Owl Pellets

After we finished painting our caves, we attempted to go for a bike ride. Snugglebug still has problems, but I was pleased to see her actually pedaling for a change! we made it half-way down our street before she fell off her bike, but it was a long half-way back! I decided to turn around because it was so horribly hot today!

After biking, we had a short music lesson teaching patterns/rhythm with the clearance instruments I got at Michael's last week. Next, we finally dissected the owl pellets I had bought at the homeschool convention. Lovely and Snugglebug really got into taking the pellet apart, and Snugglebug sat with me while we glued the entire skeleton together. Lovely got tired of all the bird bones, though, so she left to work with puzzles while I was making the final glue-down.

What will tomorrow have in store?

Cave Paintings

I don't know what got into me today, but I went overboard with learning activities! We began with grammar and writing, then we colored pictures and maps to go with Story of the World. Next, we made cave paintings--by far, one of the most fun activities we've done! I took a paperbag from Whole Foods, cut it in half and then cut out the bottom to use as a paint pallet. Don't forget to crumple the bag to make more realistic walls! We used red, brown, orange-ish, and I threw in some blue (maybe there were blueberries near these caves :/). First, I had the girls draw pictures with charcoal, then they painted them, and then they told me their stories:

The Mad Happy Ending by Lovely (Top)

The deer got bigger and the man tried to kill the deer. The man started bleeding because it was a moose, not a deer, and the moose got the idea to fight and see who is the winner. The moose was the winner. The man bled so much that he went back to the village because he could not win. A big pumpkin came out of the water and saw what was happening and got a sad face. Then the sun lighted up and the water came flashing out. The fish made bubbles. And then it became bedtime.

Someone is Shooting by Snugglebug (Bottom)

Someone is shooting at the big deer. Someone's shooting the bear, too. Someone's shooting the big fish, too. Someone's going to hammer the rainbow. Someone's going to shoot the sun--it's going to fall down like, "Ahhhhhh!" into the dirt. The dog is going to eat the man who is shooting. The wild bubbles are going to eat the sun. The deer is eating chips. The man is going to eat the deer. And the bubbles are popping. And all the water is melting.

Believe it or not, I have very happy children. However, they just learned about nomads, etc., and of course their father is a deer hunting fanatic (we eat everything he harvests), so this made for some interesting pictures!

School Calendar

I'm working on creating a few school calendars. Basically, I had a calendar this past year where I just checked off the days we worked in order to keep track of how many school days we completed. However, I couldn't remember where I got that one from, so I made my own calendar :) It's nothing special, but it will get the job done for now. I realized I had already lost track of when I started working with Lovely again--shame on me! I managed to add it to this post, but I don't know why it saved with some extra blank pages. Plus, the alignment is a bit off now for some reason...please remember, I'm still a novice at this!

School Calendar

On a great note, I asked Lovely if she liked 'this school' better than the other school we did, and she replied, "Yes! It's fun!" YAY!!! We've only been working a few days, but she almost has her first poem completely memorized, I've found she's pretty good at narrating (despite being so young), she's really into using living books...so far, so good! Now, I just hope math doesn't make her cringe like it did last year!

On another note, I'm really, really looking forward to the used homeschool curriculum sale next week! I mean, I'm actually having dreams about it! Although I don't really need many books, one of my fondest memories as a child was the school book fair, and to me, this is like that!

It's Disgusting and We Ate It!

Fun fact of the day: One ton of roasted spiders contains 1268 lbs of protein. One ton of cooked beef contains 394 lbs of protein. Just when you thought you were being as healthy as possible, you went and left roasted spiders off the dinner menu, didn't you?

That was just one of the many fun, interesting, and disgusting things we learned today during school.

Since my upcoming year is looking a little hectic, I've gradually been working in school for Lovely the past couple of days. (All right--I may, just MAY have an addiction to school/learning, which prompted such an early start of 1st grade...maybe!) I have to say--I LOVE this new method I'm trying! I'm only on the 4th grammar lesson and I only just started Writing with Ease, but I'm really digging it so far, as the archeologists would say (I also started The Story of the World tonight).

The grammar and writing lessons are short, simple, and to the point right now. The examples in the books actually made Lovely laugh, which is always a plus. She got a little freaked out when I gave her the copywork--she thought she had to copy both sentences several times, so when I told her just one sentence, one time, great relief came over her face.

We actually spent most of the day checking out the NA library--LOVE IT! I got a card there, so now I have a card for all available libraries in this area. I also signed both girls up for their summer reading program, so they can complete three library summer reading programs--woohoo!

My main objective was to find the books for the first three weeks of school. I LOVE using living books! They are so much more interesting because they are devoted to one topic that the author is usually very interested in. We started reading It's Disgusting and We Ate It tonight, which the girls begged me to keep reading, but I was starting to lose my voice. I'll have to post more disgusting facts another day...

I Believe in Thimbles

I've often heard a quote in church about not needing to dress like the rest of the world (immodestly) because they still sell sewing machines and goods at the store, and I've often though, "But, Lord, I'm TERRIBLE at sewing! How could I ever do that?!" I'm beginning to wonder if the time has come where I won't be able to buy anything in the store: I now feel I can sew...a little bit!

I decided to get crafty last Wed., and stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some fabric to try my hand at sewing. Mind you, I had not done any sewing of my own free will since I was 14 and was scarred for life by my older sister whose patience was exceeded. Anyway, in the past week I've made aprons for Lovely and Snugglebug, and I turned a pair of $5 jeans into a really cute skirt with a pleat in the back. I also made a necklace for the first time (not counting macaroni or string necklaces).

Miraculously, I only had a couple seams to rip out, I only cried at the very beginning when I couldn't figure out how to use my sewing machine that I had purchased two years ago, and although I have a few needle marks in the tips of my fingers, I'm really looking forward to my next project (I'll let you know once they're completed--yes, there is more than one project in my mind). I had no idea how freeing a lack of a pattern is! I used a cheap kid's apron as my example for the girls (yes, I realize aprons are a 7th grade home-ec project, but you have to start somewhere, right?) and just cut and matched the fabric for the skirt. Although these aren't grade A, excellent products, I have had a wonderful talent in the past of sewing the wrong sides of material together, making things much tighter and smaller than I had ever measured or imagined, and overall, my sewing stank! This time I used a can-do attitude, and although I've tried it in the past, it worked this time!

Here's a look at my projects:

Snugglebug's Apron Lovely's Apron. She has a fascination with "spots" right now.

Front of $5 jeans (this is Lovely's, of course)

Back of $5 jeans

Pouring Rain

When it rains, it pours, as mi madre just said. Out of the blue, I was offered a job at U of L that will pay a stipend, my tuition, and health insurance, not to mention I wouldn't mind actually saying the name of where I worked for a change. Although I love just being "mommy" and "wife" and "helpmeet", Hubby & I decided it would be best for us to struggle through ten more months with school paid for, gain further experience, and get it out of the way. So what does that mean for the rest of my life?

I'll have no life. That's right. You heard it here first. I will have NO LIFE. My house will be dirty again. I will rely heavily on frozen food (remind me to make approximately 300 freezer meals for the upcoming year). Sewing? Crafts? No, not for me. Homeschool field trips...did you say trips? Those won't be happening (unless you classify driving to and fro to g'ma's house a field trip...hey, at least the girls can see deer and turkeys in the fields along the way!).

I actually had a very good schedule for school this year, but apparently, it's meant to go down the drain--round and round it goes! This means I am starting first grade now. You got it: Now. I started First Language Lessons yesterday and Lovely said once the three-minute lesson was finished, "That was soooo silly, Mommy!" I hope she continues to feel this way.

In addition to this new job, I finally recieved a reply back from an online editing service I had applied to. Of course, my application was accepted. When it rains it pours...

I am thankful for the Lord's many blessings. In fact, I rest assured in His perfect will...and I will be watching the sky closely and ducking every now and then as I expect a maid, a cook, and a general life organizer to suddenly appear on my doorstep for help :)

Fattenin' Them Up

We have a birdfeeder. I bought it several years ago, but only recently finished painting it, etc. Sunday night, after church, we bought a bag of bird seed, but I'm too short to hang it in the tree and we don't have a ladder, so I said Daddy will have to do it.

Yesterday after he got home from work, Lovely and Snugglebug asked Hubby to hang the birdfeeder. Then, Lovely asked him which birds would come to eat the food. Hubby said lots of different kinds, and he started naming the different kinds.

"And they will get fat, right?" Lovely asked, excitedly.

"Sure," Hubby replied innocently.

"And then we can shoot 'em!" Lovely exclaimed.

Lovely has apparently learned the idea behind baiting animals. Unfortunately for her, it is illegal in the state of Indiana, and in our eyes, unethical. So, feed, little birdies, feed, without the fear of a five year old's maniacal plans!