If You Give A Mom A Paintbrush...

If you give a mom a paintbrush, she might ask for a can of white paint to go with it.

If you give her the white paint, she might go inside your bedroom and paint the trim around your windows.

While she's painting the trim, she might notice that the closet door could use a little touch-up.

While touching up the closet door, she might realize the touch-up has to be extended to make it all blend.

While blending, the mom might notice that your dresser could also use a face lift.

Then she might paint the front of all your dresser drawers.

While painting the drawers, some paint might accidentally end up on your new pair of pants (but just a smidge).

And then the mom will realize it's time to call it quits (but not until the drawers have been fully painted.)


Ahhh, the joys of selling a house! (In case you didn't know, we are trying to sell our home. Clint has a job offer back in CA working with my Dad. It's a tough market, but we feel like this is what we're supposed to be doing. Of course, keeping the home semi-immaculate for weeks on end while homeschooling 5 children will all just be for fun and games if we're wrong; then we'll stay in this beautiful place and enjoy the friends and neighbors we love!)

Week in Review: Oct. 18-22

I've set a goal to make a record of our homeschooling as a part of this blog.  I think reviewing each week might be the best way to do that; so here I go...

So, this past week, we worked on memorizing this poem (which went along with our nature study on "Feathers as Clothing," from this nature study book):
             "How beautiful your feathers be!"
              The Redbird sang to the Tulip-tree
                     New garbed in autumn gold.
             "Alas!" the bending branches sighed,
             "They cannot like your leaves abide
                     To keep us from the cold!"
                                 -- John B. Tabb





Our scripture study came from The Book of Mormon.  It was Alma 32:21 -- "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore, if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

Our hymn study came from a picture book I found while at the library.  We studied "America the Beautiful," then practiced singing it.  The kids chose children's primary songs to practice the other 4 mornings.

We took a break from the Little House series, which I've been reading aloud since last school year.  We finished The Long Winter a couple weeks ago.  Now, we're working on this:

The kids have really enjoyed it, and Gabe even occasionally stops building Legos or coloring pictures to interject a thought.  Opal calling boy twins who harass her "bald-headed babies" is a particularly favorite part for Autumn!

In math, the kids have all been plugging away on their K12 lessons.  At this point, we don't feel quite as frustrated with this year's new curriculum; so I think we'll keep at it for a while longer instead of getting a new program like I had planned.

Jonah read chapters from these books for L.A:
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, The Heroes by Charles Kingsley, The Burgess Bird Book for Children (chapter 7), & Custer's Last Stand by Quentin Reynolds.  He also read a couple chapters from the Bible to correlate with our history lesson.

Micah & Autumn read the books that coincided with their K12 Language Arts lessons.  Autumn finished another unit in her K12 phonics program (because she's fluently reading now, she breezes through these but they seem to still be a helpful review and we enjoy the lessons together.)  Additionally, I had them read some chapters from their Old Testament readers that corresponded with the history lesson too (they read about Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Moses.)  Micah also plugged away at The Journal of James Edmond Pease.  It's for his Heroes' Quest group, which is focusing on wars America has participated in.  This is one of the Dear America books, which are historical fiction in journal form, and it is a record of the civil war.

Besides this, Jonah did a couple K12 Spanish lessons, four keyboarding lessons, 

(we're using this outdated book, which is written for a typewriter but is simple enough for him and works just fine)

   





narrations from his reading (either telling me what he read about or writing a short synopsis), dictation & copywork (I hand-select poems, verses and quotes so that his handwriting practice is meaningful and inspires great thought; he's keeping them all in a notebook so I'll leave them out).

On Monday, we read a chapter from our history text for the year, A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer.

Tuesday, J, M & A went to choir practice for an hour. They'll be performing at the nursing home at the end of the term.

Wednesday was our beloved science club, with our dear friends.  Because it was such a beautiful day, I talked with my friends for an hour while the children ran and played outside with their friends.  Finally, we loaded them up and I taught this month's chemistry lesson to Micah and his two buddies after lunch.  We studied states of matter, I presented the scientist study on Lavoisier (after which they conducted their own experiment on air and combustion, placing a jar over a lit candle to see that it naturally burned out after the air was gone).  Finally, they made a "blob" (solution of cornstarch & water), then experimented to see whether it was a liquid or a solid.  I hope this drove home the differences between states of matter.

Here are the links for my chemistry hand-outs this month:
http://files.homeschoolshare.com/docs54478/chemistry/10%20lavoisier%20notebook.pdf
http://files.homeschoolshare.com/docs54478/chemistry/06%20states%20of%20matter%20flap%20book.pdf
http://files.homeschoolshare.com/docs54478/chemistry/06%20states%20of%20matter%20flap%20book.pdf

Thursday, J & M went to Heroes' Quest and enjoyed a nature walk with their group (Micah & his friend covered themselves in burrs on the walk, on a mission to see who could collect the most on their clothing.  Another friend was kind enough to help with the mission of removing them all, which he had to before I would let him back in the house!).  Autumn went to "kindergarten" with her science club friends.  (She's technically in 1st grade, but they're both younger.  And does it really matter what it's called??  To her, she's just learning & playing with her girlfriends.)

Friday, we finished early (too early, because M & I completely forgot about taking him to speech at the public school... for the SECOND time this week.  Woops!!!).

K, now next week I'll have to work on shortening this.  Because there's no way I'm going to want to do this every week!  But I hope to have a good record of our learning, and also hope it will benefit someone looking for ideas of what to study!!

We've grown

And we're moving to a new blog. Just follow this link to see the new little guy.

update

In case you saw me around town and were wondering how much longer i could POSSIBLY have...

I'm due next Friday (thought it was Thursday, until I just checked the calendar. Slightly depressing realization). At my last Dr.'s appointment, he tried to persuade me to be induced (he's got a lot of family in town, apparently.) I hate Pitocin, and declined the offer. So, we're just hanging out (WAY out) & playing the waiting game.

A's Annual Ballet Performance

...lasted about one minute, during which time the camera AND video camera ran out of memory. So, while Clint & I frantically fumbled to delete unnecessary pictures & videos, we were still able to notice how much she has grown since last year's performance. She was very poised and graceful; don't know where she got that from, but it was very sweet to watch. What made the experience sweeter still was the fact that her three brothers were in the audience, captivated during the performance and cheering her on afterward...before being whisked away to arrive a little late to J's soccer game. This girl is definitely loved!

WARNING: NOT for LITTLE EYES (May Give Away Secrets)

Today, M lost a tooth. Literally. Sometime between the quesadilla he had for lunch and the marshmallow he was chomping as dessert, he realized his tooth was gone. Retracing his steps, as well as pulling apart the gooey treat, turned up nothing. This led to some distress, even while being assured the tooth fairy would still come.

Finally, just before bed, he came to me with a proposal: "Mom, I know who the tooth fairy really is. Can't I just borrow an old tooth and stick it under my pillow tonight?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Surely, I'M not the one who dresses in fairy wings and tutus, wearing TIGHT pink tights at night to bring money to the tooth-losers in our house." (Growing up, my siblings and I all knew my Dad was the T.F. - and this is the exact image that had me giggling to sleep on the lucky nights when I had tucked a tooth under my own pillowcase.)

In the end, I revealed the T.F.'s secret stash, an old tooth filled in as a prop, and Micah's own Daddy T.F. delivered the reward.

What kids won't do for some loose change & a little make-believe! :)

TMI??

During our mini-unit on babies, I may have scarred my children. The video I showed them described the postpartum bosom as hard & as big as as bowling ball. (J & M nearly wet their pants, they were laughing so hard.) And, ya, I rock as a teacher.

WNTW: Homeschool-style

The other day, Micah came downstairs in a very colorful ensemble. Red shorts, blue pants, and a multi-colored shirt were involved. I suggested a few tweaks in the outfit, but he quickly pointed out that the white in the shirt matched the white in the shorts. And the blue in the shorts matched the blue in the pants. I guess the yellow and black in the shirt, as well as the red in the shorts, were just bonus colors. Truthfully, because I knew we would only be around other home-schooled families that day, I let it go. (We're pretty much a non-judgmental group when it comes to fashion.) Later that afternoon, he put on his red snow boots before going out to take care of our chickens. And that was when he announced the ensemble was complete, and perfectly matched. Don't you agree??

Funny Hair

I have this thing during pregnancy. Well, during always; but heightened during pregnancy. I get sick of my hair. So, in an effort to not be too drastic, I cut bangs yesterday. Gabriel spent the rest of the morning giggling every time he looked at me, telling me he was laughing at my funny hair. He took this picture, but I had to move to get into the shot. Enjoy my silly hair!

Big Brother/Big Sister Class

On Saturday, we took the kids to the hospital for a class about welcoming our new baby. We've been doing sort of a mini-unit on this at home, so I really didn't know if the class would be overkill. Turns out it was a great experience; even the reluctant biggest brothers walked away with (mostly) good things to say about it! I only teared up twice (well, only noticeably twice)... when we were shown two brand-new babies. But I'm nine months pregnant, watching my three oldest children carefully toting around baby dolls while we tour the hospital I am about to give birth in, and listening to visitors and nurses coo about how sweet they were. I really don't think it counts that I teared up when the nurse approached the nursery window and held a precious little newborn to the glass for our children to see. I wish I had remembered my camera; they were all very sweet.

...Except when Gabe wanted NOTHING to do with the baby doll. He pretty much freaked out and practically threw it on the ground. It was pretty large and floppier than most of his sister's dolls, so I am choosing not to read anything into it. He did thank the "home teacher" for the cookies and movie before we left, and is still wearing his "I'm a Big Brother" button he received for passing the class.

I'm also choosing not to be concerned that Micah repeatedly shook his doll, held it upside down, and was generally ridiculous in his handling of it. The teacher eventually suggested he not be allowed to hold the actual baby. But he was the sweetest with Gabe and loves babies generally. So, please. He's 7 and dolls aren't his toy of choice.

They are all very anxious for their little brother's arrival. I'm nearly ready; we just have one more day of schooling to finish up, then it's time for me to really get serious about preparing for this little one. Wish us luck! :)

Skunked

As I near my driveway, I am alarmed to see a truck with the word "SHERIFF" emblazened on the side. A moment later, I decode the words "Animal Control Officer," as well. Before my mind has time to run through the list of possible scenarios, G comes racing toward me (and my still-moving vehicle), clad in pj's and bare feet. As I get out of the car, he excitedly announces, "I go to dee baf-room! I go to dee baf-room!" (His best friend's mom is trying to potty train him. I am not on board yet, being eight months pregnant and busily trying to finish our last month of schooling.)
I grab him before he runs into the street to give his report to more passers-by, and we make our way to the backyard, where the "sheriff", neighbors and the rest of our family have gathered.
Soon, it becomes apparent that a skunk has made its way into our empty chicken coop (the hens haven't come in yet for the evening.) He is now trapped, having somehow survived a close-range shot from our neighbor's crossbow. The AC officer intermitently strategizes with Clint and visits with his friends, our crossbow-owning neighbors. (They run the local animal shelter and are apparently on friendly terms with Mr. AC). I thought AC officers came, trapped little critters, then took them away for you.
One hour later, and watching through the window with my little ones, I conclude it is not so simple a process. Finally, as we are finishing up with our nightly prayer and scripture reading, an overpowering stench wafts through through the house and we see Mr. AC carrying a body bag out to his truck.
I put the children to bed, showing them this picture before kissing them all good night. (WARNING: This isn't the bloodiest picture ever, but you may want to skip it just the same.)
(Actually, the one they saw wasn't this gruesome, but I'm sure it still led to some pretty sweet dreams.) Then, I head downstairs where my husband - who has now been outside with skunkie for over 2 hours - comes in. The scent is overpowering, so he obligingly leaves his clothes in the garage and bee-lines it for the shower. (This is reportedly the second streak of the evening; the first occurring just before I came home when G came outside and announced his feat with the potty the first time.)
He goes to the grocery store for me (this guy knows how to pamper a pregnant wife!), we watch a great documentary ("Paper Heart"), and then go to bed. I am occasionally awakened by the need to dry heave; pregnancy super-smell mixed with skunk spray all around and in our house apparently does that to me.
And I hope for a little less adventure tomorrow. :)

Autumn's Birthday

We made a deal with our kids long ago... a friend birthday party every other year, and a simple family affair otherwise. Somehow, A didn't get her friend party last year (perhaps someone forgot to remind her?? oops.) Consequently, she was overdue this year.

She had 6 guests (including little brother, who filled in for a missing friend) and enjoyed a very low-key, cat-themed party at our home.



Autumn thoroughly enjoys any girl time she can get, and seemed to have a great time with her sweet friends.



We enjoyed showering her with gifts, pizza and treats later that evening, too.

She's my sweet, girly girl. She's had her heart set on an American Girl doll for quite some time. I've been reluctant because it's just a lot of money for a doll, but we finally said she could save half of the money herself (from her allowance for weekly chores). Then our gift would be the other half of the money. The idea came to me a few months ago, and I really didn't think she'd be disciplined enough to do it. But she was more motivated than I realized and had the money together the day before her birthday.

I made them matching pajamas (which should fit A for the next couple years at least... I purposely made hers big.)


I'm so grateful for my daughter. She changes the dynamic of our family and life just would not be the same without our little bit of sugar & spice! :)

Soccer Season

After spending a couple hours at J & M's soccer games this morning, we came home ready to tackle some gardening & sewing projects. Talking on the phone to try and locate some raspberry starts, I heard my still-for-another-6-weeks-baby's voice: "Mommy, you dwop me off at socca pwactice?" I quickly finished up the call, walked around the corner and found this cuteness:

My heart nearly broke that there was no practice for him. So I hugged him, took some pictures, then offered him lunch instead. He took it like a champ.

Where the boys see if I can fit a little humble pie into my ever-expanding waistline

Tomorrow is Clint's birthday, which is always exciting because it marks the beginning of 4 full months where I am not older than my husband. (Happy birthday, hon!!) Today, the older boys went shopping with me. On the way back to the car, I told them I felt like I had a basketball stuffed inside my shirt. They laughed. Then I asked if that's what it looks like. They both disagreed. One charmer said my stomach is WAY bigger than a basketball; it would have to be the biggest basketball in the world to fit in my stomach. The other sweet-talker said my stomach isn't shaped like a basketball at all, as a basketball would take up MUCH LESS space.

I felt like an idiot for asking their opinion. And like a goofball for thinking my pregnant belly is even close to the size of a petite little basketball. Thanks for clearing it up though, boys!

Christmas Memories

I didn't expect it, but homeschooling seemed to slow the entire Christmas season down and overflow it with meaning for us. Our home was really filled with the spirit of Christmas as we took time to carefully select gifts, create goodie plates for friends, study Christmas and other holiday celebrations, and just enjoy our time together. Even though I didn't take many pictures to capture how we spent our time, I do want to throw a few up with the hope that they'll help me remember what a special time of year it was for us.

The kids acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve.



Shepherd Micah & Wise Man Gabe (who insisted on the upside down headwear) visiting the baby Jesus.

Autumn and I making Christmas morning cinnamon rolls in our darling aprons my sister Eve handcrafted for us. Even though mine seems to be shrinking by the day, we are getting tons of use out of them both!!



We each took turns opening gifts, which is why 3 children have stopped to see what their older brother received. So much more enjoyable for everyone this way!



Gabe had to immediately change into his Thomas pj's. Another one bites the dust to the train obsession!

Rewind... and Happy Birthday, Micah!!

So I'm 4 months late with this post. At least we celebrated on time!
Micah excited about his new snow boots. This is one boy who is very easy to please! Just let him gorge himself at an all-you-can-eat buffet, give him a few birthday gifts & then some cake and ice cream to round out the day. He knows what he likes.

Gabe caught wearing Micah's new snow boots, while the older kids all ran off to test out the new toys. What a little lumberjack.


7 is a lot of candles for one guy!! :)

Not-so-super powers

Gabe loves to dress up. To his sister's dismay, he's moved on from princess attire, and can regularly be found wearing boyish get-ups. As I was cleaning up costumes he'd flung all over the family room floor, I realized he had yet to discover our stash of capes. Today, I rectified that. I was trying to explain what these costumes were for, sort of stumbling in my description until he looked me in the eye and said, "Superman." Moments later, he fell flat on his face, picked himself up and muttered, "AWW-AWWW!! I tan't fwy!" Thankfully, he attempted take-off from the ground.