I was about to type my first sentence and stopped.† Seems like each time I post I start out, ‘We had the best week!”. † I started thinking…is every week really that great?† And you know, for the most part they are.† Of course we have our bad days, days I want to drag Kei by her cute little head back to public school, days that my job demands time and I am trying to teach Physics and the dog is barking in my ear and the clothes are piled up to the sky and the house is covered with dog hair and I am overwhelmed.† Days that Kei hates Math and “Why do I have to read” and complains and her room is a disaster zone.
But this is not the norm.† Most weeks ARE great.† They are ‘our’ definition of great, which may not be everyone’s.
We learned a lot this past week, history and physics and grammar and more.† We are reading “Devotions for the God Girl” together and loving it.† We are also getting to preview an exciting new product that I will write more about later.†
Kei has been very busy.† Not ‘Show Week’ busy but busy.† She has been knitting a lot.† On Friday we had to go get the oil changed.† While we were there they discovered I had a V Belt [?] that was about to break.† So we ended up being there 2 hours.† We met the coolest lady who sat there and taught Kei a crochet stitch she didn’t know.† She will now know how to make hats.† Kei didn’t have† her yarn with her so she isn’t sure about a couple of steps but Misty said to call her and she would meet us somewhere and she would show Kei.
Kei has also been making clothes for her Monster High Dolls.† She LOVES these dolls.† They are totally cool.† She started a blog called The Real Life of Monster High and she has been developing stories and taking pictures to add to it.† She has spent tons of time on there.
Thursday she had her Space and Rocket Class.† The one thing I hate about it is that I can’t take pictures!!!† This week was called “Search and Rescue”.†† Kei dictated to me what happened:
They got them in a room and told them all the positions; Lead pointer, second pointer, first in call, and first in call 2.† They you have a SWAT team of Alpha Swat, DC who are the Danger Crossing people, BS which is Beta Swat and the back position.† They voted and picked Kei for the Lead Pointer which is like the leader.† Then they practiced signals, danger crossing, dropping down quickly on the ground, duck and cover and more.† Then they were told their mission.
They had a bomb and about 2 miles away there was an enemy plane with their secret documents.† They had to destroy the plane along with the documents.† They had to avoid the gate people and cars coming down the road.† They could not be seen or heard from any staff members.† They accomplished this by sending hand signals to the SWAT teams and coordinating their moves.† When they got to the plane they dropped the bomb on the wing and ran away as fast as they could.†
While she was doing all of that I went with some friends to a model shop and then watched the son race a Bandit model car around a dirt track.† It was pretty cool too!† When I picked her up she was excited, jabbering like crazy and had GRASS stains on her new jeans. Next week is rope training.
On Saturday we went to Florence to the Renaissance Faire.† This is one of our favorite festivals!† I would love to take a year and just travel around from faire to faire.† We had so much fun!† We met some friends there and walked around.† It was a beautiful day for it!
One of the funniest things was a Jack Sparrow impersonator.† Now anyone who knows Kei knows that Johnny Depp is† her future husband.† Girls were following him around, giggling and acting silly.† I told her I wanted a picture, she rolled her eyes, muttered ‘imposter’ under her breath and stood beside him.†
It was a wonderful day.† Kei ended up getting a crown, a bow and arrow [for her Halloween costume which has changed AGAIN] and a jingle belt.
On the way home we passed so many cotton fields.† We decided to stop and take pictures because, while cotton fields are very common to us, we thought some people may not have seen one before.
We also finished “Catching Fire” on the way home and are about to start the final book, ‘Mockingjay‘. † We have LOVED these books so much.† The movie comes out in March and we are looking forward to that too. Seriously we have enjoyed these books as much as anything in a long time.† We work “Hunger Games” conversation into every day life. 🙂
Another great week and here is it Monday.† What happened to October???
Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen
ìHappy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!î ~Effie Trinket
ìHereís some advice. Stay alive.î ~Haymitch Abernathy
My (first) cotton post it up.
Thanks again. {hugs}
We got your package last night… we had forgotten to get the mail in all the Halloween festivities, but after trick or treating we picked up and I got a great treat. Thank you SO much! We will do Alabama again! This is so perfect for our studies, too as I will save it for when we get to the Cotton Gin and all that. Can I copy your cotton fields to the Alabama post I will be doing? I will link it, of course, to this blog. Thank you again. You girls are such treasure to me.
have i told you how much i love an honest post? {um, you probably know -after my recent post- that i put the ugly out with the good, right? ha!} there is always such an array of activities in your posts. kei is very blessed to have you. i’m sure you feel the same about her. 😉 ((hugs))
What an awesome week:) Love all your photos of the Renaissance Faire!
I used to live in Alabama and do miss seeing fields of cotton, so thanks for sharing that too.
And I have to say, the best Jack Sparrow I’ve ever seen (other than Johnny Depp, of course:) was at Disneyworld. He was an amazing- a really good impersonator…but he probably wouldn’t have fooled Kei!
Thank you! I have never seen a cotton field before and I love the pictures!
Looks like a fabulous, fantastic week to me 😉
Do you play World of Warcraft? I don’t, but we know people who do and are ADDICTED!
PS… checked out Kei’s blog, too. She’s incredibly creative… had you noticed?
What an amazing week!! Wow. I feel like I was such a slacker when I homeschooled… I want to go back and start over!!
If I pay for postage would you send me a few cotton bolls? I know the kids would love to see them.
Oh – how in the world do you think they are going to translate the book into a movie? I have been wondering ever since I heard it was cast. Have you seen the cast selections? I think they are great!
Kei’s blog is amazing. It is creative and unique. I love it.
A few weeks ago when I was accused by someone close to me of only posting the good, I started asking myself the same question…are all our weeks “fantastic, fabulous, and wonderful?” Yes. We have moments in our week that are not so great. Sisterly squabbling I can surely do without. But the memories we create and the projects we are involved with and the learning we discover together IS fantastic, fabulous and wonderful. I will never doubt myself again.
I love your posts. Your love, joy, and enthusiasm shine through. I love looking at your adventures and often find myself wishing that I were there tagging alongside you.
I don’t know, but from where I sit, your weeks look pretty good to me! 🙂 It seems like you and Kei have a blast at whatever you do…of course you have your bad times and challenges, who doesn’t?…but you find such joy! It is so much fun to read your posts.
I took a peek at The Real Life of Monster High. Kei has put in so much work…it’s awesome!
Karen, you SHOULD always start your posts with “We had the best week,” because you DO. You have beautiful, wonderful, learning-filled, joy-filled, LIFE-filled weeks, and they are always so wonderful to read about. I am so happy for you guys, living such full lives. And I am so inspired by how much of that fullness you give back. That makes you guys pretty amazing in my eyes.
The Real Life of Monster High rocksóI loved it! What a great idea. I loved all the different pages and the personalities that came out in the diaries. Loved the shopping expedition. Kei, again, you’re awesome.
And what a busy week you had, with Space class, and Renaissance Festivals and cotton field frolicking. I really, really loved those last picsóI have never seen a cotton field, so thank you! And you looked wonderful, both of you, there in the sunshine, surrounded by white. Lovely.
I agree with you…all of your weeks look wonderful anyway. The class sounds incredible. I like the way you two find goodness wherever you go.
Sure sounds like another great week! The cotton looks amazing, I for one have never seen one before, thank you! Love the jingle belt. Very cute!
Awesome!! We just went to a Renaissance Festival. You guys are so cool. 🙂 I’d have loved to feel one of those cotton bunches.