Five Question Friday 9/30

I've been sooo busy that I haven't had a chance to type up any homeschooling posts lately...but I promise to get up at least my MFW highlights this weekend!

But for today, how about something fun and easy like...

1. Do you apologize to your kids if you're wrong?

Yes! I think it's VERY important to maintaining a relationship with my kids. I have asked for forgiveness if I've done something wrong. I have to work hard at remembering to do it though...but then since when is it EVER easy to say we are wrong and ask forgiveness???

2. Do you have a class ring, Letterman's jacket, or similar obscenely priced high school "must have"?

LOL! No. I have a "letter" with a lot of bars and medals on it...but never could fork out the moola for the jacket to put it on!

3. If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what age would you choose?

This is tough...I have experienced so many wonderful things at so many different ages. I had the joy of meeting my hubby at age 22 and getting married at 23. I had the blessing of my son at age 25 and then the blessing of my second son at 30. Then of course there is the excitement of graduating high school at age 18--or the joy of just being a child at age 5...

I would say the age I would be for the rest of my life...is the one I turn each year! LOL! Is that a cop-out?? :0)

4. What is your favorite (unused) baby name?

Oh that's easy...we never used our girl name--so if we have a girl next time around we will be using the name Chloe.

5. If you could make your child like something what would it be?

Oh that's even easier! I would love for him to like to do his chores! LOL!

Shofar excitement!

In anticipation for the celebration of The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) I played this video for Little Britches after we read scripture and discussed the importance of this day...


He LOVED it! He went around and "blew" his paper towel core to the different rhythms the rest of the afternoon...then Baby Britches snagged it as soon as it was dropped and did the same...

The best thing was that Little Britches kept saying "We will really meet Jesus Christ? Really? We'll be able to talk to him? Ohhhhhh...." It's quite a fantastic concept even for an adult to wrap their head around...much less a Kindergartner!

Wishing you and yours a very blessed Feast of Trumpets!



Links
The Biblical Map to Jesus Christ's Return
Feast of Trumpets--learn more
The Feast of Trumpets: A Turning Point in History

Coming up for air...

Oh my. What a crazy week it's been here on the farm! We have been running around like maniacs preparing for my sister-in-laws wedding which occurred yesterday. Since it was here on the farm there was a TON of extra preparation--AND I was in charge of the reception dinner (for 200 guests!) as well as her floral designer! I sang a song for the ceremony and did I mention my two boys were in the wedding too? Talk about crazy! Thankfully it went off smashingly and the farm never looked better! I'm hoping to get a chance to play catch up with homeschooling posts later this week...

Here are a few snapshots of how lovely it went yesterday...

Decorating for the ceremony facing the river next to the farmhouse...it was overcast and then turned gorgeous!

 Here is where the reception dinner was held--over in that shed.
We decorated it with twinkle lights and all sorts of country paraphernalia!

 My sister-in-law and her soon to be hubby under the canopy. Isn't her dress gorgeous?

 They were so happy! He didn't see her until she came down the aisle and he was so excited he got all red and flushed!

 The new Mr. & Mrs. (see her bouquet? Sunflowers and daisies!)...this is my Father-in-law and Mother-in-law.

I can't wait until I get my hands on a photo of my boys! They were so handsome! Little Britches pulled Baby Britches and a niece of the groom in a wagon down the aisle! Adorable!

The Homeschool MOther's Journal--week #4

In my life this week…

Oh I've been getting so excited because we are having FALL weather! We had summer last weekend with 90 degrees and then *CLICK* someone flipped a switch and it's jeans and long sleeves weather--my favorite! I'm so happy that the first day of autumn is just a week away!

In our homeschool this week…

It's all about the letter A and apples! We are rowing How to Make an Apple Pie and see the World at the same time as our MFW-K unit of Aa-Apple! Thankfully it's also APPLE SEASON! Mmm...we taste tested apples today and I reaffirmed that Gala apples really are my most favorite! Yum!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing

Well my mom flies in next Thursday for my sister-in-laws wedding so we will be VERY happy to see her!

What’s working/not working for us…

We are totally loving our whiteboard...now that we are on the brink of reading words, I've been using the whiteboard sooo much more now as we make letter combinations and I jumpstart Little Britches sight words. And he's enjoying using it too...he likes to write on it and then ask me how to spell stuff. Great way to work on his handwriting!

Things I’m working on…

Getting ready for this wedding on the 25th! I'm basically in charge of the food--she's having 200 guests and I have to make sure everything will go as planned with the meal...did I mention we are having it here on the farm???? That brings challenges of it's own! But it's all good...it will be over before we know it and we will be saying "happy landings" to my dear sister-in-law as she leaves beautiful Kentucky and heads to her new life in barren Arizona.

I’m reading…

two books at once. But that's NOTHING new for me. I've been known to have 5 books going at any given time.

I’m cooking…

Well we just finished up taste testing apples---so I'm making applesauce with the leftovers! Yum!

I’m grateful for…

Baby grins and giggles and snuggles...and rings around the bathtub--because that means the boys had a GREAT day outside!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

My boys--ain't they cute?

Five Question Friday

1. If you had a weekly newspaper column, what would you name it?
Deliciously Simple--I love to cook and I'm always trying to find new recipes that fall under the 30 minutes or less category! I would love to share these with people to help them make yummy meals without a lot of hassle!

2. Who is your mentor/inspiration?
My inspiration...well I'm going to have to say that my inspiration is King David. I mean, that man went thru more trials because of stupid mistakes he made than most--yet he always got on his knees for forgiveness and help from the Lord.

If only I was so quick to do the same...

3. What is your wake up beverage of choice?
Mmm, a delicious ice cold glass of yummy fresh squeezed orange juice! Unless it's fall and winter--then a nice cup of cocoa, lightly laced with coffee and liberally with whipped cream!

4. Would you wear your mom's clothes?
95% of the time I would have to say no...but every now and then she finds something that I would gladly wear! Actually one of her rejects is one of my most favorite cardigans to wear with a skirt to church!

5. When you were a kid, did you put posters on your wall? If so, what were they of?
Yes...but they were volleyball posters. I was a hardcore volleyball fan and so I had pictures of Gabby Reese and the Volleyball "No Fear" posters.

I love the questions we get each week...some of them really make me think! Have a lovely day!

Spectacular Scholastic Savings

Here is just a little shout-out to all the homeschool moms out there that this week is Dollar Deals week (sale ENDS Sept. 20th) on Scholastic Teacher Express! Fabulous teaching materials E-Books regularly $10+ for a mere $1! AND to make it even sweeter--use the code 10THANKS and you get $10 off a $10 order or more--so you basically get 10 Ebooks for FREE!

I took advantage of the sale myself and got some AMAZING resources that I can't wait to download and dig into! I snagged a bunch of Shoe Box Center Kits and some fabulous Word Wall things...so many goodies!

I don't work for Scholastic or anything--I'm just trying to help you save a buck or two! Enjoy!

MFW-K Highlights: Week #3- Ll Leaf

We wrapped up our Ll Leaf unit yesterday, so here are some of the highlights from our studies. First off, I think that Little Britches enjoyed this unit the most thus far. The main reason was because we spent a lot of time outside! We are very fortunate to live in the country where leaves are in ABUNDANCE! Here is a look at what we see from our front porch...

Towards the creek and field...

Looking out front towards the road...

Trees everywhere!

Here are some highlights from our Leaf study...

The First day was all about hunting for different types of leaves. We had experienced continuous days of rain, so as soon as I saw that it was clear, we put on rainboots and raincoats and went out to gather some rather wet leaves. We did our property and then walked over to the in-laws and found more leaves there. We made it home RIGHT before the skies opened up!

*Grabbing some evergreen leaves

Checking out all the leaves we collected and drying them off...

We really had quite the variety thanks to the abundance of trees and bushes!

Little Britches' Favorite Leaf--a big maple!

And our few pieces from the evergreens...

Day #2 We painted outlines of some of our leaves

But the favorite activity was making the rubbings...we did that on day #3 and I had to help with some--

especially the big maple which was larger than our piece of paper!

We had some great rubbing of a hickory tree and chestnut tree...

We learned about leaves and the librarian gave me a FABULOUS book that wasn't on the book list, but was sooooooo perfect and clear for learning about leaves! Little Britches picked up on the information quickly with the very basic pen and ink drawings and simple explanations.

This book gave very clear explanations about the jobs of the leaves, what the veins were for and a clear explanation about the difference between a single leaf and a compound leaf with pictures.

Little Britches can tell the difference very easily now. I quiz him on it anytime we go for a walk and find a tree. If you can, I totally recommend adding "A First Look at Leaves" by Millicent E. Selsam and Joyce Hunt (ISBN: 0-8027-6117-8) to your resource list!

Little Britches enjoyed plucking his leaf and then checking it...a great way to tie in all 3 "words to remember" that we've learned thus far.

We read two the recommended books on Day 6 --including Caps for Sale. Little Britches liked the monkeys and we used the book to count various things. Then to show him why the man had to walk so slow to keep his hats from falling, we used some stacking cups and tried to balance them...

He couldn't hold them upright for longer than 5 seconds without them tipping over--or Baby Britches knocking them down! He was saying "HURRY HURRY!" as I snapped the picture--and they tumbled down immediately after! Baby Britches LOVED that part and would laugh and laugh.

Our scripture for this week started with "L" and was Matthew 5:16. Here is the simple order puzzle I made for this scripture. Feel free to download and use it for yourself!

Our Five in a Row book for the week ALSO started with L (yes I planned that!)--but we are still finishing it up. I still have to post our Madeline row...I'm a bit behind in that! LOL!

So there are our highlights from the past week--now moving on to Aa- Apple!

Remembering...

Where were you on 9/11/01 when the America was attacked?

Nearly every American can answer that question.

I was getting ready for work in the Pacific Northwest and my grandparents called for me to "come and see this..." At first I thought it was a movie...then in horror I realised it was LIVE television. Could that really be happening? It was an accident right? And then right before my eyes I watched as plane #2 crashed into the 2nd tower. It was with wretched and somber heart that I listened to my radio on my way to work. I called my mom--she hadn't seen it yet. I told her to turn on the news. I remember that either she or I stated "It has started." We both thought at that moment in time that the world was truly going to be coming to an end. It was the beginning of the end of something...

I called her once I reached work and sat in the parking lot just crying listening to the radio as tower #1 came crashing down. All day long at work, we tried to stay focused on business--but we spent every moment we could hovering around the radio in one woman's office. We would relay information to each other throughout the building. I remember that as a receptionist, I noticed the phones were nearly silent that day.

Then that night came the images--the videos--the heartbreaking faces of despair and grief. Life as we knew it was changed forever.

Thank God that we have the promise of a future where there will be no more death--for if we read in one of my favorite scriptures in Revelation 21:4

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be NO MORE DEATH, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away..."

Continuing on in the latter half of the next verse we read:

And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'" Revelation 21:5

This is a promise from God. We WILL experience a day when there will be an end to all the heartbreak and sorrow that man brings upon himself. A day when God will be in all mankind--a time a true peace on earth...

On this day we remember the lives of the those who were taken from us too soon--and pray for the day to come swiftly when we will be reunited with all our loved ones who have passed from this mortal life!!

Links to Share:
*What have we learned since 9/11?

*Why DOES God Allow Suffering?
*Are We living in the Time of the End?

Friendly Five Question Friday

Aren't you glad it's Friday??! This week has been so wacky with our crazy overnight fall weather and then the incessant rain day after day...good thing I ADORE fall and I'm used to rain...I grew up in the Pacific Northwest--it's just liquid sunshine!

Let's get down and enjoy...

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?

I am one of those people who have different ringtone's programed for different people. That way I know instantly if it's my hubby or a family member or someone not on my contact list. I'm kinda lazy like that! And what's the ringtone for my hubby (he calls the most)? Amarillo Sky!

2. What is your favorite memory from this summer?

Ooh, that's tough. Probably getting our classroom set up for starting our adventure in homeschooling!

3. Paper books or e-books?

That's rhetorical right? Um hello...PAPER books! I have to hold it in my hand...smell the paper...feel the pages...that I don't own a Kindle or Nook anyways...

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?

A room addition to move the classroom OUT of the office and into it's own room so that I could keep everything out and organized all the time.

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?

I was a late dater because I didn't like the boys at school enough to give them my time...AND I was on sports teams, in symphonic band and jazz choir! So my first serious boyfriend wasn't until I was 20!!! And he was the only other boyfriend I ever had besides my hubby! 

Oooh those were good questions! Can't wait to see what will be on the list for next week!

If you are participating in Friendly Friday, here is the link up so you can find your next stop! Thanks so much for coming by!

Odds and Ends

It's been a week of odds and ends when it comes to school. Monday we started REALLY late because it was my hubby's birthday and his present to himself was to go in late to work (yes he works on Labor Day!)...so we enjoyed time with him Monday morning. So we did a really relaxed schedule the rest of that school day. Tuesday was back to normal and we went to the library to find books relating to our Ll-Leaf unit. I will go more into that in my MFW-K Highlights post on Monday.

Weatherwise, we have been jolted into the middle of fall! We had 100 degrees on Friday and Saturday...then it started going down and by Monday it was rainy and a mere 57 degrees! Talk about flipping the switch! As luck would have it our unit had a lot more outdoor activities for the week, so we just put on the rubber books and the raincoats and went outside anyway!

Today was off because I had a much anticipated hair appointment at 9am! Ahh....the joys of someone else messing with my hair! I needed my hair cut and colored pretty bad so it was a must have! The hubby was home and "managed" to take care of the boys for the 3 hours I was gone...then after we ate lunch we did our school.

But the best part of the week was a fabulous win of a giveaway and some fabby finds!

I was blessed to win one of the giveaways by Thanks, Mail Carrier! I won the 3D Feel and Find World Icons by Guidecraft! There were 1063 or so entries...so for me to be the randomly draw winner is amazing! I'm so excited to get these for my boys! Xenia has giveaways going ALL THE TIME so make sure you get entered into them if you can!

Now to my frugal finds...I always visit our local Goodwill because you never know what you will find...I love to dig in their books and then just wander...I'm sure glad I did this week! Here are my finds from Tuesday...

Those are 3 great books to add to the collection (A Richard Scary, Amelia Bedelia and a 2nd level reader) and then my best find--sticker shapes for patterns and such! Think sticker Tangrams! 

Each color has a different shape and as you can see only a few were missing from the sheet! I'm so excited about this! What a great find for..did you see it? $1.15!! I spent $2.65 for all of that...

And then I went to the local Dollar General and found this great foam number puzzle...here is Baby Britches enjoying it...

He enjoyed gnawing on them before trying to put them back in their holes...now they all have many teeth marks! LOL! I better go back and get him his own set...I mean, why not when it was only $1! I love that it came with the +, - and = signs too! Great for future math problems! I also snagged a package of fake $$$ bills since we will be starting a mini money unit soon--also $1!

So it was an excellent week of randomness!

Tune in tomorrow for my Five Question Friday post!

MFW-K Highlights: Week #2- Mm Moon

Today we are started our 3rd unit for My Father's World-Kindergarten...so let's take a look back at last week with Unit #2 Mm-Moon.

This week went pretty well! I saw great improvement in the handwriting of the M and m from the first day to the last day which was wonderful! We talked about the moon and it's roll in reflecting the sunlight adding the word "reflect" to our vocabulary box. It was a great way to explain the roll we have in reflecting God and Christ to the world. We went into the bathroom on the first day and turned out all the lights...then I turned on the flashlight aiming it at the mirror and onto him. It was easy for him to understand the concept of reflection.

We took a trip to the library and checked out the World Book Encyclopedia about the moon and they had a great explanation w/pictures about why we see different parts of the moon. Little Britches then went ahead and made his moon phases cards with black cardstock and a white crayon. He knows the different phases by name and can tell them to me--even pointing out the crescent moon in the sky the other night! No more calling it the "fingernail moon"! LOL!

Each week for our scripture memorization, I choose a scripture which starts with our letter of the week. This week's letter was "M" and there are a lot of fabulous scriptures that start with that letter--but I  decided to go with Psalm 25:4. I saw a simple puzzle order activity for scriptures on 2 Teaching Mommies and decided to make my own for any scriptures that she doesn't already have made. I had him put it together once we had finished 2 days of practicing.

He did a great job! He can't read yet, but he knew which letter should start the puzzle and then recognized some of the letters and sight words to be able to put it together correctly. Feel free to download it (click the picture) for your own use. I will be doing these every week for our scriptures, so I will offer them as they are ready--but make sure you visit 2 Teaching Mommies blog because she has quite a few of them ready to go with other awesome and amazing memorization helps and I won't be making any Amber already has done!

We read a portion from Little Bear about going to the moon.

Little Britches drew a picture of Little Bear and the tree he jumped out of. He also used his Legos to create a rocket ship to go to the moon. We had many discussions about the moon...from the color, to the dirt, to the craters...great questions!

To really help sink in what the moon was like, I went to Youtube.com and found an original video from the first moon landing. He was FASCINATED!!! And then we watched a few more about gravity in space so he could see what it was like. That really made it real for him to see.

Sad to say we didn't take any pictures this week...but I promise to remember to next week!

I'm excited about the Ll-Leaf unit since we are surrounded by all sorts of trees and they are starting to shed their leaves!

Homeschooling Mother's Journal Week #5

In my life this week…

We are taking it easy this week because of the holiday weekend and because we have things scheduled for this week. I need to get Little Britches into the dentist to get his teeth checked out and then on Thursday I'm FINALLY GETTING MY HAIR DONE! My hubby likes me to have long hair, but in return, I told him that I want to keep it manageable...so he's paying fo rme to get my hair colored and trimmed...and it's been a LONG time I've gotten it done. If you are like me, summer plays havoc on your hair! I will make sure to post a picture!

In our homeschool this week…

we are going to be learning about Ll-Leaf! I'm going to focus on Nature Study and Science since those are Little Britches favorite subjects. He's been working very hard the past month that we've started school...but this week was rough because he was suffering anxiety due to a wedding he was in today...and he's been puking every night the past week. Now that the wedding is over, he's fine...but I want to still take it a bit easier this week.

I am inspired by…

The amazing blogs that I've been looking at lately. I am in awe of your homeschooling prowess! I wish I had half the skills you do and creativity you share! Wow! Thanks so much for sharing all your ideas with us newbies!

Things I’m working on…

oh it's the same old-same old. Basically to keep from doing too much and trying to stick to a schedule too much.

I’m praying for…

a dear friend who is undergoing some serious health problems related to a surgery she underwent not long ago. The poor dear has 3 small children and she's been back and forth between the ER and home for the last month. I'm praying that she will be able to heal completely very soon!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

My Little Britches doing such a good job!

Clothespins and Mason Jars

Sometimes all you need are clothespins and Mason Jars to have some fun...

Earlier this week, we were using clothespins for math and when we were done, I asked Little Britches how many clothespins he though he could drop into a jar. So he made a guess and then I had him lean over his desk and drop them in the Mason Jar. He TOTALLY loved this and would get SO excited whenever he'd get one in. He learned that the old fashioned clothespins (with the knobs) are a lot easier to get in the jar because they "drop down straight!" Little does he realize he's learning about weights, gravity and probability in this simple game.

Then Baby Britches came in and decided HE wanted to play too...and stole the jar and some clothespins and hid under the desk. This did NOT go over well with Little Britches, but I just happened to have another jar (because I knew it would happen) and gave a pile of clothespins to Baby Britches with his own jar. He was in heaven because he's OBSESSED with putting things INTO things and then reaching in and taking them out. And of course he had to try to "drink" the clothespins in the jar too.

Both boys played with their clothespins and jars for about 30 minutes before they got tired of them...

I think I'm going to take some of those clothespins and paint them. Then I'll work some more "games" around them...

I found BOTH types of clothespins at my local Family Dollar/Dollar General stores for $1-$2.00 and I have a lot of Mason Jars in my pantry. This is a super cheap thing to add to your classroom---but it will bring a lot of fun! Especially for those with older and younger kids...