End of the Summer Grandparent Visits

I haven't been very diligent blogging our fun visits from and to grandparents:(

We were actually able to use the recent Labor Day weekend to get out-of-town for an "end of summer" visit to Grandma and Grandaddy's;) We all look forward to a change of routine and visiting and getting loved on by them!! It's always great... even when we don't do much but read, sleep in, and definitely visit with family:)

And I barely took out my camera:/ But did get this;)

Grandma and Grandaddy actually came up our way during our first week of school in early August! It was nice having some help for a school morning;) And since Brian still had off on Fridays then, our 1st Friday "at school" included a field trip to a nearby town to a small "aquarium", the riverwalk and a local park!! Field trips on Fridays are always awesome... add in Dad and grandparents... yippee!!









We are very thankful for our parents and the grandparents they are to our children!

Our "Normal" Daily Schedule

So what is normal anyway?? LOL!!

I function better with a "plan"!  I look back in other years and think how much more organized I seemed to be...

but truthfully, the more we get into home schooling, the more I realize that our days flow better when Momma has a well-planned day but is flexible. And might even ditch the plan when something better comes along:) 

Like last Friday, my kids had prepared a simple afternoon "tea party" for some friends coming to visit while their parents attended a funeral. By noon, when school was nearing an end for the day... plans had changed, no friends, but a Grammie:)

While I was in the kitchen fixing lunch, the kids asked to bake for the "party".

By the time Grammie arrived, they had sugar cookies, energy balls, and pizza rolls. Not quite the Science lesson I had planned for the afternoon:) But they all helped to bake from scratch, read recipes, follow directions, measure and problem solve when the right measuring cup was already in use:) And then setting up the table and arranging all the seating... for the 4, Grammie and a couple of dolls. (Momma stood!) Oh, and cleaning up:)

So as you read through this schedule, this what I have planned for our "normal" days but no day really goes as planned... and really as long as we're learning and growing together, I'm good with that:)

Morning Chores

Daily Notebook/ Start Individual Work 8:30ish

• Sometimes reading with Chris
• Time with Nate

Morning Time – 9am

• Bible/Prayer
• Memory Work/Spanish Songs

Math & Individual Work (9:30 – 10:15)

• Mom math lessons with Chris and Lydia, Checks Anna
• Mom sneaks in time with Nate
• Occasionally works on spelling, too

Together Time (10:15 -12)

• Writing
• Art or Music
• History or Science

Lunch Prep for Mommy (12ish)

• Individual Work
• Spelling Tests
• Finish independent history/science work
• Spanish DVD

Lunch

• Kitchen Clean-Up
• Room of the Day Clean-Up
• Brush Teeth

Read Aloud (boys room) -if its a day Nate needs/can take a nap (sadly these days are infrequent)

Back "on the bus" (until they're done!!)

• Finish Individual Work
• Grammar with Lydia/Chris, then Anna
• Spelling (if not already done)
• Read alone or with Mom (20-30 minutes)

Free Time

• Outside
• Errands
• Park/Walk/Swim

Library visits weekly :)
Wednesday -Piano
Tues/Thursday (in the fall) - Soccer
Thursday mid-morning is local home school activities and 4H monthly
Wednesday - RA and GAs

There is our  "plan" !!!

It's very flexible; like who I am working with first... there are some days one is begging for my attention and the others are working quietly... so I start with them:)

It's funny how a plan changes to fit our needs and personalities, too! When we started school the 1st week of August our day looked a little different. The kids explained that they wanted to work on math first in the morning rather than waiting right before lunch:) We tweaked and moved stuff until we found something that fits us now;) I get Bible first and History before lunch and they have Math almost first... win!win!


And right now I haven't been doing anything formal with Nate:/
 
He's been working on ABCs with all sorts of activities that have kept him busy while we school:) Throw in some pattern blocks, a kitchen set, a train track and some Play-Doh and he's been a happy camper:)

We're working on getting  him involved with Bible time and he listens to us practice our memory work, the US presidents, States and Capitals, Psalm 23 and Spanish vocabulary. So he's still picking up on some of the "big kid" stuff!!

 I do want to start up Before Five in a Row with him again.... so that's in the works as soon as I get settled into my online classes for the semester (one thing at a time for this little stretched brain)!!

Linking up to the "not" back to school Blog Hop and WFMW.

Almost...

While its a "rite of passage" to learn the ABC Song... I've never really pushed it with my kids since I found early in teaching my kids about reading that the phonics of the letters and the ability to identify them as bigger priorities than just memorizing a song!

But Nate loves the ABC Song!

So he practices it often... over and over every day! Usually we have a book, poster, or his ABC Train puzzle in front of him as we sing so he gets the chance to correlate the name of the letter with the letter itself.

After a couple of days of asking if I could record him singing his ABCs, he finally agreed;)

He  almost has it;) And this Momma thinks its too cute!!


And I know I'll treasure this is in a couple of years as he gets distracted in the middle with his "taggie" blanket. And needs a little help:) And his little voice!!

Resources we are using for ABCs:
*LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD
*LeapFrog Fridge Phonics
*ABC Puzzles - we have a Melissa & Doug ABC Train (it comes out a lot)
*ABC Poster - found at the $ store
*ABC trace book  & Crayola erasable crayons
*ABC Books -  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, ABC board books
and just singing together:)

*** And this is all Nate led:) I love that he wants to learn, so I'm letting him go at his pace. Some days he wants to "do me school work" all morning and other days he's content playing with Duplos, Play-Doh or trying to tickle his older siblings' feet while they work:/

Zucchini Bread... ok, ok, it's more like a Cake;)

So we celebrated my 30-something-th birthday last week! And with any birthday I put in my request for the food:) Since I'm also the head chief I choose something easy for the meal (crockpot BBQ sandwiches) and

 Zucchini bread... ok,ok, it's more like a cake!!

We started making this recipe after a few attempts at some not so great zucchini bread.

The next week we were at my in-laws and was offered a slice of a friend's zucchini bread. I knew it had to be good because it called for icing;) LOL!!

ANyway, we arrived home with my zucchini plants still producing,,,, yippee!! Our turn to make some:)

At first "the fam" was a little hesitant.... all the strange "green" things in it!! But as soon as they had their first bite they were hooked;) After the first attempt I began peeling the zucchini before grating it... of course that probably took out any of the nutritional value, too... hey, it's a cake.... not the meal and not often made (although I totally would make it weekly)!

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs (or 3/4 cup of applesauce)
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 pkg of vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired, I didn't add any)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder

Stir together the eggs/applesauce, oil, sugar and zucchini. Whisk (or sift) together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Add to zucchini mixture. Stir in vanilla, pudding mix and nuts (opt).

Pour into 9x13 pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Use a cake tester to be sure it's done in the middle.

Ice that thing when it's cooled a bit. We use a cream cheese flavored icing (or make your own).

And then enjoy!!!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Did you miss us;)



Anyone enjoying peach season? I'm a summer fruit gal... strawberries, peaches, blueberries... count me in;)

So while we were running errands, Lydia, Nate and I made a quick stop into a grocery store that carries "as local as possible" produce to get PEACHES:)

But then I heard from behind me, "Us not get peaches. Peaches are disgusting!" Then giggles (Lydia's).

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I have started to clean up our school room.... we cleaned a lot after we finished school and then we had 3 weeks stuck inside, RAIN and more RAIN, vacation ....

and the school room was trashed again:/

I was surprised to find that all our scissors are missing:/

I questioned the little bracelet makers:) "Do you know where the scissors might have gone this summer? I didn't find any in the school room?"

Lydia responded, "I think Mr Nobody took them!!"

LOL!! Those of you who have used First Language Lessons or are familiar with that poem know that name well:)

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Nate was excitedly asking me the other day "Me doe to the freek?"

I wish I can understand what he is asking the first time every time, but I don't speak "Nate" well sometimes:/

So I asked him, "What is the freek, Nate?"

"Mom, the freek! Where me and Tis tatch the tadpoles, fish and toads and frogs!"

Ahhh... the creek!! He had seen Chris run down to the edge of the creek with some fishing supplies:) BOYS:)
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Back in the school room we are laying down the "rules" again. Chris saw Anna's Kindle on the table and called her out on her infraction," Get your toy off the table!"

Anna quickly replied back,"It's not a toy. It's a very expensive piece of electronics!"

LOL!! I had to turn my back and snicker at that one, before I reminded them to speak kindly to each other;) And to keeps "toys" off the table during schooling!!

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Lydia has already worked ahead in math and did her 1st assessment of the year:) But one question confused her.

Lydia: "I don't know how to answer this question. It says, "How many children have birthdays in August?" But my chart only says "mom" and "the cats"."

A normal predicament for a home schooler;) And BTW we also discussed that we were missing an aunt's birthday, too;)