www.Time4learning.com

I was able to use an internet program for a month for FREE, yes, free! My favorite word! But I need to critique it as part of the requirement!

I found that Seth used it way more than Sasha did. He is such a computer junkie that it was not hard to get him to sit down and give it a try! He usually does http://www.starfall.com/ so it was a bit hard to get him to try something different. I was amazed at all the different catagories they had: farm fun, shapes, feelings, at the zoo, vehicles, tools, and more. He loved playing the matching games they have and Addie was right along with him, watching as she always does. You can keep track of what they are playing and when they did it, which is kinda of nice. They even have a playground area that has games they play for a certain amount of time, and then they have to go back and do more lessons. Genius. It is set up for you to use this as your only curriculum but I don't think I would use it like that. I want physical evidence that my kids are doing school work, just in case I ever have to prove that I am teaching my kids!

Sasha had her own level and I loved it for her! She loved the telling time area and also the math addition area! The games were so fun and Seth and Addie would sit by and laugh right along with her! I LOVED the english segments and helped her with basic grammar! SOOOO much more fun than worksheets she I usually have her do! I really do love this program and would like to have access to it all the time! For what I would be using it for: just a reinforcement to what I am teaching them, it is perfect! Go check it out: http://www.time4learning.com/

The Solar System...

We are doing a unit on the solar system and found some ideas here:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/astronomy/solarsystemmodel/

We did not go all out like they did; our distances from the sun and sizes of the planets are not completely accurate, but hey, we had fun.

I also found directions on how to make a rocket out of paper and using Alka-Seltzer to power it. You need a 35mm film canister whose lid fits inside the top, so I am having a bit of a challenge finding that. They suggested going to a film developing store and asking if they have some. Tried Walmart this morning and they send their film out to be developed. (I think the lady thought I was weird when I told her what I wanted them for. Or maybe she was just jealous and secretly wants to come over when we launch our rocket.)

Anyway, you make a paper rocket and attatch the film canister upside down. Turn the rocket upside down so you can fill it halfway with water and drop the alka-seltzer inside, quick put the lid on, set it right side up and run away. **BOOM** You have lift off. I am so doing this. Gotta find a film canister. And some alka-seltzer.

Just tell me WHY?

Why do I read all these crafty blogs?

I have several that I follow and yet.....

I don't usually make what they make.

Sometimes I do.

But honestly, I just don't have much time

these days. Or money. Or energy.

I admire their craftiness and yet I wonder....

how do they find time in their day to do all this?

My house is a mess pretty much all the time.

It gets worse as the day wears on. I realize

that since all my kids are with me all day

that this is what will happen until they are married. Or

go off to college. Or a mission. Or just plain move out.

Now that I work with Seth regularly now, it has made our school day longer. I didn't think it would make a big difference, but it has.

That and the fact that I am doing more with Sasha and it takes her longer to finish assignments. I have to keep my eye on her and keep her on task.

She is my lally-gagger. KWIM?

I have heard it may be another year before she will work more independently.

I have many projects I'd like to do or try.

I have several rooms in my house

that bug me.

But, at the end of the day, I am pooped.

Or broke. Or both.

So, I guess I will just keep following other

people's blogs and live vicariously

through them.

Can anyone relate or is it just me? :)

School Stuff....

To finish off the unit on Egypt, we made a model of the Nile River.

We put rocks, lots of mud, sticks, grass, and other similiar items in

my turkey roaster. We used foil to make the outline

of the river and poured water in and let it

flood just like it does each year.

It was very entertaining and the kids played in it all afternoon. Yes, it became

a huge mess all over the patio and baths were a must after they

were all done.

I decided to make a game for him to work on his sight words. I put them on the

wall with putty-stuff and he hit them with a fly swatter as I said them.

He loved it! Sasha took turns calling out the words, thus helping

her with her reading (bonus), and then Seth called them out

to Addie, who needed help knowing which word to slap,

helping to reinforce them with Seth even more.

Yippee for games. You could do this with spelling words for any

age group. :)

I want to win this....

http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-halloween-skirt.html

I love these. I want to win one. I want to make one if I don't win one. So dang cute. I think I need to sew something today.......

Just singin' in the rain....

We had the most beautiful, glorious, yummy-smelling rain storm the other day!

I was in H E A V E N!

Seth and Sasha immediately grabbed their umbrellas,

and went out to play and sing in the rain.

I love rainy days.

I love warm summer days, don't get me wrong.

But something about hearing rain coming down,

and the yummy rainy smells,

makes me smile.

I wish sometimes it would rain a wee bit

more here.

But, I will just have to enjoy those rainy days when they come.

Walk like an Egyptian...

We have been studying about Egyptians recently and today Sasha decided to turn herself into a princess, using an old white sheet, some flowy fabric, and her own imagination. I was there to supply the safety pins and rubberbands to keep it all on and in the right place. I love that she is able to get excited about what we are learning and that she is so creative and artistic. We had fun learning about Ancient Egyptians so far and have one more chapter in the book about them. Seth is particularly intriged that they used to remove the organs, except for the heart when mummifying, and put them into jars. We all thought that was, um, interesting and pretty gross, actually. We have had fun talking about what Egyptians used to think happened when you die and it has been so wonderful to talk about the gospel and point out what we know to be true. Some books I found that have supplimented this unit mighty nicely are:
Egyptian Mummies: Peoples from the Past by Delia Pemberton (This one had great pictures that we all enjoyed), Egyptian Gods and Goddesses by Henry Barker (This one held even Seth and Addie's attention span.), and finally, Ancient Egytpian People by Sarah McNeill. (I love that The Story of the World history books have lists of suggested books so I can try and get them to go along with the lesson. Great program.)

Baked Oatmeal....

Mmmmmm, smells goooood! I found this recipe on http://www.prudenthousemaker.com/, which is a great site for finding great, cheap recipes and just lots of other things. I tried it this morning and it was a hit! It does take some preparation; not quite as quick as a bowl of cereal. But, lately I have not been buying cereal much; shocking I know for those of you that know I used to buy boxes and boxes of cereal on sale and with a coupon. Anyway I am trying to make breakfast a better meal and am always on the lookout for something new to try. It tasted like I was eating dessert for breakfast, so I was thrilled! Ha ha. Give it a try....

2 eggs

1\2 cup applesauce

3\4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)

1 cup milk ( I used powdered from my food storage)

3 cup oats

1t salt

1 T baking powder

1 t cinnamon (I used more but I like a lot of flavor)

2 cups chopped fresh fruit (I used fresh nectarines because that is what I had and it was yum)

1. whisk the eggs, applesauce, sugar and milk. Once creamy add oats, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Add 1 cup of fresh fruit.
2. Pour batter into 9x13 dish. Sprinkle top with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with rest of fresh fruit, pour on some milk and enjoy.

Big News for Seth......

His tooth finally fell out! Yay! His new tooth has been coming in behind

it for several weeks and the baby tooth was only

slightly wobbily and he was scared for it to

come out. Who woulda thought he'd be scared

of that? He was in his room for a....ahem...small

timeout for some sand-throwing at the park

and up he came all excited and holding his tooth.

Kinda worked out nice and ended his timeout in

a timely way. It has been lost twice tonight

and did you know that pieces of old popcorn

left in the couch look just like a baby tooth?

I hope that darn thing makes his under his pillow.

But, if not, I am sure the toothfairy understands.

Oh, and note the nice scratch the dog gave him today. I was not happy. That dog. Grrrrr.

He wanted an extreme close-up, so here ya go. Enjoy.

Slow cooker beans and rice

I found a new website that I {heart}. It is called http://www.5dollardinners.com/. Right up my alley. I have a bunch of beans in my food storage and needed some new ideas on how to serve them to my family. Good, eadible recipes, KWIM? I made this for dinner and just sampled a small bowl. Hey, I was hungry. Anyway, it is yummy and super cheap to make. Here ya go.....

1 cup black beans (.40) or you can use 2 15 oz cans of black beans.
1 T olive oil (.10)
1 cup brown or white rice (.40)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (.10)
1 15 oz. diced tomatoes (.59) (I had some tomatoes from my garden I wanted to use in today's meal, so I diced them up along with a can of tomato sauce. So, that is an option.)
1 tsp ground cumin (.05)
salt and pepper.

Total cost for this meal is $2.10

1. Soak your beans overnight. Then in the morning drain and rinse them. Cook soaked beans for an hour in a saucepan with at least 2 inches of water over the beans.
2. Place olive oil in slow cooker. Stir rice around in the oil. Add cooked beans, diced tomatoes, garlic cloves, ground cumin, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Set on high for 4 hours. If you use brown rice, set for 6 hours. Top with cheese, sour cream, a little bit of ranch salad dressing, or whatever you like. I plan on serving this on top of some shredded lettuce, and with tortilla chips and salsa on the side. YUMMY!

A Special Day for Sasha....

Sasha got baptized by Will on Saturday and it was wonderful. I gave a talk and Aunt Dar gave the opening prayer. She was baptized with another little boy from the ward. (Addie had a rough afternoon and never did run out of things to cry about. **sigh**)

What a lucky girl to be baptized by her daddy.

Love her dress. She looked so pretty.

What a special day for you, Sasha. We love you to pieces.

Ward Campout!!

It was a blast. The kids waited allllll daaaaay loooong to go. Seth and Addie even wanted to wait in the van until it was time to go.....it was noon, so I said um "no".

We made our treat to share and set off as soon as Will got home from work.

We giggled as we set up our "3-man" tent. We were nice and cozy in there.

We ate a yummy dinner of hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, salads and desserts.

The talent show was great. One sister in the ward sang

some songs and her little girls danced to the music.

Addie saw them and that was that.

She danced the rest of the time. It was cute.

Seth was horribly embarressed.

Addie lost her shoes in the grass and it got dark before we could find them.

But, the next morning, there they were.

Breakfast was yummy.

Will and I want to buy some mats or pads or SOMETHING next year.

OUCH.

But it was so fun. We love this ward.