Date night!

Tonight Mason and I had a date night! :) The twins went to stay the night with their cousins and so it was just me and Mason. We started out the night eating at his all time fav place which is Pepe's. I can remember going there when I wasn't much older than him and so its nice to carry that on with him. I noticed tonight how he really is growing up. He orders his own food, has his own unique personality and carries on the oddest conversations. :) I ran into a huge dilema though. Most of you know, and if not will, that I have a small bladder. Okay, thats an understatement, its tiny! I use the bathroom a ton! Anyway...I had to go tonight and didn't know what to do. In my opinion he is not old enough to sit by himself, but I didn't want both of us to get up and they think we left (the waitress was really busy and I couldn't find her and also couldn't wait much longer). He thinks he's bigger than his britches and is so grown up. He kindly told me that he was almost 9 and that he would be fine. Seeing as how it was very crowded I gave him the "don't leave or talk to strangers lecture" one more time and quickly used the restroom. When I got back he smartly said "see mom I'm fine." I guess I don't realize how big he is sometimes.

After a great dinner we decided to go to my all time fav place, Barnes and Nobles, and browse through some books. :) I am hoping my love for books grows on him...and soon. :) I am happy to report he did find a book he thought he would enjoy! Being the softy mom I am I let him get it, especially since it was a chapter book and he usually shys away from them because they don't have pictures. I must tell you though he is finally started to get the comprehension down with reading which really excites me. We will see how he does with a chapter book. So far so good! We then got some hot chocolate and sat down to read for a little while.

Okay..okay...so it helps that the book is a movie! As long as he's reading right. ;-)

Anyway, we had a GREAT time and it made me realize how fast he is growing up! It was nice to take the time with him and just enjoy spending time together. :)

So here's the plans! We improvised today because my printer quit working, but its now up and running and we're back on task.

Weston & Isaac:

Monday: Letter "T", Floating egg experiment (LP)

Tuesday: ABC's cut/paste, Alphabet Fish Bingo & Ocean counting (1's, 5's, 10's) (LP),

Wednesday: Letter "U", ABC's cut/paste,Wave bottle, Sandcastle Book (LP),

Thursday: Number paper, Starfish project (LP), Seagull book (LP),

Friday: Tide pool (LP) and finish Lap book

We will take pictures of some of our science experiments/projects and put those in the book as well. I know that looks like a lot, but the boys weren't satisfied with only one project a day for their books. They really got into it. If we don't finish by the end of the week then thats ok. Mason is also helping with our science projects. :)

Mason:

Monday: Handwriting, Letters & Sounds, Geography games, LB cover and Penny project (LP)

Tuesday: Saxon Math/Penny Math, Language, Build Abraham Lincoln's house & In the Oval Office book (LP)

Wednesday: Saxon Math, Handwriting, Capitalization Rule Cards (LP)

Thursday: Saxon Math, Language, Where did Abraham Lincoln Live book (LP)

Friday: Saxon Math, Honesty Book & pictures of Lincoln Memorial in DC (LP)

Now I have to say I am shocked at what the kids remember. I told you all that somehow we got on the subject of Abe last week and we did talk about it a little. So when Mason was doing his penny project today I thought I would quiz him and first ask him who was on the penny. Much to my surprise the twins blurted out the answer before Mason could open his mouth. And thats not the best part. I thought I would throw Mason and ask him if he remembered who Abraham Lincoln was. Now the answer I expected from Mason was "a president, duh" and the answer I got, from the twins might I add before Mason could answer once again...."the 16th president." They were just so matter of fact. They answered and then went back to what they were doing like it was no big deal. It was hularious! Even Mason laughed out of shock. I must tell you that Mason knew the answers too. :) He was mad because they didn't give him time to get it right. We have definitely found our method of teaching. I LOVE LAPBOOKING!! :)

We have also been doing some redecorating, well, I should say the twins have been doing some redecorating. :) The other day Weston comes out into the kitchen and says that he and Isaac are redecorating their room. My initial reaction...OH NO!! I walked into the bedroom to find this....

Notice the gigantic pieces of tape for the little pictures! Hahaha! So, typically I don't usually let them tape things to their walls, but they were so proud of their artwork and wanted to display it. Not to mention they had worked really, really hard. :) So I showed them how to use less tape and set some ground rules and let them get back to their creativity. :) Who am I to stop creativity. Not to mention, now all those little pieces of artwork that end up on the fridge have a place. :) I am in the process of making some corkboards for them to dispaly their artwork a little nicer, but this works for now. LOL!

Ok, I'm off to do some more printing and organizing. Have a great week everyone!

What a week!

So our first week back is done and I'm proud to report that we stayed on track for most of the week. We got everything accomplished that I had planned and that's whats important. We're adjusting to a new schedule with William being on second shift and all, but it went over well considering. I had no fights out of Mason, that was until today. All week he has been amazingly cooperative. Practiced piano when I asked him to, did his math when I asked him to, his handwriting and language went over without no issues and the lapbooking was a HUGE success! The problem came today. He didn't want to practice piano, he didn't want to do math, but he wanted to do his story, but couldn't figure it out because he was too busy throwing a fit. :) I explained to him that he didn't have to do it and that it was just extra fun for him. He then threw another fit because he wanted to do it. I can't figure him out. LOL :)

So at risk of ruining a good week I decided to pick my battles and let him go play his video game for a little while. He is now finishing up putting his Lap book together and is really enjoying himself. I will be back this weekend to report what our schedule will be like next week, but lets just say we have TONS of ideas for our books. I'm not sure how we got on the subject of Abraham Lincoln, but we did and so Weston says.."How bout we learn about Abraham Lincoln and do a book on him?" Now I'm not giving it all away right now, but that will be one of our books. Look at me trying to sound all suspenseful (is that even a word haha) about homeschool curriculum!! :)

So here are some pictures of the books we made this week! Enjoy!

Weston & Isaac did Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We talked about the planets and the order they go in. Do you know the order? We talked about constellations. We made rockets and of course we sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

Mason did a book about Indiana. We learned what we grow, manufacture and mine. We learned our state motto. We learned about our flag, when it became our flag and what everything on it means. We also learned the names of the tribes that used to live here and about our state flower, bird and tree. I am also happy to report that he remembers it!! Its not just about doing the work, which is what he was used to, its about remembering what he learned and I'm happy to say we accomplished that!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm definitely going to try. I'm praying for no snow so that I may be able to go out of town with some friends.

:)

Here goes nothing...

So after spending countless hours on the computer and looking at hundreds of websites, I'm so not kidding, and coming up with all these "great" ideas and then throwing them out the window, I finally have decided! :) If anyone needs something even remotely related to homeschooling or activities, there is no doubt in my mind that I could tell ya where to go. I may post a list of them just for future references.

Here's my list of curriculum that I am using that I haven't changed.

Mason - Saxon Math 2 and 3, Abeka Language 3, Abeka Handwriting 3, Reading-Library books

Weston & Isaac - Abeka K4 Phonics, Handwriting and Phonics with Numbers. Along with some additional things I found online and had already for directional and cut/paste activities. Also included in that is basic calender activities and reading. They are very eager to learn to read!

So your probably asking yourself what about history/geography and science? That's what I've been asking myself. :) And that's what I am FINALLY excited about. During my countless hours of being on the internet I found all these cool lessons, BUT they were all worksheets. :( I am trying to take a more hands-on approach to learning because I know that's how Mason learns, and do that without buying all new curriculum. Well, I finally found something! I guess I shouldn't say finally because I've known about it I just didn't see how it could work and thought it would be too chaotic and complicated. Sound familiar...that's what I thought about Saxon Math and now look at me. LOL

So what is it already...it called Lap booking!! Some people call it scrap to learn or note booking, either way you look at it, its all hands-on! You basically pick a topic, for Mason we're starting off learning about Indiana and the twins we're starting off with the letter S and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You make mini-books about that topic (ie..flag, flower, tree, bird, song, population, industry, etc..). Then when your all done you take a file folder and shutter fold it, add everything into it, decorate it and not only did they learn all about that topic, it also becomes a learning tool to look back on and its a great way to show off their work and what they have learned! The best thing is...it just takes basic craft things like glue, paper, crayons, tape, markers, stickers, however creative you wanna get! AND...it works for little ones too! The twins will be joining in on the fun as well! I'm starting off with a little history with Mason, but I'm sure it won't be long until we get into the science, or should I say animals. :)

I cannot express my excitement! I love to scrapbook and the boys love to color, cut, draw and glue, so needless to say this is going to be fun! I hope. ;) I'm sure it will take a while to get the hang of which is why I started with books that already had a plan, but I have such creative kids that I don't think it will take long for them to just run with it.

So on that note, here's my plan for the week...I'm going to be very detailed for my own sake, sorry.

Weston & Isaac
Monday-letter R, S is for Star book (Lap book project)
Tuesday- #10, cut/paste numbers 1-5 in order, constellation book (Lap book project)
Wednesday-Letter S, Planet counting game/pocket (Lap book project)
Thursday- #10, cut/paste numbers 6-10, build a rocket book (Lap book project)
Friday-Put together lap book with all our books and some songs, poems and Bible verse

When I look at that it seems like that is a lot of stuff, but really its not. The boys fly through their "worksheets" and they sit at the table for hours cutting and coloring. Now it will just have a purpose and I won't have scraps of paper everywhere that I don't know what to do with. :) I forgot to say that a lap book doesn't have to be finished in a week. There is no time limit. It just depends on how in depth you want to go and stretch it out. Since this is our first one I choose something a little simpler to start with. Once we get going I'll have to juggle 3 so it will probably take a little longer. We'll see. :)

Anyway, back on track.

Mason
Monday-Math, Language (types of sentences), Indiana's bird, tree, flower and other info (LP)
Tuesday-Math, Handwriting, Indiana Flag info/color and Indiana State Motto
Wednesday- Math, Language (types of sentences), Indiana's meaning, Indiana Tribes and There's More Than Corn in Indiana book (LP)
Thursday-Math, Handwriting, Indiana song and map outline of Indiana (LP)
Friday-Phonics, Put LB together.

Also I should say that we will obviously be reading. I will probably have him read the same book for 2 days to improve on his fluency and comprehension. We will be doing this before bed. We will also probably not have a set in stone routine because of William being moved to 2nd shift. I'd like to have some sort of routine, but we'll see how it works itself out. I absolutely love plans and routines, but for some reason I'm having a hard time making them work with homeschooling.

So that's it! That's my plan and I hope to stick with it.

Oh, I forgot! I found a website with story starters. Mason LOVES to write stories, but gets upset when having to erase and recopy when making mistakes. So here's my thought. He loves the computer and typing, so I thought on Fridays when his Lap book is finished he could guest post here with his story. :) Since I haven't picked one yet he'll just have to surprise you this week!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Been way too long...

Wow! I haven't been on here in almost 2 months. Thats hard to believe. So I'll do a quick year in review. :)

To start off...the infamous sleeping pictures of the boys. :) My how they have grown.

Our first visit to Bucanner bay, courtesy of a store that will remain nameless due to a water heater issue. Then it was off for another Rent adventure/road trip. Which will forever be known as the understudy madness show. :)Then 2 weeks later it was off to my second home again...NYC!! And who can forget those NASTY upshots. We were desperate and tired, but not that desperate. Just smelling them gave me enough energy to make it through Pennsylvania. hahaha
Finally, after 12 hours we could see the skyline! It really looked much closer than it does in the picture.First stop of course....To be followed up with 4 more visits and tickets to every show. Lots of time spent in Time Square and enjoying the city.Mason turning 8!In the spring began the Presidential race visits. Sorry for the bad picture, I can't figure out how to delete it.The twins turned 4!!
Masons very first piano recital. :)
The twins following in big brothers foot steps. :)
The boys riding their bikes with no training wheels.

Very first fishing trips and no one fell in can you believe it. haha

My cousin Amber coming to visit. If she were here she would totally kill me for putting this picture up. She was such a character and could always make me laugh. I miss her terribly!

The kids first road trip and our first family vacation.

And finally...the decision to homeschool the boys.

Okay, so its not short, but there you have it. This year has been filled with up, downs, happys, sads and a ton of "firsts". As this year came to a close I was more than ready for it to be over!! The last few months especially have been really rough for me, which is when I tend to not blog. As this new year began today I realized that are so many things changing and probably some things that need to be changed. I want to be a more deligent, happier, time efficient, healthier woman, mother, sister and friend. I want to succeed at this thing called life. :) And I have to say that without many of you I wouldn't have made it through this past year. So thank you...I love you all.

So, here's where I'm starting. I need accountability, BADLY. :) So I am going to start posting my weekly curriculum on here. I am extremely eager to get back into school work. I'm taking a new approach! I will get into that more on another post. I am also joining in with my friend Lindsay (and so many others) and devoting myself to a healthier, and hopefully skinnier, me. I can do pretty good at eating honestly, its the excersing that I tend to fall off the wagon with. I LOVE to run, its just I don't have a ton of motivation. It has always been my dream to be able to run a 5K, specifically the one in NYC, go figure right. I want to accomplish it this year!! So with that I will be doing a ton of schedules on here.

Its off to bed I go so that I can get up at a decent time in the morning, weigh in, and get some excercising in, along with setting my school schedule for the week. Lots to do! Hopefully I can keep up with the energy.

Night all~

It happened...

I had a meltdown. Yup, thats right, a meltdown over this homeschool stuff. I feel like I'm getting no where, teaching nothing and am completely failing on this. Everyday is like a fight, for Mason and myself. I struggle with whether I'm teaching the right things, doing enough, depriving him of a "real" education and screwing him up. There is so much he needs to know and doesn't and honestly I'm not doing that good at making him. I want to succeed in this very badly!

I go in spirts. One minute I am so energized and doing really well and the next minute all I wanna do is sit on the coach and let them play. This was supposed to be fun and exciting. I know, wait... I KNOW it can be! I see all these cool things and ideas, but when it comes to implementing them I just have a hard time balancing everything. I think back and wonder what happened to the teacher in me. Maybe thats the problem, I'm focusing too much on teaching instead of learning. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I don't know. I could really use some prayers or ideas on this. I need direction, guidance, motivation, and most of all cooperation from Mason. Not too mention that this has made me feel so isolated from other people.

Okay, off I go to download more possible things to implement.
Talk soon!

Reptiles...

So in light of my depressed mood lately, we have had some good days with homeschooling. We have been into reptiles lately. A little side note...Weston has a Webkinz that is a Red-Eyed Tree Frog and has developed a new love for it. I have to say...so have I. The other day he told me that he wants a "real" one for Christmas. I immediately thought to myself, sure, of course I'll run right out and buy one. :) My next thought was, do they even sell those. By the way, YES they do sell them! Just my luck. haha They are actually really pretty frogs.

So I began my search and that began our reptile discussions and research. Did you know that there are about 4000 species of frogs in the world?? Thats amazing! In our searching around town for frogs, and specifically a red-eyed tree frog, we found several different types. There is one called a pacman frog that get just about as big as your head. Not something I'd want to find out of his tank. haha There are so many different types of tree frogs, more than I ever thought possible. Today we took a mini field trip to the pet store by our house that mainly specializes in reptiles. We were there almost an hour!! It was so much fun and we all learned a lot with the very helpful staff member who answered every question the boys (and I) asked. Weston got to have an up close and personal visit with his dream Christmas present while we discovered that there is a very rare one called an Albino red-eyed tree frog. It was the neatest thing to see, but not a first time reptile owner kinda frog. That tiny little frog was $200!!

I think the next addition to our family will be a tiny little red-eyed reptile. :) Just to be clear I meant that the albino frog was the expensive one. We won't be purchasing that one. LOL

We left the store with a new appreciation for reptiles and 3 brand new additions to the Christmas list. haha It consisted of a red-eyed tree frog..of course (but he's not wanting to wait), a turtle and a chameleon! :) The turtle I'm not sold on, especially since its VERY expensive, but the chameleon was so beautiful, I know your probably thinking how, but it was. It had a great personality and every time we walked up to the tank it would climb as fast as it could to get the where we were and sit there and show off.

I know Christmas is a little while away, but I'm not good with names for pets and honestly neither are the kids. :) So I'm asking all of you for help. Seriously, please help me!! I want to be able to suggest names to the kids when we bring it home.

Who would of thought I would be buying a reptile...NOT ME...but I am actually kinda excited!

Update: I just asked Weston what he would name his frog if he got one, his answer...Froggy! Told you all I needed help. hahaha :)