, no campfire kids near us when we move. I looked for Heritage Girls too, and they are pretty far away. There's a great Awana program, but I wanted more. I'm not a fan of Girl Scouts and their new program.

Princess is lighting the candle for the ceremony.

I'm going to miss our swing set. The back yards are really tiny where we're moving and it won't fit. The kids spend lots of time swinging. Its also Monkey's favorite thing to do.

Monkey loves to swing!

TL getting his green belt. He has to start all over with another form of taekwondo when we move. They don't have a studio anywhere near that he could continue.

Little Miss eating tacos. I didn't realize I haven't taken any recent photos of her. The girls took this one day during lunch.

Right now, I'm trying to organize lessons for next year. I'm trying to get the history, science, and geography all planned out. I just bought binders to keep all these plans in. Why I never did that before I'll never know. I decided to make the plans user friendly to accomodate the different levels of learning. I'm going to have binders galoore, but then I shouldn't have to do much planning with the little ones!

Have a wonderful week everyone!! I look forward to hearing about your lessons for next year. Do you plan during the summer?

Heritage History

2011-05-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

How many of us love history? And really great living history books? But, we can't afford to buy every single volume out there, especially because alot of the great ones are out of print and hard to find?

At the recent curriculum fair, I found an awesome company: Heritage History. For a very reasonable $29.99, I purchased a CD of Early American Classical Library with over 65 books on it!! The topics covered are U.S. History, Colonial Children, American Negro History, Military History, American Indian History, Regional History, Statesmen and Authors, and Exploration and Invention. The books are broken down into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Also available are Young Readers, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, British Middle Ages, British Empire, Spanish Empire, Modern Europe, Christian Europe, Intermediate Readers, and Advanced Readers.

My question was, how do I find readings on Benjamin Franklin without sorting through all of these books? Ask, and ye shall receive!! On her website, the author of this program has graciously listed every major historical figure here. (you can access this by following the link for historical figures on the sidebar). Once there, you locate the figure that you're looking for. It will list a short bio and have a link to follow that lists all the stories that the character is listed in.

She also has images, wars and battles, and maps listed the same way on the sidebar.

Another great thing, is that she has directions listed to download the books to your e-reader!! Now, its super easy to read those books!

And if that's not enough, she's also put together some fantastic study guides for you to use along with the books:

Heritage History provides notebook-ready Study Guides to accompany each of its Classical Curriculum CD's. Each Study Guides include a printed version of many of the study aids found on the corresponding Curriculum CD. These study aids include historical maps, outline maps, timelines, era summaries, character lists, and era specific reading lists. (taken from their website).

I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with this inexpensive library. Its perfect for my family, especially since we'll be living in our camper for about six months. Its lightweight and easy to use and doesn't take up valuable storage space or cost a bundle. I encourage you all to check it out!! I can't wait until the fall when her new cd comes out!

Thanks everyone!

2011-05-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your kind wishes and prayers. That virus really took a toll on the kids. It ran for a straight week with high fevers, sore throats, croup, vomiting, and lingering dry hacking cough. I let Bug-a-bug, Little Miss Trouble, and TL sleep in today until about ten. They were the last ones to get it and not eating for 4-5 days really took its toll on their little bodies. The girls were healthier before TL and they were still whiny and crying all day yesterday so I figured that they needed the rest! TL is just starting to get healthy-only yesterday did he really eat, so it will take a couple more days for him.

No orders yet. We're verbal for Lemoore, just waiting on the paper orders now.

I finished my classes. I got an A in one and a B in the one I thought I was going to get a C. She must have felt sorry for me. I had a solid A going into the final and I've had the professor for two other classes that I received A's in before, so she knows that I know my stuff. I just had to get home to Princess that day. Her fever was over 104 and I didn't want to leave her home, especially since daddy was gone. It was the shortest final ever-I was there for 8 minutes!

Right now, we're busy trying to organize and clean out and weed out stuff. I'm hoping to get a bunch done this week and hopefully we'll have orders this week or next so we can get our pack out dates. Then its time to load up the camper with everything we may need for the next six months. I've already started making lists and piles.

The sad thing is that I've been inspired by Extreme Couponing and although I think most of the people are ridiculous, there are good couponing lessons to be learned. I've been shopping the sales and using coupons to save money. And I've been saving alot. I'm building a little stockpile-my goal is to get enough food for three months. With the recent threat of active duty not getting paid, I see the need to stock up on some items. Unfortunately, now I have acquired a little stockpile and have to figure out how to store it in the camper. ugh

Have a great week everyone!! I have ordered next year's curriculum so its on its way. I needed to get that done before we lose a mailbox!

Finishing up and closing up

2011-05-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

As we sit and wait for official paper orders to come in, we need to get some things cleaned up and organized. Both hubby and I are finishing out our terms, mine ends today and his next week. We have to pull the camper out and clean it good before moving into it. I have to organize everything we need to live on for the next 4-6 months. I also need to week through some things in the house. Thankfully, I'd already started doing that so I don't have too much more to do.

One of the things, I had to finalize was our plans for next year. Since I won't have a mailbox for the next however many months, I have to order all of our curriculum and get it before we leave the house. Here's what I have lined up for next year:

Geography:
Girls: Daily Geography from Evan Moor
          We will be doing three continent studies using lapbooks from Hands of a Child: Antartica, Africa, and Asia. After each continent we will then do a habitat study: grassland, polar, and mountian. Then we will do a short study on an animal or two that we find in each continent. I will probably use some free lapbooks I find on homeschool share.com for those.
          Study of geography terms

TL: Finish world geography from Trail Guide to World Geography
       Review geography terms
       Memorize major seas, lakes, deserts, rivers, and mountains

Math
Girls: Saxon Math
          Market Math from Remedia Publishers

TL: Saxon Algebra 1/2

Handwriting:
All will be doing different levels of Handwriting without Tears

Science
Girls: REAL Science-Life Science
TL: Apologia General Science

Writing
Girls: The Writing Menu
           Daily Trait Writing from Evan Moor
TL- SICC Level B

History:
Since we won't get to finish up past the American Revolution with our move, I will pick up right after that and go through the Civil War. I will use Truthquest History and History Through the Ages as our spines. The girls will use the Truthquest Binder Builder and Timelines and Maps from A Journey through Learning.

Spelling:
All About Spelling-different levels for different kids

Grammer:
Growing with Grammer-different levels for different kids

Reading:
Girls: Little House on the Prairie books using the Prairie Primer and cookbook and the lapbooks from A Journey through Learning.

TL: Vocabulary: Wordly Wise
        Roots: Continue with the study of Latin and Greek Roots
        Study of Greek and Roman Mythology
        Study of Shakespeare and one play
        Legend of Sleepy Hollow
        Tom Sawyer
        Animal Farm
        A Christmas Carol
        Lord of the Flies
        Journey to the Center of the Earth
         Sherlock Holmes
        Poetry study
        If there's time, Wind in the Willows

After reading my last post, my dad wanted to let everyone know that the casinos in CA aren't as nice as the ones in WA. He's sad not to come back here either.

Well, I'm off to clean up. Kev left on Wed, and Princess got really sick on Thursday. She's still running a fever and has a really bad sore throat. Poor thing was so sick last night that I went this morning to take my final and only stayed for ten minutes. I was too worried about her. I did enough so that I should get a C in the class, not my usual A, but you have to do what you have to do. I'm surprised that I've not run into this problem before.

Have a wonderful week!

Not so good news

2011-05-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well, with hubby's promotion, we're at the mercy of the Navy on where we're going. We don't have official orders yet, but it looks like we're heading back to Lemoore, CA.

I'm trying to remain positive. We've lived there before. I fondly call it the armpit of America. Sadly, it fits.

Its desert. Its unbelievably hot during the summer. I have to stop my degree until we go and get settled. TL will no longer be able to do the style of taekwondo that he's doing now. Its hot. Its in the middle of nowhere. Its far from family. Did I mention that its unbearably hot? We're going to be living in the middle of the cotton fields.

There's black widow spiders, fire ants, and flies like you wouldn't believe. The fog is so thick in the winter that you can't see your car in the driveway. Did I mention that it gets really hot in the summer? Like walking on the face of the sun hot. And by the way, for those dingalings that keep saying this to me-----NO! Dry heat does NOT make a difference when its 120 degrees outside.

But, on the upside, I have some good friends there and more going. We can go back to the really nice church I like. Yep, that's about all I got right now.

Looks like we'll be heading out of here soon. I'll have to change my blog name. I'll have to call it desert dust or something like that.

ugh!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

To all my beautiful wonderful blogging friends!! May you be blessed with a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Photos from the pinning

2011-05-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

So, the pinning has taken place!! Yeah, we have a new Master Chief in the house!!! (don't tell him that I still outrank him okay? haha)

The Command Master Chief and the Maintenance Master Chief doing the pinning

Very proud of daddy!

So many stars!!

Master Chief!!

2011-05-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

Results are out!! Hubby made Master Chief!!

For those non-military people, Master Chief is the highest rank you can make in the Navy for an enlisted person. We're so excited!!!! Yeah!!

Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, the good news has finally reached our ears. He is gone and no longer can plan horrific attacks on our country. Sadly, someone will step up to take his place. We still must be vigilant.

I remember 9/11 clearly. I remember being in class (I was attending the local community college for some fun interior design classes). My teacher ran to make some copies and came back stating that one of the trade towers had been hit by a plane, but he thought they were joking or had the wrong info. A little while later, the head of the dept came running in: both towers were hit and so was the Pentagon. We lived in Virginia Beach, only a few hours from there. There was a mad rush out the door and cell phones were going crazy.

I made it home in time to watch the towers fall. I then ran to get my kids and get them home as soon as possible. My husband called from the base, he wasn't essential personnel but wasn't sure when he'd be home.

He made it home a few hours laters. We watched, prayed, and cried. Story after heartbreaking story came on the air. The faces of people looking for loved ones. We were on the edge of our seats waiting for them to find people alive. After a few days, we knew they wouldn't...our hearts ached.

When President Bush came on to announce that we would punish the aggressor, I remember my husband saying, "just wait guys, I'll be on sea duty soon." Soon after he transferred to sea duty and we arrived in Japan. Four weeks after arriving they were underway to the war.

I'm blessed that my husband returned. Whole. Many did not. Families that suffered during 9/11 are not the only ones that day, our entire nation suffered. Military families have faced separation, anxiety, and fear. Many military members did not return. Many more have returned missing parts of themselves whether it be parts of their bodies or minds.

The death of bin Laden is a blessing. Hopefully, it will not become a curse. As a Christian I struggle with celebrating the death of a human being. As an American, I can only say that I hoped that they wrapped him in bacon and stuffed his pockets with raw meat before they dumped him over.

Couponing, emergency room, and next year's curriculum.....

2011-04-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have my binder all ready to start couponing effectively. I've decided to organize according to brand name. The woman who runs http://www.couponing101.com/ recommends it and I think its a good idea. She also recommends buying enough to last three months because that's when it goes on sale again, so that's what I plan to do. Another good idea is to buy as many papers as you have people in your family. I plan on buying 7, we get two sets of coupons a week in the base paper. Another option without spending money is to hit your local recycle center and see if they'll let you go through the papers.

Princess decided to enjoy the fine weather this weekend by swinging. She got really high and then jumped off. Hurt her foot really bad, so off to the base urgent care clinic we went. I don't know why I bother to go there. She was on crutches all weekend because no one was around to read the xray. It was just badly sprained. She's turned it before, so now its easy to twist. I spent last Friday night in the er with Monkey. She decided to climb up the side of the crib while Kevin and I were at a retirement dinner. I got the call and ran home, thankfully, we were only ten minutes away. I took her in, but no break there either. This Friday, all the kids are entering a bubble so we don't have to go to the er again!!

Awww, that time of year. Time to buy some curriculum!!!! Yeah!! I love this time of year. We don't have our curriculum fair here until June, the big one anyway. There's a smaller one an hour away this coming weekend. I'm debating about going to that one. The larger one is almost a three hour drive and with gas prices that way that they are, it may be wiser.

So, have you decided on next year yet?

Extreme Couponing

2011-04-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone been watching this new show on TLC? Some of these people are absolutely ridiculous. Really, what do you need with 57 mustards? We may use two a year and that's only because we keep one in the camper. With a shelf life of about two years, you'd have to use 28 a year. Hmmm, what could I make with mustard? Mustard cookies, mustard pie, mustard milkshakes?

Others have huge stockpiles. I can see buying something on sale and buying several. I even listened to the one woman who said that the sales run about every three months, so buy what you need during that time frame. That makes sense, and she had a pile for about that time frame.

One man extreme coupons. He gives alot away to the local food bank. He also just make 1000 bags to give to the soldiers. I can't complain about what he's doing. He realizes that he can get it all for free and is happy to give away to those in need. Like he said, he'd never be able to afford it otherwise.

Kevin and I have been watching the show in awe of the piles of money they save. We've been discussing the last few weeks of the rise in the prices at the grocery store.....and we don't even have teenagers yet. Something has to be done. We just can't afford it and until I own my own land to plant a huge garden and have chickens and a pig, all I can do is buy what we need.

We shop at the commissary, which is the military grocery store. Items are generally cheaper than out in town. The problem is that nothing ever goes on sale. The last two weeks, I've been watching the sale ads out in town. With coupons, I could have stocked up on many items and saved alot of money. Thankfully, the stores are all within a mile of our house and right around the corner from each other. I can run in with my list and coupons and get exactly what I want. I can also look into store brands, which are generally alot cheaper, but we don't have them at our commissary. Hopefully, I can start cutting down our grocery bill. Its getting ridiculous.

My first step is to make a master list of what I generally buy at the commissary and the price I pay for it. With this in hand, I will be able to glance at the ads and know if there's a better deal out in town.

This will take time and preparation each week. However, I don't work and we need to start looking into saving for a house and college for the kids. Let's face it, military careers are not money makers. And with the problems nailing down a budget in Washington, I'd feel a little better having a month or two of food in the house just in case we don't get paid.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mom Time

2011-04-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks, we've all struggled with poor attitudes. I've been praying on it because I've probably been the worst offender.

Today was a gorgeous sunny day, until an hour ago. Now its cloudy and cold again. Its been that way for weeks. We've had alot of rain and its been cold. That has really affected our attitudes. Plus, I've been tired from lack of sleep and trying to do my homework. Thankfully, I have only a few terms left and then I will be "edjumacated". I hope to finish my bachelor's degree by December.

Today a lightbulb went off over my head. Yes, I good hear the click and "see the light". Not only were we suffering from dark and gloomies, my kids were really wanting some one on one mom time. We usually do as much school as we can together. I can see that its not working anymore. I need to focus on working with the kids one on one more.

Today I did that. I threw the schedule out the window.....we don't use it anyway. Its more of a checklist of subjects to complete each day. I focused on spending time with each child. All but Princess, who believes that she really is one, I was much more successful today. TL only really needs my help with a couple of questions, spelling (we use All About Spelling), math, and grammer. Its pretty easy for me to work with one girl, give him ten minutes or so and then work with the other and back to him for a few minutes. I have to say, it worked out really well. We didn't finish everything, but well, did I mention it was sunny today? It took me a while to figure out what that giant yellow thing in the sky was....at first I thought we were being attacked by space aliens.

I'm hoping that as they get used to this routine, things will run much more smoothly. Its hard to devote attention to one when the others are interrupting. I think that once they realize it will only be a few minutes, they will learn to wait patiently. (I can hope, right?) Each will have assignments to work on while waiting and the big girls like to color and read to the littles. It helps keep them busy and make the big girls feel like "teachers".

So, on Mondays, Thursday, and Fridays we will work on :
Reading
Spelling
Writing
Math
Grammer
History
Science

Tuesday are:
Library day
all the above but history and science

Wednesday are the "easy" days. I have a crazy night of running around Tuesday night and everyone's usually tired on Wednesday. So we do History, Science, Geography, Art, and Music. Any projects/experiments are done on this day.

I've also been alot better at reading aloud. the kids are really enjoying it and so am I. TL and I are reading 39 clues and girls and I are reading Felicity.

I have also taken away Bible Study. The kids just weren't getting what I wanted out of it. Instead, I'm reading bible passages adn we're discussing them. Its going much better.

Have a wonderful week!

Last week and TJEd

2011-04-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last week was just crazy. I had class on Wednesday night and again on Friday night. Its a speech class, so I had to take it inseat. The first speech was an introduction speech, I got a 5/5. This last speech I got a 96/100 with two of those points being deducted because I went over my time. I'm supposed to write a one to two page essay on things I can improve on. I have her grading sheet to look at but I'm not realy sure that I can get a whole page written about saying a couple of uhm's.

Saturday I went to an all day seminar regarding Thomas Jefferson education. It was very interesting. I can definitely see how I can install some of its concepts into our home. I will not however, do it all. Its a little too like unschooling to me in some ways. I need to be in control.....type A and the need to ensure a good education does that to me.

Yesterday I spent cleaning, doing laundry, and doing homework. Not something I like to do on Sundays, but I ran out of time with this crazy week. Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Breakfast

2011-04-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How many of us just make something quick or point to the cereal box and tell the kids to get some? Making a meal every morning can be taxing and can be exhausting trying to find new breakfast ideas. Check out Mr. Breakfast. I've found some fantastic recipes for muffins, eggs, french toast......all kinds of new and interesting ideas.

I hope to really focus on making good breakfast food for my kids. They really love muffins with hard boiled eggs, sometimes adding fruit or yogurt. A well rounded breakfast to fill up my little munchkins and keep them full so halfway through the morning they're not looking for a snack. Try it out and let me know of any good recipes you find!

Thomas Jefferson and high school planning

2011-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

I was planning on doing half days this week because its spring break for the public schools, but we've gotten very little schoolwork done. One day, I will not live two feet from my neighbors and have kids running up and down the street. I can't very well force mine inside while their friends are out playing.

I did take this week to do some reading, my own homework, and some cleaning. I spent about six hours cleaning out the garage. yes, it was THAT bad. I also finished the closets upstairs. We've been blessed with boxes and boxes of hand me downs that were just getting ridiculous to keep. I also decided that I don't have the room to hold onto clothes from Bug a Bug to Little Miss Trouble. Its four years difference adn way too many clothes. This house is too small and without adequate storage. So, I sorted through everything and even went through all of our coats and sweatshirts (really my kids have way too many) and got rid of eight bags of clothes!! My next step is to go through their dressers again and weed through the clothes there. The girls probably have at least 15 short and 15 long sleeved shirts. Way too many! Even with putting some in the camper, its still too many. I'm blessed with all the hand me downs, but its time to bless someone else!

TL's in 7th grade this year. Soon, too very soon, we'll be approaching high school. I need to start planning out our high school years, doing some planning, organizing, and researching on keeping records, making transcripts, etc. I got the book College prep Homeschooling that I've started reading. HSLDA also has a bunch of information on their website about homeschooling high school. I'm a planner, so its good to know what I need to start doing or looking at.

Meanwhile, I've also been reading about Thomas Jefferson education. If you are not familiar with it, I highly recommend reading A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. The Thomas Jefferson "theory" states that our country does not produce leaders because we don't have children read quality books and we only teach them to "take the test". The quality books are classics. They encourage you and your child to read alot of them and to discuss them so that your child can critically and analytically discuss a book. By mentoring your child, you will help produce leaders. Through away the workbook method of reading a book, with its grammer, vocabulary, and discussion questions. There are several stages of learning and at the highest level, the kids help take ownership for their education. They help decide and plan what they will study. Yes, they'll still do math no matter how much they hate it, but as they get older they will be able to focus their learning on what interests them and towards their career and college goals. I'm going to a seminar next weekend, so I'm looking forward to finding out more.

Well, I'm off. The homeschooling teens are coming tonight to watch Lord of the Rings. I need to de-fur the house before they get here. Shadow sheds about a dog's worth of hair a day!! lol

Still here

2011-03-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Its been a crazy week. I'm exhausted. I don't think you're supposed to be already tired when you wake up in the morning. Monkey is cutting teeth and up every night a couple of times. I'm really too old for this. I feel it ten times the next day!!

So, here's what we've been up to in pictures:

Monkey practicing her horse riding skills

Of course, we can't forget our hat!

The three oldest at their riding lesson. I guess I had a smudge on my lens.

TL's first lesson

When we left the lessons, this guy was just sitting in a tree on the side of the road

Have a great week!! Daddy comes home this weekend and I'm taking a nap!!

Weekly wrap up/japan update/Curriculum review

2011-03-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

This week has been a mixture of juggling school while watching the news. Its difficult for any of us to concentrate with our friends lives in jeopardy.

Contrary to news reports, the dependents are NOT being evacuated. The military is assisting them with with a VOLUNTARY DEPARTURE. It is not mandatory. They are not forcing everyone to leave. There are some that are opting to stay.

Hopefully, I'll find out in a few hours where and when they are sending my friends. We've heard they are being sent to three different cities on the west coast, Seattle is one of them. I've offered our home for those that need it. We'll work out space somehow!!

We've managed to do the basics and even a little science and history this week. I'm totally surprised we got that much done.

I knew that Princess needed to start learning her mulitplication table and I've been dreading it. It took forever for her to memorize her addition/subtraction facts. I finally got the addition/subtraction storybook from http://www.citycreek.com/. Only took a few weeks for her facts to be memorized! I was sooooo grateful.

Today we started her multiplication facts. I went ahead and ordered the cd rom and flashcards for the multiplication facts. I love the cdrom and so did Princess!! She knew her one's and zero's and today learned her 2's and 3x3 and 3x4. The stories are fun and engaging and there are songs and games to play. It makes learning the facts fun. Much more interesting than doing the flashcards everyday!! If only we'd had this years ago when I was learning them!!

I'll tell you that it is pricey. The cdrom was $44 and the flashcards were extra. I didn't purchase the teacher's guide or the workbook. I didn't find them that useful for the addition facts so I didn't bother spending the money. Each of the flashcards has a picture of the story on it for the kids to remember the story and answer. I had thought that it would be difficult to remember all of that, but it wasn't. The girls really enjoyed learning their addition/subtraction facts. With four children to get through multiplication facts, I figured that the investment was worth it.

The Writing Menu-what a success!! The girls had a great time doing their assignments this week. I did figure out though, that if I'm working on teaching them something in history, science, or geography, I need to wait until the following week to do the writing assignmnet. It just didn't work out well this week. I'm extending their assignment until next week so they can complete their writing assignments.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Evacuation from Japan

2011-03-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

This Link has the video from the co from Atsugi Naval Air Station regarding the voluntary departure of families of military members from Japan. Please, note, that this is voluntary, not a mandatory evacuation.

Japan

2011-03-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

First, thank you all for your continued prayers. Japan still needs them as do the service members and their families. The Rear Admiral in Yokosuka (pronounce Yokoska) just put out a message that time outside should be limited due to low radiation levels. Also, vents to the outside should be closed if at all possible.

We lived in Atsugi, which is also under the warning. I'm sure that Zama and Yokota are also under warnings.

The area is still being hit with huge aftershocks. A 6.0 hit an hour ago. The family members are getting extremely nervous, with the continued aftershocks and the radiation warning. I'll tell you also, that the members that are married to the Japanese are stating that the Japanese think another big one is coming.

I hope this map helps you understand where the troops are stationed in Japan.

I have a friend whose a missionary, that's trying to get her and her kids out of Japan. They are collecting donations to do so. If you are interested in helping that way, please let me know and I'll send you the link

I also wanted to say thank you for all your prayers when the tsunami was bearing down on us. Thankfully, even though I'm on an islans, we're well enough inland in the Puget Sound and on the east side, so we didn't have any affect here.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Japan cont'd

2011-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Our friend's husband, Minoru, has been found safe in Tokyo. He was able to finally get through to his wife and we are so grateful.

And now, more problems. The Nuclear reactor is not cooling. Sea water is being used as a last resort. Please continue to pray.

Japan

2011-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Many of you know we lived in Japan for three years. We still have many friends there. All have been accounted for and all are well. The military bases were spared major damage and threat of tsunami.

Only one is unaccounted for. Our friend Kumi's husband. Minoru is in the Japanese navy and was in Tokyo at the time. Their son, Tacty, came to stay with us this summer. We're pretty sure he's just stuck in Tokyo or at a train station. All trains are down, its too long of a walk, and the phones are down too. Please continue to pray for this family. They are a wonderful Christian family and we hope the best for them!!

Thank you!!

The Writing Menu

2011-03-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry you didn't hear from me last week. The stomach flu hit the two youngest and then myself on Friday-the afternoon that I had to take my proctored final exam. I have no idea what I wrote, I just wanted out of there. I got a B, so either he was very generous, or I didn't do as badly as I thought. I hope to get an A in the class, but my term paper has to be graded yet. In my ~~stupid~~ music class, I got a B for a final grade. That guy wanted everything listed in your essay that was in the 60 pages of reading and marked off if it wasn't-and you only had 450 words to do it in. I thought I was doing poorly, until I realized that my 70-80% was above average from the rest of the class. This easy humanities class was very difficult indeed!!

Princess came down with the flu bug today and Bug-a-bug is now complaining of a tummy ache. With school interrupted for almost three weeks we really need to get cracking this week. I just finished the writing menu for the girls for the week. You'll notice that the dinner choices are weird. I'm always making up weird things when they ask what's for dinner, so that's a little joke of ours. I decided not to focus on writing skills this week, just introduce them to the writing menu. I used our history, science and geography lessons for the appetizers and main dishes. I used some items I found in the book If You're Trying to Teach Kids to How to Write ....you've gotta have this book by Marjorie Frank. I got it years ago and it has great creative writing ideas.

Here's their menu:
Your Writing Menu

Appetizers-you may pick any two to do

• Cheese sticks-Name three kinds of rocks (5pts)

• Nachos-Name three kinds of sedimentary rocks (5pts)

• Buffalo Wings-Identify the word territory (5pts)

• Blooming Onion-Identify the Treaty of Paris (5pts)

Main Course-you may pick any one to write about (25pts)

• Fried Frog Lips-Pick an animal that lives in Australia and draw a picture of it. Write a paragraph about the animal and tell why you would or wouldn’t want it for a pet.

• Monkey Butt Pie-Pretend that you live in Australia in the Outback. Write a list of five Australian words that you would use. Then write a paragraph about living in the Outback.

Dessert-you may choose one to write about (10pts)

• Ice Cream Sundae-Write a shape poem

• Apple Pie-Make an invitation for a friend of yours to come on a trip to outer space

Hope that this goes well with the girls. As we get more into it, I plan on adding more choices for them.

Have a wonderful week!

The Writing Menu

2011-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

For those of you that follow this blog, I know all five of you, you are aware that TL has struggled with writing. This year, we're using IEW's Student Writing Intensive, which is fantastic. We love it. I love the concept's it teaches and the skills it gives him. I was lucky to have found the parent's dvd's at the library, so the program wasn't as costly for me to use.

When I watched the instructor video, it was like Andrew was talking to me. He said that generally (and not all the time) when instructed to write a 3 page essay, girls will write ten pages of flowery words and boys will stare at blank paper. It makes it even more difficult when you give them a creative writing assignment. He said that boys get terrified with thinking of writing something creative, then stress over the length, and then oh my, I have to spell and do correct grammer? For the past few years, I've pulled creative writing assignments from journal prompts thinking how fun it would be for him to write, and he hated it. He could never think of anything to write. Now, I understand why.

One of the biggest problems that I have is that writing comes pretty easy to me. No, I don't often proofread my blog to correct things, but generally I'm a decent writer. And apparently, because I am, I struggle to teach my son writing skills.

So, anyway, I recomment IEW for I'd say 6th grade and above.

Now, I didn't want the girls to fall into the same trap, although I see a huge difference. They are eager to write and do so all day without me even asking. What a difference it is!

I just found the book The Writing Menu by Melissa Forney. It is sooooo cool!! You basically sit down and figure out what your learning the next few weeks. Now you make your menu of writing assignments for the kids to choose from.

From the Appetizers menu, you give short writing assignments that equal about five points.

List five animals that can be found in the desert
Write a complete sentence that includes a scientific fact about a rain forest animal
Make a list of community helpers in our town

From the Main Courses, you design assignments that generally take a little longer to do. It could be a creative writing assignment, a report on a history or science lesson, etc. They are about 25 points.

From the Dessert menu, you design assignments for about 10-15 points. They are usually creative writing which should be fun for them

From a quick read through this book, she has designed it for public school kids, but what fun for us homeschoolers!! She also insists on working on skills each week or length of assignment. She has a nice chart of skills listed for each grade level through eighth grade. She also has pages of suggestions for writing assignments.

I've decided to incorporate this in our school starting next week. I look forward to coming up with fun and exciting things for the girls to write about. TL is still going to use his IEW plan, but I may plan some appetizers, one for each day, to focus on our history and science lessons.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Snow!!

2011-02-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

We live in western WA which is absolutely beautiful and the wildlife is amazing. We find it funny that the island that we live on rarely gets snow. Last year we didn't get anything. Earlier this year we had two days of snow-about three inches total. Everything closes. Roads are hilly and freeze and without the proper equipment, they freeze over and are very dangerous. Kevin and I think its funny because we're both from snowy areas and the little snow we get here shuts the whole place down.

This time we got about six inches. Some areas got up to 18. We may possibly get more snow today, I'm hoping anyway. I love letting the kids play in the snow. The only bad part is that after taking off a week for Grandpa's visit, we're now taking snow days. A little longer than I anticipated, but I can't very well make mine stay in while they watch their friends play in the snow from the schoolroom windows. Besides, we all had to participate in a snowball fight!!

Looking up the street during the snowfall

Our little tree out front covered with snow

Bug-a-bug playing outside

TL getting ready to send a snowball my way

Little Miss didn't want to play in the snow after we got her outside. It took her a while to go out and play. Our neighbors were out and she finally was persuaded to play with her little friend.

The neighbor girls

I know that the snow will be gone soon. In the meantime we'll enjoy it. I'm also catching up on some homework and studying. I have a term paper to write this weekend that I haven't even started the research for yet. Its gonna be a long weekend!!

quick update

2011-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy week with Grandpa here. Most of the time was just spent doing fun things with him. The kids really enjoy the once or twice a year they get to see him.

It was especially nice because it was Princess' tenth birthday. Being a military ~~brat~~ child means that you finally get your military id-so you can shop and show your card to get healthcare benefits. Grandpa bought her a new wallet and purse for her new id card. She got to go to dinner all by herself with him too.

We had pictures taken with Grandpa. My dad loves to get photos done with the kids. The last ones are years old and the two youngest weren't in them. It was definitely time for new ones.

It was hard to see him go this morning. The girls are sleeping in (he left at 5am) but TL's been up since then to say goodbye. The baby got up at regular time but Little Miss is also still sleeping. We're busy when Grandpa's here and they stay up late. We stretch every moment we have with him.

I'm asking prayers for him now. When he returns home, he has about a week before he has a biopsy done on his prostate. Thanks!

Lucky me

2011-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

I've been lucky enough this past week to do two presentations for our homeschooling group. Monday night was our monthly meeting and I was able to talk about my passion for genealogy research. I gave tips on how to get started, how to organize, made huge hints on interviewing your relatives today before they are lost to us, and what to do with the information. I also provided information on different projects to do in your homeschool regarding genealogy.

The kids really enjoyed hearing about my Tennessee family, which my cousin and I swear is in the witness protection program. No one goes by their name. My father's generation and the one before all use their middle names. It took me years to figure out why they called my dad Wayne instead of Phillip. His brother isn't so lucky, he's affectionately known as Tinker.

I had decided to try to research my great grandmother Polly, because quite frankly we're rumored to be related to Davy Crockett, and well, just how cool is that? My dad didn't know her parents names but I didn't think it would be a problem because she'd lived in the same county her whole life. Unfortunately, I couldn't find her on the census records, and without parents' names to help, I was at a loss. My father finally remembered that she had two brothers-Uncle Fuzzy and Uncle Tater. Are you kidding me? He remembered they had a still up on the mountain and made moonshine. Why does this not surprise me?

One night, I was lucky to stumble across the Tombstone Project. Volunteers all over the country scour cemetaries to record the headstones before they are lost to weathering forever. I searched in the county, just for fun, and found James "Fuzzy" Rhea!! I couldn't believe my luck!! I was so excited!! Even better, a brother that had never married was buried nearby along with his parents! I hit the Jackpot!

Back to the census records I went to find Polly. I found the parents and "Fuzzy" but now had another problem. The only girl I found that was Polly's age was listed as Violet Anora. Her daughter, my grandmother's name was Violet Jean, could it be? I called Polly's daughter and found out that Polly's name was really Violet Anora. Why on earth did we call her Polly then? She didn't really know. Apparently, she looked like a Polly when she was born. okay........

Upon further research, it looks like Polly's maternal side, like the nickname Polly. I found several listed on census records. How or why it started, we'll probably never know, but it was neat to find out.

Today, I was able to teach a lapbooking class and cover the Iditarod. We love the Iditarod. We follow it every year. We also love lapbooking and I was able to show many of my fellow homeschoolers how to lapbook. Many had been fearful in the past of trying it out, but found that it was really easy to do.. I think everyone enjoyed learning about the Iditarod and the kids had alot of great questions.

My dad is visiting now, so we're off for a week. The kids are enjoying time with their grandfather. We don't get to see family enough, so we always take off when they're here.

Have a wonderful week!

Literature project ideas

2011-02-14T17:10:00.000-08:00

Need some interesting project ideas for your literature unit? How about

poster
diary entry
time capsule
cereal or toy designed after the book
newspaper article or paper
photo album
screenplay
story quilt
comic strip
time line
travel brochure design a game
write a new ending
paper dolls made of the characters

Hope these ideas help you out!

Are we hungry?

2011-02-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

The tough part about being a growing one year old, is that you're always hungry. I often find Monkey in the pantry. Here she is with the pancake mix. I should have just added syrup and she would have been all set.

Here she is inside the pantry. She's sitting on the bag of potatoes. She's brought her doll and stroller with her and both are snacking on pretzels.

Here's our favorite dessert. Rainbow Ribbon Jello. It doesn't last long around here.

Time Traveler Series-review

2011-02-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

I just received the Time Traveler Series-American Revolution last week. We're getting ready to venture into the American Revolution. This program wasn't really something that I needed. I have a ton of projects and recipes to do. What attracted me the most, was the unique projects that the kids would be doing.

We've already gone through the American Revolution once and I'm sure TL would like some other projects to do. So far, I've viewed the shadow puppets, which are in the first few lessons. It looks like tons of fun!!

The timeline and vocabulary cards are fantastic and are divided into groups of five lessons. There are awesome notebooking and lapbooking activities.

I am anxious to start this program. It will take me a little longer to finish because I take a world history approach to our studies.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekly wrap up

2011-02-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

This week has been busy as usual. I was able to keep up an organized with my homeschool tracker program. I know I stopped using it when we moved, I'm not quite sure why I never started again. Well, actually I do. I moved from overseas, had to unpack an entire house, and had baby number five a month later.

Science
I moved TL into Apologia Astronomy. He should actually be in a 7th grade program but half way through the year, I didn't want to spend so much and I had this available in a box. He was able to melt a candy bar and built a pin hole viewing box. Thankfully the sun was out and he could do both projects. The girls are continuing on with Exploring God's Creation-Earth Science. We're working on water this week.

History
This week we discussed the 13 colonies and filled in a map of them. The Salem witch trials also took center stage. The kids, especially the girls, did not enjoy hearing about this part of our history. The slave trade didn't do much either to impress them with our past. I will be moving into Daniel Boone on Monday.

The Three r's
TL is doing well with his studies. He's working on the first 15 Latin and Greek roots, a vocabulary study, and Saxon Math. Math is the only thing he seems to be struggling in. He still does well, but it takes HOURS for him to finish. And he refuses to copy the problem to the work paper to do it, which is the reason he makes mistakes from trying to squeeze in problems onto a small space.
Princess is making strides with reading and math, although she's still a little behind, she's making a real effort now to catch up. She's the one who keeps saying she won't do her work and is the hardest to get to cooperate. Just lately, she's figured out that her friends are moving ahead and she's not, so she's working hard at catching up to them.
Bug-a-bug is the easiest of all the kids. She'd finish her work in three hours a day if I could just sit and work with her. She wants to do extra too.
Little Miss Trouble has been learning her colors and how to count to 10. She's learned a couple of shapes this year and has been learning how to write a, i, and l. She actually colors within the lines and writes pretty well. I have some photos I need to post.

Geography
The girls are studying Australia. This was something else I changed in January. We are going to do a continent study, then a habitat study, and then perhaps an animal study. Most of it will be lapbooks. The girls enjoy them.
TL will continue to work on his world geography.

Projects
The girls are working animal lapbooks. Princess is doing a horse one and Bug-a-bug is doing one on cheetahs. TL will start a state project this week for the homeschool fair coming up next month, our theme is American State Fair night.

Next week we will finish our Australia and animal lapbooks on Monday and Tuesday. My father is arriving on Tuesday night for a week. Princess' birthday is next week and she's looking forward to seeing Grandpa. I think we may make a field trip one day, not sure where yet. The rest of teh time will be spent on quality time with Grandpa.

have a wonderful weekend. I'll be doing my homework!

I'm still here

2011-02-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

School has been really busy for me. The third week of class I had 300 pages to read, plus discussion question and responses to do. Last week was midterm week. I did well, except for my stupid music class. I say this because I've written six 8-10 page term papers and gotten 95 or higher on all of them. My instructor would like us to summarize 60 pages of reading into 300 words and include all pieces of music, vocabulary terms, and opinions....and if we miss any we get points off. The highest grade I've gotten is a 75......and that's the class average. arrrgghhhh

The kids are doing wonderfully with school. Its helped that I've been really good at keeping up with homeschool tracker and staying organized. I've been better at getting everything ready to go before we start the day.

I've also reorganized my cleaning and laundry schedule. The kids help more with the house, mostly cleaning up their messes. I need to redo the chore chart but so far my mental schedule seems to be working. We clean during the week and I do laundry on the weekends, along with most of my homework. I'm realizing that I can't do homework starting at 9 or 10 pm. I'm too pooped. Too old now I guess. So, I try to do some of what I can during the week, and then do the majority on the weekend.

I can't believe I have to sign up for classes again on Monday. I only have three weeks left in these two classes. Only two more terms of going full time and then I'll be taking two terms with only one class at a time and then I'm all done!! yahoo!! I'm excited. I'm tired, but I'm glad I'm getting it done!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

The Star Spangled Banner

2011-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

While watching the Super Bowl, we noticed Christina Aquilera messed up the words to the Star Spangled Banner. She's not the first big star to do so, nor will she be the last.

Today on yahoo news, they posted an article about the tricky lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner. Tricky? Did I miss something? Myself and almost every other American know the correct lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner.

Pop stars don't seem too. Maybe its because they're not making a cool million on the song. I mean really. Why bother learning the lyrics to the song that symbolized your country? The song that symbolizes freedom. Freedom of speech, which by the way, guarantees that you can sing whatever you want. And earn money from it.

Yeah, those lyrics sure are tricky...........

sick, sick, and more sick

2011-01-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

We're going on three weeks of having all kinds of different ailments. Finally, after Trey was up most of the night with a stomah bug, I decided to officially call a sick day. We'd been continuing on, even with all the illnesses. I cleaned, scrubbed, and washed everything in sight downstairs. All remotes, light switches, phones, wii controllers, and anything else has been cleaned. I'm doing the upstairs tomorrow night and Saturday. I'm washing everyone's bedding....again. I just did it a few weeks ago.

Well, we have managed to keep busy with school, here's some of our shots:

Bug-a-bug's poster for the Great Barrier Reef. We're studying Australia in Geography

Princess and her poster

Little Miss Trouble wanted to do one too, so I let her cut out photos from some magazines.

Everyone wanted to see pictures of our "lap" dog!

And this is what I spend most of my day doing, saving Monkey when she climbs and can't get down.

And here's Monkey with her daddy. She loves when he comes home and she gets to wear his hats.

Have a great day everyone!

Food storage

2011-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've been looking into is storing food up for a few months supply. You never know what might happen that you might depend on the stored food to feed your family. Whether something major happens in the country or if we dont' receive a paycheck suddenly or some other major expense comes up. I'm working on stocking some flour, sugar, and canned goods.

I found this interesting calculator to determine how much you would need for a year for your family. Its definitely interesting to look at. I have some friends that have a few months supply and others that have almost a year.

Its a mess

2011-01-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend I asked the kids to clean up their desks. This is what I went into yesterday morning:

They worked all day on those desks. I have no idea how they got anything done at all.

And with a one and three year old this is what the floor looks like during the day:

Mom had to get involved and I cleaned off the desks at the end of the day. I couldn't take it anymore.

Thank all of you for your concern for Shadow. He's not had another seizure. I have to go this week and get his medicine. We were sick for over a week and then down to one car. We should have new tires on the other car Wednesday or Thursday.

Continuing with our colonial studies, we may baked apples last night:

They were pretty yummy. We enjoyed them, but we're huge apple lovers here. Here's a shot of Little Miss Trouble. She likes to pose. I need to get a shot of Monkey cause her nickname fits her well. She's climbing everything. I walked in yesterday and she was standing on top of the kitchen table. She's giving me a heart attack. I try to keep an eye on her, but sometimes, I turn my back and then she's on top of something.

Hope you all have a wonderful week

I'm still here....

2011-01-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

We ended up with the sickies here. Fevers, runny nose, and sore throats. Its taken several days to run through this and now the big kids are hopefully getting over it. That's good because I'm exhausted and need some sleep. I've continued nursing the Little Monkey only so she'll have my immunities. She was the hardest hit. I was hoping to be done by now, but that didn't work out as planned. I may just continue the next two months to get through the flu season.

We've been working on the colonies. The girls are learning to hand sew and are making a blanket for their baby dolls. We'll be quilting them as well.

Since we've been studying Colonial Times, I ordered the PBS series Colonial House and we've been watching it. I've really enjoyed it. We have enjoyed watching how they really lived back then, and how difficult it would be for one of us to step back in time and exist in the 17th century. I highly recommend watching this if you haven't already. They also have Frontier House and 1900 house. I only had one issue with the program, and that was the amount of bleeping on it. One of the gents they got to do it is from England and apparently cusses like a sailor. They bleeped over it all, but its quite a few. Also, during the second episode one of the families finds out that their son and future son-in-law was in a car accident and the son-in-law didn't make it. Its quite tragic, so I wouldn't recommend this for younger viewers.

I plan on getting Frontier House next, even though we're a long way off from Homesteading. It's my favorite time period, and I'd love to see how these families carve out their lifes on the 160 acres that they are given.

Shadow

2011-01-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

We have a big dog. A really big dog. He's half black lab and half newfoundland. He's currently 130 pounds. And he thinks he's a lap dog.

Unfortunately, he's experienced two seizures the last two months. I took him to the vet immediately after the second one. He was due for a check up anyway. They ran all kinds of tests, updated shots, gave medicine for his ear infection and ~~took my second oldest child for payment~~ alot of my money.

The test results came back inconclusive. He definitely has a thyroid problem. He's about 15-20 pounds overweight. So we have to get thyroid medicine for him. We're hoping that will clear up the seizures otherwise we'll have to check for epilepsy.

He's a fantastic dog. The baby can sit on him, jump on him, pull his ears, take food out of his dish, and he doesn't even move. If she's jumping on him, he doesn't even sit up to get her off, its like he knows he's bigger and will hurt her. He's big. He thinks he's a lap dog-did I say that already? My hubby will be sitting on the couch and Shadow will come over and climb up into his lap. Its funny. I need to photograph it.

The vet also wants me to get a urine sample? How on earth am I to do that? Visions of me chasing the dog around the yard trying to hold a bowl underneath him while he pees comes to mind. She suggested putting him on his leash, except that he won't go when he's on a leash. I could strap a cloth diaper on him and wring it out when he's done.

All I see if the part of Jurassic Park III when the boy shows Dr Grant the TRex pee he's collected.

If you have a video camera and are in the neighborhood, come on over for a show. I'm sure me chasing the dog around the yard will be pretty comical. If you enter it into America's Funniest Videos however, I do claim half the prize!

update

2011-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

So here's a copy of the lessons for TL yesterday. He can go through and mark off as he does them.

Our day yesterday went very smoothly with the kids having a list to check off. You can see the girls being very studious here:

Okay, not so much here!

and here they are doing PE class:

Have a great week!

Another update on organization

2011-01-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

I watched all the videos last night on Homeschool Skedtrack. I didn't start imputting because it was too late for me to think clearly to do that.

This morning my code to download Homeschool Tracker Plus arrived via email. I purchased this program over six years ago for about $25 (I think its $40 now). I went ahead and dowloaded it and have been watching the videos of all the upgrades since I used it two years ago. It allows me a few more options than Sketrack. The biggest advantage is that I can save my lesson plans for the future adn don't have to retype them in. I did notice that skedtrack was easier to get around and offered the kids option of signing in. I have to check on this for homeschool tracker-they didn't used to be able to do that, but I think it may be an option now.

So, my last weekend of freedom before school starts on Monday will be reading my assignments and inputing homeschooling lessons.

Update on organizing.....

2011-01-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

Well, apparently my computer is so new and my installation disk for homeschool tracker is so old, that they are not compatible anymore.

So, I've been watching the tutorials on Homeschool Skedtrack (thank you a million Kidcraze!) and I really like it. I especially like that I can give the kids a login to check their assignments for the day! That's wonderful!! Perhaps I can even go paperless!! What would I do then? The dust bunnies will not have anywhere to hide!!

Have a wonderful weekend!! I'll be inputing lesson plans and doing my reading for school. Classes start on Monday already!

I am a ding dong

2011-01-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

They say with each pregnancy you lose some brain cells. There are times like these when I have to agree with that saying.

Kidcraze recommended software for homeschool scheduling!! I have Homeschool Tracker and used it for years. I stopped when we left Japan in the middle of the year and my hubby had the only laptop and was taking it to school with him. Fast forward to September with a new baby and unpacking a house, I never used it. Then the desktop crashed this summer and I got a laptop and never installed it!!

So, I'm chalking this up to duh!!!!! And logging off to into this on my laptop and get my lessons in. As soon as I do all the upgrades and rewatch the tutorial so I remember how to use it that is!

Organization

2011-01-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

I finished my last final on Dec 10th and I start again on Monday. How did this happen? These thirty days went way too quickly for me!!

I've spent some wonderful quality time with my kids, my hubby worked way too much and was gone most of the last two weeks. I started reorganizing my recipe binder. I did it about five years ago and I needed to revamp it. I should be done with that this weekend.

I've done some organizing and inputing of genealogy records. I've worked on updating my genealogy blog. I have a few more records to put in and should have that done today.

I've cleaned out and organized closets and other parts of the house.

I'm starting to read my assignments for the first week of class.

And, I've revamped my lesson planner. I used to plan each subject for each child on a subject page and checked off each day as we did it. I decided to try to do weekly planners for lesson plans. I figured out by Wednesday that this does not work for me. I'm very ~~anal~~ organized and I can't handle not getting something done one day and having to hold it over till the next day. This doesn't work for me. I usually have several weeks of lessons done at a time, and being off one day, means that I'm off for weeks. Drives me bananas. So, last night, I started re-entering my plans on my subject planners. I'll have pictures to show later this weekend.

have a wonderful weekend!

Reading challenge

2010-12-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

I love to read. Don't most homeschoolers? My favorite is historical fiction, I guess that's why history is my major. I'm especially fascinated with colonial and pioneer historical fiction, although I do read others.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the Thomas Jefferson theory of reading classics. I've made an effort over the last few years to read more classics. TL reads some classics and award winners-time honored and tested literature that has survived generations.

I have decided that along with school this year, I need to start reading more classics and having TL read more of them. So, I designed a new list to read. I have also included the list of historical fiction that I need to read that's stacking up:

1776
Mayflower
The Intrique at Highbury (okay it doesn't classify as either, but I have to get my Elizabeth and Darcy fix)
The last of the Mohicans
The Lonesome Gods
Northanger Abbey
A Tale of Two Cities
The Whiskey Rebels
Rebel (by Bernard Cornwell)

That's all I have listed for this year. I just can't do anymore with homeschooling and college. Plus, I need to read all the books on TL's list because believe it or not, I have not read any of these books!

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Cricket in Times Square
A Wrinkle in Time
The Silver Chair
The Horse and his boy
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

We will be reading aloud together The Hobbit, The Wind and the Willows and finishing up Pilgrim's Progress.

I will be reading aloud to the girls their classics. I'll be reading fairy tales at bedtime and during the day, we'll be reading the Betsy books and Little House on the Prairie series.

Lots and lots of reading, but I'm looking forward to it! Take care everyone!!

Have a wonderful adn safe New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T09:48:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! May you and your family be blessed with peace and joy this Christmas!!

Please remember to pray not only for the service members that are serving away from home, but also the families that not only have their loved one deployed. Most of these families can't afford to go home for the holidays so they are stuck at the duty station without their service member or family.

Blessings to all

Michelle

I've won an award!!

2010-12-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

First one ever and I have no idea why. I am certainly not stylish!! I dress in jeans and tshirts and sneakers that are ripped and two years old. My hair is usually in a pony tail. I don't change purses to match my outfit or my shoes. I never wear jewelry-well, maybe I will when the baby turns three.

So, in honor of my award, I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about me:

1. I've lived in Japan. Loved it, it was wonderful. I would go back in a heartbeat.

2. I quilt. Lots of people call it the old lady hobby, but many do it. I spend only a little time on it because of school and homeschooling, but I love to quilt, it relaxes me.

3. I love to do genealogy research. I've come across many interesting facts about my family. I've almost traced some lines to the American Revolution and before!

4. I love to go to the movies. I haven't been in over a year, since we left Japan. In Japan we went every week, it was very affordable $2 for me and $1 for the kids. Of course, most of the movies I've seen are kiddos movies but still-I love the movies.

5. I would love to travel to Scotland and visit family there-once I track them down that is.

6. I love to go camping.....in my camper. Sorry, but I need a bed and a shower. I'm a cranky lady without them.

7. I would love to travel in my camper and with my hubby and kids across the US. I would love to see the country. I've traveled across the country, but missed many states, and have missed stopping at many interesting places. I mean really, you have to stop at the Corn Palace, right?

Things I miss about home....

2010-12-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year that I miss being home. Not only for family and friends, but just some of the foods that are comforting and I miss. We never head home for the holidays. Its too expensive, too difficult, and usually too far to travel.

I do miss being in Western NY. Home of the four time Superbowl losing Buffalo Bills. I miss watching their games.

I miss watching the Sabres-or any hockey. Apparently, Directv doesn't allow hockey unless you pay for it. I'm hating it.

I miss authentic Buffalo wings. Actually, I'd eat any at this point, but I can't seem to find any on the island.

I miss good pizza. With a nice thick crust. This flat tasteless cardboard stuff gets me mad.

I miss seeing Niagara Falls all done up in Christmas lights.

I miss Bison Chip Dip. For those of you that have never had any, you're missing out. My husband claims that its no different than any other chip dip he's eaten......yet he eats most of the tub.

I miss Sahlen hot dogs. NY hot dogs are totally different than any other hot dogs I've ever had.

I miss Friday night fish fry-at EVERY single place to eat. And the best was in the dumps or bars.

I miss Beef of Weck. No one knows what that is unless you've lived there. Its shaved roast beef with gravy (not thick) on a kimmelwick roll. No one knows what those are either.

I miss Mighty Taco. Best taco place ever!

I miss snow! I love snow around the holidays. I would love to have some now, except that the whole city would shut down!

And I miss my friends and family. Thank goodness for phones, email, and skype. I don't know how the pioneers did it!

have a wonderful week!

Let it snow!

2010-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

I know its been a while. Between wreath making for the Boy Scouts, being hit with a really bad cold, and a nine page paper due, I've been neglecting my blog. Sorry.

Monday of Thanksgiving week, it started snowing. At about 9am. This abruptly finished out school day. Even though we live in Western WA, we live on an island in between the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. It rarely ever snows here.

At about ten, I realized that it was going to make the roads really slick. I know how to drive on slick roads-I'm from Buffalo!! However, there are many people who don't and I wasn't going to put my life into their hands.

So, I ran off the the commissary and picked up a few groceries we needed and over to the exchange to discover they did not have any snow gloves. I couldn't find the big girls-I actually think they're in the camper.

My husband's work sent everyone home that afternoon. The schools decided to wait until the roads were nice and slick to put the kids on the buses. At this point, there had dozens of accidents and road closures. The island has lots of steep hills and without any way to treat the roads, they were sheets of ice.

We got two inches. Just barely enough to cover the grass.

Daddy was off of work on Tuesday. They closed the public school Tuesday and Wednesday.

It makes me laugh. Back home, we never had school closures for snow. It was extremely rare!

Here's some photos. Our road is a small hill and it was slick with ice, so daddy helped the girls sled down it.

The view of the backyard

The front of the house. Don't ya love the telephone and cable boxes there?

The girls after their snow run

Daddy getting the girls started

Off they go!! That's the Pugent Sound at the end of the street!

Little Miss Trouble liked the snow, but preferred to only stay out for ten minutes, then come in and get undressed, then go back out for ten minutes.....you see the pattern here

Prairie Primer lapbooking pages

2010-12-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

I am sooooo excited!! We love lapbooking and I just found out that my favorite lapbooking company A Journey through Learning has just designed a lapbook to go with the Prairie Primer.

This lapbook goes through the first three Little House on the Prairie books. You can see sample pages here.

Their lapbooks are absolutely wonderful and a joy for us to do!! I'm looking forward to starting this one with my girls!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sad week

2010-11-29T17:40:00.001-08:00

Please pray for my neighbor, she lost her mother this week.

And pray for the Gibbs family. Their 8 year old daughter died tragically of a heart condition this past week.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Weekly update

2010-11-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

I'll have to post our school update later today. First, we found the glasses!! and you haven't heard from me because I was studying for midterms! They are now done and a huge load is off my back now!

Here's some photo updates! TL participated in an all school taekwondo tournament. He competed with three other boys in his age range-all higher belts than he is. He placed first in sparring and his form! I'm so proud!

Doing his form

Getting ready to spar

Getting his first place sparring trophy from Master Rhodes

And just cause she's so cute:

Starting our school day in our jammies

We start school at an early age here at Eagle Eye Academy!

Weekly update

2010-11-05T12:16:00.001-07:00

I was hoping to post our weekly update, however, I am forced to rip apart and clean my entire house today. You see, Bug-a-bug has lost her new glasses. The ones that cost $150. I am not pleased at all!!

How Pumpkin Pie is Made

2010-10-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

Memorization list

2010-10-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

I just realized that it will be November next week and I totally spaced out on the kids memorization lists this year. I'm not quite sure what the problem was, but apparently, I totally forgot. Thank goodness I read the post by Sergeant Major Mom about her memorization list. If you get a moment, check out her blog. She is a military spouse who uprooted from Alaska to Georgia this past year and made a cross country trip checking out everything she could with her kids. It was quite a trip!

So, here goes my list for the year:

Pronouns
Helping Verbs
State of Being Verbs
Presidents
States and Capitals
Preamble to the Constitution
Lord's Prayer
New Testament books

Poems: (the first one listed is TL's and the second is the two older girls) I took the poems from the Random Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky.

November:
Thanksgiving Magic by Rowen Bastin Bennett
Thanksgiving by Ivy O Eastwick

December:
From a Christmas Package by David McCord
Merry Christmas by Aileen Fisher

January
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
The Snowflake by Walter de la Mare

February
Maple Feast by Frances Frost
When by Dorothy Aides

March
Goodbye my Winter Suit by NM Bodecker
The March Wind by Anonymous

April
The Flattered Flying Fish by EV Riev
Ladybug by Joan Walsh Anglund

May
My tongue is Tasting Terrible by Jack Prelutsky
I'm ironing my Rhinocerus

June
Land of Nod by Robert Stevenson
The Swing by Robert Stevenson

I tried to make the poems interesting and fun. There was something else I wanted them to memorize and for the life of me, I can't remember what it is right now.

I wanted to share this little tidbit. Chunky Monkey has several words now-mommy, daddy, stop, and da-dow (which is for the dog, Shadow). Tonight we went to my neighbor's Pampered Chef party and she chased the dog around calling, "da-dow". I guess all dogs will be da-dows now! How cute!

Little Miss Trouble's third birthday

2010-10-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, hubby is once again off for a few weeks. He missed Little Miss Trouble's birthday, but more importantly, he's missing pumpkin carving with five kids and trick or treating.......hmmmmm.....once has to wonder why he planned the trip at this time?.......

Today was Little Miss Trouble's third birthday. We went to story time at the library, Wendy's for lunch, and then unfortunately, had typical running around Tuesday night. We are going to do cake and ice cream tomorrow night.....but of course we had to have cupcakes for breakfast this morning!

Weekly Wrap

2010-10-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

We have had a crazy and busy week this week. My best friend since grade school came to Seattle with her sister for an international chorus competition. The kids and I drove up on Tuesday to meet them and their brother, who had arrive from CA. We went to the zoo and had a blast. It was so much fun! We were absolutely exhausted though. Two hour drive there and back and seven hours at the zoo was alot. Wednesday we only did half a school day because we were all so exhausted. We had several meltdowns and temper tantrums-mine included, sad to say. Wednesday night Princess tried to high hurdle the dog and ended up landing on her foot on the ceramic tile. We spent the day Thursday at medical-military medical is something less than desired when you want to be quick. Four hours there....ugh. We're waiting for the radiologist to read the xray and tell us if its broken. I still can't figure out why the doctor, after years and years of school, can't read the xray. Right now we have an ace bandage, crutches, ice, and motrin.

So, not much school done this week, but here we go.

History-Working on our Plains Indians study and free lapbook that I found. We built an indian village using a book that I had found with punchouts. Next week we'll be working on Woodland Indians and starting a few projects.

Science-We did a little about caves on Monday. I was hoping to finish up this week, hopefully today unless we end up at medical again.

Language Arts-TL's having difficulties with the vocabulary program we've started. I think most if it is laziness and he doesn't want to do it. I've also noticed that he struggles when looking words up in the dictionary. He had fifteen to do this week. Towards the end of the list, I noticed improvement so I'm hoping it was just a struggle because he didn't want to do it. Spelling is going well with him. We moved to All About Spelling Level 2 and he seems to be doing better sounding out his words. Learning to spell by syllable is helping alot. He's doing okay with his writing, although it is an issue, mostly because of the spelling. Princess and BugaBug are doing Level 1 spelling and are about halfway through the book. They really enjoy the program. They've been working on some fun Halloween stories this week.

Math-TL is improving his math grade. He was really lazy at the beginning because it was all review and he wasn't careful. After a few bad grades and some new work, he seems to be improving. Princess has finally memorized all her addition facts and can do double and triple digit addition with carrying. We're through the zeros to twos with subtraction. I hope to finally begin multiplication around Thanksgiving. Bug a Bug knows almost all her addition facts-she needs to know the sevens through the nines. She's working on triple digit addition with carrying. Both girls are also doing money review.

Literature-TL is halfway through Twenty-One Balloons. We're reading together. I read a page then he does. I'm trying to determine how his reading is. He doesn't ask me for assistance with words that he doesn't know so I wasn't sure how he was doing. Princess and Bug-a-bug are working on Explode the Code books and Sing Spell Read and Write. Princess is just about done with the program and will move into her Bob Jones soon. I'm toying with allowing Bug-a-bug to do hers at the same time.

Read Alouds-This is one area I've been doing really poorly at. TL and I have one more chapter in a book we started months ago and then I think we will work on The Hobbit. The girls and I are working on the Betsy books. I will be starting Little House in the Big Woods hopefully this next week.

PreK-Little Miss Trouble is learning her shapes. She knows a circle and is learning squares. She knows some of her colors too, thanks to Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I think I read it almost everyday!

Enjoy some photos of our zoo trip!

The giraffe and all exhibits were super animal friendly.

Little Miss Trouble climbed every single rock and wanted her picture taken

Red Panda

hanging out with the hippos

TL hanging with the monkeys

Travis getting a lift from Little Miss Trouble

Chunky Monkey wasn't too impressed hanging out in the trees with the monkeys

All of us, minus Dawn who was taking the picture

Dawn and I-friends for about thirty years or so. Give or take a few!

Good website

2010-10-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I just found this website while looking for lapbooking activities to go with our Plains Indians study. I thought you would all enjoy!

http://homeschoolfreestuff.wordpress.com/social-studies-history/american-history/

They also have free math, english, and science links.

Inventions that save time?

2010-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Let me start off this by saying, I love all the inventions that have helped me during the day. I'm thankful that I don't have to run to an outhouse in the pouring down rain with a toddler who's learning to potty train (or watch out for snakes). I'm thankful that I do not have to split wood to build a fire for heat or cooking. I'm thankful I don't have to haul water up from the creek or well to boil to do laundry or make bathwater (and I'm very thankful for daily showers). I'm thankful I don't have to scrub the laundry on a board, hang it to dry, and iron everything. I'm thankful I don't have to make every single meal from scratch and the kids can have cereal sometimes. I'm thankful for my dishwasher. I'm thankful for electricity and the ability to keep current with friends and family so far away by telephone and computer. I'm thankful I don't have to rise early to feed the chickens and milk the cow. I'm really thankful I don't have to skin anything to cook it.

So, why is it that we never have time? Our society is constantly rushing around -here or there. We're always in a hurry. By the end of the night I'm exhausted and have to force myself to do bedtime reading. We haven't done any game nights in a while. Movie night is about once a week, but whatever happened to the times where the family sat around the fire and played games, read, or talked to each other. I long to just sit in a chair in the evening and do a little sewing or knitting while the kids play a game.

Maybe its just me, but our inventions seem to have made us busier and less time for family. We also don't appreciate the little things, and our society tries to "keep up with the Jones'". I noticed lately how much of my time is "sucked" away by the computer. Sometimes, I just sit there because I can-no reason whatsoever. So, I'm limiting my computer time to fifteen minutes a day, unless its my schoolwork. I will then have time to post to my blog once or twice a week. I don't watch alot of tv now so that's not an issue. Maybe now, I'll have time to finish everything during the day and get some quality family time in.

Or maybe I just watched too many Little House on the Prairie episodes while the kids were sick this week!

blog, what blog?

2010-10-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I had finals last week and spent the better part of the week studying. This was between eye doctor appts, dentist appts, and whatever else came up. I ended up getting an A in my civil war class and a B in my Latin American history class. Not too bad. Onto the Vietnam war and a silly computer class. Back in the dark ages, when I originally started college, we didn't have to take computer classes. I decided to wait until this term to do it since its only a 100 level class and the holidays are coming up. The only issue is that the book has been made up by the college and is $240. I'm going to look on amazon and see if I can buy the three books that they used to build this book for less money.

The kids have been busy with school. They're doing well and moving along. Yesterday we went to an apple orchard and picked applies, watched the cider press in action, and learned how they sort the apples. I know have thirty pounds of apples to can tomorrow. Apple butter, applesauce, and apple pie filling. Yum.

I've also planned some quilting, reading, adn genealogy work. I'd better get working cause I only have a week left!

Oh, and my camera is dead and I didn't realize the other camera wasn't charged until when we were walking out the door so no photos from yesterday. I'll make up for it next week when we go up to get macintosh apples, that's when they'll be in season.

Have a great weekend!

Curriculum Review:Download and Go

2010-09-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

The girls and I are doing Galloping through the Globe this year for our geography studies. I thought it would be fun to do some interesting projects like making paper dolls for each country. I also came across the Download and Go series by Amanda Bennett. Since our first country study is China, I thought we'd try it. Let me tell you that for $7.95, you will not be disappointed. The lessons are very easily laid out with colorful notebooking and lapbooking projects for the kids to do. Each day is full of information and interesting videos linked right into your download for the kids to watch. My only complaint is that there was too much information! We couldn't do everything in one day. The kids absolutely loved it, even TL who enjoyed the videos. It is geared for K-4th grade, so he didn't participate in the activities, but he enjoyed the other aspects of it. It is a very thick ebook-123 pages to be exact. I highly recommend getting one or two and doing something fun during your school year. She has lots of fun titles to choose from adn I see that she just added tigers to it. Enjoy!!