Weekly Wrap-Up: School Store and lots of Outings;)

Another busy week for us:)

Bible
We weren't very disciplined with our Bible study this week either. We did 2 days;( Anyway, the first day we talked about how the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, but how Moses found the camp and broke the stone tablets. We read through until God gives Moses another "copy" of the Ten COmmandments to bring back to the people that had "repented". The kids listened soo intently:)

One the second day we talked about both #1 - only worship God and #2 - don't make or worship idols. I LOVED that the kids remembered the story from our previous lesson. And we talked about the things that we can make as important as "God" and they become like "idols" to us. Talk about convicting to ME!!

I really want to make a book or lapbook for these lessons. There are a lot of things out there to print off, but I haven't found anything I really like yet :(

Language Arts
Anna journal-ed every morning we were at home;) She's better at writing than I thought. But she's till making really simple sentences... so I'm giving her the freedom to write what she wants and trying to encourage her to add more detail;) I also found some spelling and writing workbooks at her level at Ollies this week... she LOVES workbooks, so I'm hoping by doing a page or two a week she can keep up her spelling skills or fill in gaps:)

Anna is also reading daily. We're having a little of trouble with finding books at her level that she enjoys:( Anyway, we'll head back to the library this week in search of something she'll enjoy reading and that challenges her a bit. Together (with and without the younger ones) we are reading Black Beauty... I like that she can almost read the book alone:)

Chris and Lydia did 15 minutes a day of reading from OPG each morning we were home;) One morning Chris got out of it and another morning he read a LeapFrog phonics book instead... the goal is reading and reading practice, so it was fine;)

We are also reading library books for the Reading Program and history. Our favorite this week was Who's in Rabbit's House? Who was in Rabbit's house and bullying everyone around was pretty funny. And this book went with our history topic in Africa and it highlight the animals that can be found in Africa;)

Math
Anna has been working on her subtraction facts daily. So thankful for this time to really make these SOLID.

Chris did 2 Saxon lessons... I wish we did more. But that's summer:) The lessons were super fun, too!! The first lesson we had to organize and label a store with empty grocery boxes.
And then on Friday, while Nate napped, and Daddy manned the house;) ...
the kids and I shopped (at our own store)!!

It was very mathematical...

but also included copywork, making receipts, using a calculator and manners;) For some reason when we play store the kids greet each other (like they sometimes see... LOL!!) with M'am and Sir and then wish them a good day!
Lydia and Anna also got in on the fun.
We made TWO checkout places and we all took plenty of turns checking out and shopping:) I'm pretty sure we have TWO lessons playing store. So we might try it with Nate on Monday??? We'll see:)

Besides doing store with us, Lydia is learning her doubles facts from Anna, doing ixl and puzzles;)

Science
Besides taking care of biking wounds :( And many conversations about eating healthy. Anna's well check-up at the doctor on Tuesday. And reading Black Beauty (lots of horse terms).

We didn't do any science.

History
We finished our last chapter in Africa and enjoyed more African tales books from the library;)

On Tuesday we dove right into India. There weren't a lot of activities with India. So we read through BOTH sections while the kids painted the coloring pictures. Usually they color those pages, but one was of a garden so it really pretty colored and the kids enjoyed the simple change:)

We also did the map work and read an Indian tale:)

Our Activities;)
Tuesday Anna had her well check-up. She's super healthy and in the 75% for both weight and height... the height didn't surprise me, the weight did... she's thin to me! But thankful she's healthy and super glad we have a doctor we like;)

Wednesday we met up with some homeschooling friends in the morning. One mom was doing an Expo House Party. She held it at a Sonic and the kids LOVED bringing home the wipe boards and markers;)


And then we beat the heat by attending a homeschool skate at the skating rink!! The kids LOVE this place and opportunity;) And they had a blast... no pics though :( Too busy putting on and taking off skates and chasing Nate:)

On Thursday after we schooled during Nate's nap, we headed to a neighbor's pool. The kids heard them invite us... so they had been asking NON-stop!
It's a beautifully kept pool with GREAT company! It was fun. I brought the 4 kids by myself... but I had help once I got there... they are super sweet:) And the kids are already asking to go again:)

On Saturday, we got to celebrate a sweet little girl's birthday with her family! We had a great time and the kids had a blast:)

Pics of the Week

Schooling Nate has begun;) LOL!!
Schooling with his shirt off...

Playing with ice cubes in an ice cube tray:)
He really liked it until he lost one.... lol!

Linking up to Weekly Wrap-up @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

Out and About- Just the 5 of us!!

So today I got OUT.....

I really wasn't feeling any "cabin fever" but with the 2nd day of rain and some busy kiddos "LIBRARY READING TIME" sounded like a dream come true;) LOL!! We did miss at least one session and our library books had been read and re-read... so it was time!!


I have to admit I was a little worried. The kids usually do very well during library reading time but this time I was REALLY, REALLY outnumbered, plus not feeling 100% yet (I'm just over 2 weeks postpartum and dealing with some cold/allergies???)!!



The kids did SOOOO well:) I was soo pleased. They even were very well-mannered while choosing books and checking out which was such a blessing;) I wore Nate in the ring sling during our library visit since I didn't feel up to dragging in the stroller or attempting to carry the baby carrier. He slept the whole time!



Since they did so well at the library we picked up lunch and then met a bunch of other moms for lunch. We usually eat at the restuarant which gets too busy and hectic... so Andrea volunteered her church's fellowship hall and then the kids migrated to the nursery/toy rooms;) It was more relaxed.... um, very LOUD though;) That's what we get for having 14 kids 5 and under together!!!



While the kids played, Andrea helped me figure out the BECO carrier. I was given one to review from babysnazz.com for SIMPLE. And I have worn Chris and Lydia (toddlers) in Andrea's BECO. But this was the first time I tried to wear Nate (an infant). When I finally got him in and snug...


it was great:) I'm actually looking forward to grocery shopping... it's going to be soo nice with the BECO:)

Did I mention Nate slept through all the noise, playing and trying to get him in the BECO?? Nate slept the ENTIRE trip... from the house, library, drive thru, lunch, playtime, BECO fitting and then car ride home. He woke only when his siblings left the van for naptime... I guess the van got tooo quiet... LOL!!

So our outing - just the 5 of us - went well. I did nap!! And hoping to get into bed early tonight!

Is it Possible???

1. That I could be feeling the baby moving at almost 14 weeks??
It seems at night with a quiet house and some time to put my feet up, I get this strange feeling in my belly. I thought I felt Anna pretty early in my pregnancy... but of course the Dr blew it off as a crazy preggo lady idea... grrr

Anyway, for now I'll enjoy the time with my feet up:) And if it is Baby, I'll be glad to feel Baby's movements more strongly in the weeks to come:)

2. That my non-conformist is conforming??

























Yes, my little Lydia decided to wear the Puggles shirt!! For 2 months she's been rejecting it but today was different, she actually agreed to wear it!! I'm totally biased, but she was the cutest little Puggle... with her little shirt, non matching little circly ribbon bow and her Dora backpack with her BIble and extra clothes:) Too cute:)

3. That we really did lose TWO library books??
So for the past 4+ weeks we have been ransacking the house - the bedrooms, closets, under the beds, and their backpacks.... everywhere it seems. Then we attacked the van and the car. But NOTHING!!

I'm usually super anal about library books... they are brought home in the libary bookbag, they sit in the library book bin, they are read in the living room (preferably on the couch) and returned to the bin after reading time (or sat on the end table if it's a good one to save for reading time after lunch).

But for weeks now... nothing! So this week I finally just paid the fine... as disappointing as it was. Do I get the "library book loser" badge now??

4. That my son is actually trying to redecorate??
Tonight in the girls' room I noticed some of their decor was a bit off...

Chris must have noticed my puzzled look and offered the explanation, "I was trying to be a wall climber, but I broke that and this [pointing to the crooked pieces]. So then I fixed them, see [pointing again to the crooked pieces]?" Lovely:)

Daddy did restraighten them this evening.....


I was amused at the picture. Next to the "B" was 2 splotches on the wall. It's soo hard to see normally, but the camera picked it up.... that's where Christopher jumped into Lydia's crib one afternoon and decided to COVER her, himself and two places on the wall with Chapstick:) Lovely... I know:)


Thanks for sticking around for all the randomness today :)

At the Library in PJs

Today was reading Time at our library!!

But today was a little different because it's theme was Pajama Party. The kids were asked to wear their PJs and bring along their blankets, pillows and special sleeping toy:)

My kids LOVE sitting and listening to Miss Heather read a story to them. It was soo sweet to step back and see the kiddies enjoying the story!!



One of the other families we have gotten to know has a girl a little younger than Anna. I'm not sure why these two girls have "hit it off"... but they have! Anna was glad to see her friend at the library time:)

They were soo cute! I looked over that them and they had "traded" bears!!


On the way home (after lunch with friends and grocery shopping) I asked Anna what her favorite part of wearing PJs all day was. Her answer was, "I didn't have to do my chore chart this morning." LOL Spoken like an honest little girl!!!

**Excuse the grainy pictures:) I'm still learning how to take decent pictures inside. And witht he room soo dark I set the camera on a really high ISO which can equal grainy pictures.....grr ... gotta read the manual!

Mommy Socialization... lunch with friends

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Originally uploaded by finadrea

I mentioned last week that we had "run into" another pastor's wife on a Tuesday morning...LOL.. we pastor families only get out on Tuedays:)

So today we managed to get to the library AND eat lunch together!! Sure... it was a little busy and loud, but the kids did GREAT!! And we're looking forward to getting more time with each other.

And bringing in the girls that couldn't be with us :(

Oh, can I tell you how sweet it is to finally have other "young" (that's for you Jenny.... just enjoy it) SAHMs to have lunch with!! It's just nice to have other people who are at a similiar stage and many times have the same struggles....

It is FUNNY that we all happen to be pastor's wives too... that is an extra connection we have! But that is NOT a requirement... we are hoping to find other moms needing some socalization( LOL), too!!

The sweet smell of incense can make you feel good,
but true friendship is better still.
Proverbs 27:9 (Contemporary English Version)

We had a good time this morning/afternoon... maybe we can plan something for next week?? If not there is always PJ Story time on March 3rd!!!!

PWs & PKs taking over TOWN

Hahahaa...


This morning Andrea and I took the kiddies to the local library for toddler reading time. I always expect more moms (and grandmoms) to take advantage of this awesome resource!! The children's specialist librarian Heather is just great with the kids and I'm always amazed at her knowledge of children's books. I can ask her about a certain topic and she'll run around and start pulling other books that go along with the topic of interest. And she talks to my children using their names!!


In fact, my little Anna that would cry when I mentioned "library reading time" was excited last night when I told her we were planning to go again:) She said to me, "I can't wait to see Miss Heather again and listen to her read."

Today was a little different because we met in the actual library and not in the side room (which has very few distractions)!! But it was good because about halfway through our time together another mom can in and her family joined us.

During the craft time the Moms chatted as we "helped" the kids with glue, scissors and glitter!! And imagine this...... this other mom is another young pastor wife mom that has recently moved into our area!!! What fun!!!


So we invited our new friends to an exciting lunch at Wendy's (we desperately would LOVE an indoor playground!!!). And I'll just have to add this to my list of blessings. This family has a little boy and two little girls!! Finally a little girl friend for Anna!!! And some more MOmma, PW fellowship!!

YEAH!!

The ALL POWERFUL library Card

This morning Andrea and I brought the kids out... all five!! But we were even more brave.... we brought the kids to library and ate lunch out:)

The kids actually did really, really well at the library. I usually have to do a little chasing around to keep them at the tables and off the computers... but maybe b/c we had TWO moms, they decided they couldn't get away with too much :)

And I actually had a chance to pick out some fun books. And Anna and Christopher picked out their favorites as well.

Here's a picture of all of the kiddies....reading their books:)

I wasn't planning to make this the day for Anna to get her own library card.... but I just asked about it and we started the process. All three of my kids LOVE books.... of course because she's older Anna is the one who we can see the love of reading more clearly.

She was SOOO excited about getting her free library card!! She proudly printed her name on the back of the card. And then on the ENTIRE way to Wendy's she told me about how important it was that everyone has a library card... even slipping a couple of times calling it a credit card. hahhaa

I had to talk her out of taking her library card to Wendys, the the park and Walmart. She was pretty determined about taking it to Walmart because she wanted to buy something with it... I had to repeatly tell we can only use it at the library to borrow books and videos!!

When we got home she left it on the counter so she could show Brian when he got home!!! And she's had it in her hands since she showed him....

Christopher wanted to know when he could get his library card.... hmmm...

Our Fun Library Summer

Our Library is doing a fun program this summer called "Catch the Reading Bug". The kids and I have been frequenting our public library every week or so:) The kids love the library and this week one of the librarians came out and helped them pick out books:) Christopher got books on Dinosaurs and Anna got books about princesses:) Because of the number of books the kids and I have read together, they earned their T-shirts today:)

I though I'd share some of our favorites, so far :)

Wild About Books

by Judy Sierra (Author), Marc Brown (Illustrator)

Very cute, it rhymes, has some modern books mentioned (like Harry Potter read by the otters) and it explains why you don't see the animals at the zoo when you visit:)

When Daddy Took Us Camping

By Julie Brillhart

We thought this was a cute book becasue we've been talking about taking a similiar trip:) Anyway, very sweet and reminded us of our own plans and family, even size of the family:)




Hurry! Hurry!
by Eve Bunting

This book contains just a few words on each page. But it does help with memorizing a book, understanding a story by reading the pictures and identifying farm yard animals. Very cute!!!

Raising Bookworms

We were able to get to the park yesterday (thank goodness b/c today is messy and wet). The kite flying attempts were fun, Daddy did a LOT of running to get the kite up....but it's wouldn't stay!! So I guess that is just another excuse to go to the park with the kites and Daddy :) We were able to meet up with a couple of other families. Two families which I hadn't met before. It is always encouraging to meet new moms, especially when they are soo sweet :) I didn't take any pictures there because two of the mothers had cameras and know a whole lot more about photography than I do :)

After kite flying, swinging, climbing, picnicing and Momma chatting at the park, we decided to drop by the library. I actually had some books due today so I needed to at least drop some off. But to our surprise our library was OPEN!! So headed on in...... yes, all five of us :)

We're a pretty loud bunch at the library.....but we didn't drive off too many people. I actually think my kids have gotten A LOT better at the library since they've gotten a little older :) I've been pretty cautious about when I take them and up until a month or so ago, I kept Christopher in the stroller at the library. One of the first visits when I allowed Christopher to walk, when we walked in he looked around and excitedly said loudly , "BIBLES!!!!" He was just amazed at how many books were around him :)



















Here are the kids "resting" after finding all the books they wanted to bring home. They will sit at the table for a little while and flip through their books. When Daddy is with us, this "resting" gives Mommy some time to hunt for her own books!!! They just LOVE looking at books!




I'm not sure if LOVING books is genetic.... it seems like from birth our kids have loved to sit in our laps and read books. Christopher and Lydia are more wiggly and sit for smaller amounts of time when we read to them. But there have been times when I have found each of them sitting quietly in a room flipping through a book. They see Brian and I reading (whenever we get a free moment), we read to them and of course we have books everywhere for them to flip through!!

I've just been challenged in the last few months to take them to the library more constently. A couple of the resons being that younger children learn more words when exposed to more new words (reading new books), the example of reading, the excitement over new books and the new ideas/ thing to learn from new books. I was also challenged to read them some chapter books meant for older children so last month we started Stuart Little by EB White...it was a little too much for them. So I'll have to start with some different children's classics!!