Not Even January and....

It's not even January and we've already blown through the two large bins I filled with "junk" for the boys to use for arts & crafts, inventions or whatever creation they're currently contemplating. Items that were meant to last throughout the long winter months, to come in handy on those (many) bitter days when it's too cold to go outside and we've run out of ideas for indoor play. Items that took me all summer to save---empty plastic fruit jars, yogurt containers, oatmeal containers, juice bottles, lids, toilet paper/paper towel tubes, and cardboard of all shapes and sizes---have all been given new life in the form of pirate ships (see photo), rockets, airplanes, houses and boats. I love when the boys let their creativity and imaginations guide them in their play. Especially when it's a joint effort like it was today, with a lot of sharing of ideas and materials and virtually no arguing or physical combat. The problem arises after they've gone to bed and DH and I are tripping over everything, wondering where to keep all of their "stuff". Exactly what IS the protocol for how long one should keep a rocket-house-that-turns-into-a-submarine before sneaking it into the trash, while the owner is sleeping, and still be considered a good parent??

It's That Time of Year

Warm up a mug of milk, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of milk chocolate flavored Ovaltine, toss in a small handful of Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips, and top with as many mini marshmallows as you can fit. It's time to kick back and enjoy the holidays.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas~ Keep warm, healthy, and enjoy the unfolding of 2009!!

Weekly Report~ December 19, 2008

I haven't been keeping up with my Weekly Report spreadsheet over the past month due to being inundated with holidays, a birthday, sickness, and the recent power outage. We have been completing lessons and a lot of projects, but mostly just "winging it". It seems to be working, though, because D has been a bit more cooperative and engaged while doing his school work. The past two mornings we were up and doing school by 7:30am per D's request. Beginning our science unit on magnets had a lot to do with his enthusiasm this morning. I had a few photos I wanted to share, but my camera battery died as soon as I attempted to upload the pictures. So, here is a very brief report of what we've been doing this past week:

Math~ Coin recognition; continuing addition drills and learning to tell time
Language Arts~ Ending blends (-st, -sk, -mp); OPG lessons; reading out loud
Science~ Finished up unit on floating and sinking; Beginning unit on magnets
Geography~ Our travels have taken us to the continent of Africa this week
Music~ Piano lesson(s)
Handwriting~ A few pages from his Getty-Dubay Italics workbook

Next week we'll be on vacation for the holidays, but will continue to fit in lots of reading and some math during this time. More importantly--and more FUN--will be baking lots of Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, making decorations, and celebrating with family. Merry Christmas everyone!!

First Grade Curriculum

We will be on Christmas break for the next two weeks, plus a week of "fun school" to start off the new semester. During our time off, I will be researching and ordering D's first grade curriculum. Here is what I am currently planning to use, keeping in mind that I am continuing to discover more about D's learning style, which may affect some of my decisions prior to starting school next fall.

MATH~ Singapore Primary Math 1A and 1B (Standards Edition)
PHONICS~ Continue with OPG; Explode the Code (online)
GRAMMAR~ First Language Lessons
HANDWRITING~ Getty-Dubay Italics Book B; begin Book 1; Getty-Dubay Copywork Book 1
HISTORY~ Story of the World: Ancients; SOTW Activity Book; NH History Unit Study
GEOGRAPHY~ Rand McNally Map Activity Book;
LeapFrog SmartGlobe
SCIENCE~ R.E.A.L. Science: Life Science; Nature Study
POETRY~ The Harp and Laurel Wreath for memorization;
A Child's Introduction to Poetry
MUSIC~ Piano lessons; Story of the Orchestra; Classical Kids
ART~ Child Size Masterpieces; Draw Squad
P.E.~ Hockey, Karate, Gymnastics, Swimming

At first glance it looks like a lot, but many of the subjects will only be studied once or twice a week. Math, reading and writing will continue to be the focus of our daily lessons.

Let There Be Light

I am happy to report we are HOME--- in a well lit, warm house, with the laundry going and the radio playing. We were stuck in the dark for five days straight, from Thursday night until DH came home from work on Tuesday evening. Earlier reports were saying we may not have power back until Saturday, which would leave us with less than one week before Christmas. As it is, Christmas is a week from today. Someone explain to me how that happened? So after an exhausting day yesterday (packing, unpacking, cleaning, driving, cleaning some more, paying bills, and beginning the laundry that has literally taken over our dining room) it was a phenomenal feeling to wake up to a fresh new day today. And the boys must be feeling the same way because they've been playing well, keeping busy, and..... D even ASKED to do school this morning!! Ahhhh, a Christmas miracle indeed.

More Power To You

Or in our case, ANY power would be appreciated! After two days without power, the boys and I have invaded Grandma's apartment while leaving poor DH home to tend the woodstove. It's technically not even winter until next week, yet here we are trying to survive a devastating ice storm that left over 400,000 NH residents without power. But being without power is just the tip of the iceburg (oh, how I couldn't resist!!).... due to the massive amount of rain and melting ice, our basement is flooding. DH spent last night trying to bail out with nothing more than a mop and a candle for light. Our oil lamps are running low, and after calling every store in the area we found out there is NO oil to be found.

It was so wonderful to stand in a nice, hot shower in a heated house. Unfortunately, a few hours later I was dragging two tired, wild boys to an urgent care center. Over the past week we've all been sick with a head cold, but I was also beginning to feel like I might have a UTI. I tried to ignore the symptoms for a few days, but for anyone who has ever had a urinary tract infection, you know very well the symptoms are all but impossible to ignore. I couldn't bear another minute and in pure desperation sought out the nearest clinic. Thank goodness I did because I feel 85% better already after a few doses of antibiotics and a GREAT night's sleep on mom's couch. Now all I'm left with are the unwanted memories of B's screaming tantrum in the waiting room, D climbing the walls and telling the doctor just how BORING it is at a doctor's office, B falling off the stool and smacking his head on the cabinet, D opening the door while I was attempting to put on a hospital gown, and (this is the topper) trying to pee in a cup in a small, not-so-clean bathroom with one boy making paper airplanes out of paper towels and the other boy wondering why mommy goes "pee pee" out of her "squishy bum".

So this morning I was beginning to see a tiny ray of hope, until I got a call from DH. He'd been up all night with the stomach flu and was about to go back to bed for a few hours. And just to spice things up even a *little* bit more, he went upstairs to get some Tums and stepped in a pile of cat puke at the top of the stairs. Terrific fun.

Wordless Wednesday

My sweet Jasmine (=*.*=)

Weekly Report

The news of the week is that D had his first official piano lesson. The bigger news?? He LOVED it. Originally, I was determined to send him to somebody else for lessons. I think, ultimately, it was because I was filled with fear that I wouldn't be able to teach him myself. I had six years of lessons when I was younger, and realistically there is no reason I shouldn't be able to at least get him started learning how to play. After a bit of research, I decided on the My First Piano Adventure series by Nancy and Randall Faber. It is incredibly child-friendly and FUN.

The past few weeks of school have been all about crafts, games and fun. As a result, D got right back to his book work this week with fewer complaints and a bit more focus. He's excited to be learning about physics this month, waking up each morning and asking, "What are we doing today, mom??" He loves doing science experiments, and what better way to learn about floating and sinking, gravity, and magnetics than through hands-on exploration?? Here's a few highlights of what we've been up to lately:

Reading about the first Thanksgiving, making hand-print turkeys, and collecting twigs to make our first Tree of Gratitude for our Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Studying France~ this has been a big hit. The boys love the CD's I've been playing of French children's songs, and have a new found crush on all things Madeline. B now points out the Eiffel Tower everywhere we go, even if it's just a cell phone tower along the highway! This week we've moved on to England, and D really enjoyed our read-aloud of The Tailor Of Gloucester (Beatrix Potter). We'll continue our journey through England next week as well. D is working on memorizing the poem "I'm Glad" (Anonymous) but for some reason doesn't seem to enjoying it as much as some of the others he's learned.

Here he is doing a floating and sinking experiment, where you squeeze the bottle to see the 'jellyfish' float. We also discovered that raisins continue to rise and fall if you put them in a jar filled with Sprite. Last night we read the Magic School Bus Ups and Downs: A Book About Floating and Sinking.

In math we've been working with our pocket chart calendar to learn about the days of the week and the months of the year. This week in OPG we covered the differences between TO, TOO, and TWO; hard c/ soft c; hard g/ soft g. He much prefers reading a leveled reader book to me than reading out of the OPG book, so I've been trying to do a little of both. And he's happy to be starting his new handwriting book this week~ Getty-Dubay Italics Book B. Each page is a bit more in-depth than Book A, and he doesn't seem to be as bored. That could also be because I'm only having him do 2 pages per week instead of one every day. He gets plenty of handwriting practice in other areas throughout the week.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we've switched gears. We are now in BIRTHDAY mode. And of course, with the beginning of Advent, the Christmas season has officially begun and we're looking forward to all the celebrations that fill the month ahead.

Our Youngest is Off To Med School....

But not without his "jammies" (his lovey) and his thumb!! Would you trust this guy to do surgery on you??