Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Artsy
Today Drew had to make a model of DNA. When Zach and I did this a couple years ago the finished product was kinda thrown together and twisted around and called "good enough" by both of us. Neither of us are artsy-craftsy types, so...ahem...judge our combined effort for yourself:
Drew, on the other hand, is just better at stuff like that. I handed him the instructions from his science program, walked away (at his request. How rude!), and when he finished it actually looked like it was supposed to.
Drew, on the other hand, is just better at stuff like that. I handed him the instructions from his science program, walked away (at his request. How rude!), and when he finished it actually looked like it was supposed to.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Second Day of School
Well, the second day of homeschooling wasn't quite as smooth as the first, I guess mostly because we added in Drew. It's a little harder than I thought to have three kids all using one computer. (We have a second computer, but it belongs to Mike's work and he takes it with him when he leaves the house for the day.) It's a juggling act, for sure, but hopefully we'll get better at it with time. That said, we still finished by 3PM, so we're doing alright.
I'm excited about Zach's classes this sophomore year. He's going to take Spanish I using Rosetta Stone, typing using Mavis Beacon, and his Bible class this year is a study of Proverbs. He also gets PE credit for the karate class he's already taking. Besides that he'll do English II, he'll finish Algebra I (he didn't finish last year...blah), and he's taking World History and Physical Science.
Someone got my debit card information and charged over a hundred dollars to a cigar company last night. Mike caught it today and canceled the card. At what point should I tell him that I have, in fact, taken up smoking, and I'm bummed about not getting my stogies in the mail?
(Just kidding.)
I'm excited about Zach's classes this sophomore year. He's going to take Spanish I using Rosetta Stone, typing using Mavis Beacon, and his Bible class this year is a study of Proverbs. He also gets PE credit for the karate class he's already taking. Besides that he'll do English II, he'll finish Algebra I (he didn't finish last year...blah), and he's taking World History and Physical Science.
Someone got my debit card information and charged over a hundred dollars to a cigar company last night. Mike caught it today and canceled the card. At what point should I tell him that I have, in fact, taken up smoking, and I'm bummed about not getting my stogies in the mail?
(Just kidding.)
Monday, August 29, 2011
A New Pet
I took Baylee to Pet Smart this evening and she picked out the cutest hamster I think I've ever seen. She named it Teddy Bear.
First Day of School
We had an interesting first day of school today. On the one hand, it went really smoothly. Aside from some sleepy grouchiness from both kids (Drew is in Leavenworth until tonight) in the morning, it went like clockwork and we finished everything by 2PM. On the other hand, Baylee's gerbil, Ginger, died. She's been declining for a few days now, but today it was obvious that she was nearing the end. She wouldn't open her eyes or move much at all. Her breathing became almost invisible and when Baylee held her she said her body was very cold. Finally this afternoon Ginger died and Mike helped Baylee bury her. We had a good chance to talk about death...not spiritually, but the actual, physical process of death. For instance, we talked about why Ginger's body was so cold and how she lived a good, long lifespan for a small animal. There was lots of learning all the way around today, I guess.
math in the morning
Zach was anti-pictures today, so this is all I was able to coax out of him while he was doing schoolwork.
making a model of earth for Heritage Studies
green smoothies for lunch (and sandwiches)
reading and death watch
about a half hour before Ginger died
the coffin
the service
"Here lies the greatest gerbil of all time. I hope she has a great time in heaven."
(Now's not the time for theology.)
math in the morning
Zach was anti-pictures today, so this is all I was able to coax out of him while he was doing schoolwork.
making a model of earth for Heritage Studies
green smoothies for lunch (and sandwiches)
reading and death watch
about a half hour before Ginger died
the coffin
the service
"Here lies the greatest gerbil of all time. I hope she has a great time in heaven."
(Now's not the time for theology.)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Family Moment
I was looking through old pictures and I found these from several months ago. It was the night Baylee got a slinky stuck in her hair. She was walking around with it dangling and bouncing on her head, until Mike finally took pity on her.
Did Somebody Say Muffins?
Baylee went to a campout in a neighbor friend's backyard last night. There were 4 different neighbor kids in one big tent, and a dad in one of those little, one-man, coffin-like tents. (The dad was there to keep the kids safe.) They had a campfire, they roasted hotdogs and marshmallows, and they told ghost stories before they crawled into the tent to sleep for the night. Unfortunately, Baylee doesn't do well at all with ghost stories, no matter how silly or unrealistic they are. She got scared and had to be walked the half a block home at about 4AM this morning. Oh well. It was fun for her while it lasted.
Drew is in Leavenworth with Kian again this weekend and won't be back until Monday night. When I told him he'd be missing our first day of school he said, "Ohhhhh, man," but then he couldn't pull it off and got a huge grin on his face.
Mike bought me a Magic Bullet blender system as a surprise! I've been wanting one for ages, because several of my friends have been using them to make healthy concoctions that are helping them with their diets. Specifically, they've been making "green smoothies." They're a blend of a leafy green like spinach or kale, a banana, blueberries (or whatever other fruit you want), ground flax, and water or ice. They come out greenish brown...kinda like baby poop...but they taste like fruit. It's a great way to get in lots of fruits and veggies.
That said, have you ever seen the infomercial for the Magic Bullet? I got curious about it the other night, because I wanted to see what else I could be doing with this cool, new appliance. I have to say I've never seen a stranger commercial. I mean, what the heck is going on? There's a man and a woman making breakfast for people who all seem to live together, but they're all complete weirdos. There's even a woman named Hazel who comes into the kitchen in her nightgown at about the 2 minute mark and says in a smoker's voice, "Did somebody say muffins?" If you look at her again at around the 3 minute mark she's got a cigarette dangling out of her mouth with about an inch of ash hanging off of it.
Drew is in Leavenworth with Kian again this weekend and won't be back until Monday night. When I told him he'd be missing our first day of school he said, "Ohhhhh, man," but then he couldn't pull it off and got a huge grin on his face.
Mike bought me a Magic Bullet blender system as a surprise! I've been wanting one for ages, because several of my friends have been using them to make healthy concoctions that are helping them with their diets. Specifically, they've been making "green smoothies." They're a blend of a leafy green like spinach or kale, a banana, blueberries (or whatever other fruit you want), ground flax, and water or ice. They come out greenish brown...kinda like baby poop...but they taste like fruit. It's a great way to get in lots of fruits and veggies.
That said, have you ever seen the infomercial for the Magic Bullet? I got curious about it the other night, because I wanted to see what else I could be doing with this cool, new appliance. I have to say I've never seen a stranger commercial. I mean, what the heck is going on? There's a man and a woman making breakfast for people who all seem to live together, but they're all complete weirdos. There's even a woman named Hazel who comes into the kitchen in her nightgown at about the 2 minute mark and says in a smoker's voice, "Did somebody say muffins?" If you look at her again at around the 3 minute mark she's got a cigarette dangling out of her mouth with about an inch of ash hanging off of it.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Paying It Forward
Part of getting this award (which I'm still smiling about!) is passing it along. Liebster, I guess, is German for "friend," so I'm supposed to give it to 5 friendly blogs who have a readership under 200. I'm breaking the "under 200" rule on some of these, but here are five people whose blogs I enjoy:
1. Craig at Vagabond Thoughts
2. Suzanne at Chickens in the Road
3. Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter
4. Kellie at Mountain Views
5. Rae at Journey Mama
Quick Update
I've dropped the blogging ball lately, and now it feels sort of overwhelming to try to catch up. Maybe I should just do bullet points.
- Thanks to mamatigerj over at My Cozy Nook for the blogging award! I sure appreciate it!
- I was 99% sure I wouldn't be a leader at Pioneer Girls again this school year. I'm cutting back my obligations and focusing on home, homeschooling, and work. But then I went to the PG leaders meeting and realized that they had me intricately woven into the plans for the year, and, seeing that, I just couldn't quit on them. I'll be leading the "Bible Exploration" part of the night every Wednesday. It's not that I don't want to do it, because I do. In fact, my mind is already churning out ideas. It's just...what happened to my big plans for cutting back?
- A few days ago Drew went to a friend's birthday party at the state fair. He said he went on about four or five rides in a row that did nothing but twirl around at breakneck speed, and after the last one he threw up his elephant ear. I asked him if he was embarrassed and he replied, "Nah. I think it happens a lot, because they just hosed it off the floor, threw some sawdust on it, and started back up again."
- Baylee did a lesson each in the last 3 subjects: reading, spelling, and handwriting. Spelling and handwriting are short classes, but reading is one of the longer ones. Luckily, Baylee loves to read! It's gonna be a fun subject, too, because they take time out at three different points during the school year to read chapter books and do fun, related projects. Like they might do some cooking one day, or maybe a craft. I think there are even some science experiments related to the books. It's just a fun break from the usual.
- Speaking of Baylee, she made a new friend in the neighborhood named Kate. Yesterday they played croquet in our backyard.
- We're soaking up the last of summer, since school starts on Monday. We went to Matthew's beach both yesterday and today. It was beautiful.
- Finally, this morning Drew and Baylee were standing in the kitchen, singing this VBS song. I asked if I could video it and they agreed.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
School Intro, Part II
Baylee did a bit more school today, just to get used to the new program. So far, so good!
Maybe I should start by saying she's in 5th grade this year and using the BJUP Online Distance program. Her subjects are:
Bible ~ Baylee walked away from the Bible lesson she did today saying, "I LOVE that class!" That's a good sign! The teacher, Mrs. Overly, is kind and capable. Today she taught the story of Cain and Abel within the overlying context of God's Judgment and Grace. After the story and a short assignment, Baylee got to paste a picture of Cain and Abel onto a timeline that she'll add to over the course of the whole year. We put it up on the fridge, so we'll all have the opportunity to check it out.
One of the things I really like about the Bible class is that it involves memorization. Baylee will memorize the books of the Bible (She already has those learned, but review is good.), lots of Bible verses, and even some longer passages. She'll also memorize about ten hymns. Another thing I like is that she'll get to read two missionary books.
Science ~ This class, like English, is taught by Mrs. Dunn. She's a young, beautiful woman with a super friendly demeanor, which explains why Baylee adores her. The class doesn't seem too hard, but it's a lot of work. The lesson is long and so is the assignment. Luckily, there's fun stuff throw in here and there, like guest speakers, virtual field trips, and science experiments.
Math ~ Eh. I'm not sure how this class will go. All I know is that after Baylee watched Mrs. Frank teach the lesson, she had to come to me and I had to teach it to her all over again. I'm not sure why that is yet. I don't necessarily blame Mrs. Frank, because Baylee's a lot like me: a nonmathie. She, like me, needs someone to really lay it out in a way that makes sense. We'll see how it goes.
Heritage Studies ~ This class is probably the longest of all, but it's taught by my favorite of Baylee's teachers, Mrs. Walker. To me she's the epitome of an elementary schoolteacher who loves her job. Today was pretty much an introduction to the course, but tomorrow Baylee gets to make her own globe. That's one of the really neat things about this class: there are lots of hands-on projects. This year Mrs. Walker will be teaching history from 1900-to the present.
All that's left is handwriting, spelling, and reading!
Maybe I should start by saying she's in 5th grade this year and using the BJUP Online Distance program. Her subjects are:
- Bible
- English
- handwriting
- spelling
- reading
- science
- math
- heritage studies (that means history)
Bible ~ Baylee walked away from the Bible lesson she did today saying, "I LOVE that class!" That's a good sign! The teacher, Mrs. Overly, is kind and capable. Today she taught the story of Cain and Abel within the overlying context of God's Judgment and Grace. After the story and a short assignment, Baylee got to paste a picture of Cain and Abel onto a timeline that she'll add to over the course of the whole year. We put it up on the fridge, so we'll all have the opportunity to check it out.
One of the things I really like about the Bible class is that it involves memorization. Baylee will memorize the books of the Bible (She already has those learned, but review is good.), lots of Bible verses, and even some longer passages. She'll also memorize about ten hymns. Another thing I like is that she'll get to read two missionary books.
Science ~ This class, like English, is taught by Mrs. Dunn. She's a young, beautiful woman with a super friendly demeanor, which explains why Baylee adores her. The class doesn't seem too hard, but it's a lot of work. The lesson is long and so is the assignment. Luckily, there's fun stuff throw in here and there, like guest speakers, virtual field trips, and science experiments.
Math ~ Eh. I'm not sure how this class will go. All I know is that after Baylee watched Mrs. Frank teach the lesson, she had to come to me and I had to teach it to her all over again. I'm not sure why that is yet. I don't necessarily blame Mrs. Frank, because Baylee's a lot like me: a nonmathie. She, like me, needs someone to really lay it out in a way that makes sense. We'll see how it goes.
Heritage Studies ~ This class is probably the longest of all, but it's taught by my favorite of Baylee's teachers, Mrs. Walker. To me she's the epitome of an elementary schoolteacher who loves her job. Today was pretty much an introduction to the course, but tomorrow Baylee gets to make her own globe. That's one of the really neat things about this class: there are lots of hands-on projects. This year Mrs. Walker will be teaching history from 1900-to the present.
All that's left is handwriting, spelling, and reading!
Monday, August 22, 2011
School Intro
Baylee got all her books and materials in the mail today! It was fun to sort through it and get it arranged on our school bookcase. I told Baylee that it might be a good idea for her to do a lesson or two in each subject this week, just to get used to how the program works before she's expected to go full-steam. Today she did two lessons in English with Mrs. Dunn.
In looking everything over, one of the things I'm most excited about is how the program sneaks learning into unexpected places. Like this chapter of English has a "grains" theme. All the work the kids do has to do with grains. So far in just two lessons (one on subjects and predicates, and one on sentence types) Baylee has learned that rice is the 2nd-most eaten grain in the world, and she got to see pictures of rice paddies and hear about how rice is grown. She also wrote a little commercial trying to sell oatmeal, using all four types of sentences. I'm excited to see how she does with the other classes and teachers over the rest of this week!
In looking everything over, one of the things I'm most excited about is how the program sneaks learning into unexpected places. Like this chapter of English has a "grains" theme. All the work the kids do has to do with grains. So far in just two lessons (one on subjects and predicates, and one on sentence types) Baylee has learned that rice is the 2nd-most eaten grain in the world, and she got to see pictures of rice paddies and hear about how rice is grown. She also wrote a little commercial trying to sell oatmeal, using all four types of sentences. I'm excited to see how she does with the other classes and teachers over the rest of this week!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thankful
Mike and I didn't even get up until 11am today. He was out doing a floor job until 3am, and I drifted in and out of shallow sleep until he got home. Then, just as we fell asleep, Baylee got really sick. Let's just say it lasted about an hour and involved a lot of clean up. Anyway, it all made for a late start to this day.
Now Mike is fixing our car. It's been acting up for awhile now, and finally it broke down on the way to take my parents to the train station. I mean, what are the chances? We moved here over four years ago and never had any trouble with the car, then my parents came and the car broke down. (It turned out okay. Mike got it started again, dropped my parents off, and made it back home, but the car has been sitting in the driveway ever since.) Mike went to a forum online for people who own cars like ours, and come to find out what we've been experiencing is a common problem and has something to do with cracked pipes that mess up the oxygen/fuel ratio. Or something. All I know is I'm so thankful for a husband who can deal with it.
Drew is in Leavenworth with his friend Kian and Kian's family. One of the things I'd like to accomplish today while he's gone is to clean off his desk. It's covered with junk and he's going to need it for school soon.
That's about it. I'm feeling a little introspective and a little down...but it's probably just tiredness.
Now Mike is fixing our car. It's been acting up for awhile now, and finally it broke down on the way to take my parents to the train station. I mean, what are the chances? We moved here over four years ago and never had any trouble with the car, then my parents came and the car broke down. (It turned out okay. Mike got it started again, dropped my parents off, and made it back home, but the car has been sitting in the driveway ever since.) Mike went to a forum online for people who own cars like ours, and come to find out what we've been experiencing is a common problem and has something to do with cracked pipes that mess up the oxygen/fuel ratio. Or something. All I know is I'm so thankful for a husband who can deal with it.
Drew is in Leavenworth with his friend Kian and Kian's family. One of the things I'd like to accomplish today while he's gone is to clean off his desk. It's covered with junk and he's going to need it for school soon.
That's about it. I'm feeling a little introspective and a little down...but it's probably just tiredness.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Almost School Time
We're almost ready for school! I decided today that we'll start on August 29th, because I should have everything together by then.
Speaking of that, Mike offered to do some grocery shopping on his way home from work today, which was nice of him I freely admit. He's helpful and loving like that. This time, besides the usual stuff, I tacked on several things we need for the school year: folders, paper, notebooks, etc. Some of the stuff I really need, because it's required by Baylee's curriculum starting the very first week of the school year. Unfortunately, Mike didn't get me everything on my list. Why do guys do that? You send them to the store for something, and they come home with something sort of like what you asked for, but not exactly. Or, worse yet, they come home with a bunch of other stuff, but not the one thing you need. On top of that, I went to make supper tonight and one of the ingredients on the list didn't make it into the cart, either. On the bright side, we now have Sharpie markers. Did I ask for those? No. But we've got them now.
Anyway, where was I? So we're going to start school soon. Baylee's schoolbooks are on their way (UPS or something), Zach's stuff is all here, and the only thing I still have to do for Drew is buy Marie from Canada's grammar and essay writing lessons. I'm so encouraged about Zach's school! I had another conversation with them a few days ago, just tying up a few loose ends and asking a couple quick questions. They're so friendly and helpful. This is going to be a GREAT school year for him...I just have a feeling. Also, Baylee's teachers are all ready for her to watch online. We've looked at a few of the classes, just to get a feel for how it all works. It's going to be very different for her this year, because she'll have to go at the pace of the teachers, but it'll be good. They'll be able to offer her unlimited patience and lots of hands-on activities. I'm excited for her.
Speaking of that, Mike offered to do some grocery shopping on his way home from work today, which was nice of him I freely admit. He's helpful and loving like that. This time, besides the usual stuff, I tacked on several things we need for the school year: folders, paper, notebooks, etc. Some of the stuff I really need, because it's required by Baylee's curriculum starting the very first week of the school year. Unfortunately, Mike didn't get me everything on my list. Why do guys do that? You send them to the store for something, and they come home with something sort of like what you asked for, but not exactly. Or, worse yet, they come home with a bunch of other stuff, but not the one thing you need. On top of that, I went to make supper tonight and one of the ingredients on the list didn't make it into the cart, either. On the bright side, we now have Sharpie markers. Did I ask for those? No. But we've got them now.
Anyway, where was I? So we're going to start school soon. Baylee's schoolbooks are on their way (UPS or something), Zach's stuff is all here, and the only thing I still have to do for Drew is buy Marie from Canada's grammar and essay writing lessons. I'm so encouraged about Zach's school! I had another conversation with them a few days ago, just tying up a few loose ends and asking a couple quick questions. They're so friendly and helpful. This is going to be a GREAT school year for him...I just have a feeling. Also, Baylee's teachers are all ready for her to watch online. We've looked at a few of the classes, just to get a feel for how it all works. It's going to be very different for her this year, because she'll have to go at the pace of the teachers, but it'll be good. They'll be able to offer her unlimited patience and lots of hands-on activities. I'm excited for her.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Until Next Time
My parents just left to catch the train back home to Michigan. My mom cried.
We'll miss them.
We'll miss them.
Thanksgiving in August
That was yesterday. Today my parents head back home. It was a very fun, full week!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Man, we had a busy day. We went to church this morning and then to the zoo all afternoon. I got some nice pictures, but I don't have time to deal with them all right now, because I'm on my way out the door to go to work. In the meantime, here are three of my favorites:
I loved the sea otters.
My mom was a good sport. I said, "Mom, sit right here and I'll take your picture with that komodo dragon in the background!" LOL
I took this one on the sly. It was a parenting moment.
I loved the sea otters.
My mom was a good sport. I said, "Mom, sit right here and I'll take your picture with that komodo dragon in the background!" LOL
I took this one on the sly. It was a parenting moment.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Day in Seattle
Today we went to Seattle. Specifically, we hit Top Pot Doughnuts (famous doughnut place featured on the Food Network), a glass blowing shop, the Wall of Gum (called "the second-germiest tourist destination in the world" by Trip Advisor. Awesome! You had me at germiest!), and Pike Place Market. It was crazy busy downtown, but still fun. I've got a little video montage, but first here are a couple miscellaneous pics. The first is of the neighborhood kids Baylee was playing with yesterday, and the second is the pizza my mom made last night.
Tonight we're going to eat fresh salmon that my dad bought at the fish market, and tomorrow is church and the zoo!
Tonight we're going to eat fresh salmon that my dad bought at the fish market, and tomorrow is church and the zoo!
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