We started ‘school’ back today.โ Kei and I were both ready for it.
She did a report from “The Daring Book for Girls”.โ This is the coolest book ever.โ She picked, of all things, Karate.
Then she helped me fax my work flyer to about 50 Production companies.โ She said she needed to write down the numbers so she would have them ‘one day when I am about to be an actress’. ๐
We had to miss our roamschool outing to Moe’s.โ Daddy wanted us to come over and go through the house again.โ I have such conflicting emotions about moving.โ I just pray that it all works out.
Tomorrow we start cleaning over there.โ Lord give me strength and patience! ๐
I am not ready for December.โ I am not ready for Christmas and presents and trees and decorations.
Kei is though.โ She is more than ready for us both.
The past 2 weeks have been good.โ We have done some really cool things in homeschooling.โ We are still doing the American Revolution and also making a Grammar Lapbook.โ It is a really fun one where you are a visitor from another planet and are trying to figure out the English language.
We have learned about the Brain and Kei made a brain hat. <this is so neat!>โ She also did the Stroop test and thought it was so cool.โ We determined which was her dominate side <left>.
The Girl with 2 Brains
We went to Heather’s for a GNO.โ We ate pasta and sandwiches and desert and caramel popcorn and watched Momma Mia! on blue ray and trust me, it DOES make a difference.โ Our girls were singing and dancing the entire time.โ We don’t have 1 shy, introvert HSer among us! ๐
"Momma Mia, Here I go again"MM Robot
Chan came and spent a few days with us.โ We always love having her.โ Her and Kei had so much fun.โ They borrowed my camera and kept trying to get jumping shots of themselves.
Yes, Kei still has her tonsils!
Thanksgiving we spent giving back to our community.โ We went with our church to serve 1400 meals delivered to families and serve 400 inmates.โ We love doing this each year.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. ~Dr. Seuss
Then we went to Gina and Bobby’s.โ We had an AWESOME Chinese dinner.โ The lumpia’s that Gina made were out of this world.โ I am still craving them.
Thanksgiving Chinese Style
Kei and I had written down a thing that we were thankful for each day in November.โ We made them into a chain and read each other’s Thanksgiving Day.โ It was scary how similar they were.
Kei and I spent the rest of the holiday weekend watching movies, playing computer games and board gamesโ and laughing a lot.
Kei loves Halloween!โ Almost as much as Christmas and her birthday.โ Remember when we actually looked forward to birthdays? ๐
We started the Halloween week by going Trunk or Treating at our friends church.โ We had a great time.
Then Kei made a witch nose and finger with Play Dough.
I'll Get you my Pretty..
Saturday morning [Halloween] we went to our church for a Halloween celebration.โ It was awesome!โ We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and all the trimmings.โ Our church rocks!
Epic Corn HuntEpic Train
When we got home my brother brought us a pumpkin.โ We then carved it.โ Ok I am not the best carver in the world.โ Kei wanted a vampire.โ What she got was…a big mouthed something or other.โ She did better on the eyes and nose than I did on the mouth!
Vampire?
Saturday night we got Kei decked out in her Mother Nature costume and were off to get candy!โ Some of the people around here really get into the Halloween spirit so there were spooks, Massโ Murderers, scary music and fog at every turn.
Mother NatureDon't fool Mother Nature
When we had collected our fill of candy and half freezing to death we went out to my brother’s house where he had a Scavenger Hunt for the kids.โ Heather and I drove the kids around to various locations for clues.โ You haven’t lived until you have been to a graveyard on Halloween night with a full moon!โ Also did you know some people put lighted crosses on graves?โ I couldn’t believe it.โ The kids loved it and the only complaint was that it was too short.โ Thanks Eddie for inviting us!
We are studying about Colonial Times and have watched a series on PBS called Colonial House. It is like a reality show with modern families having to live like Colonists.โ We ordered it from Netflix.โ We both agree that we wouldn’t really care to live during those times. We read a book about an average day and the little girl in the book put on 16 items of clothing every morning.โ Kei tried it with skirts, stockings, tulle skirts and various things.โ She kept it on about 10 minutes and then I found pieces of clothing like Hansel and Gretel’s bread trail. ๐
She also did a poster on Seed Dispersal.โ She loves hands on activities and I really think she retains more than just doing a worksheet.
I never throw away anything electronic that breaks.โ Kei loves to take things apart.โ Here she is taking apart our poor dead DVD player.โ The funniest part was I heard her talking and I said, “Please don’t talk to inanimate objects” and she said, “I am pretending I am a doctor doing surgery on it”.
This is a picture Kei made of our gorgeous plant that Gina gave us.โ It has done so well!โ Especially considering I have a JET BLACK thumb!
All in all a good week.โ Now if it would only stop raining.โ It is supposed to cool off this weekend.โ We have our electric blanket ready to go.
“Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain so yellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a young and a callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow–follow, oh-oh.” -โ Try to Remember, Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
I can’t believe it is already the middle of September.โ Where does time go?
We are in full swing with homeschooling.โ Loving it with very few meltdowns by either of us.
We missed the “Not Back to School” picnic and the 1st skate day because Kei was very sick.โ We both hated missing it.
We did go bowling which was fun.โ I got to see some people I hadn’t seen all summer.โ Kei broke 100 which is a 1st for her.
She has been in a coloring mode lately.โ Every night after dinner she colors and colors and colors.
We are learning about Kingdoms, etc.โ Even though I think it is a little silly.โ I mean how many times have you been asked for the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus or Species of a mushroom???โ Kei has memorized all of them which is more than I know.โ โ We did an experiment about “Opposable Thumbs” and it was a hoot.โ She had to try to do all these things with her thumbs taped down.โ Some she accomplished but it took forever and some she could not do at all.
I love homeschooling.โ I love spending so much time with Kei.โ I love learning right along with her.โ I have learned relearned so much!โ We are doing American History and I have never been so fascinated by Explorers and the first settlements.โ In a perfect world we could go to visit Jamestown after studying about it.โ But…with the internet that is almost possible.
Kei is now working on a play about Virginia Dare. She is convinced that the Indians got her and they all lived happily ever after.โ She still believes in that…..
We so want to be country girls.โ 10 years ago, the thought of living in the country would have sent me into a panic.โ Funny how a little nature girl and a homeschooling lifestyle can change your point of view.
We have had a great week and ฮฉ.โ We started American History this year, after 2 years of Ancient History.โ We loved learning about the Native Americans.โ Kei made a tipi [which I never knew was spelled that way!], we watched some movies and did all sorts of cool things.โ Now we have moved onto Explorers.
Kei has fallen in love with the neighbor’s baby boy.โ 1st time she has ever held a baby this small!
We have bird feeders and we have enjoyed watching the birds.โ I think we must be the only place within miles that feed them.โ We have so many birds.โ We also have hummingbirds; which Kei has named Monkey, Dolphin and Tiger!โ We have an adorable parakeet that showed up about a month ago and is still here!โ Her name is Yum Yum and we adore her!โ She stays around here day and night and looks so beautiful flying with her less colorful new friends.
Yum Yum the Parakeet
We built a fire one night and roasted marshmallows.โ I love the cooler weather! โ It makes me ready for fall, which I know is not that close.
We are learning about animal and plant cells and made this cool Jello Cell.โ It is supposed to be edible, but Kei passed on the eating part. ๐
Animal Cell
We had our weekly, bimonthly, monthly tea party.โ Complete with sandwhiches, gummy worms, jelloโ and lots of laughter.
Kei went to Brit’s spend the night party and the next day we went to Zachery’s Slip and Slide party.โ Fun times were had by all.
Kei got to slide under a neighbors truck on his…thingamijig.โ Grrrr, what is that called?โ I must google it.โ She was impressed with the underneath of it!โ She also Pogoed, which she is getting quite good at.
It has been a good week.โ โ Kei and I cleaned OUT her room.โ We moved everything out and then rearranged.โ What a job!โ But she loves it.
We had my nephew spend the night a couple of nights and he was a blast.โ He helped me clean off the balcony and various other “I need a strong dude” chores.โ We sat on the balcony and had a fire.โ It was so great.
We went to Esther’s for a day of food, laughter and play.
We moms had to get our “silly on” too.
Then Seth taught Kei to play Poker.โ Of course, she had to ‘dress’ the part.โ Esther said it was a fine example of learning Math and symbols.โ E can find the ‘learning’ in anything!!
Kei is so excited about going to see “Beauty and The Beast” at the Princess.โ We can’t wait.
We homeschool year round.โ I believe learning is an ongoing process.โ We learn every day.โ How can you just STOP that for 3 months?โ It is crazy.โ But public schools are out here.โ Which means no more quite mornings laying in the hammock and reading.โ There will be kids…kids knocking on the door, kids wanting to play in the water, kids wanting to swing.โ Now don’t get me wrong, I love kids.โ Most of ’em. ๐
Gina picked us up to go spend the day at Suzette’s.โ She had a cool new toy!โ A Garmin GPS!โ This was his maiden voyage and we loved it!โ I gots’ to get my directionally challenged self one of these!
We spent a great day at Suzette’s.โ 6 Moms, 11 kids, several dogs.โ We had lunch and talked.โ Suz told us about the awesome trip she is taking in her camper.โ 36 days!โ She will never come out of it SANE! ๐
The Girls
I have the greatest homeschool friends! I adore them all and I love ALL their kids! Now seriously, how many of your friends can you say that about??? <g>
Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Kei and I watched the National Spelling Bee last night!โ We were rooting for the homeschoolers.โ Especially Serena. She was so cool!โ Of the 11 finalists, 3 were homeschoolers!!โ I was truly amazed.โ I consider myself fairly intelligent and I had never heard of 90% of those words!โ Here are a few of them:
antonomasia, bouquiniste, oriflamme, guayabera, isagoge and sophrosyne.โ SAY WHAT????
