No School This Week

We're back from N.C. but did not get home until yesterday. Like usual, we're also getting sick.
School will be continued next week.

Bright Spots

Cheer for the day... beautiful flowers awaiting you on the kitchen table to welcome you home.

Isn't it awe inspiring when something so simplistic someone does can seriously alter your mood?

Gently, you're reminded to find the bright spot of things.

Tea Party at Aunt Bridgett's

Home sweet Home??

In N.C. again
things are tough

(long sigh)

but!

on the bright side...

The girls love to play on the fabulous front porch!

and eat lunch!

and they LOOVE to greet the cousins home!

Week 9

(N.C. week...)

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Finish Explode the Code: Lesson 4

Read together

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Last Year of my 20's

It's hit me hard that this is the last year I will be a 20 something year old. I realized, to my horror, that my "youth" is gone... I really am no longer a youngun even if I feel like I am. (which I do) Mostly though, I'm horrified because I have spent my entire 20's being obese. So, I am going to do like people do on New Years... I'm making a resolution..a birthday resolution.

I will not spend a minute of my 30's
being overweight!!!

This year... I will lose it... perhaps not all
... but most of it!!!

Like a smoker who just stops... so will I

I'm DONE

really. truly.

Step away from the food girl!! Hop on that treadmill!!
UH AH... NO excuses!!!

Asthma be damned!!

So... here is me this year...

Next year though...

;-)

I am going to LOVE my 30's!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Happy 29th Birthday To Me!!!

I wanted to spend my birthday with my family.

The weather was gorgeous... perfect really... so we decided to travel down to Jekyll Island for the first time.

We went to driftwood beach... aptly named... secluded.. and absolutely beautiful!

It was such a wonderful, relaxed day!

These last two are my favorite pics of the day

Brag Time

I just tested Aidan on her reading ability and comprehension. According to the test Aidan is reading on a 2nd grade level and her comprehension is at a 3rd grade level!!! WoW!

*Disclaimer* Although of course the results make me smile out of pride...I will admit I don't think the results are accurate. I would put her reading level at 1st grade. The test was set up where she could figure out which word was correct by eliminating others but I don't think she could necessarily "read" the word.

But. Still.

:-)

Happy St.. Patrick's Day!

For St. Patrick's Day we went over to a friends house for a playdate. Perhaps when the girls are older... I may brave the parade downtown. Right now playing with other kids' toys and making shamrock hats is all the fun we need!

Week 8

Vocabulary:
come something work away school
funny guess what Father Mother

*review all new words until mastered

Writing:
Dictation: "I love cats." "I am a boy." "He has a pet pig."

Reading:
"The Ball Book" by Margaret Hillert
X-tra Readers: Bob and Sam books

Phonics:
Explode the Code: Lesson 4
Alpha Phonics: Lesson 10

Math
No math until we're back from the next N.C. trip

Emphasis: read and learn about leaves

Art: leaf suncatcher

Wkshts: none this week

A Horse of Course

Today's playdate was AWESOME! Everyone met at a ranch and the kids had the chance to ride horses. They had a pony and a grown "therapy" horse to choose from.

Aidan was in heaven! After riding the pony once.. she ever after only wanted to ride the big horse.

She really seems to have a strong love for horses. When she's on top of one.. she's extremely happy. If this continues... I imagine horse riding may be in her future.

Ainsley actually really enjoyed it this time. She didn't seem overly anxious and grinned ear to ear.

I love the opportunities playgroup gives them.

Tears & Grief

Tonight I went shopping and decided to listen to a cd I'd honestly never listened to before... Sarah Mclachlan's Mirrorball. I bought it years ago but as soon as I realized it was "live" I turned it off in disappointment. (I don't like live cd's) Why I decided to pull it out of hibernation
...I dunno.

Anyway... I was fine until I heard the second song.

And then I sat in Dollar Tree's parking lot and bawled.

(I've adapted it a bit)

Hold On
Hold on to yourself
For this is gonna hurt like hell
Hold On
Hold on to yourself
You know that only time will tell
What is it in me that refuses to believe?
This isn't easier than the real thing
My love
You know that you're my best friend
You know I'd do anything for you
My love
(This cannot) come between us
My love for you is strong and true

Am I in heaven here or am I in hell?
At the crossroads I am standing
So now you're sleeping peaceful
I lie awake and pray
That you'll be strong tomorrow and we'll
See another day and we will praise it
And love the light that brings a smile
Across your face

Oh God if you're out there won't you hear me?
I know that we've never talked before
Oh God! (my sister) is leaving
Won't you take her when she comes to your door?

Am I in heaven here or am I in hell?
At the crossroads I am standing
So now you're sleeping peaceful
I lie awake and pray
That you'll be strong tomorrow and we'll
See another day and we will praise it
And love the light that brings a smile
Across you face

Hold on
Hold on to yourself
For this is gonna hurt like hell

Counting

Saxon Math K

WARNING: opinionated entry!!!

I bought the home study version of Saxon K a while ago off ebay. It was a good deal, I was curious to see it, and I thought I'd use it for Prek 4. (Saxon has such great reviews) I've been so focusing on reading.. I haven't paid a lick of attention to math... not really... so I picked up Saxon K to see how hard it is.

YEAH... O KAAAAY

I am so sorry if I may offend anyone but I cannot imagine ... ever... even with an average kid... using this as a Kindergarten curriculum. It is so simplistic and basic. Yes, it has cool things like geoboards and how to use a table and pictographs and things I can definitely use for Aidan... NOW... but NOT for Kindergarten!! Seriously, I admit I may have a skewed view on what is age appropriate. But could I be that so out-of-focus of what Kindergartners should be doing? I really can't see it. Heck, some of the lessons are so simplistic... I could do them tomorrow with Ainsley. In fact, that's a great idea!! The easy lessons with teddy bear counters and unifix cubes... I might do with her. Ainsley would love it. Aidan can do the "harder" stuff.

*Note* what's up with the scripted lines? How are scripted lines really adapted to the real world? I cannot help but to be slightly offended that they're there in the first place... as if I'm too stupid not to know what to say. If you need scripted lines then perhaps homeschooling is not for you. They're just as ridiculous as those first language lessons books. I know they're popular but are the parents really sitting there reading them word by word? What a stilted learning time!

Joking (and ranting) aside... So now my wondering what to do about math is over. We'll go through Saxon K and pick those that are in any way interesting and informative. I think we'll be starting Lesson 5: pictographs. Graphing, charting, telling-time, money... all that's just perfect for her level.

Wanna know a secret? I actually think Aidan may be quicker in math than with reading etc.


heh. heh heh.

Sunday with Daddy

The girls spent most of this Sunday with John.
(Gee.. who does she look like?)

They drew chalk pictures

Played on their swing set

They helped Daddy rake the leaves

and then they jumped in the leaves

Although it is our intention every week to go... we still did not go to Church. (for one, I had an awful headache) I am sorry we keep missing it but I think spending time with family... doing chores... having fun... building memories all in "God's" backyard is sometimes all the Church you may need for the day. To be perfectly honest...family togetherness is one of the foremost reasons why I wish to attend anyway.

I actually had wondered when she would start writing messages

*smile*

Dog and Ball

My dog, Xanth, is seriously the best dog anyone could hope for. His only teensy weensy issue is that he runs off. Xanth thinks it hilarious to run around like crazy and let you chase him. I blame it... a lot... on John. When Xanth was a puppy and he first started it... John chased him. I told him not too and explained how it then becomes a game but like most husbands... John likes to ignore my "wifely" advice. Sooo...

See. Xanth. Run.

In our neighborhood (street really) everyone has a dog and everyone's' dogs tend to run loose. Most of them stay in their yard with only a little wondering. Every time I see this I'm intently jealous because I'd really really like to go outside and enjoy a nice game of fetch or frisbee.

You see...

Xanth is athletic...

and super smart..

and easy to train...

and is, in short, FUN!!!

But if he can only go out on a leash... then we really can't have much fun can we?

Soooo

I've decided I am going to teach my 9 going-on 10 dog to actually stay with me.

And why it's taken me this many years to figure out that all I need is to have a tennis ball in my hand
... I'm not sure.

Because...

Xanth is a tennis ball FREAK!

Trainers call it "ball focused" You could line up 10 females in heat and try to hand him six pounds of steak and he'd ignore it all... IF.. you have a tennis ball. I have always felt slightly guilty about Xanth... like I should have given him to a training facility who train service dogs. Xanth really is the perfect type for it. I've seen enough Animal Planet to know what they look for.

(I actually, at one point, had Xanth trained to search for things using his nose. Of course, I haven't played that game with him in years.... but still.)

I've always known what a ball whore he was. I've also known that using the tennis ball to train him is a great idea... and, in fact, I have used it.

So why haven't I put the two together before now?

Does the fact that until now I've never lived in a neighborhood where dogs-off-leash was acceptable make it any less stupid?

Happy Birthday to Me!

This week is my birthday and I just ordered this. I absolutely LOVED these movies way-back -when. I'm quite excited to be able to watch them all again!

On Order

A Montessori hundred board

Changes starting next week...

Once again... Aidan has jumped six spaces ahead and what I've been doing with her is now "too easy" almost to the point of her rolling her eyes. (I think perhaps I will always need to remember not to plan too far ahead and not to spend too much money on curriculum in case she outgrows it.) Anyway, 5 vocabulary words a week has become a joke at this point.

Soo, here's my newest plan......

Bob books and Sam readers are lovely and fun but aren't exactly a challenge anymore. While I will still encourage her to read them because they're good practice... I will be using harder readers and other "real" books as her weekly readers. She'll either have one or two... depending on the level of difficulty.

Vocabulary will be all the words in her reader(s) that are new or unknown to her. When we first read the new book... I'll have Aidan point to each word and I'll read it. The next time... I'll have her read it. Any words that are "sticky" we'll review.

Explode the Code is easy but we'll continue without jumping ahead because it's building a solid and much needed foundation. One lesson a week is the ideal but may be extended to two weeks. We'll also start using Explode the Code online.

Alpha Phonics hasn't been touched in weeks and it's time to start using it again.

Writing will be mostly Explode the Code because it requires a lot of it but every week I'll have her copy a sentence and/or I'll dictate words to her for her to write. She may write any dictated words on paper or the wipe board...whatever she chooses.

Worksheets will continue to be put into her worksheet folder. It's up to her if she does them or not.

Math needs to be a little harder. I've been slack with it. I really did get an eye roll from Aidan when I showed her what this week was. "Smallest to biggest" is sooo last year. LOL! Reading... obviously... is my main priority though.

Other than that I'll be making a huge effort to read to her factual things... whatever she's interested in. Next week's subject will be leaves.

I hope to have at least one art project on the week's subject.

I also hope to have Ainsley do "school" at least a few times a week.... that means using the computer, pom poms, sorting by color, puzzles... etc. (nothing overly strenuous)

Well.....we'll see how it goes!

Doings and Goings this week

We've been....

playing outside a lot

going to lots of playdates

Enjoying new parks

Oh yeah... and eating lots of strawberry shortcake because John bought too many strawberries.

Cute Idea

From 5 orange potatoes

cootie catcher nature game

Week 7

Vocabulary:
very yes love blue two

Find all five words in a book of your choice
Play memory using your words

Wksht: "blue" "yes" "two"

Writing:
write all vocab. words twice
Wksht: "practice S"

Phonics:

Decoding Sentences: Yes, I love you! He says you like blue. I have two very fat pigs in my house.

Wksht: "_ig"

Hop on Pop: read pages 32-33, 38-41
Explode the Code: lesson 3
Readers: Bob books 7 and Sam books 10 & 11

Math:
Explore the concept of smallest to largest

Wksht: "biggest"
Wksht: "smallest"
Wksht: "smallest to biggest"

Emphasis: read together

(Okay so this week I've deliberately made it easy. Next week... I'll be changing some things.)

Learning the Alphabet

Ainsley knows her alphabet!

This week I finally showed Ainsley the website that Aidan used to play: alphabet flashcards . She missed three answers the first time and she got them all right the second time. Both girls LOVE (ED) this website. It's kindof funny because the character is Australian or something and he does call the "Z" a "zed" but I just say it correctly and we move on. Anyway... if you give her a choice now... she always gets it right. If you ask her straight out what a letter is... she'll know it 95% of the time and get hesitant only a few times.

She's doing great!

Meet the Letters was a success... just a different success than with Aidan. With Aidan, we sat her in front of it at breakfast time for about 10 times... she watched it carefully... and BAM... knew them. Ainsley at first didn't pay a lick of attention to it. We finally figured out that it was because Aidan was with her. So, whenever a good time came up (like nap schedules got mixed or Aidan was on the computer) we'd park Ainsley in front of it. She's *really* watched it just a few times and in those few times... she's picked up on lower cases and really cemented her knowledge of the uppercase. (She had already learned the majority of them from the Leap Frog videos... as well as their sounds) So, it's a success.

I plan to continue to let her play the alphabet flashcard game and I'll introduce her soon to Starfall.com.

Learning is fun!!

If I Tweeted

"I'm folding laundry right now... I realize... again... that I'm a pajama addict. The girls have way too many pajamas."

"Ainsley just... for the first time... pedaled her tricycle... Go Ainsley!"

"I have now just experienced the first Gross Humor from Aidan. She's singing a song about how 'Poop and Gas and Pee are all over the place... there on the toys, in the car, in the store...' WTH??"

"Mmmm peanut M&Ms"

"I just bought something off the Internet. ...again. But... Deeeaarr.. it was school related. We really needed those storage trays and test tubes."

"Oh Em Gee! I'm so embarrassed! I was outside playing with the girls when the neighbor lady came out to talk to me. She's all dressed lovely and expensively. After coming inside.. I realized I was wearing ratty stretch pants that are too small and a shirt covered in cat fur. My hair was also sticking up all over the place. No wonder she seemed surprised I lived on the street."

"I'm checking Facebook again... I need a better hobby"

" I love the word lovely... its... well?... lovely! Don't you love words that sound like what they mean? They're lovely!" (har har)

"I actually really like Barbie movies... go figure...and the plots are really quite nicely done...well...for a Barbie movie"

"I really have little to no self control... what's worse is that I'm conscious of it while I'm lacking it"

"The girls are crying their hearts out for no other reason but that they're tired...this is why they still take naps"

"Why is it so difficult to find jeans to fit Aidan?"

"Why is it so difficult to fit into my jeans... it couldn't be because I ate three times the recommended calorie amount today could it?"

"It amuses me when I derive so much pleasure from the most absurd things... like the $5.97 light fixture John put up in the hallway over a month ago. I still flip the switch on and off just to see the "new" light."

"Oh look... the cat just threw up all over our newly shampooed carpet... JOOOHHHNNN!!"

On Order

From Oriental Trading Comp.

Week 6

This week is supposed to be a N.C. week... but we're all sick... so instead it's a sick week.

Goals for this week will be:

*Reading together
*Explode the Code: lesson 2

*If anything else gets done then whoo hoo for us

Sick! Sick! Sick!

We're all sick again. The girls have the croup. I have it as well ( is it still called the croup when you're pushing 30?) This week was a chemo week and unfortunately we couldn't go up because of it. I feel horrible and HATE that I let my sister down.