...and kicking, just have been very busy. Well, that and I think I just got over my normal springtime blahs.
Whew.
Last night I told DH I was very blah, and I haven't been blah in a very long time. It's a combination of hormones, time change and just stuff. I told him I really needed to get out of town. So today we did. We drove to the big city. We went to real stores: Home Depot, Barnes and Noble and Best Buy. That was fun.
At the Home Depot I bought some Gila window clings/film for my kitchen windows. I installed the smoky film over my kitchen sink a few months ago and loved it, so I bought more for the big windows. Instant privacy and glare reduction. That made me so happy. I took down the cute cafe curtains I made and the room just feels larger, brighter and airier.
B&N was having a 20% off sale of everything as they are moving their store. We only spent $65, believe it or not. What was really nice was that they gave me my teacher's discount on top of the 20% on the "educational" books.
DH bought new speakers for the new computer. I was upset with him that he didn't order any speakers when he built the computer...I was really missing sound. He's installed them and has blared George Thorogood, his fav.
To top the day off, we went to the Olive Garden. Last time we were in the big city, I spied a brand-new Olive Garden as we were driving. Before that, the nearest was 100 miles. OG is my most favorite restaurant in the world. We had a delicious meal.
I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I just needed a day out and about. I needed an attitude adjustment.
School has been going well, thankfully. I might have loads of laundry to do, dishes to catch up on and fur balls floating across the floor, but by golly, school gets done. We have made some changes which I'll blog about later, but we're very happy.
I want to give a heart-felt thank you to the people who have emailed me or left comments wondering where I was. That made me feel great to come home today and find those today.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
A Long Time Ago...
Last summer, to be exact, we went to Wall Drug in beautiful South Dakota. I didn't post the pictures here because our digital camera broke. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I asked Bob to fix it. Well, Bob had no desire to fix it because he didn't need to use the camera. Today he wanted the camera to take photos of the snow. Amazingly, he fixed the camera in 15 minutes. Grrrr. Oh well, the end result is I uploaded 190 photos this afternoon and can say goodbye to my blurry cell-phone photos.
Wall Drug is a tourist trap, but lots of fun nonetheless. If you're in the area, I highly recommended spending an hour or two there.
500 miles to Wall Drug!
The Fun of it All!
King of the hill!
For an idea of how much snow is out there, that little black thing that is below and in line with the tan house's window is our mailbox.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Mid-morning snow report
A rare site -- a cardinal at our milk-jugfeeder. Usually only the chickadees indulge at the milk jug.
It has been the most beautiful morning here! The snow is gorgeous. Great big fluffy flakes continuously falling.
Thomas curled up in my bed and read a book after working on his new time line. I actually watched The View ... both on TV and out the window.
I wish my good camera was working because the Razor phone doesn't take the best photos. You can't see those gorgeous snowflakes.
I learned a new term today. While watching The View, the Twin Cities news came on during a commercial. They talked about "thunder-snow." I had never heard that. Apparently there is a lot of thunder-snow in Minnesota today. Thankfully not where I live.
It's been fun watching my neighbor. They run a day care. The kids have not been out playing, but there has been a constant stream of cars. Even if the schools are closed, the work places are not. I bet it's crazy in her house today. At any rate, it's been fun watching them go out every half hour and snow blowing the driveway. They keep their drive very clean because of the day care. The snow is so heavy and falling so fast that they are working very hard to keep up with it. The snow is winning.
Bring it on!
The weather forecast keeps changing. At first we were expecting 4-6 inches of snow yesterday and today. Now we're expecting up to 21 inches by tomorrow night.
I got up this morning at 6:30 am. When I took the dog out, it was not snowing and we barely got a skiff last night. I saw my husband off to work, turned the radio on and settled down with a Sudoku and cup of coffee. Then I heard it: Schools were cancelled! I was scratching my head because it wasn't even snowing. Then I looked outside. In a mere half hour it went from nothing to snow so thick I could barely see across the street.
Thomas woke up while Bob was still at home and talked to us from the comforts of his warm, cozy bed. He threw out that he hoped schools were called off so that the poor public-schooled children could have a day off. Gee, how generous of him. (Think there was an ulterior motive there? I usually follow the public school's snow days.) He promptly went back to sleep. And I let him.
We will have school today, but we will definitely go into unschooling mode. I think a batch of cookies is in order. Maybe some hot chocolate, too. Today seems like a great day to curl up on the couch, snuggle, and read a good book or two.
I only wish my Rainbow order was here...today would have been great to play our new games. Those new orders never arrive soon enough, though.
I got up this morning at 6:30 am. When I took the dog out, it was not snowing and we barely got a skiff last night. I saw my husband off to work, turned the radio on and settled down with a Sudoku and cup of coffee. Then I heard it: Schools were cancelled! I was scratching my head because it wasn't even snowing. Then I looked outside. In a mere half hour it went from nothing to snow so thick I could barely see across the street.
Thomas woke up while Bob was still at home and talked to us from the comforts of his warm, cozy bed. He threw out that he hoped schools were called off so that the poor public-schooled children could have a day off. Gee, how generous of him. (Think there was an ulterior motive there? I usually follow the public school's snow days.) He promptly went back to sleep. And I let him.
We will have school today, but we will definitely go into unschooling mode. I think a batch of cookies is in order. Maybe some hot chocolate, too. Today seems like a great day to curl up on the couch, snuggle, and read a good book or two.
I only wish my Rainbow order was here...today would have been great to play our new games. Those new orders never arrive soon enough, though.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Back in the Saddle Again
We're back to our normal routine, finally. Thomas was sick, then I was sick, now Bob is sick. We all had "that nasty virus" that everyone is getting and taking forever to recover from.
Last week we did a little school every day. Ha, little might mean reading one book. On Friday Thomas and I sat down and discussed this year's school. He shared his likes and his dislikes. He really wanted to go back to Sequential Spelling. He did not like MegaWords. Okay. Done. We started Monday morning first thing with Sequential Spelling. This time I got my spelling rules book out and after his lesson, we reviewed a few lessons. A cheap little book with a good list of rules. That will satisfy my need for teaching rules for now.
Thomas also begged -- and I do mean begged -- to learn Spanish. I have fought this tooth and nail. I had no desire to learn Spanish. German was my language love, both in high school and college. I discussed this with Bob and he quickly produced his college Spanish text, tapes, workbook and completed tests. Ugh. I looked it over and quickly determined it was too difficult for Thomas. We listened to the first lesson together and he did the freak-out on me. He freaks when he doesn't understand something the first time. I closed the book and said the magic words, "I really think this is too difficult for you and I don't think that you can't do it." MEAN mom. Mean, nasty words.
Well, those mean, nasty words motivated Thomas. Monday morning the first thing he asked to do was Spanish. He quit freaking out, started listening and studying. We did the first two pages in the book. We will really have to go slow because this program moves fast. Surprisingly, I am actually enjoying it. I have been sitting at my kitchen table at night with the books and tape recorder and studying on my own. Go figure. Thanks to Thomas, I now have a desire.
I ordered a couple label books from Rainbow. (My time is worth something, right? I could have made these on my own, but it's so much easier to just order something.) When they arrive, I'll take my tape and cover the house in Spanish words. Hopefully this will help increase our vocabulary.
On the math front, we came to the decimals chapter Rod and Staff. Thomas had very weak instruction in decimals last year. My fault totally, because we were switching curriculum and it got left high and dry. So instead of forging ahead with Rod and Staff, I pulled the Key to Decimals series from the shelf. He actually started this last week (I don't remember when, I was in a fog) and has been working 5-6 pages a day. What a nice break from the rigors of Rod and Staff.
On the World History front, we both decided that History Odyssey is just not for us. Neither of us like the flow, neither of us have a good understanding of the time frame. It seems as if we're just learning little chunks or snippets here and there and that it is not cohesive. What to do? I spent a bit of time searching history curriculum. I just don't like anything I see. So I ended up buying World History the Easy Way as a guide and will incorporate reading lists from the net, SOTW CD's, Kingfisher, etc.
Geography. Last year Thomas loved geography. This year he hated it. I had purchased Trail Guide to US Geography. Thomas thought it was all busywork. So I looked at other programs and decided to wing it. We're going to study region by region using The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geography as our guide. This is not my choice book to use as a guide, it will need lots of supplementation, but heck, it was sitting on my shelf. We started yesterday and had fun. That's what counts, having fun while learning, right? I also ordered the Name that Country game from Rainbow. It had good reviews at Amazon. I read a great idea at Amazon for making more cards as the game doesn't have that many countries, so I ordered some blank flashcards, too.
It seems every year about this time I evaluate school and place a big order. This year is no exception. Sometimes we just need to stir the pot a little.
Last week we did a little school every day. Ha, little might mean reading one book. On Friday Thomas and I sat down and discussed this year's school. He shared his likes and his dislikes. He really wanted to go back to Sequential Spelling. He did not like MegaWords. Okay. Done. We started Monday morning first thing with Sequential Spelling. This time I got my spelling rules book out and after his lesson, we reviewed a few lessons. A cheap little book with a good list of rules. That will satisfy my need for teaching rules for now.
Thomas also begged -- and I do mean begged -- to learn Spanish. I have fought this tooth and nail. I had no desire to learn Spanish. German was my language love, both in high school and college. I discussed this with Bob and he quickly produced his college Spanish text, tapes, workbook and completed tests. Ugh. I looked it over and quickly determined it was too difficult for Thomas. We listened to the first lesson together and he did the freak-out on me. He freaks when he doesn't understand something the first time. I closed the book and said the magic words, "I really think this is too difficult for you and I don't think that you can't do it." MEAN mom. Mean, nasty words.
Well, those mean, nasty words motivated Thomas. Monday morning the first thing he asked to do was Spanish. He quit freaking out, started listening and studying. We did the first two pages in the book. We will really have to go slow because this program moves fast. Surprisingly, I am actually enjoying it. I have been sitting at my kitchen table at night with the books and tape recorder and studying on my own. Go figure. Thanks to Thomas, I now have a desire.
I ordered a couple label books from Rainbow. (My time is worth something, right? I could have made these on my own, but it's so much easier to just order something.) When they arrive, I'll take my tape and cover the house in Spanish words. Hopefully this will help increase our vocabulary.
On the math front, we came to the decimals chapter Rod and Staff. Thomas had very weak instruction in decimals last year. My fault totally, because we were switching curriculum and it got left high and dry. So instead of forging ahead with Rod and Staff, I pulled the Key to Decimals series from the shelf. He actually started this last week (I don't remember when, I was in a fog) and has been working 5-6 pages a day. What a nice break from the rigors of Rod and Staff.
On the World History front, we both decided that History Odyssey is just not for us. Neither of us like the flow, neither of us have a good understanding of the time frame. It seems as if we're just learning little chunks or snippets here and there and that it is not cohesive. What to do? I spent a bit of time searching history curriculum. I just don't like anything I see. So I ended up buying World History the Easy Way as a guide and will incorporate reading lists from the net, SOTW CD's, Kingfisher, etc.
Geography. Last year Thomas loved geography. This year he hated it. I had purchased Trail Guide to US Geography. Thomas thought it was all busywork. So I looked at other programs and decided to wing it. We're going to study region by region using The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geography as our guide. This is not my choice book to use as a guide, it will need lots of supplementation, but heck, it was sitting on my shelf. We started yesterday and had fun. That's what counts, having fun while learning, right? I also ordered the Name that Country game from Rainbow. It had good reviews at Amazon. I read a great idea at Amazon for making more cards as the game doesn't have that many countries, so I ordered some blank flashcards, too.
It seems every year about this time I evaluate school and place a big order. This year is no exception. Sometimes we just need to stir the pot a little.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Well, shoot
We decided to take Monday and Tuesday off from school as originally planned. Thomas still wasn't up to par so the break, we figured, would be nice.
Sunday Thomas went ice skating for an hour, came home and crashed. Today he was very crabby. It wasn't registering in my head he didn't feel well, I just thought he was in a mood. However, tonight was train club night. Thomas and his father scared the you-know-what out of me by coming home way early. Bob said that Thomas was running the trains but wasn't asking any questions, which is very atypical. Finally Thomas asked for a chair to sit down and rest in. That's when they decided to come home. Thomas went to bed. Immediately.
I've been reading about this virus. Lots of my e-friends' families have had it. I hear it lasts a few weeks. Sigh.
How on earth do you school when your kiddo(s) are sick like this? Even worse, how on earth do parents and kids deal with public school? I am very thankful we're not doing the public school thing right now, but I feel very sorry for all those kids.
Well, tomorrow we'll do math. After that, I think we should climb into my bed and read, do English orally, and wing it from there. Bed school. Sounds like the only solution to me. And if need be, nap school.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Sunday Thomas went ice skating for an hour, came home and crashed. Today he was very crabby. It wasn't registering in my head he didn't feel well, I just thought he was in a mood. However, tonight was train club night. Thomas and his father scared the you-know-what out of me by coming home way early. Bob said that Thomas was running the trains but wasn't asking any questions, which is very atypical. Finally Thomas asked for a chair to sit down and rest in. That's when they decided to come home. Thomas went to bed. Immediately.
I've been reading about this virus. Lots of my e-friends' families have had it. I hear it lasts a few weeks. Sigh.
How on earth do you school when your kiddo(s) are sick like this? Even worse, how on earth do parents and kids deal with public school? I am very thankful we're not doing the public school thing right now, but I feel very sorry for all those kids.
Well, tomorrow we'll do math. After that, I think we should climb into my bed and read, do English orally, and wing it from there. Bed school. Sounds like the only solution to me. And if need be, nap school.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Thank you, Mama B
Mama B, you saved the day. We were successful (well, DH was) in putting the old hard drive in the new computer and transferring files.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing that idea!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing that idea!
Friday, February 16, 2007
I'm so funny, aren't I? This was a picture taken at cross over. Five of my six boys. I don't have their parents' permission to post their photo on the blog, so I made them all happy faces. I did something else to the photo, can anyone figure it out?Cross over was Thursday night. It was a wonderful experience. Yes, I cried. I was so proud of the boys, and they just seemed so grown up.
Thomas is on the mend. He really shouldn't have gone to the cross over. I broke my rule of not taking him out and about less than 24 hours after a fever has broken. He'd been on antibiotics for 48 hours, though, so I hoped he wasn't contagious. It was, after all, a once-in-a-lifetime event. Another boy in our den missed the event because he had exactly what Thomas had, only he had not started antibiotics until the day before. Sadly, he stayed home.
We did not do school all week. Thomas is much better this evening, and I think after the weekend, he'll be ready to do school. Our plans were to take Monday and Tuesday of next week off to coincide with the public school's vacation days, but I've decided to just forge ahead and do school anyway.
Our project for the weekend is to figure out how to transfer files to the new computer. Neither the CD or DVD drive is working on the old computer, and the USB port will only recognize the printer so we can't plug the external hard drive in. Ugh! I'm also having a bear of a time figuring out the new Outlook Express in XP. I am such a creature of habit and behind the times. I'm hoping my dear, sweet husband will wave his magic wand and make something work. He is an engineer, he loves a challenge, so hopefully he'll be up to the task.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday -- Not without school after all
While I was feeling like garbage Monday, we still managed to get some form of education in. In the afternoon Thomas and I made a milk-jug bird feeder. Bob hung it when he got home from work.
Monday night Bob and Thomas built the new computer. It's up, it's running, but Bob still has to install Office. It's still sitting on my kitchen table.
Bob was going to install that tonight, but Thomas had other plans. Thomas woke up very grumpy and not feeling well at all this morning. His throat hurt and it was bright red. He laid down in bed and read a book this morning. He ate a good lunch and requested we do school in the afternoon. We did math and geography. We also watched birds out our window.
Then Thomas did the unspeakable. He went into my bedroom, climbed into the bed and took a nap. Ding, ding, ding...I knew he was not well. He slept for quite awhile. I woke him for dinner. He had a temp of 103. He was moaning, hurting, and miserable. (He's just like his mom, he's a whiner when he's sick.)
I made the decision to take him to the after-hours clinic. My husband wasn't happy about that, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow. Part of my reason is that he had a temperature, and I have learned that when you take your child to the doctor, you can't give them Motrin beforehand because then their true fever won't show. Sad but true.
So we went to the clinic and I, Dr. Mom, learned that I was wrong with my diagnosis. I was sure he had the flu. The doc said he had strep. The doc told us that because he did not have a runny nose, he was sure it was not the flu. If he is wrong, we'd know in 24 hours. If Thomas isn't feeling better in 24 hours, he told Bob and I to get in for a flu shot pronto.
I never knew you had to have a runny nose to have the flu. Learn something new every day. Or not. We'll know in 24 hours, I guess.
So Thomas took his antibiotics and Motrin and promptly fell asleep.
The doctor ordered him not to go to school until 24 hours had passed from the time his fever broke. I started laughing and said he had to go to school, as he lived in his school. We just won't make him do any work. Such a lame attempt at homeschool humor.
I had completely forgotten that tomorrow was Valentine's Day. I didn't have anything prepared. Bob reminded me as I was getting out of the car. While I filled the prescription, with Thomas and his dad waiting in the car, I bought him a bouquet of balloons. That will be a sure hit with him. The kind clerk got a garbage bag to stuff them in so I could sneak the goods into the car in front of him. Whew.
What a week. I just hope he's feeling better tomorrow and it really isn't the flu. Next week we had planned on taking two days off because the public school does. I think we'll have a full week of school instead.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Manic Monday
Frankie is not feeling well today. I got up at 7, went back to bed at 7:30, woke up at 10:45. Thomas was reading a book in my bed, but I felt awful I let him down. I'm glad he let me sleep, though. My husband came home for lunch and I told him I just don't feel well enough to do school and he said to make this a Fun Monday and do school on our typical Fun Friday. Perfect solution!
Thomas is working on art, I'm sipping coffee and on the net wishing I had a drip IV of Motrin -- or something stronger.
Speaking of Thomas and art, he had an artistic weekend. He prepared his cake for his last Scouts Blue and Gold banquet. He worked on it Saturday night and Sunday morning. I am a little upset with myself because I didn't take a final picture. What you cannot see is the jello lake. Thomas scooped a portion of the cake out, and we made blue jello and poured it in. Stuck the entire cake in the fridge so it could gel, and he had his beautiful blue lake.
The banquet was yesterday afternoon and it was quite fun. Thomas got lots of blue ribbons for his cake. We're about done with scouts, we have our cross over and an ice skating event left. Counting the days...
I think I shall now go back to bed.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
An Art Idea
Crop art, not to be confused with crop circles, caught my attention today.
I was looking around for bird pictures -- by the way, we saw many cardinals, blue jays, magpies and woodpeckers today -- and I came upon a bird blog. I noticed immediately the host was from the same state in which I live: not confusion, but rather Minnesota. So I looked through her blog and found a crop art photo. I clicked on the link and was awed.
Crop art is big in Minnesota. Apparently it has its own special category at the Minnesota State Fair and is a big deal. Some of the work is absolutely mind boggling how realistic it looks.
As a child, I remember seed roosters and owls in almost everyone's kitchen. Making things out of seeds was very popular back in the 60s and 70s. I hadn't thought of it for years until it sprang up in one of our scouting books. We actually did a seed and bean project with scouts, but the boys weren't too impressed with it. Thomas, however, really enjoyed it and he came home and made a cute little box that sits in my living room in a place of honor on my great-grandma's Hoosier cabinet.
I showed Thomas this website. All the pictures are copyrighted, so I won't share them here. Wow, we had a lot of fun looking at them. And to think, they were made from seed. Our favorites were Vincent Price and Where the Wild Things Are.
I think we're going to do some of this art. I think I am going to talk Thomas into making a Thomas the Tank Engine rice picture. (For me, not for him.) We can dye the rice and see how it works. If he enjoys the project, I might spring for some beans and seeds and go beyond.
I'm not a crafty person. I am a perfectionist and that doesn't work well when you make something for the first time and it turns out like you-know-what. This, however, looks like fun for me.
It's a good thing I just bought a huge bag of rice!
I'll share photos after we've made some progress.
Monday, February 05, 2007
A Room With a View
There is one bird in this photo (can you find it?) and the photo didn't do it justice. It was a woodpecker, had a bright-red head and beautiful black and white back and wing feathers. If the google images are correct, it was a red-bellied woodpecker. I found it amazing that the photo looked nothing like real life!
Our schoolroom has a great view of our back yard, specifically our big ash tree. Since we moved our desks to actually face the window, we have been able to look out and dream a little. Sometimes we even see birds.
Today, even with the arctic temperatures, we had quite a show. The woodpeckers were out, with a vengeance. I'm not a bird watcher so I don't know many birds. I think this was the first time I have ever seen a woodpecker. Thomas had never seen one. I shouldn't say "a" woodpecker. We saw so many today that we lost count. We'd watch for awhile, run to the computer and hit google images and try and figure out what we were seeing, then run back. We got the binoculars out and saw them up close and personal.
We saw lots of birds today, some I knew, most I didn't. It's time to buy a field guide. We laughed at how fat they looked, knowing their feathers were just puffed up to keep them warm.
We had so much fun, in fact, that tonight while I was running errands I stopped and bought a block of suet and a suet holder. My sweet husband went outside (without his coat, even!) and hung it in the tree. Thomas is asking to make a bird feeder. I think that would be a wonderful project for him...when it warms up a bit.
Friday, February 02, 2007
A Scouting Solution
Thomas decided to not move on to Boy Scouts. Bob and I are definitely okay with that decision. In fact, we were to the point that we would have said no had he wanted to join.
We have a scout master who is busy in school and forgets everything. He has been sexist in the past. He's just not leader material. Nice enough guy, though. We have an assistant SM that is a nice guy but is openly bigoted toward gay people. Uhm, that just doesn't fly with me. If it weren't for that one huge character flaw, he'd be semi-okay -- except for the fact that he, too, is somewhat sexist. We have another assistant SM who farts and belches out loud at meetings. I'm talking committee meetings, pack meetings -- every time I've ever been around her, she's passed gas in some fashion. The worst about her, though, was the time that we attended a district pinewood derby race a few years back. We were at our fairgrounds. Another mom and I went outside for a break. We were sitting in my car and saw this woman walk through all the parked cars. Then, right in front of us, she dropped her drawers and urinated all over the parking lot. The possibility of a boy seeing this was extremely high. The mom and I sat there with our chins on our chests. The woman was looking around as she was relieving herself, locked eyes with me, and was shocked. She pulled her pants up and went running.
The funny part about this story? (As if there could be a funny part!) There was a indoor public restroom about 50 feet from where we were.
Everyone is human, and everyone is flawed. I have more flaws that I dare admit to here. However, I'm not bigoted toward gays, I don't think I'm sexist, and I know not to fart, belch and pee in public. Those are not qualities I want leading my son.
So...today for some reason I remembered that there is a program called The Lone Scout. I called someone in the know in our district and she told me who to call for further info. I have put my call in and am awaiting response. I am hoping that Thomas will be able to do this. He should, because one of ways you can register is:
Boys being home schooled whose parents do not want them in a youth group.
Yup, we qualify for that. For the reasons stated above, and much, much more. I guess I should say not any youth group, but that specific youth group.
I have looked over the merit badges at Merit Badge Dot Com and I like what I see. So Lone Scouting will be a solution. We would still be able to participate in district events, service projects, and camps.
We have a scout master who is busy in school and forgets everything. He has been sexist in the past. He's just not leader material. Nice enough guy, though. We have an assistant SM that is a nice guy but is openly bigoted toward gay people. Uhm, that just doesn't fly with me. If it weren't for that one huge character flaw, he'd be semi-okay -- except for the fact that he, too, is somewhat sexist. We have another assistant SM who farts and belches out loud at meetings. I'm talking committee meetings, pack meetings -- every time I've ever been around her, she's passed gas in some fashion. The worst about her, though, was the time that we attended a district pinewood derby race a few years back. We were at our fairgrounds. Another mom and I went outside for a break. We were sitting in my car and saw this woman walk through all the parked cars. Then, right in front of us, she dropped her drawers and urinated all over the parking lot. The possibility of a boy seeing this was extremely high. The mom and I sat there with our chins on our chests. The woman was looking around as she was relieving herself, locked eyes with me, and was shocked. She pulled her pants up and went running.
The funny part about this story? (As if there could be a funny part!) There was a indoor public restroom about 50 feet from where we were.
Everyone is human, and everyone is flawed. I have more flaws that I dare admit to here. However, I'm not bigoted toward gays, I don't think I'm sexist, and I know not to fart, belch and pee in public. Those are not qualities I want leading my son.
So...today for some reason I remembered that there is a program called The Lone Scout. I called someone in the know in our district and she told me who to call for further info. I have put my call in and am awaiting response. I am hoping that Thomas will be able to do this. He should, because one of ways you can register is:
Boys being home schooled whose parents do not want them in a youth group.
Yup, we qualify for that. For the reasons stated above, and much, much more. I guess I should say not any youth group, but that specific youth group.
I have looked over the merit badges at Merit Badge Dot Com and I like what I see. So Lone Scouting will be a solution. We would still be able to participate in district events, service projects, and camps.
My husband is tired of my whining...
I whine when I'm on my computer. Why? Because it freezes, it doesn't support a lot of things I want to use, and it's old. We purchased my computer in 1998. Yeah, I'm on Windows 98. Really, I don't whine that much. Only when it freezes -- which is about once a day.
My husband, with the help of Thomas, built a new computer two? years ago. I don't get to use it because if Bob isn't on it, Thomas is. That's okay.
Well, we're getting just enough of a tax return for Bob to build me a new computer. Supposedly I won't whine anymore. He's been married to me for nearly 18 years, he should know by now that I will always whine.
Am I excited? Not really. I wanted a notebook. Desperately. I envision endless homeschool possibilities with a notebook. Bob refuses. Why, I don't know. (Probably because that's what I want. I have a theory that he just does everything contrary to my wants, needs, desires...but that's a post for a different blog, which I don't possess.)
Then it dawned on me. I can take my old faithful to the school room and have what we want: Word and Excel. I can buy a printer cartridge for our old, icky Lexmark printer, and we'll be set. I doubt Bob will hook it up to the internet upstairs, but that's okay.
So am I excited now? Yes, I guess I am. I hope he gets the parts ordered this weekend.
My husband, with the help of Thomas, built a new computer two? years ago. I don't get to use it because if Bob isn't on it, Thomas is. That's okay.
Well, we're getting just enough of a tax return for Bob to build me a new computer. Supposedly I won't whine anymore. He's been married to me for nearly 18 years, he should know by now that I will always whine.
Am I excited? Not really. I wanted a notebook. Desperately. I envision endless homeschool possibilities with a notebook. Bob refuses. Why, I don't know. (Probably because that's what I want. I have a theory that he just does everything contrary to my wants, needs, desires...but that's a post for a different blog, which I don't possess.)
Then it dawned on me. I can take my old faithful to the school room and have what we want: Word and Excel. I can buy a printer cartridge for our old, icky Lexmark printer, and we'll be set. I doubt Bob will hook it up to the internet upstairs, but that's okay.
So am I excited now? Yes, I guess I am. I hope he gets the parts ordered this weekend.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Nothing On My Mind Until Now
Nothing much has been on my mind lately. I just looked and I haven't really blogged a lot. I guess I've been in deep thought, trying to get my house even more organized, trying to get through school, life....ignoring the calls from family members asking me when I am going to put Thomas in real school. Ahem.
I guess one thing that has been on my mind a lot is math. My son is very good at math concepts. He's very good at fractions. Some things click, some don't. Bottom line is that he hates math. Math is our biggest stumbling block in our day. Now it is my opinion that math will be done every.single.day. Period. When your child takes two hours to get his math done, that really screws up your day.
Okay, part of our problem is that we don't start school with the early birds. We get up, do our chores, eat breakfast, do spelling and grammar, then Thomas does reading for an hour while I watch the view. By then it's 11 and we start math. At 12 DH comes home for lunch and from the second he walks in the door, Thomas is pumped up and bouncing.
Thomas and I had yet another long talk about school and how much we are missing out on, how many fun things we could do. Such as: This week we have played Perfection every day, we have worked on a couple exercises from Audiblox, and we have played the Memory game. All very fun things, but good for helping develop short-term memory and speed. If anyone reading has good ideas for games of these types that don't take too much time, please share.
At any rate, Thomas decided he'd start an 8:30 bedtime. It has been 10. Which means his night-owl mother will have to get her butt to bed earlier. It also means we'll be getting up at 6:30, what I call an ungodly hour, and we'll have to see the bear until he leaves. Oh wait, the bear is my husband. He likes his solitude in the morning. So this will be an adjustment. Thomas wanted to start school at 7, but I talked him into 7:30.
Our plan is to do everything BUT math until we're done, and then we'll all sit a the kitchen table with math. I hope this works. He'll be tired and focus will be an issue, but he'll also have two adults to work with not just one.
I wish the math fairy would come to our home and sprinkle her math dust on us. Wouldn't that be the easy way out?
Hmmmmm...
I think I'll tuck myself back under my nice, comfy-cozy rock and do some more deep thinking now.
I guess one thing that has been on my mind a lot is math. My son is very good at math concepts. He's very good at fractions. Some things click, some don't. Bottom line is that he hates math. Math is our biggest stumbling block in our day. Now it is my opinion that math will be done every.single.day. Period. When your child takes two hours to get his math done, that really screws up your day.
Okay, part of our problem is that we don't start school with the early birds. We get up, do our chores, eat breakfast, do spelling and grammar, then Thomas does reading for an hour while I watch the view. By then it's 11 and we start math. At 12 DH comes home for lunch and from the second he walks in the door, Thomas is pumped up and bouncing.
Thomas and I had yet another long talk about school and how much we are missing out on, how many fun things we could do. Such as: This week we have played Perfection every day, we have worked on a couple exercises from Audiblox, and we have played the Memory game. All very fun things, but good for helping develop short-term memory and speed. If anyone reading has good ideas for games of these types that don't take too much time, please share.
At any rate, Thomas decided he'd start an 8:30 bedtime. It has been 10. Which means his night-owl mother will have to get her butt to bed earlier. It also means we'll be getting up at 6:30, what I call an ungodly hour, and we'll have to see the bear until he leaves. Oh wait, the bear is my husband. He likes his solitude in the morning. So this will be an adjustment. Thomas wanted to start school at 7, but I talked him into 7:30.
Our plan is to do everything BUT math until we're done, and then we'll all sit a the kitchen table with math. I hope this works. He'll be tired and focus will be an issue, but he'll also have two adults to work with not just one.
I wish the math fairy would come to our home and sprinkle her math dust on us. Wouldn't that be the easy way out?
Hmmmmm...
I think I'll tuck myself back under my nice, comfy-cozy rock and do some more deep thinking now.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Question of the Day
About four in the afternoon, we were still doing school. We started talking about the current war, then about vets. Thomas sat back and reflected. I could tell he was really thinking hard about something. Then he made a quizzical expression, I was expecting a deep, profound question from him.
"Mom, did my grandpas fight in the Viet Nam War or the Civil War?"
Now, I'm a good mom who supports my son. He is highly sensitive and I deal with that very well on a daily basis. But not today. I burst out laughing. In fact, it might be because I was very tired, it was late in the day, or I was feeling extremely blue today, but I laughed so hard I had tears coming down my face.
Thomas has come a long way because he actually started laughing in with me. Whew, I didn't hurt his feelings.
I looked at him and told him to think about how old both grandpas are/were. I see the light bulb pop over his head. "Oh, DUH, mom, the Civil War was in the 1800s. They were in WWII."
Thank goodness he figured that out and joined me in further laughter.
Tonight while he was at the train club with his dad, I called my dad. I told him what Thomas had asked. My dad roared! He then said he feels as though he were in the civil war. Three of my father's grandfathers were in the Civil War. I think we may have to go off on a tangent tomorrow, get my genealogy out, and go through our war patriots.
We have one known that served in the Revolutionary War. We have oodles that served in the Civil War. The day my granddad signed up for WWI, it was over. How lucky was he! Both of Thomas's grandfathers were in WWII.
My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Mexican Wars. I know nothing about that period and I need to do some research, and quickly.
Sometimes when you're down and out (I was having an awful day today mood wise) one simple yet innocent question will make you laugh and snap you back into reality.
God, I love my kiddo! (Just not when he wakes up grumpy, as he's been doing the past two days.)
"Mom, did my grandpas fight in the Viet Nam War or the Civil War?"
Now, I'm a good mom who supports my son. He is highly sensitive and I deal with that very well on a daily basis. But not today. I burst out laughing. In fact, it might be because I was very tired, it was late in the day, or I was feeling extremely blue today, but I laughed so hard I had tears coming down my face.
Thomas has come a long way because he actually started laughing in with me. Whew, I didn't hurt his feelings.
I looked at him and told him to think about how old both grandpas are/were. I see the light bulb pop over his head. "Oh, DUH, mom, the Civil War was in the 1800s. They were in WWII."
Thank goodness he figured that out and joined me in further laughter.
Tonight while he was at the train club with his dad, I called my dad. I told him what Thomas had asked. My dad roared! He then said he feels as though he were in the civil war. Three of my father's grandfathers were in the Civil War. I think we may have to go off on a tangent tomorrow, get my genealogy out, and go through our war patriots.
We have one known that served in the Revolutionary War. We have oodles that served in the Civil War. The day my granddad signed up for WWI, it was over. How lucky was he! Both of Thomas's grandfathers were in WWII.
My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Mexican Wars. I know nothing about that period and I need to do some research, and quickly.
Sometimes when you're down and out (I was having an awful day today mood wise) one simple yet innocent question will make you laugh and snap you back into reality.
God, I love my kiddo! (Just not when he wakes up grumpy, as he's been doing the past two days.)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Thomas, Addie Mouse, and the Trains...
Addie posted this photo to her blog, but I wanted to share it here as well. This is a small corner of the train club's room. Thomas continues to love the railroad club.
Monday, January 22, 2007
A Weird Kind of Sorrow
I'm feeling a little down tonight. Not depressed, and not really down, either, I guess. Just feeling sad that a change is about to happen. Tomorrow afternoon will be our last real den meeting -- ever. We do have one final den meeting set, but we wanted to take the boys out to eat as a special treat -- so that is just pure fun and takes no prep time from me.
I've spent about three hours preparing for tomorrow's den meeting. The den leader joke is: only an hour a week and you're done. Yeah, the meetings last an hour and you spend many hours preparing for those meetings. In fact, our meetings last two hours.
It's been fun. I loved the boys. I didn't like all of them, to be honest. There was one I hoped would quit, but he didn't. That's okay. He's nice when he's by himself, he just goes wild with a crowd. I put on a good program for the boys. Thomas enjoyed scouts. He had even more fun at pack meetings. He gets along with kids younger than he is much better than his own-age peers. He also gets along with older kids better. Strange.
There will definitely be a void. This was my thing for since second grade, so not quite four years.
I joined a local organization to help fill the void for me. Thomas has joined the train club. Which, I might add, is working out better than Bob or I could have imagined. There are people of all ages in the club and they all treat Thomas with respect and share his great enthusiasm. They teach him like they would teach an adult -- that part I love. What a confidence booster it is for him. He comes home from every meeting glowing, bouncing, and sharing his experiences 200 words per minute. He's happy. I have my eyes wide open, though, to find something with more kids -- a chance where he can escape his mom and secretly tell poop jokes that I've forbid.
Well, goodbye to scouts. We have our restaurant meeting left, a blue and gold banquet to attend, and finally our cross over.
It went SO fast. Why does time go so fast the older you get?
I enjoyed watching all the tiger cubs at our last meeting. They were so little. My Webelos were so grown up. Blink and it's over. Sigh.
From now on, our Tuesdays will be ours. I won't be interrupting school to put the final touches on our projects, or run to the dollar store for something we need. Tuesdays will be like any other day now.
Sigh.
Thomas is not going on to Boy Scouts. He didn't like it. I didn't, either. New leaders just took over and it's a little chaotic at best. The difference between Cubs and BS is very noticable. I'm okay with his choice.
Sigh, sigh, sigh.
I've spent about three hours preparing for tomorrow's den meeting. The den leader joke is: only an hour a week and you're done. Yeah, the meetings last an hour and you spend many hours preparing for those meetings. In fact, our meetings last two hours.
It's been fun. I loved the boys. I didn't like all of them, to be honest. There was one I hoped would quit, but he didn't. That's okay. He's nice when he's by himself, he just goes wild with a crowd. I put on a good program for the boys. Thomas enjoyed scouts. He had even more fun at pack meetings. He gets along with kids younger than he is much better than his own-age peers. He also gets along with older kids better. Strange.
There will definitely be a void. This was my thing for since second grade, so not quite four years.
I joined a local organization to help fill the void for me. Thomas has joined the train club. Which, I might add, is working out better than Bob or I could have imagined. There are people of all ages in the club and they all treat Thomas with respect and share his great enthusiasm. They teach him like they would teach an adult -- that part I love. What a confidence booster it is for him. He comes home from every meeting glowing, bouncing, and sharing his experiences 200 words per minute. He's happy. I have my eyes wide open, though, to find something with more kids -- a chance where he can escape his mom and secretly tell poop jokes that I've forbid.
Well, goodbye to scouts. We have our restaurant meeting left, a blue and gold banquet to attend, and finally our cross over.
It went SO fast. Why does time go so fast the older you get?
I enjoyed watching all the tiger cubs at our last meeting. They were so little. My Webelos were so grown up. Blink and it's over. Sigh.
From now on, our Tuesdays will be ours. I won't be interrupting school to put the final touches on our projects, or run to the dollar store for something we need. Tuesdays will be like any other day now.
Sigh.
Thomas is not going on to Boy Scouts. He didn't like it. I didn't, either. New leaders just took over and it's a little chaotic at best. The difference between Cubs and BS is very noticable. I'm okay with his choice.
Sigh, sigh, sigh.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
While I'm Bragging...
Here's another brag.
We switched to Rod and Staff Math this year. I put Thomas in their 5th grade program. We skipped a few chapters in the beginning because it was review and he knew the material. We forged on. The first section on fractions we came to was completely different than we had learned last year, so I had him do the chapter. I scheduled our year so that we would complete the book by the end of the year.
Today, however, we sped things up a bit. We started a new chapter of fractions. I looked closely at the material, knew Thomas could do it, so I decided to have some fun. I turned to the first lesson of the chapter, put the hardest two problems on the white board, and had him work them. Done in 30 seconds. I went to the next lesson and did the same. I did it for the entire chapter. Wow, that kid knows his fractions. We moved on to the next section on fractions. We did the same thing. Done in no time flat.
So two chapters down in one day. Woo-hoo. Good going, Thomas.
I credit his "love" of fractions on the book we used last year. Barron's Painless Fractions. We worked through about 3/4 of the book last year. We had started fractions in Singapore and it wasn't clicking with Thomas so I did a quick Amazon search and order. I would either print worksheets from the net on the day's lesson or make my own for him to practice. The proof is in the pudding as it taught him well!
In reality, Thomas hates math. He despises math. I don't know why, but he loses his ability to focus while doing math. It's frustrating for him. He scores very high on math concepts, and even well above grade level on calculation, but he hates it. Math in this house takes an hour to hour and a half every day. And I'm the mean mom who makes him "strive for excellence" and keep at it.
One of the reasons I like Rod and Staff so much is that there is a lot of review and practice. Tons. You learn new stuff on one page of the lesson, do the practice problems, and the second page of the lesson is review and practice of old skills.
Thomas has told me many times that while he hates math, even he likes Rod and Staff because it helps him get it down cold. And that's the point.
So I guess this day will go down as a super-fantastic day for us on all accounts!
We switched to Rod and Staff Math this year. I put Thomas in their 5th grade program. We skipped a few chapters in the beginning because it was review and he knew the material. We forged on. The first section on fractions we came to was completely different than we had learned last year, so I had him do the chapter. I scheduled our year so that we would complete the book by the end of the year.
Today, however, we sped things up a bit. We started a new chapter of fractions. I looked closely at the material, knew Thomas could do it, so I decided to have some fun. I turned to the first lesson of the chapter, put the hardest two problems on the white board, and had him work them. Done in 30 seconds. I went to the next lesson and did the same. I did it for the entire chapter. Wow, that kid knows his fractions. We moved on to the next section on fractions. We did the same thing. Done in no time flat.
So two chapters down in one day. Woo-hoo. Good going, Thomas.
I credit his "love" of fractions on the book we used last year. Barron's Painless Fractions. We worked through about 3/4 of the book last year. We had started fractions in Singapore and it wasn't clicking with Thomas so I did a quick Amazon search and order. I would either print worksheets from the net on the day's lesson or make my own for him to practice. The proof is in the pudding as it taught him well!
In reality, Thomas hates math. He despises math. I don't know why, but he loses his ability to focus while doing math. It's frustrating for him. He scores very high on math concepts, and even well above grade level on calculation, but he hates it. Math in this house takes an hour to hour and a half every day. And I'm the mean mom who makes him "strive for excellence" and keep at it.
One of the reasons I like Rod and Staff so much is that there is a lot of review and practice. Tons. You learn new stuff on one page of the lesson, do the practice problems, and the second page of the lesson is review and practice of old skills.
Thomas has told me many times that while he hates math, even he likes Rod and Staff because it helps him get it down cold. And that's the point.
So I guess this day will go down as a super-fantastic day for us on all accounts!
Wow
Do we expect enough of our children?
I ask this because I had an exchange with someone tonight that left me a little stunned. I was told by the CM in scouts that for tonight's pack meeting, my six Webelos had received $150 worth of awards. About a quarter of that were badges and three quarters were belt loops and pins. My son received the most, but was followed closely by others.
Over the past year and a half, three of my six boys (including Thomas) earned every single Webelos badge available. Thomas earned every academic belt loop and almost half of the sports belt loops. I am very proud of my boys. They all worked very hard.
Anyway, the CM shared with me that the district told him that my den has received more awards than any other den in our district -- ever.
While I am very proud of that, I am stunned. We worked the program. We had great boys with great parents who helped them with the badges we did not do in the den. They worked on belt loops outside of the den as well. I am stunned, though, because it really wasn't that hard. I cannot fathom why dens across the district, state and US don't earn more awards.
If we teach our children to strive for excellence, they will. If we settle for good enough, that's what we'll get.
I am so proud of my boys.
I ask this because I had an exchange with someone tonight that left me a little stunned. I was told by the CM in scouts that for tonight's pack meeting, my six Webelos had received $150 worth of awards. About a quarter of that were badges and three quarters were belt loops and pins. My son received the most, but was followed closely by others.
Over the past year and a half, three of my six boys (including Thomas) earned every single Webelos badge available. Thomas earned every academic belt loop and almost half of the sports belt loops. I am very proud of my boys. They all worked very hard.
Anyway, the CM shared with me that the district told him that my den has received more awards than any other den in our district -- ever.
While I am very proud of that, I am stunned. We worked the program. We had great boys with great parents who helped them with the badges we did not do in the den. They worked on belt loops outside of the den as well. I am stunned, though, because it really wasn't that hard. I cannot fathom why dens across the district, state and US don't earn more awards.
If we teach our children to strive for excellence, they will. If we settle for good enough, that's what we'll get.
I am so proud of my boys.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
I Miss Family Pass
I really miss Family Pass, formerly Mentura. We watched so many wonderful educational DVDs from them it really enhanced our school. I was devistated when it closed. Our public library, while good for a small town, has a dismal collection of DVDs and videos. I decided today that I need to do something about this void.
I did a little searching. It seems there is a company out there that was made exclusively for homeschoolers. It's expensive, IMHO, and didn't have the flexibility that Family Pass had or that Netflix has. You have to return your videos in 15 days. You pay individually for each, and it's expensive. On their site it says:
So off to Netflix. I searched many things we're studying now and found a fair amount of titles that we might enjoy. They have over 100 Imax titles. Lots of History Channel. This seems as if it will be our best bet.
Another option would be to check the TV schedule on a daily basis and start recording programs. This is what my husband wants me to do. I don't want the hassle of doing that, I don't want videos taking up space in my house, and I am not ready to buy a DVD player that can also record at the moment. Who wants to fast forward through commercials. Plus, it would take quite some time to build up a colleciton to use while we study. With Netflix, I can get it as soon as it is available.
The last option I considered was United Streaming. At $149 a year, not bad. The pros are the vidoes are available whenever I would want them with no wait. The con is that we'd have to watch it on the computer. From what I've read, it's impossible to burn a decent DVD as the quality goes down. Our computers are in the basement. It's cold, ugly and uncomfortable down here. I'd rather snuggle up on the couch while watching our videos. Our school system does subscribe to this, so I may call them and see if we can get a free subscription, but it's not exactly what I want.
So I guess Netflix wins. Not exactly what I want, it will take me awhile to find movies that fit with our studies, but it will have to do.
Anyone else have any other ideas??
I did a little searching. It seems there is a company out there that was made exclusively for homeschoolers. It's expensive, IMHO, and didn't have the flexibility that Family Pass had or that Netflix has. You have to return your videos in 15 days. You pay individually for each, and it's expensive. On their site it says:
The more you rent—the more you save! The annual membership fee is only $25 per year. As a member, you can rent up to 3 educational multimedia products at one time. The first rental item cost is $7 and the second and third items are only $4 each, making the average rental price only $5 each. The selected items are mailed to your mailbox and you can enjoy them for up to 15 days. Then mail the items back to (them) using the provided FREE shipping label. Visit us online, rent 3 new items and the convenient process starts again.I won't link to the company. I found this company on a google search and was taken to a page comparing it to Netflix. When I went to the main page, I found this: "Participant in The Old Schoolhouse New Subscriber Free Gift Promotion." I still boycott The Old Schoolhouse. So that's not an option. In fact, when I saw that, I didn't even bother to search their collection.
So off to Netflix. I searched many things we're studying now and found a fair amount of titles that we might enjoy. They have over 100 Imax titles. Lots of History Channel. This seems as if it will be our best bet.
Another option would be to check the TV schedule on a daily basis and start recording programs. This is what my husband wants me to do. I don't want the hassle of doing that, I don't want videos taking up space in my house, and I am not ready to buy a DVD player that can also record at the moment. Who wants to fast forward through commercials. Plus, it would take quite some time to build up a colleciton to use while we study. With Netflix, I can get it as soon as it is available.
The last option I considered was United Streaming. At $149 a year, not bad. The pros are the vidoes are available whenever I would want them with no wait. The con is that we'd have to watch it on the computer. From what I've read, it's impossible to burn a decent DVD as the quality goes down. Our computers are in the basement. It's cold, ugly and uncomfortable down here. I'd rather snuggle up on the couch while watching our videos. Our school system does subscribe to this, so I may call them and see if we can get a free subscription, but it's not exactly what I want.
So I guess Netflix wins. Not exactly what I want, it will take me awhile to find movies that fit with our studies, but it will have to do.
Anyone else have any other ideas??
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Brrr!
Addie ventured out into the snow today.We're finally getting a taste of winter. It's been cold all week, with windchills below zero. Today it started snowing. Thomas and I ran to the grocery store for my weekly shopping. Coming out of the snow, we delighted in "the little things that are great about winter."
First, the snow was hitting our eyelashes and melting. We both had watery eyes -- and it felt great. In March, it's not a great feeling, but when there hasn't been hardly any snow, it's a great feeling.
Secondly, we delighted in something weird. When you go outside in very cold weather, the hair in your nose freezes and it feels really cool. We both laughed at our frozen noses. That was one of my favorite things to do as a kid, freeze my nose hair. I'd go in and out of the house, just to experience it. Freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw.
Yeah, I'm weird.
We had a weird and busy week. We didn't go out of the house much, but for some reason we were extremely busy. Lots of schooling got done, lots of fretting about the state of the house as well. This morning we finally packed up all the Christmas goodies and gave the living room a good deep cleaning. That hung over my head all week, enough to make me grumpy, but not enough to pack it all up. I feel so much better.
Monday is a school holiday. I had completely forgotten that until a friend reminded me on Friday. I'm such a stinker that I'm not going to tell Thomas and we're going to school anyway. At least math, but probably the whole works. We're still making up for lost time from this past November.
Scouts has me extremely busy as we wind up for the big finale. We have two den meetings left, two pack meetings and our Blue and Gold banquet. I am counting the days. It's been fun, I'm going to miss the boys (most of them) but I am so looking forward to having my Tuesdays free again and not rushing through school. I'm looking forward to putting all the money I spent on scouts on our school! It was easy for me to spend around $25 a meeting on supplies. I think that's about what it averaged out to. I'm looking forward to no more Monday night meetings. I'm looking forward to no more Thursday night meetings. I'm looking forward to retirement. =)
My yahoo groups have been extremely busy lately as well. Tis the season for anyone and everyone to join a diet group and a cleaning group. So almost all my online time has been devoted to those groups.
That's my week in a nutshell. This coming week I have hopes of re-organizing our school room, YET again. I am just never happy with that room. There's not a lot you can do with a 9x9 school room with 1970's blue carpeting. I dream of a big room, more table space, less sprawling out on our kitchen table -- no wait, that's my husband's dream, having a kitchen table that is free and clear of books.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
We have a visitor!
Addie, the Adventure Mouse, has come all the way from Oklahoma to visit us in Minnesota. Check out her adventures at her blog. We'll try to come up with something of interest while she visits.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Maybe not so bad...
The above photo is from Arby's website. Yes, they have biscuits and gravy. Now I just have to hope that the rumors are true, that there is indeed an Arby's coming to town, and that they will serve breakfast.It's all rather silly, because I could actually make biscuits and gravy at home. But it's just not the same as having a reason to get out of the house.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Good bye, Hardee's, Taco Bell
My little town proudly sported quite a few fast food joints: Taco Bell, Subway, Taco John's, KFC, McDonalds, Hardee's and Burger King. We recently (last Christmas) a Wendy's.
Not long ago, we went to Taco Bell for supper and Taco Bell was no longer. It had closed down. Now it shared space with the Pizza Hut, which was still in business. The people at the counter had no explanation for why Taco Bell closed.
Funny thing is, while at my father-in-law's funeral, I was being a social butterfly and visiting with people I didn't know, which is extremely out of character for me, but I learned something. My husband's cousin's husband works for Taco Bell. He also knew where we lived. After introductions his first comments to me were: Your Taco Bell just shut down because it was a test market, and we pulled the plug. I stood there with my mouth hanging open and when I zapped back into myself I begged him to bring Taco Bell back. No, it won't happen. Sad. I could have a 4-point taco on Weight Watchers there, and a 7-point burrito. Grrr. I love Taco Bell.
Yesterday morning, in preparation for the new year 2007, I thought it would be fun to do something I do for Thomas on occasion: Drive to Hardee's and get him biscuits and gravy. He loves biscuits and gravy. At 99 cents at Hardee's, it's just cheaper and easier for me to get them there. So I'm driving along, went to McDonald's first because I wanted an Egg McMuffin. Hardee's was across town and when I got to it, I had to stop in my tracks. I was just about to turn into their parking lot when I realized there were no lights on nor had the parking lot been cleared of snow. Shoot! I didn't have time to go back to McD's so I drove home. Thomas, who doesn't like Egg McMuffins, gladly ate mine. Double shoot.
It seems that Hardee's is closing down and in its place will be a brand new Arby's. I'm not overly happy about that. I'm not a huge Arby's fan. Partly because that was my mother's last meal before she died -- that kind of thing sticks with you. Mostly, though, because it's expensive. But whatever, we don't do fast food that often anyway, and there's always Wendy's.
I'm just very sad because Hardee's has been a tradition in my household for nearly 20 years. Bob and I used to get up every Saturday morning and eat at Hardee's -- a ham, egg and cheese biscuit for me -- and then hit the book store at the mall. Ah, those were the days. When munchkin came along, that routine changed. When he was old enough to eat real food, his dad introduced him to biscuits and gravy. He loved them.
So special days always started out with biscuits and gravy for Thomas. Every school year our first day of school started by driving to Hardee's for Thomas's biscuits and gravy. When Thomas was up way too late the night before, I'd bribe him out of bed with a promise of a Hardee's run.
We are sad and disappointed. How will our B&G tradition continue??? I wish we would have known so we could have had one final good-bye. Hmph.
Other rumors are that our local Kmart is going to be closing. I shop at Kmart a lot. It's close to my house, about a mile and a half. This would make me very sad but for the fact that a SuperWalmart is being built about a mile and a half in the other direction from my house. Rumor has it that our local Hy-Vee is going to take over Kmart. Now that makes me happy. I can't imagine being so close to a grocery store! By golly, if it moves to Kmart, then that will save me 3 miles driving to HyVee! Woo-hoo.
Yes, I know, this is hilarious. This is what it's like to live in a small town. Saving three miles IS a big deal here. Not like Denver, where I grew up, and you had to really drive to get anywhere.
One final fast food rant. Our McDonald's had a makeover. They took out the play area and redid the whole place. It is now beautiful with a fireplace even. The only thing is that we wished we would have known ahead of time so Thomas could have said goodbye. He spent many hours playing in there as a small child.
Oh, I hate change. I can live with it all, as some of it is good, but why mess with my baby's biscuits and gravy! Why???
lol
Not long ago, we went to Taco Bell for supper and Taco Bell was no longer. It had closed down. Now it shared space with the Pizza Hut, which was still in business. The people at the counter had no explanation for why Taco Bell closed.
Funny thing is, while at my father-in-law's funeral, I was being a social butterfly and visiting with people I didn't know, which is extremely out of character for me, but I learned something. My husband's cousin's husband works for Taco Bell. He also knew where we lived. After introductions his first comments to me were: Your Taco Bell just shut down because it was a test market, and we pulled the plug. I stood there with my mouth hanging open and when I zapped back into myself I begged him to bring Taco Bell back. No, it won't happen. Sad. I could have a 4-point taco on Weight Watchers there, and a 7-point burrito. Grrr. I love Taco Bell.
Yesterday morning, in preparation for the new year 2007, I thought it would be fun to do something I do for Thomas on occasion: Drive to Hardee's and get him biscuits and gravy. He loves biscuits and gravy. At 99 cents at Hardee's, it's just cheaper and easier for me to get them there. So I'm driving along, went to McDonald's first because I wanted an Egg McMuffin. Hardee's was across town and when I got to it, I had to stop in my tracks. I was just about to turn into their parking lot when I realized there were no lights on nor had the parking lot been cleared of snow. Shoot! I didn't have time to go back to McD's so I drove home. Thomas, who doesn't like Egg McMuffins, gladly ate mine. Double shoot.
It seems that Hardee's is closing down and in its place will be a brand new Arby's. I'm not overly happy about that. I'm not a huge Arby's fan. Partly because that was my mother's last meal before she died -- that kind of thing sticks with you. Mostly, though, because it's expensive. But whatever, we don't do fast food that often anyway, and there's always Wendy's.
I'm just very sad because Hardee's has been a tradition in my household for nearly 20 years. Bob and I used to get up every Saturday morning and eat at Hardee's -- a ham, egg and cheese biscuit for me -- and then hit the book store at the mall. Ah, those were the days. When munchkin came along, that routine changed. When he was old enough to eat real food, his dad introduced him to biscuits and gravy. He loved them.
So special days always started out with biscuits and gravy for Thomas. Every school year our first day of school started by driving to Hardee's for Thomas's biscuits and gravy. When Thomas was up way too late the night before, I'd bribe him out of bed with a promise of a Hardee's run.
We are sad and disappointed. How will our B&G tradition continue??? I wish we would have known so we could have had one final good-bye. Hmph.
Other rumors are that our local Kmart is going to be closing. I shop at Kmart a lot. It's close to my house, about a mile and a half. This would make me very sad but for the fact that a SuperWalmart is being built about a mile and a half in the other direction from my house. Rumor has it that our local Hy-Vee is going to take over Kmart. Now that makes me happy. I can't imagine being so close to a grocery store! By golly, if it moves to Kmart, then that will save me 3 miles driving to HyVee! Woo-hoo.
Yes, I know, this is hilarious. This is what it's like to live in a small town. Saving three miles IS a big deal here. Not like Denver, where I grew up, and you had to really drive to get anywhere.
One final fast food rant. Our McDonald's had a makeover. They took out the play area and redid the whole place. It is now beautiful with a fireplace even. The only thing is that we wished we would have known ahead of time so Thomas could have said goodbye. He spent many hours playing in there as a small child.
Oh, I hate change. I can live with it all, as some of it is good, but why mess with my baby's biscuits and gravy! Why???
lol
The Big, Green, Ugly Monster
Envy struck me yesterday. Envy of living somewhere else, somewhere close to civilization.
A blogging friend, Mull-berry, has re-kindled her Addie the Adventure Mouse blog. Take a visit, Addie has had some great field trips. I wanted to host Addie. But I started feeling sorry for myself because there is nothing of any interest in my small town in the winter. There would be no fun place to take Addie. We normally have ice fishing. Our town has several lakes and the winter scene is identical to the movie Grumpy Old Men. But the last time I drove by one of our lakes, there were no ice huts because it's been too warm. That's all I could think of. So perhaps Addie can visit this spring when we can hit the road and actually see something fun.
In all fairness, Addie didn't make me envious. It's been building for quite some time. I envy several things: homeschool groups, museums, field-trip adventures, play groups, parks, zoos, and like-minded homeschoolers.
My small town does have a homeschool group. I went to a couple meetings and Thomas and I went on one field trip. I then decided the group was not for us and did not pay dues. The women of the group are all very, very nice. They just are so different than I am. I welcome differences, because that's how we learn. However, sometimes it would be nice to not worry about mentioning Harry Potter or sleeping in on Sundays or accidentally saying oh sh*t in front of someone.
The homeschool group is *big* on the co-op. The group is basically about the co-op. The leader of the group told me that our children need to learn to learn with other children, thus the co-op is a necessity.
I beg to differ. Kinda. One of the reasons Thomas is no longer in public school is because he learns differently than quote unquote normal. We homeschool to meet his educational and emotional needs. Another reason we homeschool is because Bob and I get to choose the curricula. We're not at the mercy of the public school system. We do follow the state standards.
Thomas has been in Cub Scouts and he knows full well how to "learn with others. "
So had we joined the co-op, we wouldn't have had any say in what was being taught. And the subjects they did teach didn't jive with our studies. Plus, it just wouldn't work out to take a day off from our lessons every Monday to go to co-op and do things that I didn't necessarily want Thomas to do.
At the beginning of this year, the co-op had a planning session. I went, and was one of five moms plus a few dads in attendance. Another newer homeschooling mom and I practically begged to have play groups, park days, and time for just pure social interaction for the kids. That's what I want out of a homeschool group. We were told that wasn't necessary, and that they would get that at co-op. I beg to differ with that, because their co-op is school, and not time for fun, free play.
So I am envious. I'm envious of choice. I'm envious of great groups out there that I know exist.
We had a good day yesterday. We actually started school at 7:30 am, which is amazing because we usually don't start until 9. School went well, but I just felt a little down all day. I felt down again this morning. I got up early again and made some chocolate chip muffins to surprise Thomas. When they were done, I woke him up. He came out to the kitchen with a huge smile on his face and was very excited to see the little surprise I had made for him. I then got a big hug.
And school went very well. He was happy. He worked hard. Half-way through the morning, I looked at him. Really looked at him. All my envy just seemed to melt away. How could I have any feelings other than joy? He was smiling, working hard, and enjoying himself. He doesn't care about co-ops, or that we don't have museums, zoos, or play groups. He enjoys playing with his friends, he enjoys school. He gets a kick out of hiding his whoopie cushion under my chair when I get up. He giggles at silly things. He enjoys writing assignments because he usually writes two stories: one on topic and one on poop. (Yes, he's pure boy.) He thinks it's fun to turn in his writing and have me get mad about the poop story, then say "Just kidding, mom, here is the assignment."
So I took a lesson from Thomas today. Be happy with what you have. I am rich beyond measure. He knows this, but I occasionally have to be reminded.
A blogging friend, Mull-berry, has re-kindled her Addie the Adventure Mouse blog. Take a visit, Addie has had some great field trips. I wanted to host Addie. But I started feeling sorry for myself because there is nothing of any interest in my small town in the winter. There would be no fun place to take Addie. We normally have ice fishing. Our town has several lakes and the winter scene is identical to the movie Grumpy Old Men. But the last time I drove by one of our lakes, there were no ice huts because it's been too warm. That's all I could think of. So perhaps Addie can visit this spring when we can hit the road and actually see something fun.
In all fairness, Addie didn't make me envious. It's been building for quite some time. I envy several things: homeschool groups, museums, field-trip adventures, play groups, parks, zoos, and like-minded homeschoolers.
My small town does have a homeschool group. I went to a couple meetings and Thomas and I went on one field trip. I then decided the group was not for us and did not pay dues. The women of the group are all very, very nice. They just are so different than I am. I welcome differences, because that's how we learn. However, sometimes it would be nice to not worry about mentioning Harry Potter or sleeping in on Sundays or accidentally saying oh sh*t in front of someone.
The homeschool group is *big* on the co-op. The group is basically about the co-op. The leader of the group told me that our children need to learn to learn with other children, thus the co-op is a necessity.
I beg to differ. Kinda. One of the reasons Thomas is no longer in public school is because he learns differently than quote unquote normal. We homeschool to meet his educational and emotional needs. Another reason we homeschool is because Bob and I get to choose the curricula. We're not at the mercy of the public school system. We do follow the state standards.
Thomas has been in Cub Scouts and he knows full well how to "learn with others. "
So had we joined the co-op, we wouldn't have had any say in what was being taught. And the subjects they did teach didn't jive with our studies. Plus, it just wouldn't work out to take a day off from our lessons every Monday to go to co-op and do things that I didn't necessarily want Thomas to do.
At the beginning of this year, the co-op had a planning session. I went, and was one of five moms plus a few dads in attendance. Another newer homeschooling mom and I practically begged to have play groups, park days, and time for just pure social interaction for the kids. That's what I want out of a homeschool group. We were told that wasn't necessary, and that they would get that at co-op. I beg to differ with that, because their co-op is school, and not time for fun, free play.
So I am envious. I'm envious of choice. I'm envious of great groups out there that I know exist.
We had a good day yesterday. We actually started school at 7:30 am, which is amazing because we usually don't start until 9. School went well, but I just felt a little down all day. I felt down again this morning. I got up early again and made some chocolate chip muffins to surprise Thomas. When they were done, I woke him up. He came out to the kitchen with a huge smile on his face and was very excited to see the little surprise I had made for him. I then got a big hug.
And school went very well. He was happy. He worked hard. Half-way through the morning, I looked at him. Really looked at him. All my envy just seemed to melt away. How could I have any feelings other than joy? He was smiling, working hard, and enjoying himself. He doesn't care about co-ops, or that we don't have museums, zoos, or play groups. He enjoys playing with his friends, he enjoys school. He gets a kick out of hiding his whoopie cushion under my chair when I get up. He giggles at silly things. He enjoys writing assignments because he usually writes two stories: one on topic and one on poop. (Yes, he's pure boy.) He thinks it's fun to turn in his writing and have me get mad about the poop story, then say "Just kidding, mom, here is the assignment."
So I took a lesson from Thomas today. Be happy with what you have. I am rich beyond measure. He knows this, but I occasionally have to be reminded.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
I'm in the mood for one of these
I'm just not in the mood to blog about homeschooling or anything else (too tired!) so I'll do a meme instead. I need something mindless.
1. FIRST NAME On my blog it's Frankie. In real life? That's a secret.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? At the Cowboy's funeral -- November.
4 DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When it's neat, yes.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just a blog.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never in a million years.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? Kellog's All-Bran Flakes -- used to be called Bran Flakes.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Very.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate marble.
14. SHOE SIZE? 7.5
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The fact that I am overly critical of myself.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My friends in South Dakota.
18 . DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO PLAY? Anyone that wants to.
19.WHAT COLOUR PANTS and SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue sweats and no shoes. I don't wear shoes in the house.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? DH playing Runescape and DS playing with his trains.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Lavender -- or any pastel.
23. FAVOURITE SMELL? My granddad's shed -- very earthy smell.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My best friend.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? I do not drink alcohol, so it would have to be Diet Pepsi.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? None. Well, basketball, I guess.
29. EYE COLOR? Blue.
30. HAT SIZE? Clueless, aside from my cowboy hat, I don't wear hats.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Chicken fried steak.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Heather gray.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Grandmother's chocolate pudding cake.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? A quit smoking book.
41 WHAT'S YOUR MOUSE PAD? Memorex.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't even remember!
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My son being a chatterbox.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Somewhere in Europe.
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Being me.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Laramie, Wyoming.
I tag anyone who wants to play.
1. FIRST NAME On my blog it's Frankie. In real life? That's a secret.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? At the Cowboy's funeral -- November.
4 DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When it's neat, yes.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just a blog.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never in a million years.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? Kellog's All-Bran Flakes -- used to be called Bran Flakes.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Very.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate marble.
14. SHOE SIZE? 7.5
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The fact that I am overly critical of myself.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My friends in South Dakota.
18 . DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO PLAY? Anyone that wants to.
19.WHAT COLOUR PANTS and SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue sweats and no shoes. I don't wear shoes in the house.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? DH playing Runescape and DS playing with his trains.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Lavender -- or any pastel.
23. FAVOURITE SMELL? My granddad's shed -- very earthy smell.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My best friend.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? I do not drink alcohol, so it would have to be Diet Pepsi.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? None. Well, basketball, I guess.
29. EYE COLOR? Blue.
30. HAT SIZE? Clueless, aside from my cowboy hat, I don't wear hats.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Chicken fried steak.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Heather gray.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Grandmother's chocolate pudding cake.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? A quit smoking book.
41 WHAT'S YOUR MOUSE PAD? Memorex.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't even remember!
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My son being a chatterbox.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Somewhere in Europe.
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Being me.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Laramie, Wyoming.
I tag anyone who wants to play.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Trains - Part 3
Here is the train. The engine is a Union Pacific SD50. There's a Burlington Northern reefer, a Chesapeake & Ohio gondola, a UP wrecking car, a Canadian National gondola, a UP box car and a Chicago Northwestern way car (caboose.)
Thomas has ordered a new RS3 Rock Island engine , which is a switch engine, with his Christmas money. It seems our UP SD50 is just a hair long for the 18-inch radius and switching on the shorter track. The new RS3 is shorter so he shouldn't have a problem.
Trains - Part 2
This is the control panel that Thomas built -- with just a little help from his dad.
The table top that Bob built sits on the old play table that Bob built a few years ago. Bob had a huge piece of styrofoam in the garage, so they used that to elevate the new table while they did their wiring. Thomas is doing his soldering.
A tape measure comes in handy to hold the wires to be soldered.
Ignore the ugly basement, please. Someday I'll finish painting the walls.
Trains -- Part 1
This is the train table. Bob built the 4 x 8 board and attached insulation board on top. That was part of Thomas's Christmas present. The tracks are True Track by Atlas. We bought a layout set because it was easier. Thomas and Bob have been working on this since Christmas. The track is all nailed down and they are working on the wiring.
Thomas dug out some of his old Thomas the Tank Engine stuff to play with while they were working. Any trains you see on the table are not HO scale, just his old toys. Once they get all the wiring done, they will work on scenery.
Go to bed already
It's 2:30 am and I'm still up. In my perfect world, I'd stay up until 4 or so every night, sleep until noon or so, then start my day. Well, it obviously is impossible to live my perfect world on a day-to-day basis because I'm a mom -- a homeschooling mom. I wonder when Thomas is grown and leaves the house if I will indeed go to that schedule.
It was a slow day, I putzed around the house in the morning. I talked to a friend on the phone in the afternoon, and that was a very special treat. Then my stomach started hurting. I took a nap after super until 7:30. I realized it was Thursday and my dream of deep cleaning the kitchen on our break was not going to be realized unless I got off my butt and started to work. So I did. And I felt very ill while I was doing it but I plugged away.
One of the things I find most troublesome about homeschooling is that I don't have time to devote to my home that I would like. I am not a multi-tasker, I cannot do two things at once. I have to give undivided attention to the task at hand. And that makes it impossible for me to clean during school. I mean deep clean.
Thomas and his dad worked on the electrical wiring of his model train set tonight, so I had peace and quiet. I was able to get a lot done, but I still have a good solid day's worth of cleaning in the kitchen to do. Maybe two. I also want to get the Christmas stuff packed away. I also want to get the laundry caught up. I also want to... you name it, I want to do it.
What is it about the Christmas holiday that turns your house upside down? I haven't done laundry in a week. The house is a mess. Perhaps it is because my husband has the week off and is underfoot. Sometimes I miss the days that I worked outside the home. My house was always in good shape and clean then. Yes, I had a cleaning lady come once a week, but that wasn't why it was in good shape. It was because no one was there during the day to mess it up.
Even though we're on break this week, the learning has not stopped. Thomas has learned so much about electricity this week. He's learned terms of all the doodads: terminals, switches, amps, etc. -- stuff I know nothing about (nor do I care to know!). He has spent hours wiring that track. It's a long process, definitely longer than I thought it would be. His dad taught him how to solder today. What surprised me most is that the boys spent several hours together today and tonight working on it, and Bob got tired and curled up with a book. Thomas plugged away and continued to work. All by himself. I was very impressed by that because the train stuff is in the basement, and he hates to be in the basement alone, and secondly, because he usually doesn't like to work on projects by himself.
Tomorrow should be more of the same: me cleaning the kitchen and the boys working on the train.
It was a slow day, I putzed around the house in the morning. I talked to a friend on the phone in the afternoon, and that was a very special treat. Then my stomach started hurting. I took a nap after super until 7:30. I realized it was Thursday and my dream of deep cleaning the kitchen on our break was not going to be realized unless I got off my butt and started to work. So I did. And I felt very ill while I was doing it but I plugged away.
One of the things I find most troublesome about homeschooling is that I don't have time to devote to my home that I would like. I am not a multi-tasker, I cannot do two things at once. I have to give undivided attention to the task at hand. And that makes it impossible for me to clean during school. I mean deep clean.
Thomas and his dad worked on the electrical wiring of his model train set tonight, so I had peace and quiet. I was able to get a lot done, but I still have a good solid day's worth of cleaning in the kitchen to do. Maybe two. I also want to get the Christmas stuff packed away. I also want to get the laundry caught up. I also want to... you name it, I want to do it.
What is it about the Christmas holiday that turns your house upside down? I haven't done laundry in a week. The house is a mess. Perhaps it is because my husband has the week off and is underfoot. Sometimes I miss the days that I worked outside the home. My house was always in good shape and clean then. Yes, I had a cleaning lady come once a week, but that wasn't why it was in good shape. It was because no one was there during the day to mess it up.
Even though we're on break this week, the learning has not stopped. Thomas has learned so much about electricity this week. He's learned terms of all the doodads: terminals, switches, amps, etc. -- stuff I know nothing about (nor do I care to know!). He has spent hours wiring that track. It's a long process, definitely longer than I thought it would be. His dad taught him how to solder today. What surprised me most is that the boys spent several hours together today and tonight working on it, and Bob got tired and curled up with a book. Thomas plugged away and continued to work. All by himself. I was very impressed by that because the train stuff is in the basement, and he hates to be in the basement alone, and secondly, because he usually doesn't like to work on projects by himself.
Tomorrow should be more of the same: me cleaning the kitchen and the boys working on the train.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Give me Eight More
Anyone who has ever done an exercise tape knows that phrase, Give me eight more.
I don't know WHAT I was thinking today, but I actually popped an exercise tape into the machine, stood in front of the TV, and moved. Yes, mark this down on the calendar, I exercised. Now I did go "lite" and chose a 30-minute tape instead of an hour long, but I did it!
Thomas was so shocked he ran to tell his father who was in the basement. His father had already figured out what was going on because the house was shaking. (It wasn't really that bad.)
With all the junk we've been eating, I can actually feel that extra weight coming on -- and believe me, I don't need any more, thank you very much. I'm also on a quest to raise my HDL cholesterol number and exercise is the way to do that.
Exercise is something we lack in our homeschool. Thomas plays, and plays hard, and I think that he gets adequate exercise through that. However, I want him to learn that adult daily exercise is a good thing. Kids learn by example, right?
I want to find some kind of exercise tape he can do with me. I have almost everything put out by Richard Simmons, but Thomas doesn't care for my beloved Richard. I think a trip to the library is in order. Hopefully there will be something out there that Thomas can stomach and that I like as well.
I'm still in shock, though. I exercised today. Woo-hoo.
I don't know WHAT I was thinking today, but I actually popped an exercise tape into the machine, stood in front of the TV, and moved. Yes, mark this down on the calendar, I exercised. Now I did go "lite" and chose a 30-minute tape instead of an hour long, but I did it!
Thomas was so shocked he ran to tell his father who was in the basement. His father had already figured out what was going on because the house was shaking. (It wasn't really that bad.)
With all the junk we've been eating, I can actually feel that extra weight coming on -- and believe me, I don't need any more, thank you very much. I'm also on a quest to raise my HDL cholesterol number and exercise is the way to do that.
Exercise is something we lack in our homeschool. Thomas plays, and plays hard, and I think that he gets adequate exercise through that. However, I want him to learn that adult daily exercise is a good thing. Kids learn by example, right?
I want to find some kind of exercise tape he can do with me. I have almost everything put out by Richard Simmons, but Thomas doesn't care for my beloved Richard. I think a trip to the library is in order. Hopefully there will be something out there that Thomas can stomach and that I like as well.
I'm still in shock, though. I exercised today. Woo-hoo.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas & our 3D Puzzle
Last summer, we went to a neighboring town for their city-wide garage sales. I found lots of bargains, including this 3D Camelot Puzzle for a mere two dollars. I opened it up and found that only one bag of puzzle pieces had been opened. There were several bags inside. The woman running the sale told me she took out a few pieces, decided it was going to be way too difficult and time consuming, and put them back. She assured me all the pieces were there, which I believed. (They were.)I bought the puzzle because I knew we would be studying the middle ages and castles this year. I thought it would be a fun project. I didn't realize two things: First, that this castle would be sitting in my living room for almost two months. Secondly, that this castle is listed as advanced challenge on Milton Bradley's difficulty scale.
Now in all fairness, we had a lot going on in November. We were gone for two weeks. When we returned home, we were a little down considering we had just lost the Cowboy. So none of us were really feeling like working on the puzzle.
We put up our Christmas trees and decorated the house around the puzzle. (Yes, we have two fake Christmas trees in our living room.) The puzzle sat untouched.
Yesterday I was cleaning the living room for Christmas and I decided I had had enough of that puzzle sitting there. I sat down in the early afternoon. Eventually I moved the entire puzzle to my kitchen table -- much more comfortable chairs in there. Thomas helped off and on. Bob even sat down for a good five minutes. We worked and worked and worked. In between, we finished wrapping presents, made goodies, went grocery shopping, did a few loads of laundry, etc. Work on the house a little, work on the puzzle a little.
Finally, at 2:45 am, I had finished the puzzle. My Christmas wish of getting that thing out of my living room had been realized.
The sad thing was, there were four pieces that were left over. In the wee hours of the morning, I couldn't figure out where they went. Sick of the puzzle, Thomas and Bob sat down this morning and finally figured out where they went. Thomas dismantled the puzzle and put in the missing pieces. Let me just say it is a bear to take these apart.
I told Bob that he could buy me another 3D puzzle as a gift some day. I really enjoyed it. Thomas did, too, but he doesn't have the patience for puzzles that I have.
My two-dollar puzzle was quite the bargain. They typically sell for $29.99. In fact, my puzzle is so old that they have re-vamped it. It is now called King Arthur's Camelot and has much prettier graphics. I think I would like to do The Capitol puzzle next. I don't know if it's in the budget, though. Thomas is game, though I know I'd end up doing the majority of it. And that's okay.
From our castle to yours, we'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A Fun Fiasco
Oh my. We did our gingerbread house yesterday and today. I was too tired to make actual gingerbread, so we went the cheap and easy route by using icing to glue graham crackers onto boxes to make our house. It isn't pretty, but here's the house. One of the critters decided that it looked pretty tasty and ate three of the cookies.
Okay, I'll admit it, I made the darned house. I was tired and just didn't feel like decorating, so Thomas took over. I think this has to be the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of Gingerbread houses, it's SO ugly! BUT...we had fun, so that's what counts. Our memory this year will be of the ugly house.
Thomas decided to be creative and make a gingerbread train. He used Daisy from the Thomas the Tank Engine line for an engine, and plain graham crackers for Anne and Clarabel. Velveeta boxes are underneath. You can tell that he cared and had energy when he was working on Daisy, and he too got tired and in a hurry as time went on.
Oy.
A friend of mine sent me photos of her gingerbread house making experience from last year. She also sent me a recipe. So, next year I promise we'll have beautiful gingerbread houses. Hers were!
I'm not crafty, I don't enjoy making crafts. I don't like the mess. I am a perfectionist and I can't stand it when it is anything but perfect. Just imagine how difficult this was on me! But motherhood has taught me patience. I can do the craft thing, I can put a smile on my face, I can encourage Thomas. I can actually enjoy the experience -- through him. I thought his train was rather clever.
We made fudge tonight. Well, Thomas made fudge, I supervised. Have I ever mentioned, I just don't like cooking, either? I love to eat, but the cooking part is boring. So again, I put a smile on my face and pretend to enjoy myself. Thomas's enthusasim grabs hold of me and I eventually enjoy it. Tonight, though, this thought ran through my head: Who on earth can enjoy standing in front of a stove, stirring for ten minutes so it doesn't burn, then stirring to melt chocolate and marshmallow fluff? My arm got tired, I hate standing still, and it just wasn't fun.
I think in my next life I want to come back as a man. And I want to come back in the 1950s. Then I won't have to cook or do crafts. I can go target shooting, work in a shop, and do manly things that are so much fun. Sheesh, I think I sound a little sexist here.
Well, at least Thomas's train is cute.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Many late-night random thoughts
First, regarding the Brown fire. There is a follow up to the article. Tammy posted the link. Go to her blog, click the link, and you'll see a photo. You'll see one of the children trying to salvage the tree. Click on that photo to enlarge it. You'll also see a room with chairs, a TV -- lots of stuff. So if you've never been through a fire, you might think everything is salvageable, right? It all looks okay in the photo -- messy due to people, fire fighters, etc. But what you don't get through seeing the picture is smell.
My sister had a house fire several years ago. I was in college at the time, still living at home. Mom and dad left me at home to help her recover from the fire. I think they were gone about a week. They stayed at a motel, so they were in clean surroundings. The night they got home, I raced to the door to let them in, and although they were in clean clothes, showered, fresh -- they stunk the worse stink I have ever smelled. The smell they carried on their bodies nearly made me get sick. Everything they brought into the house had that smell. I cannot describe it with accuracy. Yes, it smelled like burnt goods, but it was much worse. It took a long time to get that stink out of our house.
So you see, you don't see the smell in the photos. Trust me, it's there, and it's bad. And nearly impossible to get out of the stuff that may still otherwise be good. The other thing you don't see is water everywhere. Water ruins things.
******
On another note, Thomas and I will be making gingerbread houses tomorrow. It seems if you don't buy a kit when you first see them, you're scre -- erh, out of luck. So I've been looking for recipes. I'll post photos when we're done.
*****
On a final note, I did the unthinkable today. After I mentioned here that we use Rod and Staff math and that I hand make worksheets, I thought how silly for me to do that. So I got an exacto knife and cut the spine out of the student book. I then sliced the spine into five chunks that will fit in my extra-special high performance ($100) three-hole punch left over from my court reporting days. We then put the pages in a notebook (some people call them three-ring binders). I now have a book that I can circle what problems Thomas has to do, that he can take individual sheets out of, and he will now be forced to copy and do his own problems that can't be worked in tea book. I think I'd babied him far too long on that. I also feared keeping books in pristine condition so that I could resell them.
Phooey to that. He worked two lessons today and LOVED that he could write in his book. Amazingly, he did math in record time this morning as well. And he had to copy about 10 problems out of the book and work on graph paper -- it still went so much faster than our typical two-hour math sessions.
Whew. Why didn't I do that sooner? The photo is at the top -- I couldn't get it to move down here where I want it. It was very, very hard for me to cut up a perfect condion book.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Big Heart
As I was getting my donation for the Brown family ready for the mail today, Thomas asked what I was doing. I had told him the story, but he wanted to know more. So I read the article to him. Thomas then bolted straight to his room, dug for money, and came out with five old and weathered dollar bills. "It was all I could find, mom, but I'd like to give it to the family."
And so he did. He wrote a short note, folded up his dollars, and off we went to the post office.
Thomas is very tight with his money, so mom and dad were very proud of him. He has a big heart and wished he had more money to give.
On another note, we did a math marathon this morning. Thomas hates math, but we got ourselves a little behind. So this is math catch-up week. It went surprisingly well. Gee, the week before Christmas, the thought of "Santa" watching (yes, he knows) just got him in the spirit to work well. I wish that would happen every week with math, but I'll just be thankful that he works well with everything else the rest of the time besides math.
We did not start our Christmas unit today because we were busy catching up with other stuff, cleaning the house, being interrupted by the city wanting to change our water meter, phone calls, etc. So tomorrow nothing but math and Christmas. Reminds me of cramming for a test -- but at least we'll have fun.
I don't think I've ever mentioned this on the blog, but we switched math programs yet again this year. We are using Rod and Staff. We both love it. In all honesty, Thomas really does like it -- as much as he can like any math program. He likes it better than Lial's and Singapore. I like it because there is so much practice and review. Thomas really needs that. The only thing I don't like is that I have to make worksheets for Thomas. He is so slow time-wise with math that I simply have to write the problems out for him. I guess that's a mixed blessing, because I use graph paper. Thomas does much better aligning his numbers with graph paper than on notebook paper.
Our second choice is Lial's. We would have continued with Lial's except that I think Thomas needed lots more practice than it afforded.
And so he did. He wrote a short note, folded up his dollars, and off we went to the post office.
Thomas is very tight with his money, so mom and dad were very proud of him. He has a big heart and wished he had more money to give.
On another note, we did a math marathon this morning. Thomas hates math, but we got ourselves a little behind. So this is math catch-up week. It went surprisingly well. Gee, the week before Christmas, the thought of "Santa" watching (yes, he knows) just got him in the spirit to work well. I wish that would happen every week with math, but I'll just be thankful that he works well with everything else the rest of the time besides math.
We did not start our Christmas unit today because we were busy catching up with other stuff, cleaning the house, being interrupted by the city wanting to change our water meter, phone calls, etc. So tomorrow nothing but math and Christmas. Reminds me of cramming for a test -- but at least we'll have fun.
I don't think I've ever mentioned this on the blog, but we switched math programs yet again this year. We are using Rod and Staff. We both love it. In all honesty, Thomas really does like it -- as much as he can like any math program. He likes it better than Lial's and Singapore. I like it because there is so much practice and review. Thomas really needs that. The only thing I don't like is that I have to make worksheets for Thomas. He is so slow time-wise with math that I simply have to write the problems out for him. I guess that's a mixed blessing, because I use graph paper. Thomas does much better aligning his numbers with graph paper than on notebook paper.
Our second choice is Lial's. We would have continued with Lial's except that I think Thomas needed lots more practice than it afforded.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
I have an idea
I want to do something and I'm wondering if it would work. I want to start a website called Homeschoolers helping Homeschoolers. Then when we learn of a tragedy, like the recent Brown Family fire in PA, we could verify that it was real, and get local contact information.
I am the type that cries when I read these stories. I really do hurt for the families. If I can spare a few bucks, I do. So if I did this, would it help? Would it make a difference? Would it work?
Any ideas?
Of course, if this were my site, I would have something along the lines of this: Your race, religion, sex or sexual orientation doesn't matter. This is a matter of homeschoolers reaching out to humanity. You know, some kind of caveat like that, to include any homeschooler.
What does anyone think?
I am the type that cries when I read these stories. I really do hurt for the families. If I can spare a few bucks, I do. So if I did this, would it help? Would it make a difference? Would it work?
Any ideas?
Of course, if this were my site, I would have something along the lines of this: Your race, religion, sex or sexual orientation doesn't matter. This is a matter of homeschoolers reaching out to humanity. You know, some kind of caveat like that, to include any homeschooler.
What does anyone think?
Homeschoolers, Fire, Contact Information
I emailed the reporter, Jill King Greenwood, who wrote the story about the family of 10, who happen to homeschool, who lost their home, their belongings, and all of their school in a fire last week. She gave me the contact information.
I'm going to send what I can. I know nothing more about this family, but my heart just aches for them. If you can spare a few dollars, I'm sure they would more than appreciate it.
Brown Family Fund
c/o Knoxville United Church
148 Jucunda Street
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15210
(412) 381-3317
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