I lost all my bookmarks, including the bookmark I had for this blog! I know I should have saved them in another spot. I know I should have written them down. Now I have the joy of searching for all my favorite sites all over again. On a positive note, I guess it took care of all the old bookmarks I really wasn't visiting anymore. I've obviously found my blog again, so its not the end of my cyber world.
We have a new addition to the family! We brought home a 7 week old kitty a few days ago. We think we'll name her Yoko, after the Rosemary Wells character. She is gray and her personally is so sweet! She had me wrapped around her little paws very quickly. She really enjoys the boys and prefers to hang out around them. So far our other cat, Kita, is tolerating her but they are not snuggle buddies yet. I wasn't sure we'd get another cat after losing Jones, but I've had dreams where we welcomed home a new kitten. Then a few weeks ago, DS10 said to me, "Mom, I think it would help my anxieties if I had a kitten who would snuggle with me." Kita never has been very affectionate with anyone else but me. Yoko seems to love to snuggle already. Any second thoughts I had quickly melted away the first time she fell asleep on my chest.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Summer sick day
It didn't take very long. School's been out for 5 days. We had our first school friend visits at the end of last week, and now we have sore throats and runny noses. We dodge many of these viruses by being homeschoolers, but now that we are mingling again its caught up to us. Of course we could have picked up this virus anywhere. We really aren't hermits, but it just always seems to cooincide with visits from the neighborhood gang. I know I was just worrying about losing my children to their friends over the summer. Be careful for what you wish for! At least we'll get to our summer reading now.
We signed up to particiate in the library's reading reward program. I know of the dangers of using rewards for motivation, but when it comes to reading, the boys are still reading for pleasure. When it comes to chores and their desire for more spending money, its too late to expect self motivation. Most of us work at jobs which are only a paycheck for us. In my perfect world, my children will be able to support themselves doing something they love. If this doesn't happen however, I still want them to appreciate good work ethic.
We signed up to particiate in the library's reading reward program. I know of the dangers of using rewards for motivation, but when it comes to reading, the boys are still reading for pleasure. When it comes to chores and their desire for more spending money, its too late to expect self motivation. Most of us work at jobs which are only a paycheck for us. In my perfect world, my children will be able to support themselves doing something they love. If this doesn't happen however, I still want them to appreciate good work ethic.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Summer's In Full Swing
Nothing like a night of baseball to give you that summertime feeling. We recently had a wonderful evening of cheering on the Mallards! The boys received promotional duck billed caps and ate ball park food. I really prefer these minor league games to the big ones. For one thing, its way less expensive! But the best part is the extra fun in between innings.
The other sign its summer around here is the extra company on our doorstep. I really don't mind that our house is the hangout for the neighborhood gang, but I do end up missing having the boys to myself. I'm fully stocked on lemondade and popcorn and for the next few weeks, I'll take the backseat and let boys be boys. Summer tends to blow through rather quickly.
The other sign its summer around here is the extra company on our doorstep. I really don't mind that our house is the hangout for the neighborhood gang, but I do end up missing having the boys to myself. I'm fully stocked on lemondade and popcorn and for the next few weeks, I'll take the backseat and let boys be boys. Summer tends to blow through rather quickly.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
We have Weevils!!
Today in our botany study, we read about oak trees making acorns. We learned that inside many of these acorns are Acorn Weevil larva. We have a collection of acorns from our many nature hikes, so DS7 decided to look for weevils. It didn't take long to find one! So now the acorn collection must be kept in the garage instead of the bedroom!! I knew acorns were abundant, but I didn't know that oak trees only produce a masting once every five years. I also did not know that an oak tree must be 20 years old before it produces acorns. Learning with your children is so rewarding!
Friday, June 02, 2006
To catch up you
Times flies when your having fun! We've had a busy past couple of days.
The boys have been taking full advantage of their surroundings. From building projects using left over wood from the construction site next to our home, to becoming foster parents to an abandoned Mourning Dove egg. We've been too busy to notice we've ended one "school" year and started a new one.
In our state, we are responsible for "875 hours of instruction" and an attendance record. To satify this requirement, I keep a calendar from June to May, marking the boys "P" for each day they are "present" in our "home based private educational program." I've unceremonally filed away last year's calendar and started marking our new one. To my children, nothing's changed. Each day brings life's lessons.
As the "adminstrator" of our "home based private educational program", I can't help but reflect on the past year and wonder where next year will take us. I used to go about this very formally, drafting up progress reports and lesson plans. But so much of their education was taking place outside of my expectations. You just simply can't plan life. Nothing goes exactly as planned and its not suppose to, that is the point. We play out each day with the hand we've been dealt.
Each day in our homeschool feels like a fresh start to me. I don't bother worrying about what we haven't accomplished, because we have so much to look forward to. Some homeschoolers experience burnout, but I can't see this happening for us. We follow our own natural rhythym. My children learn at the pace God has planned for them. Trusting in that has freed me of any fears.
The boys have been taking full advantage of their surroundings. From building projects using left over wood from the construction site next to our home, to becoming foster parents to an abandoned Mourning Dove egg. We've been too busy to notice we've ended one "school" year and started a new one.
In our state, we are responsible for "875 hours of instruction" and an attendance record. To satify this requirement, I keep a calendar from June to May, marking the boys "P" for each day they are "present" in our "home based private educational program." I've unceremonally filed away last year's calendar and started marking our new one. To my children, nothing's changed. Each day brings life's lessons.
As the "adminstrator" of our "home based private educational program", I can't help but reflect on the past year and wonder where next year will take us. I used to go about this very formally, drafting up progress reports and lesson plans. But so much of their education was taking place outside of my expectations. You just simply can't plan life. Nothing goes exactly as planned and its not suppose to, that is the point. We play out each day with the hand we've been dealt.
Each day in our homeschool feels like a fresh start to me. I don't bother worrying about what we haven't accomplished, because we have so much to look forward to. Some homeschoolers experience burnout, but I can't see this happening for us. We follow our own natural rhythym. My children learn at the pace God has planned for them. Trusting in that has freed me of any fears.
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