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FOR TODAY September 28, 2009

Outside my window… looks like it’ll be a gorgeous day

I am thinking… hoping our school rythym is for real because it’s a nice one, and i hope we can implement the new ideas because i like em.

I am thankful for… healthy kids ! especially with all the changing weather and sick kids we enounter

From the learning rooms… the planets, the stars, ancient egypt, and the usual reading, writing, and math

From the kitchen… today is a day without cooking. hurray ! I have begun a two week meal plan idea of sorts, but have yet to fully write it out.

I am wearing… pajama pants and a sweatshirt of course ! nevermind that we’re supposed to go out in a little more than an hour

I am creating… socks for small ones

I am going… to lunch today

I am reading… How To Be A Famous Writer Before You Are Dead

I am hoping… that the kids don’t pick up the junkie illnesses going around the school - LOTS of abscenses last week.

I am hearing…the boys NOT settling down and starting their boxes as they are meant to be doing!

Around the house… it’s busy busy busy. Aa is on PBSKIDS playing, Toby is reading a Veggie Tales book by my feet, Kieran and Lochlan are messing around in the school room with a long (Ikea) dragon toy. And Jeric too. . .

A few plans for the rest of the week: Jasons Birthday (today)!! Happy Birthday Jason. homeschool PE, Tae Kwon Do, Knit Night, Keepers At Home meeting, Dance, Chess club, Kieran’s Birthday (friday)!!! Happy Birthday Kieran! getting ready for a double-party

Here is picture thought I am sharing…
don’t have time to find one today - I am having trouble remembering my photobucket log-in and I need to get to schooool because a couple of sweet boys are waiting for me.

You know those times you mean to get on and make a blog post and honestly it’s just not at the top of your list for that day, there is so much else to do, and it doesn’t get done. It’s just a blog. Whatever. Haha.

There is also the fact that the photos were still on the camera!

Let’s start with some new things in our school room - our new rug. I had seen this on the chasing cheerios blog, forgotten about it, then got a Heartsong Catalog in the mail and ordered one for us.

Sorry the photos are huge, I don’t feel like messing with them. Plus, I no longer have psp on my computer which is my go-to for resizing and playing with stuff.

A preschool workbox activity in the box & after being played with, she loved it. Autumn stickers were $1 at Target, construction paper (which she didn’t use) and her box of supplies - scissors, crayons, glue stick. Also below is a photo of Aa playing a game created for clothespins but we didn’t have any so we improvised with counting squares, she loves that "tivity" too. It was a download from  http://www.sunflowerschoolhouse.com/ 

I don’t really have anything to share. We’re loving the workboxes. I mean LOVING them. It is so nice for the boys to see what is there. I need to be more creative in funthings boxes, we’re getting into a bad habit of there only being a couple and mostly work because they do like to just get through what MUST be done and then use free time for a computer game or something.

They will be doing a project next week that they are doing reading/listening/research on this week. Tomorrow in a box they’ll have to find 5-8 facts about their topic & write sentences for them. They will be making a poster. I am so excited to have printer ink again!!! For choosing topics I had told L to choose a state - he picked New York - and that got narrowed down to The Statue Of Liberty. And I told K to choose a president - he picked Lincoln - that got narrowed down to The Penny. Interesting, finding facts should be fun.

I went to knit night tonight and worked on Aaralyn’s sock. I am almost done with sock #1 for the third time. I knit & pulled out the toes twice now, third times the charm, right? Plus, I had help with it Never again will I knit one sock at a time, I am sure I will go nuts trying to make #2 just the same. 

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FOR TODAY September 15, 2009

Outside my window… wet & cooler - hope it stays that way

I am thinking… we’ve got a BUSY Day ahead

I am thankful for… healthy kids

From the learning rooms… researching & putting together a project (poster) starts today

From the kitchen… mmm coffee of course! chili over the weekend was excellent, but is gone now

I am wearing… jamma pants & a sweatshirt

I am creating… scribble scarf & socks for the smallest ones

I am going… to be running around all day art class, homeschool pe, tae kwon do

I am reading… Bring on the blessings

I am hoping… for a somewhat enjoyable day

I am hearing… my son getting his things together for school

Around the house… 4 gorgeous sleeping children!

A few plans for the rest of the week: homeschool PE, Tae Kwon Do, Knit Night, second Keepers At Home meeting, Dance,

Here is picture thought I am sharing…
Missing this guy

I considered doing hte Monday thing on Monday night, but I guess I forgot. Hm. Anyway Monday was not a day off around here, but we’re doing a 4 day week - taking Friday off for a field trip.

Some things that have been in the boxes this week - put this story in order. I just jotted down sentences on strips of laminated paper (scraps from cut-out activities). Find which thing doesn’t belong - also done on laminated paper scraps. The best thing about those is I can erase and use the paper scraps again. Lochlan did the under/over/in/left/right/etc. ball in a box activity today. I took & Printed photos of the ball then made cards with the words. So they match the picture to the word (self checking w/ words on back of pictures, too) and demonstrate with the ball and box themselves.

I have to get back to schoolwork, each of the boys has two boxes left and both are work with mom boxes and Kier is driving.me.nuts. asking about his birthday preset.

If i’m going to expand the blog, it might as well be with one of my other huge "Hobby’s" - homeschooling. Obviously my other hobby’s are knitting, and writing. Homeschooling and my kids are pretty much my life though.

So for workbox wednesday I don’t have any photos of today’s boxes but I’ll try to remember what was in them, as one set is worked through all but one, and one set is worked through all but two. And I do have photos of our set-up that were taken over the weekend to share.

So today for Kieran - ETC, 4 pages. Sort cards into three different categories (these cards are made for sorting, possible categories were all different colors, # of items on the cards, things you eat, fruit, vegetables, things you wear, animals , zoo animals / pets, different shapes, etc). Math (work w/ mom box), reading cards & reading, pick a president to learn more about (I want them to learn about doing research, putting together a project/poster so he has a president & L has a state - I haven’t choosen a deadline yet), and Spelling. Six boxes Plus together topics.

Lochlan’s boxes today included choosing a state for the Fall project, his math lesson, playing with the lego education set (I plan to include activities with this from time to time but just let them play today & yesterday), ETC -1 page plus building blend words with letter tiles, back of yesterdays math page, and picking a book from our book box to read to me & aaralyn & Toby. Plus together topics.

The boxes -

For homeschool we’re trying out the Workbox Method, by Sue Patrick. Toby likes to take the numbers off the boxes and throw them around or stick them in a drawer. I didn’t set up the exact system and we sure don’t have twelve boxes per kid! I set up drawers, that have ten in each thing but so far they’ve only had six boxes each, plus the things we do together (grammar everyday, writing 3 days/week, history 2 days/week, science 2 days/week). 

So today in the boxes we’ve got : Kieran - Explode the Code 4 pages, Math, reading cards (new words), reading pages, small lego set, spelling.

Lochlan - Math, blend wheels, reading cards, reading pages, flip book - matching #, # of items, written # word, Explode the code 4 pages.

So, this year I have Making Math Meaningful for Kieran this year and the first lesson starts with counting out toothpicks. And they count out three different sets. 75, 157, and 368. Then you ask them, would it have been easier if you had counted by 10’s?  Okay so what if your child sets out to do this and COUNTS BY TENS or FIVES. What do I do with the script when my child has figured out howto on his very own already ?! Go Kier.  This should be fun

I am tired of this blog just sitting here, so I’ve decided to use it for more than just knitting posts. Please ignore anything that doesn’t interest you, if I even have any readers at all !

<center><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/"><img alt="holy experience" src="http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee349/GDest07/ann%20voskamp/mondaybutton2.png" title="holy experience" /></a></center>

Seems to be yet another Monday thing, so I’m technically a day off with this too but I just found it and I will not wait another week to begin. We’ll go with ten at a time, Mondays or whenever I Feel like it.

1. early morning nursing, when babe is awake just enough to know he wants his mama nearby for a few minutes

2. our awesome learning space

3. fresh flowers on the table

4. coffee, tea, dr. pepper, lemonade ice cold water - all the things i love to drink the most

5. that very best friend of mine, and her beautiful children

6. libraries, books, words

7. freshly folded laundry, all done for the week ahead

8. Sunday mornings - and all that entails

9. the desire in his* heart to know The Lord

10. curiosity

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FOR TODAY September 1, 2009

Outside my window… gorgeous, nothing more to say ’bout that. Blinds open to let in the light.

I am thinking… Loving our school space, having a learning room is such fun

I am thankful for… true friends. you know, the ones that are always there.

From the learning rooms… Yesterday was day numero uno of our new year and it was a little crazy (five kids?! what do I expect, right?) but fun anyway.

From the kitchen… coffee to start out my morning, with the thought of baking lingering in my brain.

I am wearing… black pants, my LPA shirt, my fave Superman sweatshirt

I am creating… my scribble scarf, socks for the tobster with yarn from our Heritage Oaks dye-day, greeting cards using $1 packs from Target - great craft for Aa and I yesterday

I am going… to bring the children to the park for homeschool PE today

I am reading… Mitten Strings For God (bits and pieces here and there where ever it falls open to when I pick it up) and a book called Love or Something Like It I grabbed from the lib. newbooks section on library day

I am hoping… for peace, simplicity, grace - just to live a beautiful life, all those things everyone wants

I am hearing… footsteps above me as my husband gets ready to bring our oldest son to school

Around the house… 4 gorgeous sleeping children

A few plans for the rest of the week: homeschool PE, Tae Kwon Do, possibly Knit Night, first Keepers At Home meeting, Dance, a movie

Here is picture thought I am sharing…