In Everything...

Tiny Talk Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:34:00 +0000

I just realized that I haven't shared our Mother's Day picture:) I do like to take one every Mother's Day so I actually have a picture of me with my kids;) LOL!! We all joined in this year with the help of the timer;)

The yard with a little "tamed" part.

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Nate dressed himself one morning this last week. He had on big sweatpants and he ran around trying to kick saying "These are me karate pants!" Of course he still has plenty of "baby talk" not quite the right words happening and so it sounded like he kept saying the pants were his "farty" pants...

which obviously caused many extra giggles and a few more kicks while shouting the "funny phrase".

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Mr Darcy has officially been a part of our home new for more than 3 days and is already needing a bunny-sitter:)

Lydia has already agreed to watch Mr Darcy so his owner can tend to her things...like one more ride around the carport on her scooter;)

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Brian was out of town one night this week. In the morning Nate and I texted him to see if he and the kids could chat some before his meetings started for the day.

As Nate and I waited for his call, Nate played with my cell (something he hasn't done often). He was excitedly pushing buttons and making lone trains of numbers;) And then he looked at me and asked, "What is Daddy's password?"

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We are praying today for the families and people of Oklahoma! We are praying for comfort for the brokenhearted, wisdom and strength for those working to help others and the peace that only the Lord can provide during times of heartache and destruction.

It's your turn:)

Welcoming Mr Darcy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:28:00 +0000

Friday was an exciting day for the crew:)

After months and months of research, saving money, more reading(just as our librarian!!), convincing her parents, and even visiting a pet store to see her animal of choice....

we went to pick up Mr Darcy!
(If the name sounds familiar it's from Pride and Prejudice, Anna's favorite movie!!)

He is a precious, super soft, little Dutch bunny:)

He's been very friendly and very willing to be held... for a bit;) So everyone has had at least one turn to hold him;)

The weekend has been filled with bunny nuzzles...

Jack sniffs...

Jack has sniffed evey part of the rabbit as only Jack does!!! He loves to lick the rabbit's ears! And the rabbit has only swiped him twice... when jack has been near Mr Darcy's face!

and hutch building:)

And I have to share what a great Daddy my kiddos have;) Giving up his "relaxing" weekend and delaying his "to do" list to build a hutch for a newly acquired pet!! And that's not all... while he works he gave the boys some scraps and they got to build right along side of him;) Two little boys in their element!!!

The hutch did not get completed this weekend though.... so Mr Darcy will stay in his large Tupperware box in an enclosed room inside for just a little longer:)

We've enjoyed him so far. The kids are sporting extra scratches from learning how to hold him correctly and giving him a little "down time" when they don't have their hands all over him. But he really does seem to like the attention and pets:) And he's not running away from them when they set him on the ground... which is great since we've only had him since Friday afternoon.

And, my Anna, she is smitten with him ;) She's currently learning more about litter box training him for his visits inside and so she doesn't have to clean out his box every day. This is teaching her all sorts of responsibly in a very "hands-on" way.

So we have 4 kids, a Jack, a rabbit and 2 tadpoles. It gets a crazy here some days;)Love it;)

Chris at CampOut + Nate with Reptile friends

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:19:00 +0000

Chris on the bus with his "buddies"! They had a blast!

We were able to see some baby rabbits in a friend's yard... they were too precious. The kids were desperate to keep a bunny or two but they were very tiny and hopefully still being cared for my their Momma. One of my "excuses" for not taking one home was that we didn't know what to feed a bunny that small.

Chris had an idea "baby carrots" !

Speaking of Chris, he came home from his boy's campout all excited! His first words to me were not "I missed you Mom" but...

"I drank 8 sodas while I was away!!"

I was grossed out...

seriously, that many in only 20 hours (or less)! Boys will be boys... especially without a momma there to regulate;)

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Nate holding "Toady". Gotta love all the dirt in his fingernails... a true outdoor little boy!

Nate has quickly joined the others in their love of nature. He's one of the first "on the scene" when the call goes out in the yard that there is a frog, toad, lizard, cricket, turtle... you name it, he'll grab it!

And he's fearless...

usually:)

There's just something about a small little animal in his chubby, little, gentle hands!

Miss Busch posing for the camera!

Miss Busch enjoying some back rubs... I'm amazed at how gentle Nate usually is:)

On Saturday I let Nate pick up one of our visiting turtles. Nate finally set the turtle down in the garden after carrying her around the yard saying she was "heavy":) Then he got down on his belly and rubbed her shell and quietly said "you are me best friend."

And not reptile related he was helping us plant some peas. He pulled the little plant out of the planter gently and held it right in his face to tell it "me love you"!

I have two sweet boys;)
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One of Nate's new phrases is "maybe so". He uses it like this...

Me : Nate would you like some green beans on your plate?

Nate: Maybe so!

What a hoot! He sounds so grown up sometimes!

It's your turn:)

Weekly Wrap-Up: Turtles. Ned Kelly and Sound

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:48:00 +0000

This was a hard week to finish.... finally we are getting some beautiful spring weather and the outdoors kept calling us;) Specifically... the turtles...

Almost every morning we found turtles in the yard... and these weren't little turtles!! I'm talking a foot across turtles looking to build a nest to lay some eggs. The first morning they surprised us by being in the garden...

we moved them, but they were back a few hours later with their eggs already deposited in their hole! Very cool to see!

Needless to say... we spent a LOT of time watching turtles from the windows (so we won't scare them off) and think so far we have at least two holes with eggs. We've also done some research about what kind of turtles that are visiting and how to care for the eggs indoors so they won't get eaten (we found eaten eggs last spring). So, yes...

this is some real-life, hands-on home schooling, but we DID drag ourselves back indoors and away from the windows (not too far away) to get our "core" work finished for the week:)

Bible
It was strange not starting the week with an Our Family Way coloring sheet...

but we did fine just reviewing a way each day (minus the coloring sheet) and using a new devotional that I am temporarily borrowing from a friend. The devo is called Long Story Short and it's just 10 minute family devotions that works through the Old Testament. For us it was longer than 10 minutes but it was because all the kids looked up the passage in their Bibles and then we took turns reading the passage.

I can't tell you how much it warmed my heart each morning to see the kids wanting to get their Bibles and reading them!!

I know you could use ANY devotional or just pick a book to study or passage to read... it's so very simple... and exactly where my kiddos and I need to be as we start our school day!

Yes, even Nate joined in a few mornings;)

Language Arts
Lydia and Chris did two sections of spelling and poor Anna is still chugging through the names of the States:) She 's doing a great job though. We thought we could use a cool computer program to help quiz her but we never could get it to work... so it was back to the Spelling Power model:)

I had to laugh this week when I got to correct Brian's Grammar;) LOL... seriously, THAT Never happens;) So Anna (and I) have learned from Rod and Staff but we are counting down the lessons until we are through for the summer:) Besides doing some Grammar exercises, Lydia and Chris began working on one of their first written compositions... it's very simple but it's a great start to learning to write well.

For reading... Anna started a historical fiction book based during the French Revolution... unfortunately she lost interest in it and read through other books in our library bag:) Lydia read through a book called Hearing-Ear Dogs; it was a non-fiction book about training stray dogs to be helpers for the deaf... I enjoyed listening to parts of it while Lydia read. Chris and I read through a Henry and Mudge book and through some of a dinosaur book called Amazing Dinosaurs by Dougal Dixon. The information was very familiar but it was written for emerging readers so Chris could read it with some help... it was nice to have a book that fed his dinosaur interest while he could practice reading:)

Math
The older two are still at work finishing their SAXON for the year. Lydia though had a fun week filling in her math hour with ixl.com (the free practice), xtramath.com, mathbuddlyonline.com (the word problem of the day- grade 1 and 2) and a game on a little kiddie tablet she has. The older ones can't wait to finish so they can join her;)

History
This week for history we traveled to Australia and saw the British colony become a commonwealth. SOTW focused on the struggles of the poorer farmers who felt like they were not being treated fairly and how some turned to crime, especially the life of Ned Kelly. Chris, especially, liked the story:)

For the map, the kids used an atlas and world map to label Australia, it's provinces, the bodies of water around the island and other countries on the map. They love doing this and its our geography:)

We were trying to come up with a history sentence to summarize what we should remember from the whole section. We ended up with a fun poem (a very kid understanding of the situation):)

In 1880,
Australia was a baby,
Ned Kelly died
Fighting for Australia's side.

In 1901,
The fighting was done.
Australia was a Commonwealth,
They picked their own leaders and made laws for themselves.

Anyway... definitely a fun way to do some cross- curricular writing!!

Science

We started our unit on Sound this week;) One of the first "explorations" was to figure out ways to "make" sound... so they banged on tables.. lovely, I know;) Our book suggested cutting straws into different lengths and blowing gently into those. The kids took it a step further and make little straw pipes with many different lengths.

During the first lesson, they defined Sound and we read through the Magic School Bus: Inside the Haunted Museum. We also read through a couple of small sections in our Usborne Science book (like how sound is measured) and the kids made a notebook page with 2 or 3 things they learned about Sound.

During our second lesson we started talking about how sound travels in waves. We did a silly "experiment" where the kids had to make some dangling cereal pieces move without touching them or blowing on them. As suggested we used a rubber band and pulled on the band to see if we could use "sound" to make them move.

I had to get Anna doing this... she was a good sport... of course Lydia and Chris don't have the teeth to hold the rubber band with;) LOL!!

I pulled out a bowl of water for us to see the ripples when some thing is dropped into the water; just to give them a visual of "sound waves". But it turned into another lesson;)

We started talking about where sounds can be made and what are better conductors of sounds... liquids, air, or solids?

Air is a little obvious because that is hwo we hear each other talk. Using my bowl of water we clanged coins together, and we could hear it. A corresponding section in our experiment book gave us some great information to talk about... like how water carried the sound really well so yelling at the pool is loud or animals talking to each other under the water.

To experiment with sounds and solids, we scratched a wooden ruler at the end with our fingernails close to our ears and it was barley audible. Then we put the ruler right on our ear and scratched with the same intensity... it was much louder!

We found that solids are much better conductors of sound than air or water due to their molecules being closer together:) We remembered watching a show (or maybe even in Rifles for Watie) with an Indian guide listening to the ground to hear for horses running. So we put our heads on the table and tried to guess when someone at the table was tapping (and even what song they were tapping).

Yay, for more fun, hands-on Science:) And a great video to go with this Sound unit is BIll Nye the Science Guy: Sound... just beware that it is LOUD and old school... lots of references to Janet Jackson;) Other than that it's very thorough and fun and loud:)

Throw in a sleepover for Chris with his RA class (and Brian tagging along)! An afternoon playdate with friends... even another doggie for Jack to pal around with:) More planting in the garden (more tomatoes, corn, watermelon and cantaloupe)!!! Some Leave it to Beaver shows and conversations! A fun new read aloud called Wonderst ruck that we're all wanting to know how it ends....

And I think it was a good week;)

And it was our last 5 day week until August thanks to Daddy's summer schedule starting next week!!

Weekly Wrap Up: A Canal, Heat and Upside Down Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:56:00 +0000

yes... it's all learning;) And I'm trying, trying , trying to get back into Wrapping Up:)

No good excuses not to, except that these days are precious:)

Bible

We worked on our final way of Our 24 Family Ways by the Clarksons. I really have loved this kid-friendly devotional. I am hoping to make the list visible somewhere in our school room. Hopefully with it visible we will be reminded of the things we need to continue to put into practice. I would also like to repeat the study in a few years.

Language Arts
Doing the Spelling Power thing.. sort of:) The middle two and I worked through 2 sections and Anna started a BIG section; she's working through the names of the States. I love that my kids are definitely going to be better spellers (is that a word?) than their mother:)

We're treking on through Grammar... the middle two still loving FLL and Anna (and I) just doing it to finish up. I hate to say it but we're both learning from Rod & Staff just not as "fun" as we'd like :/ Anna also completed a book report... maybe she'll blog it;)

Anna and Lydia were reading Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy: Misty's Foal last week (they started the week before last). Chris and I are reading through some Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant... these are some great practice reading books for Chris and he likes them!!

Yes, I even caught him reading on his own... one the first steps of being a fluent reader;)

Math
We're getting to the end of our math for the semester... well Anna has 20 lessons and Lydia FINISHED!! LOL!! During the year, Lydia would sometimes do 3 lessons in a morning (she's a determined little gal)... so she got to finish early... her siblings aren't very happy about it;)

Since Chris started SAXON 3 after Christmas, he is working to the middle of the book and then he'll take a break... if he wants!! He has been doing really well with his math work... but he's not loving doing xtramath.org subtraction:/ Working on it;)

History
We looked at the building of the Suez Canal and the changing of power in Egypt at that time. We read the section from SOTW, did the map, worked on the outline together and the kids wrote narrations for the section. Unfortunately there was little for kid to read about the Suez Canal and Egypt during this time period.

Interesting videos about the Suez Canal;) YouTube summary of the building of the canal called "A man, a dream, a canal" (4 min) or Modern Marvels: Suez Canals (44 mins). The kids watched both, but Brian and I liked the Modern Marvels video because it covered the original building of the Suez Canal through the point when Egypt was the final "owner".

It was a little humorous that as we were studying the Suez Canal inside, Brian was building his own outside....

LOL!! Actually he is working on a "french drain" but uncovered it looks like a canal through the yard:)

Science

Last week we started working on a unit of Heat Transfer. I'd definitely heard the words before but I'm totally learning with them (well a little before them).

We talked about conduction last week as we heated up a pot of water with two spoons sticking out, one metal and one wooden. We read a description about the molecules of the spoons getting hot and bumping into one another making the heat move up the spoon... move more up the metal spoon than the wooden one. We demonstrated it by standing in a line and having the last person bump the first one... we were close and we all felt it. Another cute explanation of the molecules "moving" was that they don't travel around but "dance in their seats when it gets hot". LOL!!

This week we tackled convection and convection current. We attempted two experiments, the first was heating up particles in water so we could see the particles move as the water heated up. The second was to show how warm air currents using a spiral and our space heater.

Maybe it was because the first experiment was "ok", it was really cool to see the 2nd experiment work;)

Through different readings we also learned about some real places convection currents are found/used... like weather (wind), some ocean currents, heating/cooling a house, etc!!

On Wednesday we finished with radiation. Through our readings we were able to make a definition and talk about where we use radiation.

Some fun resources were
*Intereactive video that reviewed the prinicples
*Simple explanation of each concept
*Heat, Matter and Energy by Graham Bateman ( a little too much for my kids but we read through a good portion of the book.. a great resource for us).

Art
Last week we started reading about Michelangelo as our "artist of the month". We have enjoyed the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist series and corresponding lesson plans from COnfessions of a Homeschooler.

This week we looked more indepth at the Sistine Chapel. We talked about the challenges surrounding painting the ceiling. And we examined talked about the different scenes found in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

And then ....

they climbed under tables and benches...

and painted their own biblical scenes;)

Super fun.... they all said that they "Love art time!!" Oh, and "ouch, this hurts my neck!"

Well, there was a look into our schooling time... it totally doesn't really wrap it ALL up, but it's ok:)

Field Trip to the Bird Zoo with Grammie

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:49:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we took a great field trip to a fun place with an amazing person :)

so great to see her cracking up:)

If you guessed GRAMMIE... you were right;)

We were very excited that Grammie came to visit and was able to go to a local bird attraction with us. Actually, I don't know how I would have been able to last the day (and be able to attend the home school class) without Grammie:)

One of the coolest things about my mom is that she knows soo much about nature... trees, bird, flowers, lizards. You ask... she knows! And if she doesn't know, she'll look it up and have an answer quickly.

So you can imagine the benefit of having her along with us as we saw all these guys;)

These birds were just gorgeous:) And even though the weather has been a little crazy this spring, we had beautiful weather... we couldn't have had a better day!!

Lots of fun memories:)

When we finally got back home after our field tripping day, we got to work in the yard...

doing the main reason Grammie got to come to see us:) Planting all her "extra" hosta!!

Love this picture with the kids all "helping" her plant! She definitely had plenty of little hands to get all the hosta (and other transplanted treasures) into the ground;)

We all had a good time and love the new plants in the garden!! And we're very grateful for Grammie's help in the garden and time with us a the bird zoo;)

How Can it Be?? Nate is Three!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

How is it possible that our "baby" is 3 today???

I remember those long days for a year that I begged God for another chance to have a baby. And then on one day before heading to the dentist... just on a whim, I took a pregnancy test to be sure I was ok to get x-rays. Imagine my surprise when I WAS pregnant!!

I was in tears... joyful tears! Tears that God had answered this insignificant woman's heartfelt prayers. Tears that I would get to carry and mother another child. Tears that my body was ok. Just lots of joyful, thankful tears... aren't those the best:)

And now I'm just in awe that 3 years and just about 9 months later I have this little guy in my life:)

He is a constant reminder of the fact that God DOES answer prayers.... in His time, when He knows we are ready:) I'm not sure I was ready to accept another crazy, wild, determined little boy the 1st time I asked God for another baby:)

And boy, oh boy do I have a busy and determined little boy:)

He is lot like his big brother and much different at the same time!! Like Chris, Nate loves being outside finding sticks, helping their daddy and exploring. Nate also has a story telling ability... he has told us some whoppers of finding purple snakes that bite him and playing with Titus on days when we didn't see Titus. Oh, and they are both still into dinosaurs;)

Nate is different though, too!! He's not as laid back as Chris. He sticks with a task longer, like one afternoon he worked for hours with Brian and I clearing brush and stacking wood. He also sticks with an idea longer.... he'll ask us 100 times for something in a matter of minutes and he's not always happy when our answer is not in his favor:)

He is still in a slightly timid stage sticking with us in new situations until he is comfortable and he still isn't going into his Sunday School class (sometime even when we'll go with him).

And he talks in his sleep... a little strange to hear him but funny what he is dreaming about.. usually his siblings:)

I love this new, exciting learning stage!! Last year he was saying just few words and knew a handful of "songs"... but now he is a chatterbox; he can and will say anything;) This stage definitely comes with challenges as my little boy is very opinionated especially when he is sleepy. And he is determined to keep up with his older siblings during their adventures; he can often been found in the woods catching frogs, bugs, looking for snakes and playing Civil War with them:)

His favorites:

Color : Blue
Food : Chicken Nuggets
Treat: any Candy
Subject: Cutting, Painting and Memory Games
Animal: Lion
Do inside: Play with Duplos
Outside Activity: Ride the Gator (yes, it's still alive)
Toys:Duplos, toy tools
Restaurant: McDonald's
Book: The Snowy Day
Movie: Little Einsteins
PBSkids Show: Dinosaur Train

Goals for his 3rd year: He's been asking to ride a bike (maybe we can talk him into training wheels)!

When you ask him what he wants to be when he "grows up" he immediately said, "I not know." And that's what I get for asking a 3 year old what they are going to be when they grow up:)

He told us at dinner he wanted to be "a dump truck driver":) Nice!

We adore our Nate!

And are soo thankful for him;)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Nate!!

He can't Sound Out da Words

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:30:00 +0000

Laying in bed with Nate on a night when he did get a nap, we read a few books. I let him watch Goodnight Moon on youtube, and then gave him "space" to settle down in order to fall asleep. It's then that he says to me...

"Mommy, what dis say? Me not know how to sound out de words."

LOL!! Spoken like a true preschooler who hears his siblings practicing their reading on a daily basis;)

Can you guess what tomorrow is????

Will this momma shed tears?

It's your turn:)

Happy Birthday, Jack!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:54:00 +0000

Today is our furry family member's 1st birthday:)

Our story with Jack still is humorous to me; how we were in the process of talking about a dog and then ended up with one hours later... totally unplanned and last minute (two qualities that don't describe our normal decision making).

But we have Jack:) And it's working... I mean.... we still have him despite our lack of knowledge of puppies (dogs), our poor skills at training him and Jack's enormous amount of energy and ability to get into stuff (just like a 2 or 3 year old really... except he doesn't talk back or throw tantrums).

Don't let him fool you... he's no fru-fru dog:) He'll get right into the mud, dirt and water!

Jack is a great dog, though! He gets a bad rap because he can't defend himself!! LOL!!

So I thought I'd share some fun facts about our Jack!

*He loves fruit and veggies (well any kind of "people food" he can snatch)... but he will happily gobble up green beans, broccoli, carrots, banana, apple slices and now strawberries. He does NOT often get these things... but when we need a quick treat to make him obey or a kid drops something Jack is the first one there to clean it up... my floors have never been this clean:)

*Where every we go we often get stopped with questions and/or comments about our Jack;) He seems to draw dog lovers in with his look;)

*He loves ripping up ANY paper... and he'll tear it into a million pieces... he got into toilet paper today :/

*If someone is rough housing near him... he gets involved! He likes to be in the center of everything!

* He loves being outside.... it kills him when he has to stay inside when the kids go outside! He runs from window to window barking at the kids, especially when they are on bikes;)

*BIKES!! He LOVES, loves, loves racing the kids around the house; kids on bikes and Jack on his four, furry feet. Guess who wins??? JACK!!! Every time! Even against Brian:)

*And he is slowly giving us back the ball when we play "fetch"... his favorite toy is a tennis ball and he loves to fetch it, but just doesn't give it, unless you have a trade for him (another ball or treat). Here is Lydia practicing fetch with him:)

He's a crazy 'ole dog but we love our Jack!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

The Blessing of Seeing the Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:05:00 +0000

This week we did a Spring tradition for us....

STRAWBERRY Picking;)

Chris in 2008 - eating from my picked bucket:)

We've done it every year:) Every year....

I've done it preggo and with a 12 month old. And then the following year with a 24 month old, 6 month old and preggo with another one (LOL!!). The next year it was an almost 3 yr old, 18 month old and 5 month old (that was just crazy!!)....

and on and on....

There were some years and times I thought I was crazy... no, I knew I was crazy! The pictures were adorable but often it was
LESS than fun. Remember.. pictures are only 1/50 of a second or less... they don't always capture the whole story;)

And the mess... I just came to expect it:) But the kids were messy! I just smiled and remembered that the hose at home was easy to hook up and everything was washable:)

This year was different.... WAY different!!

We'd had a long afternoon running errands and meeting up with people. The kids were tired, thirsty and tired!! And really, the idea of strawberry picking was quickly becoming "a bad idea". But the kids begged to go (mixed in with Nate's fussing b/c he was tired).

I lowered my expectations to... lets get a few strawberries, some "strawberry pickn pics" and be on our way... quick, easy, no quota:)

I was quickly surprised at the kids' abilities. They knew what to do, what NOT to do, they went down the rows looking for the ripest berries like pros, no complaining...

IT. WAS. AWESOME!!

We picked and picked;) No quota but we came home with plenty for the weekend:)

And if only the berries and great attitudes were the measure of a great time than is was a successful trip, but I heard from the back of the van, "This has been a great day!"

I could concur:) I was thrilled about something else too.

I was seeing the fruit of those many crazy years of dragging little ones down the strawberry rows so we could "stock the freezer". In my head I knew that the years were "training years" but often my heart was distracted by the behavior or trying to make some "quota" or accomplish some temporary goals.

You know... those years were hard! I didn't always have the right attitude. I didn't always have a good game plan trying to go in between naps and meals. But I still tried year after year... doing something that was supposed be fun... wondering if it ever would be "fun"!

I was exciting to see the fruit of those training trips!!! I look forward to more strawberry patch trips this season... and maybe get to stock the freezer???

But it definitely challenges me to keep training...

I'm not out of those "training years" yet! Motherhood can be challenging but I wonder how many more things we will soon be able to enjoy more as a family if I remain faithful to train my precious crew!!

For those who care there are also more pics of our picking this year... including Anna's biggest berry, Nate looking grown and a furry member of the family who also likes strawberries:)

TTT: An 8 yr old's text

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

We had a field trip last week and I didn't have a pocket for my cell.... I know not a good idea for momma not have a cell pocket:/ My trustworthy first-born agreed to help me out... she definitely enjoyed the privilege:)

We had a laugh though when Brian came home from work. More concerned than usual, he asked how my day had gone. When I quickly said that it had been a good day he looked less worried. I asked about his releif.

He relayed to me that he had received a text stating "Chris is driveing me crazy!" earlier in the day. And how he had worried all day that Chris and I were have an off-day.

LOL!!! Too funny that my 8 yr old is texting secret messages to her Daddy:)
We made a plan for her to use an "A" at the end of her texts from now on so we don't worry Daddy all day:) LOL!!

It's your turn:)

Our Last Outing with Pey & Eric's Words

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:32:00 +0000

I appreciate all the prayers and notes concerning Pey (my stepdad)... he did go to be with the Lord recently. We are so blessed with all the moments we had with him during his 2 year battle with colon/rectal/liver cancer. He fought hard and lived life to the fullest on the days he could;)

The kids and I remember well some of his words to us in mid-January.

We were wanting to get out one day and use the day exploring a "Civil War" site or local fort. Pey was determined to join us! He told Anna before we headed out for the day, "Anna, when I prayed and talked to God this morning I asked Him if I could have just another day to keep up with you guys! I am determined to enjoy the day with you."

It was an awesome day:)

To find out the specific role of this northern controlled Virginia fort was pretty cool:) An earlier station for General Lee pre-Civil War and then the jail where Jefferson Davis served time post-Civil War. And then the fort being a safe haven for runaway slaves and a school to many freed and escapee slaves. Fascinating but special because

and he did keep up with us and the kids...

but now that we know it was our last outing with Pey makes it priceless!!!

And even in the midst of last "moments"... it was only in the back of my head that some of these moments were "last moments". I mean we knew.... but there was always hope!!

And Pey napped or slept in late... but he always pushed himself to do "one more thing".

In fact we were excited when Grammie and Pey came to our house for the day in February. The kids got to share some of their Civil War projects with them. They showed Pey their fort in the back of the yard:)

And then clowned around on the couch before they headed home:/

It wasn't long after that visit to our home that Pey's care was transferred to Hospice. Thankfully for most of his weeks on Hospice he was home where we visited as many times!

We will definitely MISS our PEY! Definitely!!

My youngest brother's testimony at my dad's funeral was touching and fitting. And it definitely sums up all of our thoughts about Pey!

Hello. My name is Eric and I have had the privilege of being one of Al ’s sons. I have been thinking about what I would say today for almost two years and I have been blessed to have that time to reflect about my dad’s life. I was honored to help edit my father’s obituary that he had written. He wrote it a few months after his diagnoses in April 2011 and he wrote that “Al B had died after fighting a short battle with cancer,” but we stand here and can be glad that he fought strong until the end and made it longer than any of us had imagined.

Dad was a good father and a good husband. He not only provided for my family, but he taught me a lot about being a man. Some lessons he taught through words, but most he taught me through his actions. He taught me the importance of supporting his children. He taught me to be truthful and honorable. He taught me how to drive, how to shoot a basketball, and how to make a fire. Dad wasn’t the perfect father, nor the perfect husband, nor the perfect boss, but he did what he thought was right and did everything with his full commitment and passion.

The most important event in my dad’s life wasn’t marrying my mom, watching his children be born, being friends with all of us, or getting a chance to see the world. The most important event in my father’s life was when he gave his life to Jesus. It wasn’t an explosive event after and no one asked him for his autograph, but it was a real genuine change in his life. Slowly God was molding and changing him and using my dad for God’s Kingdom. No longer did he look to money or a big house or a sweet job for his security, but instead he relied on Jesus to be his joy. My dad finally had peace in his life. He didn’t have to rely on his goodness to be his salvation, but instead he could rely on the goodness of Christ to be his salvation.

My dad had an impact on this world not because he went to my soccer games or because he built a family here or because he helped build a company on the other side of the world. The kingdoms we try to build will all eventually fade away. My father had an impact on this world because how God used him to build God’s kingdom. His mission trips in Africa, Asia, and Europe, his work with the boy’s home in North Carolina, his changed heart, and our changed hearts. These are all evidences of how God was working and how God was able to take a prideful and stubborn man and turn him into a tool to build God’s kingdom.

We will miss him, and his mustache, but please do not feel sorry for him. He had two years to say goodbye to his family and friends. He had two years to go on adventures, to travel the world, to watch movies, to see his children and grandchildren grow, to see two more grandchildren come into this world, to see me graduate college and get married, and to see beautiful things in this world. And although the last two years have been hard for him and for us, I am so thankful that we had the time to say goodbye. I am thankful that Al is my father and that he is now at peace and able to be with his True Father.

We saw the ways God works in timing of key events in my Dad's life and during his death. but also God's sweet mercy in the details. Even in a time when sad tears are shed, there are also joy and thankfulness tears. Tears of wanting him to call with details of another adventure and tears of sweet memories.
Thank you again for your prayers!!

TTT- Summer, Little Boy Logic and An Upcoming B-day

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:30:00 +0000

"And that's why I like summer, we get all the good stuff!" says Christopher after learning we were going it grab some Popsicles and head to a friend's house for a little bit one afternoon.

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Chris and Anna have had plenty of loose teeth and we've been anticipating Lydia's " loosing teeth journey". This week we found that her permanent teeth are popping through behind the baby teeth. And I asked her,"Haven't you felt the teeth poking through?"

Lydia responded, "Yes, I knew they were there."

And Chris' response,"Well, when I feel something hard in my mouth I punch it real hard. If it doesn't move it must be a tooth."

Really?!?! Little boy logic:/

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Speaking of little boys:) My Nate has become a fantastic storyteller... definitely passed down from his brother! Of course most of the endings of Nate's stories involve someone's head being "banged off"!

Nate has definitely grown up in a more "boy" atmosphere... lots of swords, cars, dirt:) Chris broke us in and Nate is ready to follow in his big brother's foot steps.

And Nate.... Is it possible that we only have 2 WEEKS until he is 3???
When in the world did that happen?? (As I write this Nate is falling asleep and giggling in his new sleep.... like an infant.... precious!!)

If you ask Nate about his upcoming birthday.... this is what he'll tell you:)

It's your turn:)

Tiny Talk Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:06:00 +0000

"I told myself, "Don't Panic!" when I got to the hard problems!" was Chris' response when I asked him how he kept his cool during a 5 minute timed fact test. He had stayed focused the entire 5 minutes... which was a miracle and has yet to be repeated!! LOL!!

But I loved that he calmed himself and worked through a tough assignment... which BTW, he ASKED to do:)

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The kids were trying to be silly and they were making up silly things to eat on top of their hot dogs. Lydia's caught my attention...

"I'd like to eat my hot dog with Chocolate."

Of course we were just listening, so we didn't realize that she meant eat a hot dog along side of her toy dog, Chocolate. She had plenty of "ewww!s" before she told us it was Chocolate and not chocolate;)

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And my attentive and tender-hearted first born has been soaking in the teaching in her GA class. Her teacher challenged the girls to "give up" something for Lent. Unknown to us, Anna had chosen to give up something and had been doing it secretly.

Finally she told everyone when the middle two were begging her to let them play Angry Birds on her Kindle. She firmly told them that she couldn't help them get on to play because she had "given up playing Angry Birds on my Kindle for Lent" :) Too funny and sweet!

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Brian found a true treasure at Goodwill this week:) He found a huge box of matchbox car tracks... we're talking can make laps around a room huge:) The kids LOVED it;)

Chris hugged around Brian's neck and said,"Your the best Dad in the whole world!"

During all the fun putting the track together, the races, the giggles, Chris' words and an immediate Thank you note, Brian was quick to say that it was the best $8 he could have spent;)

It's your turn:)

A Pinterest Attempt & What I Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:56:00 +0000

So I haven't been blogging lately... hopefully you don't miss us very much:/

I have oh, so many antics to share:) How right now Nate's car seat is in the kitchen getting doctored up. Or why Chris still might have some red marks on his neck (it was all him... and a marker!!).

Or my little girls getting new or new-to-them shoes and how they are in little girl "heaven" getting all dressed up! And I couldn't forget Lydia's first experience with makeup at a friend's house... oh, my... unfortunately, no pictures... a blessing for her because they would have been great to have to scare off those first few boys!

No...

I'm sharing what I did with a weekend day while the crew was outside playing in the yard... getting all nice and dirty/sandy:) And having great adventures in the woods with a neighbor like kids do!!

I cleaned. Not just anything but my laundry table... I mean dining room table:/ It's not tucked away in any room; it's totally visible where we have guests. But I tackled it... laundry, Christmas decor, random kids' toys and all.

Can I tell you how pretty the table is, again!! And how determined I am not to junk it up again:)

I then rewarded myself with a Pinterest project:)

Source: cheeriosandlattes.com viaAngela on Pinterest

I had seen an "Easter" cross a few weeks ago and I began gathering up my sticks. Brian left me a huge pile of dried out vines and branches as he had cleared off some of our wooded property so I had lots to choose from:)

Then on a Wednesday night I took only 2 older kids with me to Walmart after church and got some artificial flowers too:)

So on that "quiet, at least inside" Saturday, I gathered all my supplies in our unfurnished entry way and got to work;)

I have to admit... I am NOT a good crafter:/ A lot of it is lack of practice and skill. Some is lack of knowledge. And some is not "having an eye" for what looks decent....

but I didn't use those excuses... I pushed forward to do a "PIN" :)

There were discouraging moments when I realized my fake lily wasn't up to the caliber of the lily in the original post :( But I pressed on...

Ok, my wreath isn't going to win any awards:) But I made it... yippee!! And it only cost me $3 for the artificial flowers, everything else I already had or collected in the yard.

I could make a list of really awesome excuses why mine doesn't look like the original... but my crew likes it:) And I LOVE it...

ok, I like it because I made it... but I LOVE what it stands for and that its on OUR door!!

So what did I learn??

1. I NEED a new glue gun... LOL!! I've been joked before, but I either need a new glue gun or some extra appendages to hold the project, hold the part that is getting the glue, hold the glue gun and push the little glue stick through so the hot glue will come out.... yes, a trigger would be super helpful!!

2. Walmart flowers weren't as pretty. My lilies were small... no just puny! And I tried to get them to hang open... nope, it wasn't happening naturally. I just glued those puppies to the side:/ Next time I'll have to do a little advanced planning or make a trip to get some nicer flowers:)

3. Since I'm not a perfectionist with crafting... I just need to make projects my own. Use the idea as a starting point and then tailor it to my abilities, supplies, time and style.

But I had fun:) And my door is decorated with something that has lots of meaning for us and this season:) So it was a good attempt!!

This is my next "quiet Saturday" project... maybe, if I get another one;)

Source: Kelly B on Pinterest

With these instructions, because I think I can:)

Have an AMAZING Easter ...

taking time to reflect and celebrate the meaning of the season and

the amount of POWER and LOVE demonstrated on the cross that is available to EVERYONE!!

BFIAR - Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:50:00 +0000

Nate and I were very excited to "row" another book... Jesse Bear, What Will you Wear? by Nancy Carlstrom.

Again, since it takes me a while to prepare his materials and find time to sit and work with him, we end up "rowing" for a couple of weeks instead of just one;) So this was definitely not planned and put together in one weekend or done in one week:)

We read through Jesse Bear at least 3 times each week;) Talking about all sorts of things as we read, like activities at different parts of the day, or Jesse Bear's daddy coming home from work, "ants in the pants", eating at the table, etc! It really is a sweet and fun book:)

We thought it was funny one day when Nate dressed a little like Jesse Bear:) And I don't know where it was the cooler weather or the influence of the book, but Nate did dress a couple of mornings... yippe, he's becoming more civilized!

There were some other books we read:
*Don't Get Wet, Jesse Bear
*Bears
*Good night, Bear (about hibernation)
*Numbears
*What Colors will Bear Wear? (cute board book with wooden pieces are used to "dress" the bear)

Finally the activities;)

Nate LOVES the little cards that I printed and laminated from Homeschool Creations:) He did soo much with that one set of matching cards;)

We matched and played Memory with them....

we found them in the story... and Nate couldn't resist putting "the rose between his toes".

He also liked the plate and food printable from Homeschool Share.

I printed off the pieces, laminated and then waxed the back so the pieces would stay in place. The plate was glued to a piece of construction paper to make it look pretty and to give it more stability.

Nate liked to make Jesse Bear's lunch plate as I read that part of the book. We talked about the veggies and fruits as well.

One week we bought celery for him to try. He's not a fan:/ Thankfully he has a big brother and a mother who like celery and our choice of nutbutters.

I realized I didn't take a picture of a tracing sheet from Homeschool CReations that Nate worked on a few times. It's teaching kids one-to-one correspondence as well as learning pencil control and pre-letter formation by tracing lines.

At fist he was very frustrated he couldn't get right.on.the.line... we have a perfectionist on our hands:/ It seemed though that he would choose that activity to work "alone" and he did a little better at least with his frustration:)

I also tried to introduce the letter B to our study. B for Bear:)

coloring a B

I love the printable ABC Find It from 1+1+1=1. Again we laminated and waxed so they lasted through the drool (yes, he is still drooling) and would stay in place:) He liked it... I look forward to finding more ways to use this colorful resource!

don't you the love the real bagel that made it into the picture;)

I printed off and laminated this B! He helped make the B out of Play-Doh...

and then it became a fun Play-Doh mat with some shape pieces...

or a place to line up counting bears!!

he got a little side-tracked with the bears and Duplos:)

From Homeschool Share, I found a cute ABC laundry printable. I copied onto colored computer paper and then laminated the set! I gathered up some clothes pins and taped some yarn to a corner of our wall.

Nate was a little young (or not ready) for the actual matching of the letters. So for him I wanted to help him pick out the B's. He also practiced some fine motor and problem solving skills by trying to pin the letters up onto the line;)

clipping all the blue ones to the line;)


the older kids clipped his name up for him

He also got to fit in some real-world play like Jesse Bear:)
In bubbles...

and sand;) Yep, it was definitely on his arms and hands.... not to mention between his toes, in his hair, ears and even underwear:/

Just like Snowy Day and the Truck book, Nate has started finishing the lines of this Jesse Bear book;) He really is loving the attention and the games. We keep it simple and try to use all that we have available over and over;) And its precious to see the older ones reading to him from the book box or playing a game of Memory with him;)

And again... so indebted to the other home schoolers who share their talents!!

Linking up to Tot School at 1+1+1=1.Linking up to the Ultimate Homeschool Link-Up, Homeschool Creations and Weekly Wrap Up @ WUH

Weekend Favs

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:52:00 +0000

Too high??

Wesley chasing bubbles:)

A shared yawn:) LOL:)

And the best of all:)

Pey throwing a football to the boys and...

waving to neighbors driving by:)

You all it was an AWESOME visit home! Good to see out family and even all be home at the same time for a few minutes. But to see my Dad getting to spend a few moments outside... getting to enjoy the day after being bed-ridden for over 3 weeks!!

Isn't that like the LOrd to give us sweet memories and glimpses of hope? Just so thankful for our trip!!
And continue to keep Pey and my mom Grammie in your prayers.

More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings, Go Graham Go.

Tiny Talking Tuesday with Help From the Extended Fam

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 03:57:00 +0000

On the way to the second grocery store Nate announces, "Me,me,me,me,me.... me hungry!"

I offer him some pretzels. "No, me eat tandy!"

seriously... this kid is a candy monster. I totally limit his intake but I've never had a kid ask for candy soo much before.

"Me,me,me,me,me... me buy wiff me own money?"

I explain that candy isn't good for him (like pretzels are any better:/). "Tandy not have any milk in it."

How did he get this "smart"??? Unfortunately, as cute as he was... no tandy was purchased or consumed on that trip:/

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How do you know when you KNOW that your dog needs a haircut???

Oh about when your 1 yr old nephew calls him a sheep:/

Yep, our little Wesley met Jack last weekend and looked at Jack and said, "Baaaaa"! He wasn't saying Jack was bad, although Jack had just knocked him over to get the dog toy from Wesley's hand.

No, Wesley was saying "Baaaa, baaa" like the sheep noise he and his mother had just practiced:)

Jack fit the picture. Furry, white and a big black nose;)

They did become friends after the knocking over event....

Wesley even tried to share his milk;) Jack has that "way" about him with most people!

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Also from this weekend Nate learned the "secret weapon" in picking a fight with anyone:) It was approaching bedtime and we were keeping Hannah Grace for my sister and the kiddos were tired. Well, that's of course when Nate and Hannah no longer wanted to get along.

I heard from the hall as I made my way to them, "I doe tell my mom." (Nate) and then I heard, "Well I'm going to tell my Grammie." (Hannah)... LOL!!!

Eventually they settled down on either side of me and we got to read some books until Hannah went to find Grammie:) Those two together crack me up:)

Now it's your turn!

Just Another Week- Painting the Door Frame & Grammar Ninja

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:27:00 +0000

Bible
This week we began the lessons that prepare for Easter. We are using Ann Vokamp's Trail to the Tree Easter study series. And then using the little pictures the kids made last year (or making some for the ones we missed) to review each morning. I love how simply powerful the little devotions are.

One day last week we read and talked about the Passover. How the blood around the door showed that they obeyed and trusted God so that the death "passed over their homes and allowed them to escape from the control of the Egyptians. I think that is just a awesome picture of Christ's blood "protecting/saving/sealing" us. And so we did it:

Language Arts

Last week during Grammar with the middle two I introduced dictation. They did pretty well... yay!!

And then we took a new color and "Grammar Ninja-ed" the sentence finding the verb, noun, article and prepositions. They loved it;)

And if you haven't played Grammar Ninja... you are truly missing out... LOL!! We are definitely nerdy enough around here to enjoy Grammar practice with Grammar Ninja;)

We finally finished Rifles for Watie... loved it!! It definitely had us holding on at the end! We started Across Five Aprils but it started way too slow for us:/ We started a new book on the way to visiting parents ... totally read Bridge to Terabithia in 2 days! I selectively read it aloud because it contained a LOT of stupid, dumb and uses of LORD... that I really would prefer my kids NOT to say, just as a heads up;)

Math
Chugging along... lesson by lesson:) Anna working through word problems, ratios, calculating tax, and longer division;) Chris starting multiplication families while reviewing other concepts from Saxon 2 and adding fractions to make a whole.

Lydia had some memorable lessons:

History
We began our 1st back in Story of the World vol 4 after our 6 week study of the Civil War. While we've loved using Story of the World the chapters for the next few weeks feel really rushed covering 2 or 3 events in totally different countries. I am actually debating about either slowing down and doing one "event" each week and just using SOTW vol 4 next year too or skipping over seemingly "insignificant" events to finish sometime in the summer. Honestly, I'm leaning more towards slower and savoring for a couple of reasons:)

So last week we studied the rise and fall of Paraguay and the role of Great Britain in the ruling of Canada. We did the outline, maps and read a little about each country:)

Science
Here's where I dropped the ball last week;( Sadly!! It seemed hard to jump back into a new topic after finishing simple machines soo strongly:/ I know BAD excuse.

We did though begin a "side" unit of identifying birds. I printed off some little bird "cards" and the kids have been finding the birds in a identification book and then reading together the information about each bird! We are excited and hopeful that soon we will be able to tell what each bird in our yard is:)

Art
We discussed two more of daVinci's works, The Last Supper and Madonna (or Virgin) on the Rocks. The kids would much rather paint B&W sketches of famous works. But we did do something a little unique. We have a Biblical art book that we pulled out to compare daVinci's works with other artists to painted the same "scenes".

Another week:/ Wow! They seem to go soo fast!

Tiny Talk-ing Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:53:00 +0000

I haven't been good about writing down our conversations this week:( I do have some quick ones;)

Lydia informed me this week that she wants to be a "Texas Ranger" when she is older. Why? "Texas Rangers get to ride their horses all day long outside. I love horses and being outside all the time." Looks like a good fit... LOL!!

I definitely have "outdoors-y" kids... one paleontologist and one Texas Ranger:)

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Nate has begun stuttering:( Right now it's super cute, he usually gets stuck on "Me" when he begins the sentence with that word.... which happens often!!

I'm not too worried about the stuttering for now.... Anna went through at least 2 seasons of stuttering and began speaking without stuttering without any intervention... just waiting patiently and not drawing attention to it:) Maybe I can get a video... without drawing attention... right;)

Have a great Tuesday and stay dry... we're having a super soaker of a day today... glad we got outside yesterday:)

Your turn

How We've Excelled with XtraMath

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:51:00 +0000

I've mentioned using xtramath.org with my kids numerous times. But I feel like I need to share how we've finally begun to excel with xtramath because using it wasn't always easy:/

We started using this free, online program about a year ago (give or take). The reason was my little Anna... she knew her math facts but NOT fast. In fact for her annual required testing she placed LOW on math facts which the test-giver said was due to her not being able to do the facts FAST. We were very excited about finding xtramath because it seemed like it fit our needs perfectly:)

Except, the kids HATED doing it.... HATED it!

The problem is that xtramath practices with the students until they can do math fact correctly in 3 seconds! So it's timed... they got soo frustrated and discouraged by not doing the facts quickly enough. So often xtramath was left undone most weeks:(

This year I've really tried to work more on their math facts... teaching them the different "tricks" at first, then practicing with flashcards and worksheets (that can be timed). But even those ways are great for practice to figure out the facts, but not the SPEED!

So here are some ways we moved from dreading xtramath to happy faces during math time, which are always nice;)

* First, teach and practice the facts before trying xtramath.org! They can learn new facts on xtramath but keep the stress low by giving them the ability to complete it well.

Thankfully xtramath can tell where a student is based on their placement tests. But I think I started it a little too earlier for my middle two (5 and 6 yrs at the time we stepped away from xtramath) and they really benefited from the "break" of being timed.

*Give them a "pep talk" before they even start:) Remind them over and over and over that it's PRACTICE. It can be fun and shouldn't be stressful.

I have one child that really struggled at first and I had to add that I really cared more about their attitude during our xtramath time versus how many "smiles" they got!

BTW... I had to not let their attitude and struggle stress me out. So I reminded myself often to that it's more about "my attitude" too and I tried speak really calmly and quietly to keep the pace of the game from affecting me as well!

* Type their answers. I know this sounds like I am helping them too much. But if they ask, just do it if you think it will help them. I have two kids who do it themselves and one that does better when I help in this way. Better yet...

*Make your own account and try to it!! I did and totally got a new perspective. The kids think it's great that I have to practice too;) I actually opened my own to see how the program progressed... but it's been a good decision... but NO ONE can talk to me when its my turn... LOL!!

*Practice the tough ones. Every time one of my kids miss a problem I have them read the problem aloud... sometimes more than once depending on the kid (and how much practice they need). I

*Eliminate the distractions!! For all the kids, they sometimes get distracted by the "timer" and "smiley count". I know they get disappointed when they would miss one, but sometimes instead of focusing on the FACTS they watch that timer on the bottom of the screen or the smiley face counter in the top left during the Race the Teacher game.

This is what our screen often looks like:) LOL!!

*Offer praise!! Even if they get stuck on 2+1... we've been there! Again, focus on practicing with a good attitude:)

*Sometimes motivators work, too;) As I saw them really begin to work hard I started offering them some motivations:) For every 10 smileys on the Race the Teacher, they get to watch a LEGO movie on YouTube or get a treat. BTW... this is also good because they are having to add up their smileys for the two games each session and they have to group by ten to figure out how many movies they can watch:)

I am so proud of my little xtramath-ers;) Now I have two that have (or are about to) complete the addition facts and are heading into the subtraction as they learn multiplication and division in their math curriculum! So we are also keeping up with new facts by using many of the earlier pre-xtramath activities to prepare!!

Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday !

Ending the Civil War and Simple Machines

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:40:00 +0000

Bible
Our discussions were about doing the right thing regardless of what others are doing. This was a great lesson that was very applicable for my kids!! And it lead to some fun, real, "what would you do" conversations.

Language Arts
Nothing too exciting;/ Journaled about a simple machine they'd like to build, kind of like the inventions of Da Vinci :) More prepositions! Comparision adjective for Anna:) Spelling words and sentences!

One "new"thing is using our Time Timer for a reading time. Setting the timer for 30/45 minutes each morning to read!! I usually use that time to do reading lessons with Lydia and Chris and then free-read with Chris until the time is up:) So they are reading during their "down time" during the day and then this reading time, too! yay!

Math
Thankfully we have some diligent math students;)

History
We read a lot last week just to "catch up" some and finish up:) We talked about the hardships different groups faced during and after the War. The final match-ups between Grant and Lee. Sherman's "March to the Sea" as he marched through GA really crippling some if their homes, businesses, rail stations, barns,etc! And the official end of the War happening at Appomattox, VA.

Even though we had read and discussed the assination of Abraham Lincoln before, we still spent some time discussing the impact of Lincoln's death on the Nation at such a critical time. Anna had a great observation....

she got excited that there was another person who was shot in the head and worked with the government. The person she remembered was shot in the head but because we know more about brains and how to help this person, she is on TV with her husband and can walk and talk again.
Any guesses who Anna was linking Abraham Lincoln with????

Gabby Giffords!! It amazes me how much information my kids learn from watching the news with their dad! And what s even cooler was that Anna was making connections from historical figures to modern times... similar shots in the heads and then the difference because of modern medicine!

We also talked about some of the challenges of Reconstruction. The bitter feelings and anger that still kindled in the hearts of people in both sides of the War. How the freed men and women were treated :(

Science
We finished our three week study of Simple Machines;) This week we finished with Screws:) And then we enjoyed a magazine from our library to review.

And a Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt.

I also found a great printable Simple Machine sort!! They sorted through the many different pictures

and then made some of their own pictures to "even out" some of the smaller columns:)

And then I found a fun simple machine quiz at EdHeads! A great way to end our unit on Simple Machines;)

Art
We did art on Monday so we'd be sure to fit it in this week:) We reviewed who Da Vinci was by reading a short biographical article. I gave the kids a black and white sketch of Lady with an Ermine and we read some of the background information about the painting. Then the kids pulled out the painting supplies and got to work using the painting as a guide;)

A great week:) Kind of sad to end these two units, we've learned a lot.

"Me Took", says the New Biscuit Maker

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 05:11:00 +0000

and he knew exactly what to do;)

More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings, Go Graham Go.

Tiny Talk with Cousins, Grammie & Pey

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:36:00 +0000

Last week we finished working on Chris' RA derby car... last minute, of course! Regardless of time, Chris was determined make his car into a dinosaur... did you expect anything else??

Let's just say his car was definitely NOT the fastest down the ramp... LOL!! But Chris' stood out;)

I overheard a conversation with Chris and his sisters later in the evening when he was telling them that "A girl who was a teenager told me that my car had a really cool design! [paused] I was sooo embarrassed."

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Lydia has hit a challenge in math, she is struggling with "odd ball" (as Saxon calls them) facts when subtracted. Its funny because she does the addition "odd ball"facts very easily, but for some reason when they are subtraction facts she gets confused.

I overheard her say as she looked over her math for the morning, "More of these facts! These are the hard ones.... that's soo mean!"

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And my little Nate:) After seeing his newest little cousin and while watching a show that had a little baby on it...

Nate sweetly approached me and said, "Mommy, me want a baby."

LOL... he obviously doesn't totally know what he's asking:) But I do have to say that Nate is very good with children younger than he is. Sometimes he doesn't really like sharing his specially toys but for being almost 3 he is very sweet to younger kids.

Speaking of being with the baby and Nate playing with other kids, we spent some time Sunday with my Dad (Pey), Mom (Grammie) and my sister's growing little family. So we got to see the new baby... I'll have more pictures of them later this week!

Nate and Hannah Grace... who are adorable together!! They play well together, too!

Grammie at the park with the grandkids:)

Here are the some of the grandchildren around Pey...

Yes, Pey is in a hospital bed... thankfully though at his home where my mom is caring for him. I don't really have words right now for this stage... just pray for Pey and my mom that these days would be filled with sweet memories and thankfulness, not just sadness.

Your turn

Weekly Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly B) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:25:00 +0000

Bible
Our Family Way last week was about being gracious even when we didn't want to. We had it written on the whiteboard and I had to field a call while in the schoolroom with the kids... at one point I was getting frustrated and I looked up and saw the words... LOL!!! Thankfully I did what I needed to and not what I wanted to... even though my heart wasn't totally "on board".

Language Arts
The middle ones are plugging away learning their preposition list:) And Anna is busy in the world of adjectives in Rod & Staff.

As far as reading, we had a "still working on it" week.... Chris is working on a Magic Tree House book, Lydia read through 2 or 3 books and Anna was finishing up Little Women.

We did two days of journaling and they worked on a lesson or two from Writing with Ease!!

Anna had a tough spelling section that we worked on a little longer... it was words with "qu" and they were some tough ones like "mosquito, require, turquoise". Thankfully we got through it;) Lydia and Chris had a review week in spelling, so they worked on words that they had previously missed.

Math
We're wading through math facts, early fractions and long division hiding in word problems... oh my!

Xtramath is also really working for us;) I'm hoping to post more of the things that I have found helpful in getting us "enjoying" our xtramath.org time!

History
Spies of the Civil War. After reading our history pages we read more detailed stories about three of these spies;)

Chris had the idea of calling each other by numbers after our first readings because of the story of one the men using numbers to hide the identity of his network of spies. So the rest of the day you could hear, "23 I like your picture! Hey 11, could you pass me the paint!" LOL!! It was a fun, simple "change" to our day.

The kids also got into using a cipher to decode a message:) I found some online for them to work on as well... they really liked solving the codes!

Since we had grandparents coming later in the week, we spent time finishing the projects from last week. Bridges and trees re-glued .

Chris made a comic strip of the Battle of Vicksburg. Lydia did a flipbook for the Battle of Gettysburg:) And then the girls did get to present their projects to Grandma and Grandaddy.

Science

We worked on the inclined plane and the wedge.

We had an activity that was supposed to help us see which plane required more "force" by seeing how stretched out the rubber band got.

Unfortunately, our rubber band was stiff and our "car of choice" wasn't heavy enough for a noticeable difference. They did see that the distance was obviously more for the less steep plane while the ending place was the same (height).

They really liked racing them down the slope.

We spent another afternoon reading and defining wedges! We were surprised by how many different types and jobs of wedges!!

Other
On Thursday we welcomed Grandma and Grandaddy:) I'm not sure how many times I heard "When are Grandma and Grandaddy are coming??" So obviously everyone had a great time ... once they got here;) I got to attend a Saturday morning Women's Conference... yippee... much needed:)

On Friday we attended a program at our library about Dental Hygiene. The lady doing the program was a hoot.... she was very animated and the kids had fun.

After the program they ran off some energy with friends in the library's meeting room (it was nasty outside)!

Linking up to the Ultimate Homeschool Link-Up and Weekly Wrap Up @ WUH.