Our Poetry Unit......

This is what we are using for poetry and I love it.  Someone pinned it so I found it on Amazon and gave it a try.  I love that it has a cd in it with people reading the poems mentioned in the book.  It has parts you read, talking about the style of poetry and then you get to listen to examples and follow along in your book. Easy to follow and do, which is a must for me.

Last week we learned about nonsense verse and tried our hand at it.  Very fun to make up your own words, I must say.

Today we learned about limericks, listened to about 6 on the cd and wrote one together. You may remember it....it talked about a pickle at one point...

We also learned about The Villanelle so we read "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, which always gets to me.  I remember reading that for the first time and the impact it had on me.  Poems will do that to ya, so that is why I really want my kids to be exposed to them.  I like that this book also offers insights into what the author was trying to say, and also gives definitions for words that are probably unfamiliar.

Next week it looks like we will be reading about Haikus.......how fun!! Right??

One thing I have learned in our homeschooling journey is that what we do here at home does not need to be complicated and completely rigid.  Introduce them to something and see what happens....

There Once Was a Girl Named Jill....

There once was a girl named Jill,

Who climbed up a slippery hill.

She sang all the way,

and it took her all day,

so she munched on her pickle of dill.

 

We are studying poetry every Thursday and boy has it been fun!  We learned about limericks today and decided to try our hand at one.  So fun and pretty easy.  I had to help with the last line, but other than that, it as all them.  Give it a shot.....it feels good to call yourself a poet.

My own private cheerleader...

This past Sunday, I was asked to fill in for one of our ward choristers.

My very first calling as a newlywed was

The Ward Chorister.

So, I wasn't too worried about getting up there

and leading the music.

No one really watches you that much anyways, do they?

I know I hardly look at the chorister.

I am too busy keeping the children

from rolling around on the floor

or something equally

not acceptable during church.

After the first hymn ended, it was

pretty quiet, as it usually is for a few moments

before the prayer.

Well, Miss Audrey Anne belted right out,

"Yay, MOMMA!  You did it!!!"

Her cute little voice was as clear as a bell.

The organist and I laughed and also tried very hard to be reverent

and composed at the same time.

The families nearest to Will and the kids

got a big kick out of it, as well,

I later learned.

So fun to have her cheering me on.

:)

 



A Garden Fairy Birthday Party....

 

Addie wants this for her 8th Birthday Party.....

 

That napkin ring is to die for....

 I LOVE this branch centerpiece!

 

 A closer shot....LOVE it.

 

Oh, what fun we will have.

I gotta go to Hobby Lobby!

Anyone want to come with????

Party Favors.....

Her Cake....

The Décor....

Oh, boy.... oh boy ....OH BOY!!

 

Pixie Sticks.....

Pixie Pops (Great big pink suckers)....

Toadstools all over the place....

This is going to FUN.

I better get going.....

Oh, and I am sure what I come up with

won't resemble the pictures I posted,

but I liked them.

I tend to run out of steam sometimes....

can you relate???



"It's A Birthday Party"....

"It's a Birthday Party

and you probably won't be invited..."

Ok, there isn't really an invitation like this, but I feel like maybe there should be!  When I began our homeschooling journey, there have been a few things that have become "side affects" of our decision, and being invited to birthday parties is one of them.

 

My kids rarely get invited to birthday parties.  They go on around us in the neighborhood, but my kids don't seem to get invited very much.  Is it because they are weird?  No, I don't think that's why.  I honestly think it is because the kids around here, when they DO have parties, invite all their classmates, which puts their party at Maximum Capacity, so they don't get around to inviting their Primary friends, or neighbor friends.  Which wouldn't really matter maybe if you attend public school and don't get invited to one party, because chances are your another classmate will have one and you'll get invited that one.  BUT, if you are homeschooled and don't have classmates, that aren't their siblings, the chances of getting invited to a birthday party are pretty slim.

 

So, what is a homeschooling momma to do about this when she has one particular child that WANTS to go to parties SO very badly, but the invites don't come?  (As I type this, she was delivered an invitation to a party that I am pretty sure she was quickly added to the guest list because the party girl invited Addie today at church before checking with her mom.....awkward!  I wasn't sure how to handle this one....."So and so said I can come to her party.....", says Addie.  "Oh, well you didn't get an invitation......", says I.  Oh dear.......BUT, she was able to get an invite and yes, I got kinda teary-eyed as Addie received it.  It means so much to her.......)

 

I have heard that in order to be invited, you must have a party and do the inviting.  True. So we have done that when my kids want a friend party.  Seth has never once asked for, nor had a friend party.  He couldn't care less about that kind of stuff.  So funny.

 

As I have been kinda upset about this whole thing this evening, I had a great idea.  Why not host a "Big Birthday Bash" in the spring or early summer for all homeschoolers?  Have it at a park.  Have lots of cake and ice cream, and games, and even a small gift exchange!!  Why not??  Maybe there are other mothers who have kids that want to get invited to birthday parties, but just don't seem to be remembered all the time, so this might appeal to them.  My mind is thinking of ideas.......this might work.  With some help from some other mothers, we could pull it off.

 

Sometimes we get our feelings hurt and it isn't intended.  I truly don't think people are excluding my kids.  Sometimes things happen and we can't do anything about it, and sometimes we can.  We will just invite ourselves to the party.  I always enjoy a good party.  Especially if there is cake and lots of it!! :)

A Baptism is on the horizon.....

Addie will turn 8 next month.....

I can't believe it!!  Time is going

Way....tooo....fast!

I remember holding her in my arms

for the first time.

As she was handed to me in the recovery room, I remember my mom saying:

"Oh, Meg......".

Yep, she was a sweet little baby and is such a sweet little girl.

I am making her dress for her baptism. (gulp)

When a little girl gets baptized in our ward,

she usually wears a pretty white dress for the confirmation

and to church the next day.  So, of course that is what Addie wants.

I tried to talk her into a different color, but NOPE.  She wants white.

She told me we should go to the DI and get a wedding dress,

then I could alter it to fit her.  "You know, like you did for my Halloween dress....."

Um, not what I had in mind. LOL!!

I don't want it to look like a wedding dress, but I'll do my best

to make it pretty for her so she'll be happy......

 

 

I got a stiff taffeta, some sheer fabric for the overlay and some pretty white flowers to go around her waist and maybe one or two on the sleeves if I have enough.

Here is the pattern.  I have had this pattern for a long time and haven't even used it.  I am sure I bought it on sale for $1.50 just to have...........well I am finally using it!  I will make her dress like the yellow one with the overlay on top.  Dresses are actually quite easy to sew.  Sometimes the bodice and sleeves can be tricky, but once you get that done, you are set.  The skirt part is a breeze!  I already have it cut out and am almost done with the bodice.  I would like to get it done soon so I can take her picture in it to display at her baptism.  I hope it turns out and I hope it is fancy enough for her.......LOL!  My Addie likes to be fancy.

14 years and counting....

I get to spend each and every day with this guy.  I know, I know, I am lucky!!

The shirt he has on is one he wears all the time.  It was his Father's Day gift last year and he has several more in his closet from previous years. Decorated by his kids.  Their hand prints, and foot prints.  Their names and ages at the time.  That is all he ever asks for on Father's Day. He is the most sentimental daddy ever.  He saves every picture the kids draw for him and also every card I have ever given him.  He is just cute like that.

We celebrated our 14 year anniversary recently by getting a hotel in Salt Lake.  We haven't been able to do that since Seth was a baby.  Money has been tight, or I have been pregnant, or just had a baby or something like that has prevented it.  BUT, this was the year!  I was itching to get away, even if it was just for one night.  My mom came over and held down the fort while we where gone.  She came with candy, popcorn, and frozen foods galore.  The kids barely even noticed us leaving. ;)

So funny!!

Right off the bat we set off for Salt Lake to pick up.............. Will's New Truck!!  Yes, finally! The day had come!  He has only wanted a truck since I day I met him.  He had one once that my dad gave him, but we had to sell it.  :( He had found a used one on KSL, test drove it, debated about getting it for days, AND finally we decided it was time so we picked it up that evening.  I am so happy for him!!  Getting things in order and actually getting the truck took all afternoon and evening, but I didn't care.  It was about spending time together, right?? We got around to eating dinner well after 7pm which is prime eating time at most restaurants and the waiting time was 45 minutes.......too long since we were hungry!!!  We ended up eating at Kneaders at City Creek and it was really yummy!!!  It wasn't crowded at that hour, and we were actually kind of glad we picked a place were we could eat our meal uninterrupted! It was perfect, although not what we originally thought we'd do for our Anniversary Dinner!  LOL!  He took me to Macy's and helped me pick out some perfume since that is one of my most favorite things in the world.  If I could have 1000 different kinds of yummy perfume to pick from each day, I would be in heaven!  The man who helped us gave me lots of extra samples, a bag, and a jewelry organizer once he found out it was our anniversary!  He was so nice!  I felt so spoiled!!

We came right home in the morning after a quick stop at Gordman's.......that place is super fun!  Will was a good sport as I tried on some jeans.....and a few tops.....LOL!!

We had a wonderful weekend and we both felt very refreshed and ready to come home to our 5 kids and our busy household!  We both decided we NEED to do this more often.  I wonder if my mom is game???? 

Happy Anniversary, to my sweetheart!  Looking forward to many more years.........

 

Christmas 2012....a little late

Better late than never, right??? I know, I know.  I have discovered the joys of Pinterest and I do THAT at night now instead of blogging.  I will try to do better....

We had this amazing feast on Christmas Eve and it was so dang fun!!  We had so much food, so we all had to stuff ourselves silly for days to finish it off.  My dad spent the night, so he wouldn't miss the fun.  It was great having him with us on Christmas Morning.  My mom went to see my brother, Devin in Oregon before Christmas and he asked her if she could stay until after Christmas. She changed her flight home and stayed with Devin and his daughter, Rachel.  It was hard to share Grandma, since we were planning on her being with us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but we understood Devin needs time with her, too! :) Having Grandpa spend the night was super fun and we stayed up until midnight on Christmas Eve....what in the world???? We were playing Monopoly.....

 

I remember waking up at like 5am on Christmas morning, and I am happy to say, my kids have never once gotten up earlier than 7:30am!  YAY!!

 

 Sasha got some Lego Friends and had fun setting them up!  My girls LOVE these; they are darling!!

 Cute little Addie with her LalaLoopsy.  She has quite a collection now!

 Ah, Seth got LEGO'S, too!  He had that thing built in like 20 minutes. LOVE his face in this picture!

 Noah had fun getting into everyone else's stuff which was pretty much hilarious.....to Will and I and not to his siblings!  Ha ha!! He did get this cute little train and toy behind him that he has liked!  LOVE that baby boy so much!!

 Then there was Audrey Anne, the last to wake up that morning.  She was not quite sure what was going on at this point when I snapped this picture. She got some fun play food and a cute doll like her sisters.  What a fun day this was!

We had a great Christmas and enjoyed the SNOW that started falling on Christmas Eve and keep coming down all through the holidays.  We took the big kids sledding at the high school and they loved it even though the temps were in the teens.  Brrrrr!! We spent our Christmas Break here at home, playing games, eating way too many cookies and just enjoying this wonderful life we have.  We are so blessed and feel so very grateful for it all.  We rang in the new year by banging pots and pans outside on our porch in the freezing cold night!  **YIKES**  Happy New Year and so far 2013 has been wonderful..........

Relax....and LEARN

This winter I have struggled with what I am sure is the "Winter Blahs".  It has been too cold to play outside, and that can get kinda old.....  We all have lacked motivation and would like to take more days off than we should if we want to finish our year off by the end of May. I have found myself saying out loud, "What in the world is our problem??".

We have been staying up a little later than I would have liked.  Starting school later than usual. Finishing later than usual. And I have just went with it.....and it is OK.  I have relaxed and guess what?  We are still learning.  We are still getting things done. I read recently that another homeschooler described their homeschool as "relaxed".  What a great word.  A big reason why I wanted to homeschool is because I wanted my kids to enjoy learning; to find joy in it.  A relaxed atmosphere, in my opinion, is a perfect place to find joy in learning.  Not a rigid place where imaginations can't be used and developed.  Not a place where I am yelling at them to get their work done.  That's a hard one.

But, my kids have their daily assignments written down and they KNOW free time to use electronics will ONLY come when they finish, and also it has to be at least 2pm. (Or else they might be tempted to finish too early and play the day away on the computer.  If they finish early, they can play anything but NOT electronics).  I remind them to get started on their school, but let them know it is up to them when they finish.  It has made such a difference in the tone of our homeschool.  Addie has been my #1 finisher lately and it has been really cute to see her check all the things off that she has to do that day so she can be done.

Seth, on the other hand, has been super slow at getting going.  He has found a book series he loves and reads them all the time.  Do I stop him?  Nope.  He can read all he wants but he knows his turn on the computer won't come if he doesn't do his school work.  The other day he played all morning long with Audrey and Noah.  Well, he did manage to get a few things done off his list, but saved the "hard stuff" until last.  I found myself getting frustrated with him not getting all his work done quickly, but then I realized he is doing something important: Playing with the little ones!!  They need to be loved, and played with while we are doing school, and he completely engaged them for hours!!  Once they went down for their nap, which is finally AT THE SAME TIME, he and I sat down and did his math and grammar.  That is what makes my heart sing about homeschooling: He played and spent time with his siblings.

I read a book about homeschooling once written by a veteran homeschooler and she said that each day her children wake up at 6:30, do their chores, eat breakfast, practice their instruments, and meet on the couch with their daily planners, ready to go by 8am.  When I read this I was just getting started in homeschooling and tried very hard to pattern my day like hers.  Well, it didn't work.  It was making me miserable and angry when my day didn't go like hers.  I have finally figured out, I think, what works for us.  Me being relaxed, yet firm. Focused, yet fun. Enjoying the mess and mayhem of each day, and making sure I have my good shoes on so my feet don't hurt at the end of the day.

My hope is that my kids will love to learn, to know that their success does depend on them, and that if they dilly-dally around TOO much during the day, 3 o'clock will come and the "teacher" will be off duty, so they will be on their own to figure out how to multiply fractions, or how to diagram that sentence.

Happy 3rd Birthday to Audrey Anne!!

OH BOY, LOOK WHO HAD A BIRTHDAY!!

(Ya, and look who is actually smiling for a picture.  Too bad I didn't shut the dang pantry door or it would have been a perfect shot. Oh well.)

 

 

 Sasha made the cake as she usually does for all the birthday's around here these days.  Ah, I LOVE that girl.  Every house needs a "Sasha".  She helps me so much!! She decided to make a giant cupcake and we poked "Max and Ruby" cut-outs I printed off the computer to finish it off.

 Grandma made her a "Twinkerbelle" quilt and gave her some "Twinkerbelle" jammies and a video as well.

 She has been obsessed with "Maxus-Ruby" for months and so I had to get her these cute stuffed animals. She likes them and I don't blame her.  Super cute!

She wanted to go to the Classic Fun Center and I had a punch pass waiting to be used, so off we went.  She loves that place!  She rode her scooter while the other kids skated.  We played arcade games and ate pizza.  We went during the day, as we usually do when we go there, and we had the place all to ourselves.  Perfect!!

Audrey will always be extra special to us since we waited 5 long years for her and she was so worth the wait! 

• She loves the book "If you Give a Moof a Muffin" right now.  She says "moof" for "moose". Very cute!!
• She loves, loves, LOVES her big brother, Seffy.  He chases her, tickles her, and plays with her all the time.  It has been so sweet to see their little bond grow and grow over the last couple of years.
• If she doesn't want something, or doesn't want to do something, she'll let you know LOUD and CLEAR.  "I don't want any!!"  is her most frequently used phrase.
• She loves to watch "Bubble Guppies" and "Max and Ruby".  She would watch them all day long, in our bed, with snacks, if we let her.
• She loves "nugget-fry" from Wendy's.
• She is as light as a feather and as dainty as a fairy.
• She is pretty particular; she likes the doors completely shut, not open even a crack. She is very neat and orderly and she puts things away without being asked!  Wahoooooooo!

She has filled our home with love, laughter, and we enjoy her to pieces.

Happy Birthday to our Baby Princess!!