Tag Archives: homeschool girls

Everybody Wants To Be A Cat…

August 4, 2013 Karen 11 Comments

There is huge amounts of time spent putting on a theater show. Auditions were in May. Practice started the first of June. 3 times a week. 2-3 hours a practice. The week of the show there is practice every single day from Saturday through Wednesday. Sunday we were there for almost 6 hours. Then there is the actual shows; 4 of them this show. Each one us having to arrive hours before curtain goes up. Saturday we were there from noon to 10:30 PM.

Plus Keilee practices at home for at least an hour each day. She always wants to know her lines by the 2nd practice. Which is crazy but that is how she likes to roll.

There is blocking to learn [that is your place on the stage for you non-theater people :)], huge choreography numbers and costume fittings.

There is hair and makeup. There was huge makeup for this show. The kids had to be transformed into cats, dogs, geese and a mouse.

There were newspaper interviews. Keilee spoke to 3 different papers for this show. There are pictures to be posed for.

And it isn’t all just Keilee’s practices. I always work backstage and there is set direction I have to learn, typing up our list of what needs to be placed where and when. There is all that driving to practice. Around 20 minutes one way. Which isn’t that bad compared to some I know. There is running around finding the perfect cat leggings, white gloves, jewelry, tights and more.

There is exhausted Mom and Kei after long practices and getting home at 10:00 or later. Then Keilee had to take a shower and dry her hair and roll it on 20 sponge rollers because this show calls for curly hair.

But then… on show day…there is magic.

Fun with the Kittens and Final Bow…

I watched one show from the front. In an actual chair instead of getting a side view from backstage. I watched my child shine on stage. Doing something she loves so much. I watched her face change with the different emotions. I watched her “Mother” her kittens instinctively. I watch her ‘fall in love’ with Thomas O’Malley. And I knew I was watching her future. A future Keilee that will meet a boy and flirt and fall in love and have babies and nurture and take care of them. And it made me so happy. And so sad.

Some of Keilee’s dearest and best friends. She loves these kids so much.

Some of the people who came to see her. I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of everyone who came.

Some of my favorite shots. Keilee knitted Cat hats for all her kittens plus the youngest girl in the show. Also see the Duchess cupcakes one of the Moms made? Awesome!

My favorite picture….

So another play over. But what wonderful memories we will have from this one. I think this is one of my top 3 favorite of all time. It may be my favorite but I’ll have to think about that.

Next week it is back to reality…well reality Homeschool Girls style.

Homeschool Rocks,
Karen

“You really, really, really have to love what you are going to do in theater because it is an unmerciful life. It’s six days a week. It’s eight performances a week. And that’s doing the exact same thing over and over and over again.” ~Harvey Fierstein

Learning, Learning all the time, My Mother

Watermelon, Honey Bees and Silly Bandz…

September 19, 2010 Karen 4 Comments

It has been a good few days.† School is going awesome.† We have some great outings coming up that we can’t wait for!

This past week was my Mother’s Birthday.† Kei wanted to make Mother a card which she did.† She wrote on it and so did I.† She addressed it to :

Me <which is how my Mother always signed everything!>

0 Heaven Street

Anywhere, Anytime.

She climbed up in the tree to attach it.† I guess she thought the tree was closer to Heaven.

We were cutting up watermelon, which I love!† Kei honestly flipped a piece on top of her head!† I was laughing so hard and screaming, “Don’t move, Don’t move”.† She said, “I know I know, the camera for the blog right?”† It was so funny.

Our hummingbird feeders got invaded by Honey bees.† I couldn’t believe it.† They were everywhere.† My brother said it was so dry that all the flowers have died and there is no nectar so they are getting it from the sugar water.

Daddy bought us a new hammock for our stand but unfortunately it didn’t fit our stand.† Kei and I made a new swing for her with it.† She is loving it.

Today when we went to church Kei had so many silly bandz on I almost said something about it.† Then I remember me in the 80’s wearing bangles from my wrist to my elbow.† I told her they were awesome.

We are looking forward to this week.† I finished her lesson plans just a bit ago.† If you haven’t already check out http://www.currclick.com They are giving away 20 freebies for Pirate Week.† Just click around and find the ‘treasure chests’.† There are some great freebies!!!† Here are some hints for where they are hidden.† Enjoy!

Starting on the home page: www.currclick.com

1. Pirate banner (top of page)
2. Bottom of page
3. Top 100 products (right side of page)
4. Free Stuff (left side of page)
5. Follow your favorites (click notices on left side of page)
6. About CurrClick
7. Quick Start Guide/ FAQ’s
8. Troubleshooting
9. Contact us
10. Privacy Policy
Starting in Account:
11. View or change account settings
12. View or change my billing address
13. Change my account password
14. View the orders I have made (also same as show all orders on top of page)
15. View all products I’ve purchased with download links
16. View all products updated since my last download
17. View all products awaiting my review
18. Select how I wish to be contacted by publishers
19. Wishlist

Have a wonderful, blessed week!

“Living is learning and when kids are living fully and energetically and happily they are learning a lot, even if we don’t always know what it is. ”
~John Holt

HomeSchool, Learning, Learning all the time, Life

Dragons, 1st Day of School, Tails??!!!…

August 9, 2010 Karen 1 Comment

Still hot.† Still trying to stay cool.† Still failing miserably.† We tried water, lots of water in various forms.

We also introduced Nomad to a huge chunk of ice.† He loved it.† Me?… I just can’t imagine lying on my stomach in ice no matter how hot it is!

Kei got a new shirt that we both ADORE!† We are so totally geek girls.† Isn’t this the cutest?

We started school today!† The PS started today too. That is where the similarity ended I am sure. :)† Kei wanted me to get her up at 5:30 AM!† Ummm NOT.† I made her pancakes for breakfast.† She shared with Nomad. [minus the syrup]

1st Day Pancakes — Back to School Pancakes!

Kei bought Nomad a Dragon costume for “Halloween” she said.† Although the poor doggie has had it on twice so far.

After school Kei and Nomad put on a play.† She used a mix of songs and changed the words around.† It was TOO funny!† Nomad was not very into it.† I think the whole ‘big green thing on his head’ confused him.

I debated putting this next little tidbit on because I just hate to fuel the fire of “Strange Homeschoolers”.† But…Kei would be weird no matter what.† She tells me at least once a week she wishes she had a TAIL!† A real tail.† An animal TAIL.† I get flashbacks of† Jason Alexander’s tail in “Shallow Hal”.† <shivers>† She made a tail today and fastened it on and was so happy.† I mean…so HAPPY!† Should I seek professional help for her about this?????

I had gotten Kei a free LEGO kit that I saw on a blog this summer.† It wasn’t a very big set, but FREE is FREE.† It came today and they included some challenges.† One of them was to use all the LEGOS so there were exactly 100 ‘bumps’ showing.† Kei worked and worked on it.† She would get 98, 103, 95 and finally she got it!† She was so geeked.

A wonderful start to what we hope is a glorious school year!

Hope your year rocks!

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mohandas Gandhi

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning, Learning all the time, Theatre, trips

Music, Plays and Socialization….

July 21, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Weekly Wrap-Up

Kei is around friends all the time.† Anyone who mentions anything about ‘socialization’ and homeschooling obviously knows nothing about ‘OUR’ homeschooling.† I never remember doing so much with my friends when I was young.

Kei had Camp Princess last week and loved it so much.† She learned a lot and had a blast.

Mark Sellers who is from Decatur and a ‘star’ of sorts came to talk to them.† He was a dancer in Michael Jackson’s Thriller video and showed the kids the dance.† Kei was so THRILLED!

He also commented on Kei’s outfit and her boots.† She did look pretty darn cute.

She got the only speaking line in their “Hard Knock Life”† and a little dance solo with 1 other girl and 2 other boys in the “Hairspray” number.† She was beyond excited.

Friday night was the ‘production’ and Daddy, Marlene, Suzette, Dave, Emily, Zachery, Esther, Matt, Jake, Chandler and Ben all came!!!† We were blown away that so many of our friends and family came to see Kei.† We have the best friends in the world.† We are so lucky to have found an extended family.

Kei Camp Princess onstage — Picture by Esther Crawford

Afterward we went out to eat with all of our friends.† They had eaten so they all ate desert while Kei and I ate yummy calzones.

Livvy spent the night with Kei and as always they had a blast playing and talking into the night.

Kei and Livvy also put on a play.† Kei can’t spend more than a few hours with anyone without talking them into doing a play!

Kei made an outfit for Nomad that was more like a straight jacket.† Poor Nomad suffers so many indignities for Kei.† Kei was laughing SO hard about it.

We went to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Spring Park Tuesday.† The Music Hall of Fame was kinda cool.† None of us knew very many of the artists but it was still interesting.† The girls recorded a song “Eye of the Bison” about the infamous Bison vs. Suzette Incident.† We had a blast but it was so very hot.

Kids Music Hall of Fame — Kids at Music Hall of Fame

Girls Music Hall Fame — Girls at Recording Studio

They also sang “Sweet Home Alabama”.

After the Hall of Fame we went to Spring Park.† The kids all rode the roller coaster about 100 times, rode the train, rode the carousel and played and talked.† It was a great day but very hot!

Kei Brit Roller Coaster — Kei and Brit on Ride #47ish

All the girls decided to come home with us.† It was a blast having 4 girls.† They talked and giggled and laughed and played.† Good times.

I had to clean and refill the pool but they managed to find a way to stay cool anyway.

So in the last week, we were with friends and family about 5 days.† And that wasn’t an unusual week.† Socialization is such a NON ISSUE.

Tomorrow is supposed to be freakishly hot so we plan on staying inside and playing games.† Stay cool everyone!
Happy rest of the week,

The idea of learning acceptable social skills in a school is as absurd to me as learning nutrition from a grocery store.
~ Lisa Russell

Friends, Holidays, HomeSchool, Learning, Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child, nature, Nomad

Piercings, Picnics, and Naked Barbies…

July 4, 2010 Karen 1 Comment

The United States is the only country with a known birthday.† ~James G. Blaine

Happy 4th of July!† It is hard to imagine how it was for our forefathers back in 1776.† How they must have felt finally being FREE.† I am not a believer in war, however at times I suppose it is necessary to growth.

We plan on celebrating quietly.† We hung out outside in the sun and played with Nomad.† We swam and played some board games.† Tonight we are going to grill out and shoot some fireworks. Kei spent 30 minutes making this water chair.† When she finally got on it I asked her, “What is the difference in just having in on the grass”? and she showed me by falling off of it into the water.

Kei shot a few last night to get prepared.

Nomad has a new favorite toy.† It is an old Barbie doll of Kei’s.† He loves it and carries it everywhere.† Kei said she needed to find him a Ken doll and I told her it was probably better if he tried to chew the head off the female one…right?

This is a contraption we made him for alone time play.† I think we should patent it don’t you?

Kei has been playing with her Little Pets a lot.† She got this idea to pierce their ears.† My Momma loved jewelry and had tons of it.† Kei found earrings and went to work. I about cracked up when I saw the ‘finished’ pets.

Here is Hopper with her new earring.

More HOLEY Pets…

Here they are having a race up the washing machine.

I am so glad my child is easily amused.

Kei has been getting my camera and taking pictures.† She told me she really wanted to learn more about Photography.

Here are a few of her shots.† I thought she did really well.

Kei and I have been having tea parties for years.† We wear flowery dresses, hats and drink from a hand painted tea set Kei made when she was about 5.† This was our 1st Tea Party in the new house.† We decided to have it in the rose garden.† I am always Miss Chamomile and Kei is Miss Sassafras.† Nomad was invited and he was Mr. Fluff.† We always speak in either British or very Southern accents. It was an interesting addition inviting Nomad.

Kei Nomad Picnic — Mr. Fluff NOT cooperating...

Nomad Tea Party — Mr. Fluff drinking his tea..

Kei Nomad Tea Party — Miss Sassafras and Mr. Fluff relaxing

Kei has been working on her treehouse.† It isn’t really a great tree for a treehouse. I tell her when I win the lottery I will get her a killer treehouse. Seth spent the night and he helped her work on it.† He put her in a seat.

We also went swimming at Cathy’s and ate lunch.† We had such a great day!

On the way home Kei saw a turtle in the road and freaked out for me to get it.† I just knew either me, Kei or the turtle was going to end up smooshed but we all made it home safely.† Kei let the turtle out in our creek.

The next day we went bowling shopping and some of the kids did the bungee jumpy thingy.

Thursday Kei and I went to see Eclipse.† We really liked it and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.† I think it was my favorite Twilight so far.† We also saw the trailer for Deathly Hallows!!!

Kei Eclipse — Kei and Johnny chillaxing...

Kei is responsible for changing our fishbowl every week.† I told her only, ‘Make it beautiful”.† This is this weeks.

I am loving our summer, our new doggie and my girl.† I am blessed.

ìDon’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.î† Winnie The Pooh

Have a wonderful week.

HomeSchool, Learning, Life, My beautiful child, Nomad

Swinging, Swimming, Digging and Other Stuff…

June 26, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Saturday night.† Kei is at a party and I am sitting here listening to silly pooch bark his head off.† The barking….please make the barking stop!

Kei went to a Luau and she was all lualed out.

Today was also Nomad’s 3 month birthday.† WalGreen’s were also having a “Bring Your Dog and Take Their Picture” Day.† Of course we were there bright and early.† Everyone was oohing and ahhing over Nomad and Kei was strutting around like a proud Mama.† The people at WalGreens said he was the best dog they had all day.† He jumped up and sat for his pictures.† All the other dogs were running around kinda crazy.† One lady told Kei she would have to come train her dog when Kei said “Sit” and Nomad sat. He really was the cutest thing in his bandanna.† Reminded me of when Kei was little and everyone would oooh and ahhh over her, but I never strutted, really, I didn’t….not much anyway

When we got home we had to have a little party for him.† Kei put on his favorite song, “Who Let the Dogs Out” and they danced in their party hats.† I told her I wasn’t doing this EVERY month!!

Kei Nomad Bday — Shaking it Doggie Style..

Kei has seen something on TV she MUST have.† It is a pillow pet [Do NOT click this link] and no matter how much I try to convince her it is for 3 year olds, she wants one.† I guess I should be happy she doesn’t want a push-up bra and a 6 pack!† I have told her that I was not giving her almost $30 for it so she made up a list of chores that she would do and get paid.† Her prices were ridiculously low so I had to adjust them to 2010 standards.† One thing is weeding which I DESPISE.† Yesterday she worked her little butt off weeding a flower garden.† It took her 2 1/2 hours.† She was supposed to get $3 but I gave her $5.† She was as dirty as she has ever been!† [You clicked the link didn’t you? Now you have that ridiculous song stuck in your head don’t you???]

We got some corn and beans from the Farmer’s Market and Kei shucked the corn.† I think she loved doing that because she feels all farm girlie.

Kei has been swimming in her pool often.† Even though it is a little crooked.† I really should have put some sand under it since the yard slopes so much.† Oh well…next year….

She also has loved her tire swing even though I am afraid she will slam into the big oak tree.† She was on it with her bathing suit on and I just could see her body wrecked on that tree.† Of course the fear didn’t prevent me from capturing the moment on film digital.

Chan spent a couple of nights and they played in the creek, played in Kei’s room, played with Nomad,† played Rock Band and swam.† I was exhausted just watching them.

We also ran over to Bridge Street to pick up my PowerBook…again.

Kei is still loving her dance classes.† She seems to be really learning a lot because the class is small and they work one on one with them.

Kei is ready to start school back so I think we will do that in a week or so.† I am so excited about it!† I know it’s early but we just love learning!† I can’t believe I started homeschooling when she was in 2nd grade and she would be in 5th grade the coming year.† I just want her to SLOW DOWN!

As we move into July soon, the days are getting hotter, everyone is moving a little slower, we are eating more ice cream, the A/C is running constantly but life is still sweet.

“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good.“††††† Bertrand Russell

Happy Weekend,

HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child, Nomad, trips

Canines, Cinema and Cooling Off….

June 21, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Today is officially the first day of summer.† However it has been SUMMER for a while now. The days have been hot with summer showers popping up to make things even more muggy.

Nomad is growing like crazy.† Chewing up everything in site.† He jumps up on us with delight and we both have battle scars to show for it.† I got his nails clipped but at $8 a pop, I MUST learn to do it myself.

We bought him a pool.† He loves it.† At first he started picking up his water bowl and carrying it around, spilling everything in it.† We knew he needed water especially outside.† So we found a metal bucket that was too big for him to carry around now.† But he would try to get his paws in it.† So we found a larger container…same thing…he would try to get into it.† So we gave up and bought him a little swimming pool.† It is kinda gross because he gets into it all dirty and then drinks it but hey! we are talking about an animal that licks its butt!

He is officially [in our world, which is the only world that matters] the WORLD’S CUTEST DOG.† It must be announced in capital letters to show just how cute he is.† There are days I want to kill him [but there are days I want to kill Kei too] but we do adore this crazy pooch.

Wet Tired Pooch — Swimming is fun but tiring...

Friday the 18th was National Picnic Day.† We celebrated by going to the “River Park”.† Liv had spent the night and we loaded up Nomad and his ‘stuff’.† Seriously I feel like I have a baby in the house!† Fun was had by all.

004 — Sliding is FUN ..really...it is....

For the first time Kei was able to get onto the swingie, rollie, thingie.† She was happy.

All in all a good day, albeit hotter than hot!

Me and my girl and crazy dog — Kei, Ka and Krazy Nomad

Kei and Livvy washed the dog.† I helped…some…

Kei Nomad bath — Come baby..this won't hurt a bit...

We ran to the Dollar Tree to spend about $30.† Has anyone ever gone into the Dollar store and spent only $1?????† Kei and Liv once again proved they are still little girls at heart.

We also went to see Kung Fu Panda this past week.† We love going to FREE movies!

King Fu Kids — Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...

Kei and I had a dryer meltdown and had to move the old dryer to the alley [we have a BIG yard] and get the new one out and around to hook up.† After much sweat, brainstorming, screaming, kicking, cussing talking sweetly to it, we got ‘er done.† We were very proud of ourselves!

Sunday we met Daddy, Marlene and Eddie at Cracker Barrel for Father’s Day Breakfast.† After church Kei and I decided to go to Bridge Street.† I had to take my laptop back because the DVD wasn’t recognizing the ..well the DVD.† Then we went to see Toy Story 3.†† We had HORRIBLE seats but were excited about seeing it.† Kei has always loved Toy Story.† She was about 3 and I took her to Toys R Us and told her she could have 1 toy.† She wanted Buzz Lightyear.† She decided when we moved to still keep him.† The movie was so sad.† I mean I cried…CRIED, not just sniffled.† Kei just rolled her eyes at me like she does.

Then we went to Orange Tree Yogurt. That place lures you in with promises of 45¢ an ounce yumminess.† After putting peanut butter yogurt, a few little sprinkles and a little bit of caramel topping we had $4.79 worth of yumminess!

A wonderful end to a wonderful week

To Infinity and Beyond,

Learning all the time, My beautiful child, Nomad, Weather

Best Friends, More Doggy and River Rats…

June 14, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

“Dirty hands, iced tea, garden fragrances thick in the air and a blanket of color before me, who could ask for more?”
— Bev Adams

It has been HOT.† Boiling, sweating, drenched-as-soon-as-you- walk-out-the-door, hot.† Complaints of how cold our Alabama winter was seems a long lost memory.

Liv spent the night with Kei and they had a blast.† They spent hours playing in the “creek” behind our house.† Or our ‘river’ as G calls it.† They were soaked, the dog was soaked, they all smelled like wet dog and creek….good times.

When they finally got cleaned up they baked a cake.† They each decorated 1/2 of it.

After dinner we took Nomad for a walk. I have walked, ridden, ran and skipped over the ‘concrete bridge’ a million times.† We used to ride our bikes over it BEFORE there was a fence.† I would KILL Kei if she ever tried anything like that.

After the walk they needed ice cream.

Of course, after sticky ice cream, they needed a night time swim.

I had 2 little girls that slept very soundly that night!

We got up early to go to some garage sales.† Liv had never been to a yard sale!!!† We had to remedy that quickly!

We went to a yard sale out in Trinity and on the way back passed hay bales.† Liv had never climbed on a hay bale so I quickly made an illegal turn and parked the car!

I enjoyed having Livvy here so much.

Saturday morning Kei and I went to Cullman to meander around.† We ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and tried to find Southern Accents to no avail!† We went to the Cullman Farmer’s Market which we love.† On the way home we stopped at a nursery/antique shop.† Kei went head to head with a rooster.

She was also very angry that they had a statue of David with a GAP Tshirt on.† I told her we were in the country and maybe they were offended by his nakedness.† She thought that was the dumbest thing she ever heard.

We also saw a place where old school buses go to die.

When we got home I relaxed in the hammock and Kei played with Nomad.

Sunday we went to church and afterward went to Eddie’s house for Nomad’s 1st River Run.† Nomad was NOT happy on the ride out there.† First he was in his little crate and he was having none of it.† Then we let him out and he still barked so loudly he about made me deaf!† We decided he wasn’t a traveling dog which made† us sad.† At Eddie’s we got in his car and Nomad laid on the floorboard and didn’t utter a peep!† Maybe he just doesn’t like Suzuki’s!

We had a wonderful day with Eddie and Nomad loved the river. Kei promptly dubbed him a river rat <of course that is what Johnny Depp was called in Chocolat and if you know Kei you will understand THAT>

Kei Nomad River — Kei and Nomad the River Rat

Kei Nomad River 2 — My girl and my doggie...

We also ran by Hollywood Video which is going out of business and bought a few things.† One was “Marley and Me” which we have seen before.† However, we saw it before we got and fell in love with a yellow lab.† It was so much funnier because we have been there this time around.† Also so much more heart breaking.† Kei, who has never really cried at a movie, just went outside after it was over and hugged and hugged Nomad and cried her heart out. Poor baby girl.† She does love her doggie.

All in all a great weekend and now it is Monday….

The start of a new week, filled with possibilities!

Be Blessed,

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child, Nomad

Lazy days, Bento and T-Shirt Painting…

June 3, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Ahhhh June…full of possibilities and adventures waiting to happen.† I love June 1st.† It is the ‘start of the summer’, a time when anything can happen.† The days are longer, the nights are warmer, lightening bugs roam at night, pools glisten in the sunlight, laughter rings out in back yards.

Of course reality is: the lawn mower is broken, the pool has a leak, the dog is pooping in the yard every 2 feet, there are more flies and mosquitoes than lightening bugs.† But still…the possibilities are there.

We met some friends for lunch in Huntsville.† We went to a place called Bento Box. Kei and I discovered Bento boxes when she was in K.† I would send her creative, healthy lunches in her cute little Bento Box most days.

My nephew spent the night with us.† He is 14 and I have a horrible habit of finding a million things for a big, strong dude to do when he is here.† He is great at moving heavy things!† He and Kei found some time to swim.

Kei put on a play with Nomad.† She was Minnie Mouse and he was her doggie.† She was going to name him Pluto but decided it would confuse him for her to call him a different name.† God love her.

She also found some time to play Barbies. She puts on plays with her Barbies <go figure>.† I remember Summer days playing Barbies on this very patio.† I love that life has come full circle.

On Wednesday we headed to Esther’s to make RoamSchool T shirts.† We did this 2 summers ago.† I can’t find the actual picture but this is right after it.† Esther what were you thinking having this many kids at your house!!!?????

It is amazing how much they have changed.

Kei hard at work.

I am sad to report, that at the ripe old age of 9 weeks, Nomad has a Monkey on his back.† We are working with him to fix this problem.† There are probably support groups out there.

All in all, a wonderful start to our “Days of Summer”.† Hopefully there will be much more to come.

Happy Summer Days…

HomeSchool, Learning, Life, Nomad

Pt. Mallard, Puppies & Parties…

May 26, 2010 Karen 1 Comment

This past weekend we had Livvy over to spend the night.† Kei and Liv met in Kindergarten and have been friends since then.† They both spoiled Nomad to death!

We went to Soulstock at Pt. Mallard and it was awesome.† Kei and I were supposed to work the Epic booth but mainly I worked and Kei and Liv wandered around.

Kei Liv SS — Kei and Livy working hard at SS

It has been a great week, not for any particular reason just because.† The weather has been amazing,

We have spent the better part of each day outside.† My plants are doing so well. † I have about 15 glads poking up through the soil.† I can’t wait to see the colors!† Nomad is adorable and quickly becoming part of our family.† I just can’t believe I am one of those people…a dog person. I am a DOG person.

We have spent $50 on toys, but does he play with them? Of course not, he prefers my 99 ¢ shoes!

Kei found a baby bunny huddled up by our door.† He was so cute.

Today was Nomad’s 2 month birthday.† We had a party, with hats and balloons and cupcakes and punch.† Kei liked it much more than Nomad did I am sure.

One of Kei’s goals this summer is to read all the Harry Potter books.† I told her I wish I had never read them and could read them all over.

Happy week,

Friends, Learning all the time, nature, Nomad, trips

Camping, Bison and Ticks…

May 21, 2010 Karen 1 Comment

We finally got to go camping with our RoamSchool buddies!† We had a blast.† Below are various pictures from the trip.

The first one is Kei at home cutting up onions for my salsa.† The onions were burning her eyes!

We left early and went to Cathy’s and then we were off!

We met up in Athens and the girls all came with us.† They had a blast.

The trip went by very quickly and we were soon there.† We set up camp and then went exploring.

Cathy had made Lasagna so we got the kids plates.† They were all starving from the busy day.

The sunset was incredible.

Smores!!!

We all ran into town to the grocery store where Kei found a dog that looked just like Nomad on the Cottonelle!

We also went to the Bison and Elk Prairie.† We saw around 40 bison and 22 elk.† We were all so excited.

We also went to a Nature Center and saw some amazing animals.† My favorite were the Barn Owls.

We also saw eagles, chipmunks, hedgehogs, a white deer, and many more animals.

We ate Tacos that night but I was too busy eating to take pictures!† They were so yummy!† I want more right now!

The next day we had to leave because Cathy had to get back to work.† Even though everyone offered for us to stay with them, it was time to get our little family home.† Before we left we stopped by the Plantaterium which was really cool.† They also had some other exhibits.

Kids Table — Some of my favorite Kids in the World!

Then we went to an 1850 working farm.† We loved that.† Kei asked tons of questions and tried to convince me that she could work there for the summer if I would go with her.† Ummm…NO thanks sweetie.

Scream ScareWoman — Scream Scarecrow Woman!

It seemed like it took forever to get home.† The GPS took us some crazy way and it rained and stormed the entire way home.† Nomad was exhausted!

Animals seen:† <borrowed without permission from Esther’s site ;)>

spiders
mosquitoes
ticks
beetles
caterpillars
flies
bees
wasps
hummingbirds
indigo bunting
squirrel
bobcat
groundhog
osprey
eagle
wolf
coyote
bison
elk
deer
turkey
ladybug
beaver
dragonflies
great horned owl
barred owl
barn owl
screech owl
blackbird
centipede
frog
Fowler’s toad
rat snake
garter snake
box turtle
red eared slider
skunk
fish
tadpoles
water strider
goldfinch
heron

All in all a wonderful trip.† When we got home and got unpacked Kei took a long bubble bath and found a tick!!† I kinda freaked out and had to Google it to see how to remove it.† It came out really easily and we checked each other for more of the bloodsucking things!† No more were found but we did find one on Nomad!† It took forever to get that sucker out and poor Nomad was crying and Kei was crying but we finally got it out.† Ticks suck!

Tomorrow is Soulstock and we are both so excited!

Happy weekend,

Learning, Life, My beautiful child, nature, Nomad

Gardening, Pooch Plays & Hobbits….

May 16, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Eddie, Seth, Katherine and Heather came over yesterday to help us in our yard. Eddie had bought us some plants and herbs. He showed me how to clean out a bed and plant. I am constantly amazed with my pleasure in digging in dirt. Eddie said it is because we come from a long line of farmers!

We first planted some herbs; parsley, thyme, rosemary and oregano. Kei planted most of the herbs after Eddie showed her how.

We also planted 20 Glads.† I can’t wait for them to start coming up.† After all that work, Eddie and Heather left.† Since it was their anniversary the kids stayed for the rest of the day.† Seth helped my clean out a flower bed that was in yucky shape.† He worked his butt off digging up a dead rose bush.† At one point he came up to me and pointed to his “Hobbit Feet”.

We spent the afternoon outside.† The kids swam for a bit, I read in the rose garden, and Nomad frolicked!† Late in the afternoon Kei and Nomad put on another play.† She was the sun and Nomad was a flower.† I sure hope he loves having crazy costumes put on him.

We woke up today to rain.† We took Nomad outside, he put his little puppy paw on the grass, turned around and peed on the patio!† We have a Diva Dog I guess.† After church Kei introduced him to the wonders of Disney Channel.

I can’t believe tomorrow is Monday once again.† The middle of May.† How quickly time goes by.

Happy week,

Learning, My beautiful child, My Mother, Nomad

Missing, Dog’s Life & Happiness….

May 14, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

The 2nd anniversary of my Mother’s death came and went. I laid in bed on the eve of her anniversary in the same room she died in. I thought it would really upset me to be in there and while I didn’t sleep much, it wasn’t a ‘freaking out’ restlessness.

I remember that night. My brother and I spent the night here. We knew Mother didn’t have long. It was a horribly long night. They had hooked her up to a breathing machine and I spent most of the night on her floor listening to her struggle to breath. My 2 aunts stayed late. When they left it was just my Daddy, my brother and I. I finally got on the couch and spent all night back and forth from the den to her room. I talked to her and held her hand and touched her face. I remember looking at the clock at one point and it was 3:00 AM. That is such a lonely time. I remember thinking “I don’t know if I can exist in a 3 am that doesn’t have my Mother in it”.

We woke the next morning early, around 6:00. Eddie and I knew that she was almost gone. I called my aunts to ask them to come. They got here around 7:30. We all sat around her bed talking to her. All of us except my Daddy. He couldn’t handle it. It made me think of the line from “Steel Magnolias”, “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something. I just sat there. I just held Shelby’s hand. There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman how lucky I am.” My Mother breathed her final breath at 8:03 AM on May 10th. I walked outside and was surprised to see the world moving on. The sun was out, birds were singing, flowers blooming and my Mother was dead. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life.

But time marches on. We are living in her house. We are loving living here and I have discovered I actually like yard work. I have never done it. I grew up with 2 brothers who did the yard work. When I was married my husband did the yard work. Since then I have lived in apartments. But I enjoy it. I am learning, slowly about flowers and shrubs and just yard stuff.

Nomad is adorable. We are loving having him in our family. I never thought I would ever be a ‘dog person’ but I love him. Kei is wonderful with him and we don’t even mind the 3:00 AM potty breaks. He is the cutest thing.

Isn’t he just beautiful??

We had Brit and Cody here for a few days and had a blast.† Kei and Brit gave Nomad his first bath.† The girls loved it, Nomad not so much.

They played games, sang, talked and gave Nomad tons of attention.

Kei and I put up a Stage Curtain for outdoor plays.† Her and Nomad put on their 1st of what I am sure is many plays.† Nomad had 3 roles, a lion, an alligator and a bunny.† I was cracking up.

I love living here.† I love our yard.† I love sitting in the rose garden and reading in the swing.† I love waking up early in the morning and walking outside and everything is crisp and lovely.† I love watching the birds and squirrels and bunnies and chipmunks.† I love the feel of the cool clovers on my bare feet.† I love watching my sweet girl running with her dog.† Life is good.

Blessings,

My beautiful child, Nomad

Pools, Puppies and Poop…

May 6, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

We got Nomad yesterday.† Nomad is the dog Kei has wanted since she was old enough to ask for a puppy.† We have never been able to get a dog because of where we lived.† Now we can.

We have looked at many, many dogs.† None was “Nomad”.† My brother’s friend has some Lab mixed puppies.† We love Labs so we told him we would be interested in a male.† He said he would save us one but didn’t send a picture.† It was ‘assumed’ we would take him, but Kei really wanted to see him first.† He sent a picture last week.† Kei opened the email and promptly said, “That is Nomad”.

We have been busy getting ready since then, toys and food and treats and information.† I know nothing of dogs.† Yesterday was the day.† We had plans of going to Wal-Mart to finish up buying a couple of things for him.† Kei wanted a WELCOME HOME banner.† Well my brother called early and said “I have the dog, come meet me”.† Kei was beside herself with excitement.† Imagine Christmas, birthday, and Halloween all rolled up into one.† She quickly made† a sign and put on the front door and we were off.† On the ride over she sang a little song.

Well I got lost <imagine that> but finally we arrived at our rendezvous spot.† Kei bounded out of the car to see her “Nomad”† It was puppy love at first sight.

When we got home she told him all about his new home.† He loved his Welcome Home sign.

We brought him in where his bowl was ready.† He promptly had to drink and eat.

It was a great day full of Nomad love.† He seems to be a very sweet puppy.† He was good and pretty much slept most of the day.† He would be running around in the yard with Kei and just lay down and fall asleep.† It was so cute.

Kei had an online Science class in the afternoon.† She and Nomad learned all about Einstein and relativity.† Nomad wasn’t so interested.

Kei found time to spend a couple of hours in her pool.† I am so glad we were able to put it up this year.† It was a beautiful day for swimming.

After swimming for Kei and playing and sleeping for Nomad they were both tired puppies. It was time for a nap.

I dewormed Nomad.† No biggie.† But did you know after deworming they poop WORMS!† Lots of worms.† But Kei and I persevered…. barely.

Nomad’s first night was pretty good.† He slept in a basket by Kei’s side of the bed.† She and I got up and took him outside 3 times.† Which was not so bad.† At least it wasn’t January, in the snow.

So on May 5th our little family of two became 3.† Life is good.

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.” – Milan Kundera

Friends, HomeSchool, Life, My beautiful child

Oz, Birthdays and Bathing Suits…

May 1, 2010 Karen 4 Comments

Yesterday was my birthday.† My birthday excites Kei much more than it excites me.† I woke up and she had put balloons in the bathtub and written a Happy Birthday note on the mirror.† She is such a blessing to me.† She got me my favorite candle and plants for the yard.† She also drew me sidewalk art.

We spent the day outside.† It was so beautiful and I read in the sun and she played.† Our roses are so gorgeous.

I got many Facebook Happy Birthday wishes, phone calls and visits.† My sister in law brought over the most awesome present.† I had an old bathing suit that was my Mother’s that I wanted to ‘frame’ somehow.† My sister in law owns a frame shop and she framed it and it looks amazing.† I just cried when I saw it.

My awesome, amazing boss sent me a G4 PowerBook.† I have wanted a laptop forever!† I was so excited and jumping up and down.

Last night we went to see the play, “The Wizard Of Oz”. Our friends Matt, Jake and Chandler were making their acting debut.† We rode with Gina and kids and had a great time blabbing catching up.† I think I was doing most of the blabbing, sorry Gina. ;)† We met The Amoses, The Woods and some of the Crawfords at the theater.† The play was awesome!† We loved it and were very impressed with all our friends skills especially the amazing Winged Monkey King!

Oz Kei Matt — Kei and Matt The Winged Monkey King

Afterward we went to Moes to eat.† It was so yummy but I got so full!† They give so much food! It was an amazing birthday!

What homeschoolers do after they are finished eating.

A lovely day.

On a different note, WE HAVE FOUND NOMAD.† But more about that later.

Happy weekend,

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child

Red Pawns, Wonderland and Field Days…

April 19, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

Last week was play week. It was a magical, hilarious, stressed, crazy time.

The play went great. The kids did awesome. They worked so hard and you could tell it by watching the play.

Kei Carolinesmaller — Alice and her Red Pawn

We had some of our bestest friends who came to watch Keilee. Thank you all.

Brit came to dress rehearsal because they were going to Florida the next day.

Brit, Kei and Sophia — Kei, Brit, Sophia

Esther, Heather and kids came to the school show.

roamschoolers wonderland smaller — Roamschoolers In Wonderland

Suzette, Dave, Emily and Zachery came to the Saturday night show and took us out for dinner afterwards!† Thanks Amoses.

Kei and Amos smaller — Amos's and Red Pawn

In the middle of all of this we had our NACHO Field Day. It was a perfect day for it and we had so much fun.

Soccer Team for the Win — Soccer Team For the Win!

Hopefully this week is a little bit slower paced!

Homeschooling just rocks!

Learning all the time, Life, nature

Bicycling, Mowing and Hunting…

April 6, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

It has been strange living in the house I grew up in.† Strange in a good way.† I moved into this house when I was 3 months from turning 10, we moved back in when Kei had been 10 for 3 weeks.† So basically we were the same age.

So many memories have come back to me being here.† So many stories I have shared with Kei about when I was her age.† There is the neatest ditch behind our house.† We used to spend hours and hours there, up and down the alley.† We had wars, ran stores, made bridges.† Of course there were about 10 of us kids around the same age.

I can’t let Kei do that.† It is a different world.† It makes me sad.

The first warmer day we went on a bike ride.† As I was riding down the alley of my childhood with my child, I just started crying.† It was so surreal.† I wondered what a 10 year old Karen was thinking about as she rode her bike those many years ago.† What were my hopes and dreams?† What did I want?† I am sure most of them didn’t turn out exactly the way I planned, but there is one much, much better than anything I could imagine.† My sweet child was beside me laughing as the wind blew back her hair.

Kei dyed Easter eggs the day before Easter.† We only did a few because I think they are kinda a waste.† I KNOW they are fine to eat but it just kinda creeps me out eating colored eggs that have been sitting around.

We had an amazing Easter.† We got up early because Kei was so excited about what she had gotten me.† This is her first year to not believe in the Easter bunny.† More on THAT story later.

Basket Full of Goodies

After a great church service at the Princess, we went to Daddy and Marlene’s for lunch.† It was delicious.†† She had made ham, chicken, prime rib, green beans, carrots, mac and cheese, potato salad, asparagus, rolls and a great salad.† There were 3 kinds of desert!

After lunch the kids hunted for Easter eggs.† Daddy always puts money in them to make it more interesting to the older kids.

Look up and down..

Kei got her first taste of mowing this week.† She was so ready to mow the yard, she couldn’t wait.† After about 4 turns around, she figured out it wasn’t really fun but WORK!† I hadn’t mowed a yard in about 15 years and I was beat.† The yard looked pretty too.† Of course we only did the front.† The back yard is HUGE!!

Kei Mowing — I think I can, I think I can...

I am loving the warmer weather.† Spring is just so lovely.

Enjoy…
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran

Field Trip, Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life

Mad Hatters, FLW & Things that go BUMP…

March 16, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

The weather is still CRAPPY!† Seriously I get tired of always talking about the weather but sheeshhhh.

Kei and I went to see Alice.† It was really good and totally cool with the 3D.† Although my boss, who worked on the film, said it wasn’t filmed in 3D.† Kei loved it.† If she can love Johnny looking like this, it must be true love.

We went to see Circo Comedia which was hilarious.† Kei loved it.† I can’t imagine just moving around, city by city, performing.† Under the right circumstances that could be so fun!

Kei loves to make things for me.† I woke up Tuesday and she had a clue in the bathroom that led me through the house to a ‘prize’.† I had to post her clues because they were cute and the last one can still make me laugh a week later.

1. “Where people say we should eat, is a clue to your treat.” <kitchen table>

2. “Now go to the desk where WOW is played to get a jump start on your day.” <my computer>

3. “Last but not least, look in the cookie jar for your treat.” <cookie jar>

4. “You found your treat, so Bonaparte.” <Ok I read this and said, “Huh? and she said ‘bon appetit , I spell checked it!’> I am still laughing about it.

Thursday we spent the day with some of our bestest friends <we missed you Gina and Heather!>† It was Suzette and Michelle’s birthday.† We ate at Olive Garden and then went to the Rosenbaum House which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.† It was unbelievable.† Kei and I loved it and wanted to move in.† Then we went to the park for cheesecake. Great day, great food, great friends, great learning.† Perfect day. Thanks Suz, Em and Zachery for letting us ride with you.

Kei had play practice Saturday and Sunday we had a great day at church.† Sunday was the 1st day of† DST so we were both tired all day.† Kei begged to watch a scary movie during the daytime! ;)† I finally let her and she was so funny.† She got a bunch of stuffed animals and watched it with them assuring them at various times it was “just a movie”.† Other times she screamed at the TV about how stupid the people were.

Scary Movie — It's ok, it's JUST a movie

All in all, a good week.† Now if the sun would come out and it get above 50∫ I may survive.

Happy week,

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, Weather

Aaeeiii YAH….

January 11, 2010 Webmaster Leave a comment

We started ‘school’ back today.† Kei and I were both ready for it.

She did a report from “The Daring Book for Girls”.† This is the coolest book ever.† She picked, of all things, Karate.

Then she helped me fax my work flyer to about 50 Production companies.† She said she needed to write down the numbers so she would have them ‘one day when I am about to be an actress’.

We had to miss our roamschool outing to Moe’s.† Daddy wanted us to come over and go through the house again.† I have such conflicting emotions about moving.† I just pray that it all works out.

Tomorrow we start cleaning over there.† Lord give me strength and patience!

Life

Epic Days…

January 7, 2010 Webmaster Leave a comment

It is so cold here.† Unfreakabelievably cold!† Minnesota cold!† Sweden cold!

Last night we went to convergence at our church.† Our church rocks!† Kei and I were greeters.† There were so many people there.† We had a wonderful night.

Our band is so awesome. Plus they were joined by musicians from 3 other churches!

We woke up this morning to SNOW!† It wasn’t a lot but it snowed all day.† It was so cool to look out of the window and see snow falling all day.† I thought of my Momma all day. She always loved snow days.

It is supposed to get frigid tonight.† Low in the morning is -10 with the wind chill.† BRRRrrrrrr!

Stay warm and snuggle!

Holidays, HomeSchool, My beautiful child

Twenty Ten…

January 5, 2010 Webmaster Leave a comment

Well Christmas has come and gone.† Thanks to the coolest friends in the world, we had an amazing Christmas.

We left Santa cookies and milk.

We then spent a very restless night.† Kei could not sleep because she was so excited.† She started at 1:00 am asking me if she could just sneak down and check and I said no.† She asked me every 30 minutes until 5:30 when I finally said yes.† I have to have a bath before I function <hey some people need coffee, I need my bath!> so we have started a tradition of her opening her stocking on the bathroom floor while I am waking up in my bath.

Kei got everything on her list!† And more!

We went to Eddie and Heather’s for Christmas breakfast.† Daddy and Marlene† came too.† We had a yummy breakfast casserole, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, orange juice and coffee.† Then we opened presents.† Good times were had by all!

Kei and I came home she played for hours while I took down the tree! I know, I know, but I was sick of that puppy.† So down it came.

Then we went to Marlene’s for Christmas dinner.† We met her son and his wife and their adorable little girl.† Everything was delicious and it was a nice night.† You know, traditions sometimes change.

Saturday we went to Laura’s for traditional Christmas dinner.† The food was excellent and the company was awesome.† I laughed so much my stomach hurt.† We love you all so much!

Suzette had everyone over to her house for our !st Annual Homeschooling Christmas dinner.† We had the best time ever!† We had fajitas and beans and rice and tons of sweets.† We also played Trivial Pursuit.† It was a great time with great friends.† Suz, you are the best.

We spent New Year’s Eve quietly at home.† I had given her an early birthday gift and she played Wii sports for hours!

I played WoW with Carla and a friend from Canada.† We laughed so much and had so much fun.† Here is a screen shot of Carla and I waiting on Paul to figure out how to get me on a zeppelin that I was 7 levels too low to go onto.† It is a hilarious story but you have to play WOW to understand. :)† Yes we did it!

The 3rd was my beautiful girl’s 10th birthday and she was SO EXCITED. She is such a blessing in my life and I thank God for her every single day.

She told me she was going to be the Big ONE OH!

We went to church and then we went to IHoP.† This is the 6th year in a row we have gone to eat breakfast on her birthday.† The waitress’s all sing to her and she loves it!

Then we came home and Daddy and Marlene came over.† Marlene had made Kei a beautiful birthday cake. It was yummy too!

Then she opened my gifts.† She loved everything ….

but nothing as much as the Johnny Depp bag I found for her.† I took 5 pictures and they were all blurry because she kept jumping up and down!

Eddie, Heather and the kids† came over and brought her a Zhu Zhu complete with a house.† She loved it!† Later on that night, she was playing with it and I was on the computer.† Everything got very quiet.† I said “What’s up?” and turned to look at her.† She had her Zhu Zhu dangling from her hair!† She said, “I was laying on the floor and he just backed up and ran over my hair!”.† Only Kei.† I got one wheel out but I could not get the other one.† We called Jerri and went to her house for assistance.† Everytime you touch the dang thing the wheels would turn and it would make crazy noises.† Jerri and I were laughing so hard we were crying.† We finally got out all but about 10 hairs and we just had to cut it out.

Kei said, “Please don’t blog or Facebook this Mom”, but…it was too good to resist.

Now we are in the middle of a huge FREEZE! It is cold, I mean COLD, didimentionCOLD?† My Southern blood isn’t up to this kind of weather.† We are in the house and not going out until the temperature hits at least 40!

So, here we are….2010.† Hang on tight because the best is yet to come.

Holidays, Life

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas…

December 21, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

I remember having a White Christmas when I was small.† Kei has wanted one for years.† At first I thought that was a possibility but now the weather has changed once again.

White Christmas or not, it is upon us.† Things are different this year.† Last year was very hard for my family because it was the 1st Christmas without my Mom.† This year my Daddy is remarried.† Things change, seasons change, traditions change.

We made Christmas candy the other day.† It was fun, especially for Kei.† She adores anything bakey.† We made Chocolate Oatmeal cookies < which we always call the unappealing name of Doo Doo Cookies>, Oreo balls, Peanut Butter Microwave Brittle, Chocolate dipped Pretzels, and Chocolate Chip cookies.

I still lack a few presents.† I will do that Tuesday, maybe…I hope.

At church the kids did a little program while the band sang “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls.† It is a great song for this time of year.

We want to go see the Christmas lights in the next couple of nights.† I hate driving though, I never can look at them very well when I have to concentrate on actually keeping the car on the road!

Happy Christmas,

K/K

Friends, Holidays, Life, Weather

It’s Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas…

December 14, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

Christmas is upon us.

We have done some “Christmasy” things the last week or so.

We volunteered to ring a ling ding the Salvation Army Bell.† We did this with Heather and her boys and it was FREEZING!† The kids had a blast when they weren’t too frozen to speak.† Heather brought her violin which I am sure was a first for our town.

We also got some snow!† It never snows here in December.† It used to, but not so much now.

We decorated the tree, although in all honesty, Kei did 99% of this herself.† I can not believe she has gotten to the point that she can do our entire tree!

We went to eat with Gina and Bobby.† Gina made chili and it was so good!† We brought Brit home with us and they did their usual girl things.† Max and Rob and Johnny and Fang, oh my!

It is about 2 weeks until Christmas and no I am not ready.† But then again, I never am!

Stay warm.

Friends, Holidays, Life

The Greatest Gift…

December 12, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

Christmas.† I used to LOVE Christmas.† My brothers and I loved December and my Momma and Daddy made it a wonderful time for us.† Christmas meant presents and beautiful trees and huge family get-togethers and whispered prayers for snow.† Then I grew up.† In my teens, I still loved Christmas but not with the fervor of a child.† Then I got married.† I liked Christmas† and decorated every room in the house, put up a magnificent tree, bought enough presents for a small nation.

Then I became ambivalent toward Christmas.† Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.† It just was.† I put up the tree and bought presents, but the magic wasn’t there.

The last almost decade, I have loved Christmas again.† Having a child makes you enjoy Christmas differently.† I love Kei’s excitement, her giddiness at all things Christmas related, her unshaken belief in Santa.† The way she gets more excited about what she gets me than what she is getting.† How her favorite part of Christmas is listening for Santa’s reindeer hooves on the roof.† How she understands the true meaning of Christmas.

Last Christmas was hard.† The 1st Christmas without my sweet Mother.† Kei helped me so much. Her presence made it bearable to survive my 1st Christmas alone, without Momma.

This Christmas I have been so worried.† Worried about money that I didn’t have to buy gifts.† I listened to Kei tell me, “Don’t worry Mommy, I am asking Santa for the things I want.† I don’t want anything from you.”† I worried and cried to myself and prayed.

Do you know there are angels everywhere?† They walk among us and show themselves in the most wondrous ways.† I have amazing people in my life.† People who don’t love me because I share their blood and they have to love me, people who love me just because.† People who have helped me to make sure my girl has a wonderful Christmas.† People who understand the true meaning of this season.† “Thank you” doesn’t seem like a big enough thing to say.† I am blessed, truly blessed to have you in my life.† I am honored to call you “friends”.† I have so missed having this kind of friends in my life.† Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.† Bless you.

Merry Christmas all.

Friends, Holidays, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life

Is It December Already????

December 1, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

December 1st!† Where does time go?

I am not ready for December.† I am not ready for Christmas and presents and trees and decorations.

Kei is though.† She is more than ready for us both.

The past 2 weeks have been good.† We have done some really cool things in homeschooling.† We are still doing the American Revolution and also making a Grammar Lapbook.† 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!>† She also did the Stroop test and thought it was so cool.† We determined which was her dominate side <left>.

We went to Heather’s for a GNO.† 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.† Our girls were singing and dancing the entire time.† We don’t have 1 shy, introvert HSer among us!

Chan came and spent a few days with us.† We always love having her.† Her and Kei had so much fun.† They borrowed my camera and kept trying to get jumping shots of themselves.

Thanksgiving we spent giving back to our community.† We went with our church to serve 1400 meals delivered to families and serve 400 inmates.† 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.† We had an AWESOME Chinese dinner.† The lumpia’s that Gina made were out of this world.† I am still craving them.

Kei and I had written down a thing that we were thankful for each day in November.† We made them into a chain and read each other’s Thanksgiving Day.† It was scary how similar they were.

Kei and I spent the rest of the holiday weekend watching movies, playing computer games and board games† and laughing a lot.

But I am not ready for December!† EEP.

Life

Time Marches On…

November 17, 2009 Webmaster 1 Comment

I have been really bad about updating. I need to blog more and I don’t even have an excuse. I like to keep a record, not for the 4, 2 people that probably occasionally read this, but for me and Kei.

Life has been…life. Mostly good, sometimes bad, sometimes sad, more often happy, not enough money, but making it mostly.

We went to Esther’s for lunch and play. I love my friends so much and can’t imagine what I ever did without them. They are truly a blessing to me.

Kei has been learning about the Human Body. She knows most of the bones and has blown me away with it. She did the skeleton below from memory. I also found a really great site for learning the bones and muscles. We have played and played this. WARNING: This crazy song will be stuck in your head for days! I have relearned them also. That is a benefit of Homeschooling!

We are learning about the American Revolution and she has been doing cool ‘crafty’ things. Also we watched “The Patriot”.† It is bloody but ….it was a WAR! We love Evan Moor teacher’s file box. I use their “Pockets” for almost everything! It is the only monthly expense I have just for Homeschooling.

Kei also made a “Save the Earth” poster. She is so passionate about that and just did it on her own. I have almost NO plastic bags now because she has been refusing to use them for a year.

Kei and Vicki have spent hours playing on the balcony. And hours cleaning up the balcony.

The other day when Kei was eating lunch she yelled at me “Mommy come look”. She was eating a cracker and said, “Look, it is Italy”.

We went to our HS Skate Day and had a blast as always. Kei won a coloring award for her Squirrel picture.

We went to Cathy’s for our 1^st Annual HS Thanksgiving.† It was a WONDERFUL day of awesome food and conversation and lots of laughter. If you homeschool, I can’t tell you how important it is to find a group of moms for support. It is strange because I was homeroom Mom for Kei in K and 1^st grade and I didn’t get to know any of the moms.† Now I can’t imagine my life without “my moms”.

Livvy spent the night with Kei and they wanted to have the upstairs for “their house”. They spent hours up there playing.† After listening to the CD with us about 100 times, we finally introduced Liv to “Dr. Horrible”. Of course she loved it!

I am still playing WOW with my best friend.† I told Kei the other day that I am NOT letting her out of my life again! She sent us $25 Fandango bucks so we could go see “New Moon”. I protested and she said, “Oh please girl, I have to discuss it with you after wards like we always have”. Honestly, when it is all said and done, I truly believe that it is the people we surround ourselves with that matters.† And I have amazing people.

Kei wrote her letter to Santa.† She still mostly believes in Santa but for some reason she thinks he will only come until she is double digits. <she will be 10 in January>† It was so bittersweet to read her letter and watch her put it in the mailbox.

Letter to Santa:

Hello Santa,

I know this is probably your last time to come so I wanted to say Thank you so much for all the stuff you have gotten me over the years.† Just so you know, I will always believe in you.† So I can’t wait till my kids will give you milk and cookies.† Please stop by my house sometimes for milk and cookies and carrots even though you won’t be bringing me anything.

Oh tell Dancer I say ‘hello’ and tell Mr. Baggledrum <she got a letter from Santa last year about Mr. Baggledrum and how he kept the elves happy> thank you for keeping the elves happy.† Santa I only want 5 things for Christmas this year so here I go…..

She then ends with :

Santa you have been so nice to me so thank you.

I love you,

Keilee

My sweet girl…

So time is marching on.† I can’t believe it is almost Thanksgiving.† Daddy has made some progress cleaning out the house, but it is like a drop in a vast ocean.† Maybe after the first of the year.

Life is good,

Save

Friends, Holidays, Learning all the time, My beautiful child

Bump in the Night…

November 2, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

Halloween has come and gone.

Kei loves Halloween!† Almost as much as Christmas and her birthday.† Remember when we actually looked forward to birthdays?

We started the Halloween week by going Trunk or Treating at our friends church.† We had a great time.

Then Kei made a witch nose and finger with Play Dough.

Saturday morning [Halloween] we went to our church for a Halloween celebration.† It was awesome!† We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and all the trimmings.† Our church rocks!

When we got home my brother brought us a pumpkin.† We then carved it.† Ok I am not the best carver in the world.† Kei wanted a vampire.† What she got was…a big mouthed something or other.† She did better on the eyes and nose than I did on the mouth!

Saturday night we got Kei decked out in her Mother Nature costume and were off to get candy!† Some of the people around here really get into the Halloween spirit so there were spooks, Mass† Murderers, scary music and fog at every turn.

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.† Heather and I drove the kids around to various locations for clues.† You haven’t lived until you have been to a graveyard on Halloween night with a full moon!† Also did you know some people put lighted crosses on graves?† I couldn’t believe it.† The kids loved it and the only complaint was that it was too short.† Thanks Eddie for inviting us!

And now it is November.† EEP!

Enjoy,

HomeSchool, Life

Vivaldi…The Four Seasons

October 23, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

While listening to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” Kei was to write what each season made her feel, taste, hear and see.† I have always thought I was a semi decent writer, but I don’t really remember writing things like this so young.† Maybe it is because I wasn’t homeschooled.

Winter

I see the white blanket on the ground,

I feel the cold, sharp air on my tongue and the white, wet snowflakes,

I hear stillness around me; for the animals have fled and so will I, go back to my den and I feel calm and happy.

Spring

I see the bunnies eating the fresh vegetables,

I feel the new pansies on my legs,

I hear ‘tweet tweet’ and ‘thump thump’ as life begins again,

And I taste the cool, moist air.

Summer

I see the water, the bathing suits,

I feel the water, splash, splash, splashing on my face

I taste the hot, sticky air

I hear people laughing and screaming

Fall

Cool, moist air lies on my tongue,

I see the red, yellow and orange leaves on the trees.

I hear the wind ‘whoosh whoosh’.

I feel the leaves falling on me.

Happy Fall, Happy Friday,

Holidays, HomeSchool

October is Creeping By…

October 21, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

It has been a good week.

Kei got a new box.† It is amazing what you can do with a box, where you† can go, what you can be.

It is a window to imagination…

My Daddy has millions of acorns.† Kei and went over there and got some and painted them orange.† [Which is harder than it sounds.† Anyone know a better way to anchor these little guys while you are painting them?] Then she drew pumpkin faces on them.

We had to punt the Edward Scissorhands idea.† Too expensive for this year, so she is going to be Mother Nature.† Which is very apropo for her.† We went to look for ideas at the Halloween store in town.† They have some of the coolest stuff!

We had to, of course, take the required ‘I’m so scared’ picture.

Today she was playing with clay and made this cute little clay family.† I thought they had a Gremlin ‘flavor’.

All in all, a very good week.† Of course, it is supposed to RAIN tomorrow.

Stay dry,

Friends, Life

Delicious Terror…

October 17, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

That is what my Mom always called it.† She loved scary movies, and scaring us to death.† She didn’t grow up in an era of Halloween and Friday the 13th and Saw.† She loved things like The Bad Seed, and Alfred Hitchcock.† I remember being very small and rushing home from school to watch Dark Shadows with her.† [See I was a vampire girl from wayyyyy back]

Last night we went to Gina and Bobby’s for food and fear!† We had a blast. Their house was pimped out in true Halloween fashion.

RIP Brit, Kei crying, Cody way too happy!

The food was yummy and we enjoyed eating with friends so much.† Then it was movie time.† Poltergeist was the thriller of the night.† Kei, Bobby and I had seen it, Brit and Cody were newbies and Gina had never watched the entire movie.

We loved it and there was a lot of hugging together from the girls.

Then we loaded up the car and went to Cry Baby Hollow.† This is a bridge that is a local legend.† I had been there when I was a teenager but Kei had never been. The legend I had always heard is that a woman threw her baby off the bridge and at night you can still hear the baby cry.† Also if you leave candy on the bridge, the baby comes and gets it.† Another part of the story is that if you put your car in neutral it will either roll forward or backward or rock back and forth, and sometimes there are little baby hand prints on your windows!!

So off we went.† It was cold and drizzly, a perfect night for ghosties.† We turned off on the ‘road’ and it was perfect; dark and spooky and raining and DARK!† The bridge is very short; about 8′ and has no side rails.

the-bridge — I wanted to get in Gina's lap but Cody got to!

When Bobby put the car in neutral, it ROLLED!† There were squeals of delight and fright from the car.† We had to turn around and do it a few more times and each time it rolled.† The best time was when it rolled backwards! Up an incline! <insert Twilight Zone music here>

Then we got out and walked to place the candy.† Did I mention it was raining?† and DARK?† The kids placed their candy and Brit swore she saw a shadow in the rushing water below.

I the kids were very glad to be back in the car.† On the way home Brit and Kei decided the entire “Rock-A-Bye-Baby song was written for the Cry Baby Hollow Legend.

We had a blast and stole Brit to come home with us to protect us from ghosts spend the night with Kei.† Thanks Lackeys!!!† We loved it.

Happy Saturday,

HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, Science

Learning by Doing…

October 15, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

We have had a great week in HSing.

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.† We ordered it from Netflix.† 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.† Kei tried it with skirts, stockings, tulle skirts and various things.† She kept it on about 10 minutes and then I found pieces of clothing like Hansel and Gretel’s bread trail.

She also did a poster on Seed Dispersal.† 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.† Kei loves to take things apart.† Here she is taking apart our poor dead DVD player.† 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.† It has done so well!† Especially considering I have a JET BLACK thumb!

All in all a good week.† Now if it would only stop raining.† It is supposed to cool off this weekend.† We have our electric blanket ready to go.

Have a snuggly next few days!

Life, My Mother

October Blessings….

October 12, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

Hi Momma,

It is October, your favorite month. The trees are just now beginning to turn. I think we should have a spectacular fall because of all the rain. You would love it. When I walk outside and I feel that crisp fall feeling in the air, I always think of you.

It has been almost 1 1/2 since you left me. I miss you so much still. Kei and I cleaned out your closets and drawers last week. I ran across so many memories. It was a hard day for me. I talked to you while I worked, did you hear me?

I had a yard sale with all your clothes this past week. You had so many blouses. I remember buying so many of them. It was sad seeing all your shirts blowing in the breeze, some of them still smelling like your perfume, but Kei and I prayed that they would go to people who love them as much as you did.

Things are still hard with me financially. I am doing a little better but still it is hard at times. Continue to watch over us please. Sometimes I can almost feel your arms around me and it gives me comfort.

Daddy has met someone. She is a kind, good woman. The biggest compliment I can give her is that you would like her. She collects elephants just like you did and loves antiquing and estate sales. It was hard for me at first but I remember all the times you told me that you didn’t want Daddy to be alone when you were gone. She is good to Daddy and takes care of him and she is good to us. Kei wasn’t very happy about it but they invited her to dinner and she feels much better. She has started including her in her prayers instead of just for “Bull”. Daddy is taking care of me, just like you always told him to. Daddy and I have become much closer since you are gone. He is calmer and less easily angered also.

Kei and I are maybe going to move into your house. I think you would like that. I hope that I can remember more stories about when I was little to share with Kei. I share stories with her all the time. She reminds me of you in many ways, her sense of humor and her favorite foods. We moved into that house when I was 9 so it feels very right that we move there when Kei is 9. It is a big job though, because you know how much stuff you have! It seems like it will never be cleaned out.

Kei has gotten so big Momma. She is so smart and sweet. We are loving homeschooling this year. She is learning so much. My biggest regret is that you and she didn’t get to spend more time together. I talk about you all the time. I don’t want her to ever forget you.

I made chicken stew the other day. It is the first time I have made it since I made it for you. It made me so sad.

Oh Momma, I miss you. I miss your hugs and talking to you and your presence . I miss not having you here. I miss not seeing you. But I am doing really well. You were always so worried about how I would be when you were gone. You would be proud of me. I am proud of me but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss you.

I wish you didn’t have to leave us so early but I know you are in a glorious place. One day, we will be together again. I will hug you and jump up and down with joy and dance and laugh.

I am now a daughter without a mother, but I am finding out I am much stronger than I ever believed I was. You knew it all along didn’t you?

I love you my sweet Mother.

Karen

Friends

THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS…..

September 25, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

“Thank heaven for little girls
for little girls get bigger every day!

Thank heaven for little girls
they grow up in the most delightful way!”

Will it ever stop raining!!!??? I love rain, I love the sound of rain, the smell of rain, rainy nights, but I am ready for it to go away after a few days.† I hate soggy!

We had a great GNO to celebrate Gina’s birthday.† Chan came back with us and stayed for 3 days.† Her and Kei had a blast.

They played with Littlest Pets.† I love those things.† I wish we would have had them when I was little.

We went to the trails and park up at the local PS.† The girls watched the kids in their fenced in enclosure playing for 10 minutes and felt very sorry for them.† I asked Kei if she missed PS at all and she said, “NO WAY”.

There was singing and laughter and giggles galore.

Now it is the weekend again.† There is the Apple Festival in Moulton and Eva Frontier Days.† We have gone to both in the past and enjoyed them.† IF IT STOPS RAINING!

There is also so much around here I need to be doing.†† Nah…I think I will just lounge.

Field Trip, Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, My beautiful child, Science

September days….

September 17, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

“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.”
-† Try to Remember, Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

I can’t believe it is already the middle of September.† Where does time go?

We are in full swing with homeschooling.† 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.† We both hated missing it.

We did go bowling which was fun.† I got to see some people I hadn’t seen all summer.† Kei broke 100 which is a 1st for her.

She has been in a coloring mode lately.† Every night after dinner she colors and colors and colors.

We are learning about Kingdoms, etc.† Even though I think it is a little silly.† I mean how many times have you been asked for the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus or Species of a mushroom???† Kei has memorized all of them which is more than I know.†† We did an experiment about “Opposable Thumbs” and it was a hoot.† She had to try to do all these things with her thumbs taped down.† Some she accomplished but it took forever and some she could not do at all.

I love homeschooling.† I love spending so much time with Kei.† I love learning right along with her.† I have learned relearned so much!† We are doing American History and I have never been so fascinated by Explorers and the first settlements.† In a perfect world we could go to visit Jamestown after studying about it.† 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.† She still believes in that…..

Live, laugh, learn,

Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child, Science

Imagination….

August 30, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

Imagination is more important than knowledge…

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, nature, Science

Country Girl Wannabees….

August 26, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We so want to be country girls.† 10 years ago, the thought of living in the country would have sent me into a panic.† Funny how a little nature girl and a homeschooling lifestyle can change your point of view.

We have had a great week and Ω.† We started American History this year, after 2 years of Ancient History.† We loved learning about the Native Americans.† Kei made a tipi [which I never knew was spelled that way!], we watched some movies and did all sorts of cool things.† Now we have moved onto Explorers.

Kei has fallen in love with the neighbor’s baby boy.† 1st time she has ever held a baby this small!

We have bird feeders and we have enjoyed watching the birds.† I think we must be the only place within miles that feed them.† We have so many birds.† We also have hummingbirds; which Kei has named Monkey, Dolphin and Tiger!† We have an adorable parakeet that showed up about a month ago and is still here!† Her name is Yum Yum and we adore her!† She stays around here day and night and looks so beautiful flying with her less colorful new friends.

We built a fire one night and roasted marshmallows.† I love the cooler weather! †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.† It is supposed to be edible, but Kei passed on the eating part.

We had our weekly, bimonthly, monthly tea party.† Complete with sandwhiches, gummy worms, jello† 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.† Fun times were had by all.

Kei got to slide under a neighbors truck on his…thingamijig.† Grrrr, what is that called?† I must google it.† She was impressed with the underneath of it!† She also Pogoed, which she is getting quite good at.

She also wrote† a† haiku:

Fly through the night sky,

Pretty wings in the moonlight,

Gorgeous butterfly.

Didimention how much I love homeschooling!???

HomeSchool, Life, My beautiful child, nature

Berries From the Past…

August 23, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We have been studying about Native Americans the last couple of weeks.

Today Kei and I went on a bike ride to gather wood for a fire since the weather has been so awesome. She saw some berries that she had to stop and pick.

She knew that Native Americans used berries and such for dye so she decided to make a picture using her collected berries. She got a rock and started pounding the berries into pulp. The color was amazing.

Then she got paper and preceded to make a great picture.

Obviously, flies love berries too!† Then she got a great idea! “Mom, can I paint on my legs with this?”. I, being the cool mom that I am, said “Of course”, thinking she would paint a flower or something similar.

After a bit, I told her to go inside and jump in the tub. I then called my brother, nature boy extraordinaire, to ask him what this berry was. He wasn’t sure, so I looked it up online, found out it was Pokeweed and called him back to tell him. He then told me it was poisonous!

I freaked out and called Kei’s doctor. I went in the bathroom and scrubbed her off with soap, then made her get out and I put rubbing alcohol on her legs and arms and gave her Benadryl. The nurse on call finally called me back and said she wanted me to call the poison control. I got a sweet lady who told me that Kei would be fine and I did everything right.

Sheesshhh, I bet the Native Americans never had to deal with this kind of thing!

We did learn something interesting which I shared with Poison Control; the Declaration of Independence was written with Pokeweed ink and it was used often during the Civil War as ink in letters the soldiers wrote to home. She told me I had taught her something today.

Beware the berry!

HomeSchool

Learning is FUNdamental…

August 14, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

I love homeschooling so much. I know I have said this before, but there is nothing I would rather do than homeschool Kei.

I love that we don’t have to live around an alarm clock. I love that she got to stay up until 1:00 AM to watch the Perseid Meteors [which were unbelievable] and the other kids in the neighborhood had to go in and go to bed.

I love that she can do what she wants, when she wants. If she wants to sing, she sings, if she wants to read, she reads, if she wants to sew, she sews. Her creativity is boundless because she isn’t bound to a desk in a room with 25 other kids.

I love that she lives in a world that allows her to follow that rabbit trail wherever it takes her, or nowhere at all. That she can be doing Math and all of a sudden, ask about the Milky Way.

I love that we can be discussing something and a subject comes up that she isn’t familiar with and I can immediately go to the computer and find something that actually shows her what we are talking about. Today it was Woodstock. Yesterday it was Anne Frank.

Kids crave knowledge; they are like sponges soaking up information. With us it is immediate. She asks, we find out. She doesn’t want to wait 2 hours for her questions to be answered. She wants to know NOW. It seems to me that schools try to tame that quest for knowledge. Every time a teacher says, “Not now Billy”, or “Why don’t you look that up later” they are squashing the thirst for more information.

I don’t ever worry that I am not teaching Kei enough, I am worried that I won’t have time to teach her all I want to. I want to show her the world. I want to tell her everything. Look at this, listen to this, learn this…

I love homeschooling….

Peace out….

K/K

nature, trips

Fishing is the Word..

August 4, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

Daddy took Kei fishing today.† She has never been fishing before.† When I was her age, I had fished hundreds of times.† Daddy had a catfish pond in Moulton and we fished all the time.

She was so excited last night when he called.† She immediately pulled out her Visual Dictionary and started looking things up.† First she told me she needed waders.† I assured her that they wouldn’t be fly fishing so those were not neccessary.† Then she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to “wind up the thingie” if she caught a fish.† I told her they would probably go cane pole fishing.

When I woke her up this morning, early, she said, “The early Kei catches the fish”.† LOL

They left about 8:00.† She had the best time.† First they stopped and got crickets.† She took a picture and it looked pretty disgusting to me.† She said the lady assured them “They have just eaten and will be all big and full.”† She refused to bait the hook, not because of the ‘ick’ factor, but because she wouldn’t kill anything, even a cricket.

She caught 3 fish and was over the moon.† She was bubbling when she got home and told me all about her adventures.

This is another reason I love Homeschooling.† Random, wonderful field trips/learning experiences.

HomeSchool, Science

Another Wonderful School Year….

August 3, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We started school today.† Well, sit down and do various subjects, school.† Kei has been raring to go for 2 weeks.† She picked out her clothes and packed her bag last night.

We are doing American History after spending the last 2 years on Ancient Civilizations.† We just are going to kinda skip the middle parts for now. :)† We started with Native Americans and I have been gathering information for a month.† We did the Plains Indians first and both learned so much.† Then she started Caddie Woodhouse. She is reading and listening to the audio at the same time.

In fact, Kei roped a neighborhood public school kid into doing a ‘debate’ this afternoon.† Kei took the Native Americans part and Vicki was European.† I was so proud of Kei’s arguments about how badly the Indians were treated.

We also did Science, about the Earth and rotation and revolutions and we used an orange and various things to show both.† We are doing Saxon 6 math this year.† She is very good at Math, good enough to have me worried that I will be clueless very soon.

She also made a doll and a cat out of fabric.

All in all, a great 1st day of school.

I just love homeschooling.

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life

Lazy Days of Summer…

July 24, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

It has been a good week.†† Kei and I cleaned OUT her room.† We moved everything out and then rearranged.† What a job!† But she loves it.

We had my nephew spend the night a couple of nights and he was a blast.† He helped me clean off the balcony and various other “I need a strong dude” chores.† We sat on the balcony and had a fire.† 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.† Of course, she had to ‘dress’ the part.† Esther said it was a fine example of learning Math and symbols.† E can find the ‘learning’ in anything!!

Kei is so excited about going to see “Beauty and The Beast” at the Princess.† We can’t wait.

Happy Weekend!

Life

The Winds of Change….

July 13, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

“Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village in the French countryside, whose people believed in TranquilitÈ – Tranquility. If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happened to forget, someone would help remind you. In this village, if you saw something you weren’t supposed to see, you learned to look the other way. If perchance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for more. So through good times and bad, famine and feast, the villagers held fast to their traditions. Until, one winter day, a sly wind blew in from the North…”† From “Chocolat”

I feel something in the air.† A change coming that I am not sure I am ready for.† Some things are supposed to change, others are not.† Or at least not in my world.

Parts of my life do not feel the same any more.† I don’t know if it because I have had the most stressful, heartbreaking, life changing 1Ω year of my life or not.

Maybe I am wrong, maybe it is just a strange ‘dog days of summer’ wind.† Or maybe is is a wonderful, exciting, life changing inagoodway wind.† I just hope I am ready.

Life, My beautiful child, nature, Weather

TGIF…

May 9, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

Fridays used to be a huge deal for me.

Start of the weekend, school’s out, work is finished.

Now…not so much.† I work from home so I am pretty much available 24/7, Kei is homeschooled, the weekend is just the weekend.

But Friday was beautiful!† It has been so rainy and yucky here.† I am so tired of soggy ground, dashing everywhere with something over our heads, wet everything!

Kei made the most of the day.

First, she planted a garden.† Ok Ok I realized afterwards you can’t plant anything in a container that doesn’t drain!† I am going to fix that.† I am new at this “Country Girl” stuff ok?

Then she found what we thought was a lizard but on further research decided was a salamander.† Regardless, she loved it.† She kept it about 30 minutes and then started feeling bad and released it.

Then, she played in the sprinkler. Well she played in 3 sprinklers because she couldn’t make up her mind which one was best!

Then it was time for a little rest.

She spent the rest of the day reading and running around.

Then she insisted on making dinner “all by herself”.† She bakes quite often and is very careful but her dinner was going to involve chopping….lots of chopping.† She begged and promised to be careful so I agreed.† She made me sit outside where I was listening for the sound of fingers being cut off but all went well.† It was a delicious dinner and she was so proud of herself!

We had vegetable stir fry, leftover pasta salad and for desert…Grape and Banana Kabob with whipped cream.

Ahhh…my little chef.

Happy weekend,

K/K

Jesus, a Mother, a Daughter and a Dog….