Austin's 1st Award in Public School

** ** WARNING ** **

This is another post containing a tremendous amount of gushing from a very proud Momma!

Last month I wrote about my daughter receving her 1st award in public school (they just started attending in January).  This month I am proud to say my son, Austin (1st Grade) has received a Citizen of the Month award as well!  His comment regarding the award was, "Now I just have to get the student of the Month award next time."

As with Tyler's award, we were asked to attend an assembly where the award was presented to Austin.  We were very proud to attend this on Friday morning.  He received a certificate, a book and a bracelet in school colors that indicates he recieved the Citizenship Award.

His teacher wrote:

Austin is an awesome student.  He has a great attitude and made friends quickly in my class.  He takes his time with his work, doing the best he can and using neat handwriting.  He is always kind to others, and follows our classroom and school rules.  He is a great citizen and a good example for other students.  He always has a hand up to volunteer and answers questions.  I enjoy talking with him - he always has an interesting story to share!  I am proud of his achievements!

I was tempted to ask about what kinds of stories he always tells, but to be honest I was kind of afraid to find out.  I've heard his stories before!


Austin with his award and the book he chose (one full of riddles!)



Tyler's 1st Award in Public School

** ** WARNING ** **

This post contains a tremendous amount of gushing from a very proud Momma!

Today my baby girl received her first award in public school.  Shaun & I are so proud of her.  After attending private school for 2 years and doing the homeschool/co-op thing for 2 1/2 years she was very nervous to start public school last month.  But she has been doing wonderful.  Within days she had made lots of friends and as I mentioned in my last post, she has even dealt with the "mean girl" thing. 

On Tuesday I received a call from her teacher asking us to come to an assembly today where they were going to surprise Tyler with an award.  It was the February Citizen of the Month award for February.  After less than 2 months at the school, she has received her first award (can you tell this mommy is excited and proud of her little girl?!)

The commentary from the teacher said:

Tyler is a pure pleasure to have in class!  She shows great citizenship and has a kind and respectful attitude towards her classmates and class work!  She genuinely shows care and compassion for school!  She is always on her best behavior and really shows pride in her school work!

Afterwards we spoke to her teacher briefly and she went on to affirm what she had written for the award and to tell us that academically Tyler is doing wonderful as well.  She said report cards will be coming out next month and we'll see then how wonderful Tyler is doing. 

They gave her a Certificate of Character which will of course go in her school book.  They also allowed the children receiving rewards pick out a book that was supplied by the school PTO (she chose a book by Roald Dahl).  She received a book placard to go inside the front cover that says the book was received by Tyler as a reward from the PTO for being a good citizen.

Okay - this mom is done gushing, at least for the moment!

Tyler displaying her Certificate of Character

Public School - Oh My!

After two and half years of homeschooling (while working full-time) the Lord has put my family on a new path.  It has been bittersweet for me as I really did love teaching my kids and wished I could do so full-time.  And I had reasons I preferred homeschooling for my children, but God has other plans and I trust that He knows best.

While a part of me is disappointed (and I dare say at times feels like I have failed) there is another part of me that is relieved and enjoying this new period in our life.  I had not realized how much I had been missing with the kids because I worked full-time and many of our schooling sessions outside fo the co-op were in the evenings and weekends.  Now, they have homework I help them with 4 nights a week (and that is if there is anything left other than reading - since my dear husband usually does the other homework with them before I get home!)  Fridays and weekends are now free of homework other than reading.  I find I'm able to enjoy my children more now and they are enjoying spending time with me more.

Don't get me wrong - if I had a chance to homeschool again I would do it - but only if we are in a position where I can do it full-time during the day and not work another job at the same time.

We have run into some of the things I had feared already.  In the past two months my daughter has run into the "mean girls".  One girl was her friend and then was not because Tyler was not "girly" enough (she got dirty at recess because she does handstands and cartwheels in the grass - I guess in 4th grade that is not an activity that makes you "popular").  Then a couple days later she was Tyler's friend again and as of today she is not again.

But Tyler seems to have made a lot of friends and I found out that she has made a point to befriend and play with a girl that others were picking on.  She did not understand at first why the other girls were mad at her for doing so, but we had a long talk about what it really means to be a friend.  I think she will do just fine and I am very proud of her.  I know the Lord is watching out for her and we have given her a good foundation to build upon.

Austin is doing well too.  He has not made as many friends as I would have expected but he seems to really enjoy school and thrive.  He is amazing when it comes to his schoolwork.  He really does not struggle at all to grasp any of the concepts.  His issue is focus - a math page that should take 10 mins and that he understands totally can take up to 30 minutes or more because after each problem he wants to talk about an example that is simlar to the problem, what the problem reminded him of and/or something totally unrelated.

Jesse of course is still in preschool with Cheri, but he constantly asks me how many more months it will be until August when he gets to start Kindergarten.  He is so excited.  He knows so much already and is definitely prepared.  My only concern is still his speech.  We did go through the school district to get him tested, however per their standards the sounds he struggles with are not fully developed at his age.  I guess that gives me some comfort but I'm still not totally convinced.  But I will take it one day at a time for now and keep a close eye on him.  God will take care of him just like my other two precious children.  After all, He loves them even more than I ever could.  And that is alot!

I'll have another post/announcement soon.  I just got a call from a teacher today with some news that I will share soon.  It is a surprise so I don't want to spill the beans yet.

So I will leave you all with a Valentine's Kiss from Jesse.  Enjoy!

Charlotte's Web Lapbook

We've discovered lapbooks this year and love them!  Tyler has done two for books she has read.  Our first attempt was with "The Courage of Sarah Noble".  I've included some pictures below.  One of the ladies in our co-op found instructions online for this one along with the templates.

Tyler's Custom Cover for "The Courage of Sarah Noble"

The various sections inside included listing the members of the Noble and Robinson families in alphabetical order and coloring a map of the 13 colonies and tracing the route Sarah and her father took to their new home.  On the other side they did a pocket on Measuring Fear.  For various situations that Sarah found herself in throughout the story, the kids rated on a scale of 1 to 5 how scared they would have been.  The looked up various vocabulary words in the story and wrote them out on the moccasin book.  And they looked up various forest animals and plants that were mentioned through the story and wrote facts about each one.

Inside Tyler's 1st lapbook

Animal & Plant facts

Our second attempt which we just finished was a lapbook for "Charlotte's Web".  One of the mother's in the co-op came up with the ideas of what to include and we came up with our own creative ways to showcase these elements.  While looking for ideas I found a wonderful site with tons of templates. 

Homeschool Share - Lapbook Templates

Below is a video I took of Tyler's lapbook for Charlotte's Web and each of the elements we added.  I apologize as the video is a bit blurry, but it is good enough to show all the different items.  It is sideways as well and I can't figure out how to turn it.

Pictures of the lapbook:

Our cover - we keep it closed with a small piece of velcro.  Tyler can't stand it.  She hates the sound of velcro!

The inside of our lapbook

Animal Facts - Pigs, Rats & Spiders.  Tyler picked a picture and fact about how humans can catch and eat rats if necessary in an emergency.  Ugh!

Our questions - this one is about whether Templeton was a villain or hero

Spider facts - these were some of Tyler's favorites that we looked up.

Similes - Tyler wrote down all the similes we found in the book.  I was surprised we did not find more.  The purple circle are the 10 characteristic Tyler thought were important in a friend.

Vocab Words - we had 20 words from the book that Tyler looked up and included on these cards.  This book has a lot of very good vocab words for kids to learn.

Next Attempt?  We are doing lapbooks for our Social Studies/History samples to be turned into our charter school at our next meeting.  Tyler and Austin will both be doing one to showcase what we are learning over the four week learning period.  I'll share those once they are completed.

Accountable Kids - Review

About a month ago I did a post called Accountable Kids - The Journey Begins.  We are now just a little over a month into the program - we have implemented 3 of the 4 phases. 

I originally decided to try this program because I have friends who have raved about it.  My children are not bad kids by any means, but to be honest - I was exhausted.  They are so active (daughter just turned 9 and my boys are 5 1/2 and 4 years old).  In addition, I was tired of repeating myself and feeling like no matter how much time I spent cleaning the house, I had little whirlwind messes following right behind me.  I work full-time and homeschool two of my kids.  My house usually takes a back seat because I often feel that I have to choose between keeping up the house and spending time with my family.

Our boards - painted in each child's favorite color - of course!

The Accountable Kids program  helps parents to teach their children accountability and responsibility.  And it empowers children because they learn that they are a productive part of the family - thereby developing a healthy self-esteem and confidence.  And it helps to teach children to take pride in what they do and discourages attitudes of entitlement.

I've used chore charts and stickers with my daughter before but they never stuck with my family.  This is different because it is about more than just doing some things around the house to earn a prize.  And I don't have to go out of my way to buy special expensive prizes to give the kids. 

The key to teaching your kids responsibility is consistency.  I realized I lacked in this area in some ways.  I've still not totally got it figured out, but this program is great because it helps me to be consistent with the kids.

Close up of Jesse's board - our 4 year old - extra chore of cleaning the bathroom is split between all three children, each has a section that they are responsible for completing.

There are four phases to the program:

The first step introduces the concept of core chores (daily chores expected of each child for which no payment is received).  They are also introduced to tickets which can be earned by completing all chores on time.  These tickets are used for things they've been doing in the past already (television, video games, etc) for which mom & dad want them to realize they are privileges, not things they are entitled to get.  This was huge for my children.  They are learning to manage their own television time now.  The first night we did this my 4 year old actually spent almost 5 minutes really thinking about whether or not he wanted to give up one of his tickets to watch television before bed.  I think he handed me his ticket and then took it back about 3 times before he finally decided he was willing to trade one of his precious tickets for television privileges.

A list of items that will cause a ticket to be lost is also created.  These are things that will cause the child to lose an earned ticket immediately, no warning.  For our family these include hitting, kicking, fighting, whining, and being disrespectful.  It was a real eye-opener for the boys the first time they wanted to watch television but could not because they had lost their tickets and could not trade one in for t.v. privileges. 

The best behavior card is also introduced in the first step which had become a coveted prize in my family.  The kids are allowed to use it just like a ticket, but I've found for them it is more of a reward to just have it hanging on their board.  They use it last and many times will bypass privileges just to be able to leave the best behavior card on their board.

The second phase introduces the privilege pass which helps parents to address specific bad habits that they want to replace with new behavior.  Also the date card is introduced.  I was a little leery of this one at first, because I did not want my kids thinking they had to "earn" time with Mommy & Daddy.  But I've found we can still spend time alone with each of them as we used to - this is just an added extra special time that they can earn.  And it does not have to be expensive either.  My kids love to just go out back after dark with a blanket and look at the stars alone with one of us. 

The third phase introduces extra chores which the children can earn bonus bucks for doing.  These are turned in the end of each week for real money which they can spend as they see fit.   Savings can also be introduced at this point.  For our children half of what they earn during the week is going to their "savings" account which we track on sheets posted on our wall.  At any time they can see what they have in their savings.  The half that they get to keep really helps to develop confidence in them too.  When we go somewhere now my kids are asking if they can buy something instead of asking me to buy it for them.  And they are putting much more thought into what they ask for, even my 4 year old. 

You also introduce the helping hand card.  This makes the kids consciencely think of something nice to do for someone else during the day.  My kids love each night sharing what they've done for their helping hand during the day.  Many days they have more than one thing to share.

In the last step you introduce the family forum and quiet time.  We've not gotten to this step yet with my family, although we do already kind of do the family forum since we meet briefly each week on Sunday to turn in bonus bucks and review the ticket lists posted on our refrigerator (list of items tickets can be traded in for and list of things that will cause the children to lose a ticket).

I think one of the main reasons I love this program is because it is so flexible.  I've tailored it to fit each of my kids and as they get older some of their extra chores will become core chores.  As I see what is and is not working with each child I can add and subtract things as necessary. 

The key to this program and I think anything you do to teach your kids responsibility is consistency.  I've still not got this totally figured out, but the boards are a visual reminder to me each day to be consistent, just as they are a reminder to the kids of what they need to do as a part of this family.  I've seen a huge improvement in my daughter - she thrives on this.  The boys also love the program. 

Boys cleaning the table after eating

One big change has been mornings.  Since we both work we have a certain amount of time to get us and the kids ready each morning.  In the past I would find myself rushing and many times yelling and threatening the kids in order to get us all out the door on time.  Now most mornings the kids are all ready way before I am.  They get up and know exactly what to do and get it done.  Every once in awhile we'll have a bad morning but they don't earn their ticket for morning chores if they are not done and/or if Mommy has to remind them of what needs to be done.  I've found we never have two bad mornings in a row.  Not earning their ticket is reminder enough to get them back to helping out as they should.

My middle child struggles the most with the program (he finally just earned his first Best Behavior card today!).  He has trouble thinking ahead to consequences, but even though he struggles I have seen an improvement in him too.  It is just coming a little slower.  And part of it is consistency on my part.  I've noticed when he starts getting difficult again, it is usually because I've become a bit slack in being consistent and sticking to my guns on certain things.

Overall, this program has been wonderful for my family and we've stuck with it for over a month now.  That is big for us.  I will be traveling to see family in August and I'm looking forward to taking this program with me and continuing it while we are away from home. 

If you are struggling to teach your children responsibility and accountability, if they are getting to the point where they feel they are entitled to things or if you are just tired and frustrated - I would highly recommend Accountable Kids.  There has been some times of testing where I've been discouraged, but I chose to stick with it and I'm seeing the improvements, sometimes little, sometimes big.  I find myself repeating myself less and less (and if I do it is usually because I'm not being consistent with the program) and I'm finding it so much easier to get the kids to clean up after themselves and help keep the house clean.  I'm actually able to spend time with my kids now and focus on them.  In the past I was always thinking in the back of my mind about all the things I still needed to do.  They have more confidence and I am less stressed and exhausted.  And I'm seeing more cooperation between the kids.  It is Amazing!  A definite God-send for my family

Tyler vacuuming the front living room

To learn more about the program visit their website at Accountable Kids - watch both videos on the main page.  They explain about the program and will answer many of your questions.  And I definitely recommend getting the kit which includes the book.  There are so many helpful ideas in it.  I read it cover to cover before I started the program and I'm still constantly referring to it for ideas.

Note:  By doing this post I'm taking advantage of another wonderful part of this program.  Currently if you write a blog review of the program you can get a "rebate" on part of your original purchase price.  I would be writing a review either way and in fact I had already posted about our initial experience last month here.  How amazing is that?!

Spirit of Control in Raising Children

Below is a great article I found by Norm Wakefield regarding the Spirit of Control.  This is the second of a three part series, but I'm referencing this one here because it deals with parent/child relationships.  I found this article very enlightening.  I will definitely be approaching the raising and disciplining of my children differently after this.  Many of the things I do may not change but it really made me rethink where my trust lies during these times and my reasons for doing what I do.

Elijah Ministries - Chariot of Fire Newsletter
Spirit of Control - Part 2 by Norm Wakefield
August 2008

Austin's Favorite Person in History

As their last History assignment this year (and our last sample to be turned into the charter school) I had each of the kids write about their favorite person in History from this year.  Tyler had read a book about Helen Keller and absolutely fell in love with her.  So of course her paper was on Helen Keller.  She did quite good on it too.

Austin's favorite person was George Washington.  His writing is pretty legible, but just in case you can't make it all out, it says the following:

My favorite person in history is George Washington.  He is famous because he was our first President.  I like him because he cut down a cherry tree.

Gardens & Ponds

Last year our garden met with catastrophe.  The only thing that survived were Shaun's jalapeno peppers.  We were invaded by mice.  Shaun said it was like a flashback to the Secret of Nimh only with mice under a tomato plant rather than rats living under a rose bush.  There were many evenings I would look out the back window to see Shaun with a shovel chasing a mouse across our back yard.

However, so far this year the garden if flourishing.  I might even have some zucchini to grate up and freeze for bread.  Last year I had some, but only due to the generosity of our daycare who grew some gigantic zucchini! 

The garden is pretty much Shaun and Tyler's domain.  Tyler loves to putter around in the garden.  Partly because she takes after her grandma who has a green thumb and partly because her Daddy is out there with her.  Personally, I did not inherit the green thumb - in fact I think I have a black one.  I could kill a fake plant.  Really!  I have killed an aloe vera which I was told could survive anyone.

This is our broccoli - one of the few green vegetables I actually like. 
But only when it is steamed with some garlic!

We have some strawberry plants here - and some more broccoli.
Shaun said we have 6 broccoli this year - I don't like it that much!!

A forest of carrots and some corn here - and something else that Shaun knows what it is.

Shaun and Tyler have also been working on the landscaping around the pool.  The backside of the pool now has a variety of flowers and plants growing along the wall and they've revived the pond.  We even have a new friend for the pond - two adorable little turtles. 

Tyler admiring the newly revived pond. 
Daddy still needs to hide some of the hoses but it is near being completed.

Our lovely Turtle family  -  the best kind, ones that don't have to be fed and won't waddle away!

Accountable Kids - The Journey Begins

I have recently started something new with my kids called Accountable Kids.  I'm usually pretty skeptical about programs that say they can "give you a new kid in days" but I have a friend who raved about this and after checking out their website and watching the videos I was impressed.  It is a tool to help parents be consistent while teaching their kids about responsibility and accountability.  It helps to discourage attitudes of entitlement and gives your children a sense of accomplishment as they become part of the family by helping out around the house and are allowed to make choices regarding how they spend their time.  As you implement the different steps they also begin to learn about money and how to manage and make decisions about money they earn.

I decided I would start blogging about our journey in the hopes that someone else may find it helpful, if not at least amusing.

Our Accountable Kids wall.  The top board (mini board) is where the extra tickets and Best Behavior cards hang.  The kids call it "Mommy's board".

Close up of the kid's boards.  Each of them of course chose theirfavorite colors.  Right now for the 1st step we only use the first three pegs.

DAY 1:
(5/11/10)  I finally ordered my stuff the Sunday before Mother's Day and had it by Thursday.  I read the book that comes with it in less than 2 days.  We painted our boards on Mother's Day and started the program this last Tuesday.  I won't go into tons of details right now because if you are interested you can visit the website and watch the videos for an overview.  Also, I will be doing a blog post review in the next few weeks.  They have a deal that if you blog a review within 45 days you can get a 50% refund!!

Prior to the first day I had talked to all three kids about the first phase of the program (there are 4 steps that you phase in until you are doing the entire program).  On Tuesday, I walked through each of the kids chores with them.   We went over list of items that you could trade in tickets for and a list of items you can lose tickets for as well.  The first day I did not take any tickets though.  As they did something they were not supposed to I would just tell them "You would have lost a ticket for that." 

The kids all loved being able to move their chore cards from the start peg to the finish peg and loved earning their tickets as they got each grouping of chores done.  Jesse especially loved the tickets.  That night when it came time for the boys to watch some television before bed he actually put a lot of thought into whether or not he really wanted to turn in a ticket for this privilege.  I think he gave me his ticket and then took it back about 3 times before he decided he did want to watch television bad enough to trade in the ticket.  At one point he asked me if he would get his ticket back after he was done watching television.

Before bed I warned the kids that the next day they had to do their chores on their own and we reviewed the rules for losing tickets so they would be ready for the next day.

DAY 2:
(5/12/10)  This was our first day with the kids doing the chores on their own and actually having tickets lost.  Usually in the mornings I'm running around the house like a crazy woman trying to get myself and the kids ready and have everyone out the door on time.  This morning the kids each got up, finished each of their chores (making beds, getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc) without me having to say anything to them.  In fact they were done with about 15 minutes to spare and no fighting - they were actually helping each other!  It was amazing!  It was harder to get my dear husband up that morning than all the kids put together.

Jesse informed me today that he did not want to ever lose any tickets so he was going to be "good forever!"

Austin did end up losing three tickets this first day, two before I was even able to get him home after picking him up from the friend who watches him after school.  That night he traded in the one ticket he still had for some time on the computer before bed.  After that he realized his younger brother was still watching television in our room when he went to bed.  He wanted to watch some too, but I reminded him he had to trade a ticket for it and he had no tickets left.  We had a bit of a melt down at that time, but mommy stuck to her guns and made him go to bed.

DAY 3:
(5/13/10)  Enjoyed a second peaceful morning of no raised voices or having to bother the kids to get ready for the day.  In fact, as I was waking up Jesse, Austin got up and stumbled out of his room towards the kitchen.  All of a sudden I heard his stumbling steps stop and then come scurrying back into the room where he proceeded to make his bed.  Without saying a word he finished and headed back into the hallway to move his "make bed" card and then to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Jesse lost his first ticket today and was devastated.  At first when I asked him why he was having to give me a ticket he gave me a very sad and pathetic face and said "I just don't know."  But we talked it through.  Austin chose to use his tickets for some computer time and a back and foot rub from mommy.  Tyler had been saving up her tickets and was able to watch a couple shows she likes on t.v. as well as spend some time on the computer today.  All three kids are managing their time doing things such as watching television much better now that they have to earn the privilege and are limited on how much they can do it.  And they love that they have choices.

DAY 4:
(5/14/10)  The program warns that after awhile the novelty will wear off and they will begin to test their boundaries to see if mom and dad are going to be consistent and stick to the rules.  I figured it might take a bit more time before this day would hit, but this morning it happened.  The boys did their chores but I had to remind them to check their boards.  They both lost tickets when I had to tell them a second time to not run in the house (one rule for losing tickets is if they have to be told something twice).  We had a little pow wow at the boards and they both acknowledged they understood why they were losing a ticket. 

Then it happened, even with warnings from mom about how their time was running short - Austin did not get all his chores done before it was time to go.  I met all the kids at the boards and Austin still had his toothbrush and toothpaste in his hands.  I hated to be such a stickler but I knew I had to stick to the rules.  He did not have all his chores done in time so he did not earn his ticket this morning.  And to make matters worse, I drove the point home by giving Tyler a "Best Behavior card" for not having to be told or reminded to get her chores done before she started playing and doing other things and because she actually helped her brother with one of his chores (finishing of packing his lunch).  I think this made a pretty big impression on Austin. 

We all discussed again how their chores are their responsibility and mommy should not have to tell them to do it - the board and cards are their reminders.  We also discussed how they should be getting their chores done before they start playing so they make sure they are ready when it is time for everyone to leave. 

I must say though, even with a little bit of testing and the set backs today, things are still so much better than just a week ago.  I'm so amazed at how all three kids are responding to this and how it helps me to be consistent.  The visual reminder of the boards and cards are great.  On Sunday we will introduce the next step and the kids are already excited about that.

I'm curious to see how the weekend goes as this will be our first time having everyone home all day long.  Could be interesting!

Happy Birthday Jesse

Today is our youngest son's 4th birthday.

A couple of days ago Shaun asked Jesse what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.  The response was, "Strawberries and blueberries and whipped cream and sprinkles!  Oh . . . and Pears!"

Shaun tried to convince him that pears would not taste very good on his cake but each time Jesse would reply with, "I WANT PEARS!!!!"

When I came home that day (oblivious to the arguements that had been going on between these two) Shaun told Jesse to tell me what kind of cake he wanted.  After he did I told him I did not think pears would taste very good on his cake.  The response was "Ok, Mommy."

Shaun of course was ticked.  "You argued with me all day and now when mommy tells you the same thing you just say 'Okay Mommy'!"  Jesses just smiled.

Below are pictures of the cake, everything he wanted minus the pears.

Jesse's cake:  the cake was chocolate and white cake swirled because he wanted "a little bit of white and a little bit of chocolate brown."

Jesse - very happy with his cake.  He pretty much just ate the fruit off of it and left all the rest.

Close up so you can see that it does in fact have sprinkles - Orange Sprinkles - Jesse's favorite color

After we had cake we let him open his gifts.  He had asked for coloring pages, crayons, pencils and math.  We ended up getting him a giant Cars coloring book, some crayons and a remote control car.  The controller is a laser that you point on the ground in front of the car and the car moves toward the laser light.  When he opened it Jesses said, "Oh look.  A gun and something else.  Oh, it's a race car and a gun you can boom it with!"  Because of this he doesn't quite understand yet to point the laser on the floor in front of the car instead of pointing it at the car.  He'll get the hang of it eventually though,  I hope!

Jesse's remote control car. 

Jesse coloring - he does a pretty good job of staying in the lines - when he chooses to do so.

Jesse's GIANT coloring pages

Austin's Bug

Yesterday Austin turned his Spiderman sandwich container into a bug catcher.  He spent the day gathering grass, stick and other things for his bug's new home.  I've not actually seen this bug but based on how much stuff he's put in this container - I'm sure there is more than one in that thing.

We've convinced him to leave the container outside, but if he had his choice he would check it every half hour.  This morning before we left for his t-ball game he checked on it again.  After his game we had a birthday party to go to and on the way we had the following conversation.

Austin:  Mommy, I just called my bug and he's scared at home all by himself!

Me:  What?

Austin:  I called him and he answered me on his little tiny bitty phone and told me that he is scared.

Me:  Oookay.  Well, maybe you should call him back and tell him a story that will make him not scared because it is going to be a few hours before we head back home.  We have a birthday party to go to, remember?

Austin:  I don't have to call him back anymore.  He has really really good ears and can hear stuff far away.  He has amazing eyes too and can see very far.

I thought that was the end of the conversation.  Apparently, I was wrong.

On the way home we had the following conversation.

Austin:  I think I need to check on my poor bug again.  I guess I'll call him again.

Me:  I thought you did not need to call him anymore because he can hear too well.

Austin:  No Mommy!  I can tell him a story and he can hear me but I'm going to ask how he is and I can't hear that good.  So I have to call him so I can hear his answer.

(Duh - why didn't I think of that!)

Later while talking to Shaun I found out he had told Shaun that he had loved the bug so much that the bug had run away.    Then he explained to us that when he had called him on our way home he didn't actually get to talk to him because the bug wouldn't stop talking the WHOLE time.   Shaun and I got a real kick out of that, considering that is one of our frustrations with Austin at times!

Our Recent Homeschool Projects

This year we seem to be getting a better hang of this homeschool thing and getting more creative regarding different projects.  Here are a few that we've been working on the past few months.

Weaving - I found a nice little bag at a book fair that comes to my work.  For $15 I was able to get Tyler a small loom with yarn and everything else necessary to learn how to weave.  Below are pictures of her first attempt.  The boys want her to make them blankets now.  I guess if she stuck to it she could do squares the size of the loom and then sew them together.  Her weave is not real consistent yet, but for a first attempt I think she has done a wonderful job.

Pottery - a friend of mine from work makes pottery.  Mostly vases and coffee mugs.  She was kind enough to share a few hours on a Saturday with us to show Tyler how to use a pottery wheel.  The wheel was a bit large for Tyler, but from what Jennifer said, she did a great job for it being her first time using one.  I went out and got her a cheap kids version to practice with some and told her if she continues with it and shows me she is serious I would look into getting her a real wheel.  She is already making plans to take over part of Shaun's shed and trying to figure out where she can sell her masterpieces and for how much.  The boys even tagged along.  They did not use the wheel, but they got to play with the clay too.

Austin's Masterpiece

Tyler getting instructions from Jennifer

Tyler's masterpiece

Jesse doing his thing

Solar System - Tyler and I have been spending a few weeks now on the solar system.  We did one really fun experiment where I made a landscape in a box of tinfoil covered in clay.  We then covered the box with a piece of paper with a graph and she used a small wooden dowel to measure the terrain using the graph.  We used different colors to represent the different depths and she charted the colors on a duplicate graph  So one color was the valleys and another was the mountains.  Due to Venus being so covered in clouds of gas they've used a process similar to what they use to map the ocean floor to understand the terrain of Venus.  It involves sonar and this project was to help Tyler understand that process a bit better.  I was surprised at home much she enjoyed it.  We just might do it again!

We also made a solar system.  Not the traditional one that you usually see though.  We did one to scale using modeling clay for the rock planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Pluto - I know, it is no longer a "planet") and paper to reprsent the gas planets.  We did not do the sun because it would have been 11.5 feet in diameter if we'd done it to scale and I was just not up to doing that.  Shaun actually agreed to Tyler's request to hang this in our front living room so if you happen to come over in the next few weeks you'll probably find it hanging there still.  Here are some pictures.  It was kind of fun to see how big the other planets are compared to each other.

The "rock" planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars to scale. 
You can see a part of Jupiter the first gas planet too. 
HUGE compared to the first four planets.

The "Gas" Planets and the non-planet Pluto. 
It is the tiny little gray dot you see hanging to the right of the pink planet which is Neptune.

All the planets together to scale.  Pretty cool to see the differences in sizes.
Pluto the non-planet is a little tiny gray dot just to the right of the pink planet (Neptune)

More Science - Plants: Our final current project at the moment is a Venus Flytrap.  This was a request made by Austin, fulfilled by daddy and having to be upkept by mommy who has been known to kill an aloe vera plant (which I was told could not be killed!)  So the poor things does not have much of a chance.  But we did do some google searches on how to care for them and have made a little home for it which we hope will keep it humid and warm enough.  Tyler caught herself an ant the other day and I'm sure if anyone had been watching they would have gotten a good laugh at us trying to feed the ant to the plant.  I still don't think the plant got it and I have no idea where the ant ended up.  Not sure I want to know either.  The good news though is they apparently usually only eat once or twice a month.  At first I was worried I was going to have to figure out a way to collect up insects every day for this thing.  I'll keep you posted on how this little guy fares in the Smith household.  It could be interesting.

A Birthday Note to My Daddy!

My favorite picture of Daddy & Me
July 1975

April 7th is a special day. Why you may ask? Well, it is because today 55 years ago the Lord put a very special man on this earth. He was just a little wrinkly, squalling baby held in his mother's arms that day, but God knew the plans He had for that baby. Plans for him to become a wonderful, strong and smart man who would raise two children of his own.

Just over 35 years ago this little baby had become a man and held in his arms for the first time a little pink bundle which would change his life forever. That little bundle was me. Daddy was young and I'm sure pretty unsure of himself, but I also know he was excited. I've heard many times the story of him driving home in the early hours of the morning with his window rolled down, yelling at anyone who was awake that he had a little girl.

I was a huge daddy's girl growing up and I still am to this day. My daddy taught me from a young age that I could do anything if I was just willing to work at it. He taught me about hard-work, honesty, love and family. He was a rock in my life when things were rough. He was the one who took me fishing and hunting. He spent hours with me and my horse Liberty when I used to compete. He was at every event my brother or I ever had and he was always cheering us on - letting us know that he thought we were the best and that he was proud of us.

And now it is our turn to be proud of him. After working at the same company for almost 35 years, my father found himself out of a job when they shut down the sawmill. Due to injuries received on the job years ago, he is not able to stay in this line of work. So they are sending him back to school At the age of 55 my dad is going back to school. This is a whole new ballgame for him. Just like 35 years ago, I know he is pretty unsure of himself. But I also know that he will jump in and do the best he can do - and I know that his "best" is going to be awesome.

So Daddy, when you read this I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you. You read that essay to me that you wrote in class the other day, the one about me and how you thought I was smart, how you were proud of me and how I've never disappointed you. Well, it was easy to do daddy, because I had a great example to follow all these years. I am who I am today because I had a wonderful daddy who has always loved me and supported me. I've never had a reason to doubt that.

So Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you and I'm very very proud of you!

Resurrection Cookies - Smith House 2010

I've made resurrection cookies 2 years ago with my daughter, but this year I decided to be brave and do so with all three kids.  We made it through and they actually all paid attention quite well and really were excited about it.  I must say I was a bit surprised when I asked what happened to Jesus before He was resurrected and my three year old popped up first to say "He died!"  Now the same dear boy almost had his fingers taken off when he decided to sneak a taste from the bowl while the mixer was in it on high speed, but over all it was great.

Boys watching as I spoon out the "tombs"
(Photographer: Tyler)

One finished sheet of our resurrection cookies. 
Ready to be sealed into the oven.

While dishing the mixture onto the cookie sheet to make the mounds representing the tomb Jesus was buried in my daughter informed us the biggest cookie was going to be for her.  I replied by asking her if that is what Easter is all about. 

Austin pops up with "I want the smallest one!"

I smile and said, "I guess Austin gets the whole the last will be first concept."  I was actually kind of proud of him until...

"Yep, the last will be first, which is me!  And that means the first will be last, that's you!" he actually cackled after saying this while pointing to Tyler.

But I still think they got the idea of the whole thing and really enjoyed it.  I can't wait to see the expressions on their faces in the morning when they open the "tomb" they sealed tonight.

Putting the two sheets in the oven - to be left overnight.

The kids "sealing" the oven with tape until morning.

Lessons Learned

When I picked up the boys from daycare today they were playing with a big plastic bat and ball.  You know, one of those huge ones that look like a flimsy plastic caveman club from the Flinstones.  As one of the older boys took the bat I warned Austin to back up so he did not get hit.  Of course, my dear 5 year old doesn't think Mommy knows what she's talking about.  So he happily stayed right where he was and in the next moment fell down holding his cheek screaming. 

After some comforting and an ice pack on his red cheek we had a little talk about listening to Mommy and about not standing close to someone when they have a baseball bat in their hands.  Imagine if it had been one of the t-ball bats they use for practice and games!

I told Austin to make sure in the future that he does not stand too close to anyone who is holding a bat.  He agreed and I told him to listen to Mommy next time so he does not have to learn his lesson the hard way.  It was quiet in the car for a few moments after this.  Then I hear Austin speak up.

"You know what I decided Mommy?  I think it is better to learn my lessons the easy way from now on!"

Now only if he would remember and live by this.  Someone I have a feeling this conviction will not be long lived though.

Risk Taking according to Ang

Yesterday was a day full of risks for me.  Please don't judge me as being too pathetic.

• Lunch at a non-drive-thru restaurant with the family:  Yesterday was Opening Day for Pony Baseball.  Our middle child is playing t-ball this year so we all piled into the Tahoe and headed over to the ball park in the morning for the Opening Day parade and Austin's first game.  After over 2 hours at a crazy ball park packed full of people we all piled back into the Tahoe and decided to have a sit down lunch at IHOP.  Now this may not seem like a big deal but for our family, it is.  Since the boys were born we have rarely done this.  When we eat out we either go through the drive-thru or choose take out.  The kids actually did pretty well.  I think it may have had something to do with the fact that they were giving out pictures of Sponge Bob Square Pants for the kids to color.  Austin will be the first to tell you that they are not allowed to watch this so I think they thought it was pretty cool to get to color a picture of him.  After the game we went home and laid the boys down. They both swore they were not tired, but I convinced them to lay in our bed to "rest" while watching a few cartoons. It was not long after this I walked in and was greeted to this picture.
  
  
  

• Driving on E:  After the game myself and three of my girlfriends had plans to go out and watch a movie and have some dinner.  I rarely go out and do this.  In fact, the last time I remember going out for dinner and a movie with a girlfriend was when I switched jobs three years ago!  On my way to pick up one of them I realized my gas gauge was very near E.  Growing up I had it put in my head that if you ever got down to half a tank it is time to gas up.  I've grown out of that mentality now, probably not a good thing, but I have.  Yesterday I was running a bit later than I wanted to so I decided to go for it.  The good news is I made it home last night and this morning the car started no problem and I made it to a gas station.

• No Fandango:  I don't go to the movies very often anymore.  I have a couple girlfriends from work who "kidnap" me from work for my birthday each year.   But other than that the only movies I see are 2 or 3 times a year with my daughter.  I always order my tickets ahead of time on Fandango and print them.  I don't want to take a chance that the movie is sold out or that I have to stand in a long line and get a bad seat or worse - I might miss the previews!  But my printer is dead right now.  We can make copies with it but no luck printing anything from our computers.  So I decided to risk it.  We got to the theater less than 30 mins before the movie started.  I got my tickets and we even made a quick trip to the snack bar for soda and popcorn.  AND I did not miss any of the previews!

• Sushi:  I make many people cringe because of how raw I like to eat my red meat - but I am NOT a sushi person.  When I worked in internal audit and traveled the group I worked with were sushi fanatics and they always drug me along with them.  I got pretty good at finding other things on the menu that I liked.  I was brave once and they fed me some sushi.  It was eel and was disgusting.  Afterwards they admited that the eel had smelled "a little funny".  Nice to know after!  But last night my friends talked me into giving sushi another try.  It's been almost 10 years, maybe my tastes will have changed.  I did order some seared tuna just in case as a fall back (red tuna of course!).  But I must say - I loved what they had me try.  I think I just might have to give sushi another try.

So - all in all - yesterday was a day of risks for me.   But it was a wonderful day full of people who are very special to me.  I really need to do this stuff more often.