Backyard Habitat

In order to tie science in with our studies of the globe, we are looking at the different ecosystems that correlate with each country. This includes a weekly nature walk. For our first nature walk, we were to examine the habitat in our backyard. Since we haven't watered all summer, it was looking a little barren. We walked down the street to the lushly watered apartment complex and explored their habitat instead.

The goal: to become aware of different elements in your surroundings/habitat.

First we roped of an area and took a look, recording our observations.











Then we got an even closer look.

As the Orange Turns

We began our study of the world by comparing globes and maps.
The goal: to help the kids understand how the world is distorted in a flat map.

They drew the world onto an orange











then peeled it and tried to lay it flat.














And then we ate it.

My Father's World

We are using a new curriculum this year, called My Father's World. I love, love, love it. I had looked at it in the past, but the price really scared me off. Well, after a few years of doing all the planning myself (which meant being tied to stacks of papers and books on a Sunday afternoon when I'd rather be hanging with my family), I decided it was worth a little moolah to buy a teacher's manual that had done all the thinking already. I am hoping this will open up a little more time for the fun things, like crafts, cooking, science experiments, and nature walks.

I decided to use ECC (Exploring Countries and Cultures) this year. We are taking a trip around the world, studying diverse countries, learning geography, and reading about missionaries.

We watched a movie over the summer, called The Other Side of Heaven. It is the story of a missionary in the Tongan islands. It gave them a real picture in their mind of what it is like for a missionary to enter a strange culture and land and spread the word of God.

On the first day of school, Z and E filled out their "passport applications" and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new "passports". Since we are studying North America first, they won't be needing them for a few weeks...........

Let the adventure begin!

Back to School

We started a back to school this week.

Z (3rd grade) and E (2nd grade) are still home with me.



M (7th grade) and B (6th grade) headed out to middle school.

Marathon of Fun

On Labor Day, B and I had planned to work around the house. However, I awoke around 6 AM with the inspiration to throw our plans out the window and just have a little fun. So, we loaded up the kids and headed out to the coast. On the drive over, we asked each person to choose something they would like to do, I wrote it all down and stuck it in the visor of the car. It was our last day of summer bucket list and we weren't coming home till we checked everything off the list!

M wanted to rent a sandboard






























B wanted some clam chowder at Mo's





























Z wanted to do some letterboxing

BJ wanted to get some saltwater taffy














E wanted to see the Sea Lion Caves

I wanted to hike the Hobbit Trail

and we all wanted to play on the beach

One Year Flashback

My friend Rebeca issued a challenge to go back one year into my photo folders. This is what I found.

Brad made coffee ground beards for the kids. In case you are wondering, left-front is Bailey making his "six pack abs" to go with his wolverine beard. That was fun, Rebeca!

Roll It Up

This is how the menfolk in our family store their pants. We roll them up and stick them in the drawers in rows like this. They can pull out the exact pair they want without rifling through the drawer and messing everything up. When they were younger, I would roll up a t-shirt, underwear, and pair of socks inside the pants. Then they could just grab a roll and be all set for the day. The bigger they have gotten, the more they like to choose which t-shirt to wear with which pair of pants, so only the pants are rolled now. I do pack for trips using the outfit in a roll concept though.

Check out other great tips here.

Look What I Made

Crepes. They always so seemed so intimidating. So difficult. So impossible. Last night I tackled them.......................and I did it! The first few were a little thick, but eventually I got the hang of it and ended up with 9 perfectly edible crepes. The ones I made were intended to wrap around a savory chicken/broccolli filling. I can't wait to sweeten them up and try them for breakfast next week.

A House of Fools

You had to be on your toes around here today! BJ got industrious yesterday. He looked up a website full of April Fool's pranks and shared lots ideas with his siblings. Here are some of the "jokes" I observed today.

* A cup full of paper confetti strategically placed over the door
*Salt on the toothbrush (They got me with this one!)
*Gatorade replaced with colored water
*Clothes, towels, and even bath mat removed while boy taking shower
*Hiding cell phone
*Disconnected computer mouse
*Changed mouse movement to slow
*Changing the time on the clock

Knit Wit

I finished another hat this week. I am officially addicted to knitting. I've had to make a file on my computer for all the knitting patterns, websites, and blogs I stumble across. There is even a collection of yarn forming in piles around my house. For this hat, I learned how to make the pom poms and add them to the top as well as the tassels. I also figured out how to put that stripe in all by myself. I'm really missing watching TV while I knit. I tried to knit while reading a book. It didn't work out so well. I had to tear out a bunch of rows AND re-read several pages. I guess multi-tasking cannot be applied to everything.

Princess Polish

B was painting E's fingernails on Sunday.
She wanted them to look just like a princess.
Bright pink with blue sparkles, in case you've never seen princess polish in person.
As he was finishing up, he says to me, "Would you like your nails painted too?" "Pick a color."
As I sat down, I said, "you choose".
I guess he thought I was a princess too,
because my nails are bright pink with blue sparkles as well.

The TV Is Still In A Coma

It has been THIRTY days since we shut off the TV. I read somewhere that it only takes 30 days to form a habit. So, by that reasoning, we should have fully formed the habit of not watching TV by now, right? NOT!

This has really been a struggle for me. I have found that I am trying so hard to keep busy and fill my time that I am completely exhausted. I miss just zoning out, relaxing in front of the TV, letting *it tell me what to think.

I've overheard the kids discussing old episodes of favorite TV shows that they remember. We all cringe when anyone talks about a show we missed or asks what we thought about the latest episode. Or the worst was, last night, my mother in law says she has to get home to watch Celebrity Apprentice. UGH, stab straight to the heart. The thing is, she didn't give it a second thought. The only time it has impacted her was when the kids were at her house and couldn't turn the TV on. This thing that is constantly in our thoughts has not impacted anybody around us.

That is the biggest lesson we have all learned. How we take for granted things that a lot of people do without. I will be able to draw on this experience in teaching my children compassion for all those in the world who have less than them. Also, how to face temptation and turn away from it, just as Jesus did. I guess that was the anticipated outcome of all this. It is so much more difficult to deprive yourself of something that is right in front of you, tempting you, calling you, than to learn to make do without something that is not available to you.

Menu Plan for Mar 30 - Apr 1

Monday

Breakfast: Puffy Pancakes
Lunch: hot dogs, peaches
Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken, egg rolls, rice

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, corn

Dinner: Burritos, bean, rice and cheese squares

Wednesday

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Bean and cheese burritos

Dinner: Grilled chicken, hasbrown caserole, green beans

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, toast
Lunch: Dee-licious soup

Dinner: Grilled chicken, fettucine alfredo, salad

Friday

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Mac 'n' cheese, corn
Dinner: Small Group (taking bacon/sausage)

Saturday

Breakfast: Pancakes

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: Hamburgers, fries

Be sure to visit orgjunkie for hundreds of other menu plans.

Menu Plan for Mar 24-29

Monday

Breakfast: Puffy Pancakes
Lunch: hot dogs, peaches
Dinner: wrestling banquet (bringing coleslaw pasta salad)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Bean and cheese burritos

Dinner: Grilled chicken, fettucine alfredo, salad

Wednesday

Breakfast: Pancakes

Lunch: Quesadillas, apple slices

Dinner: Potato Soup, salad, bread

Thursday
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, corn

Dinner: Spaghetti, salad, bread

Friday

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Mac 'n' cheese, corn
Dinner: BBQ chicken wings, coleslaw, baked beans, tator tots

Saturday

Breakfast: Pancakes

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: Hamburgers, fries

Be sure to visit orgjunkie for hundreds of other menu plans.

Haircut

BJ had managed to "miss" the last several times Dad did assembly line clipper cuts for the boys. He kept telling big stories about how he was letting it grow, and it was going to be so cool. The longer it got, the worse it looked. Therefore the more I was put off. However, I believe in choosing one's battles and for me it will never be hair. It just isn't that important. If they want to rebel with their hair, fine by me. As long as there are no piercings or tattoos, we are good.

Eventually the glorious day came, he declared "I think I'd like to get my hair cut. I'm tired of it".
Yippee!! go ask your dad for a haircut.
"Let's do it this weekend when I have more time" was the reply.
What?! Didn't you hear the boy? He wants a haircut!
Well, the weekend came and went, and the one after that, and even the one after that. Now, I have no intention of hubby bashing here. He has been busy, so I took things into my own hands. I drove the boy straight to the nearest Great Clips and PAID to have his haircut.

Afterward, BJ says, " That was weird. Nobody else has ever cut my hair before. She messed with my collar and then she kept touching my head!"

Uh, duh.

Yada Yada Prayer Group

I've stumbled upon a new series of books, The Yada Yada Prayer Group. I love, love, love them. Prayer is a part of my spiritual life I've really wanted to focus on. These books have given me a great deal of inspiration. They are about a group of very diverse ladies (an ex-con, an ex drug addict, Jamaican, Honduran, South African) who are thrown together at a ladies conference and decide to form a "prayer group" . They make me laugh. They make me cry. They make me praise God for all the blessings in my life.

We Killed the TV

Well, we put it into a coma, anyway.

B and I talked about what the family could give up for Lent this year. We decided giving up watching TV would be an ideal sacrifice. Not only would we experience self-denial, but we hoped it would have the added bonus of getting us to spend more time together as a family.

The kids and I had already made the big step (and it was big for us, believe me) of leaving the TV off until 4 PM each weekday. We called it Happy Hour when we could turn the TV on. Anyway, I decided that since we weren't going to be watching the TV, it would be silly to be paying for it. So, I called and canceled the cable, unhooked the boxes and returned them. No going back now.

I haven't really missed any of my "must see" shows.
Well, maybe American Idol.
The hardest part has just been trying to think of something else to do.
The kids have drug out some board games that have been accumulating dust. We went for a walk down to the wetlands one night. I've been working on some crafts and reading. We had all been doing really well.
Until last night.
I stumbled.

Z and E were hanging out with their uncle. BJ had gone over to a friend's house. M was at youth group. B was sick in bed asleep. I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself. I didn't have to make dinner for anyone, so grabbed a sandwich at Subway after dropping M off at church. I returned home to a quiet, empty house and was at a total loss. I turned on my laptop, and watched the new Celebrity Apprentice, the 2 HOUR premiere. Does that count as watching TV? Yeah, I know.

Look What I Made

I've been working on a few craft projects over the last week. I knitted this hat, being modeled by BJ. We are still trying to decide if I should put the pom pom on top. What do you think?

I also made these PJ pants for E. She told me they were "extra warm and toasty because they were made with love." Isn't that the sweetest thing? I'm hoping to get a pair made for each of the boys by the end of the month also. I'll post them when they are done.

Weather in a Jar

We have moved onto studying weather this month. This week we were learning about cloud formation. Z and E are waiting for "something" to happen in the jar. We were able to create a fog, then condensation, and even a few drops of precipitation.

Menu for Mar 2-6

Monday

Breakfast: Bagels and cream cheese

Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, corn

Dinner: Chicken Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup

Tuesday

Breakfast: Cereal

Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup

Dinner: Stuffed Shells, peas, salad

Wednesday

Breakfast: English Muffin w/ peanut butter

Lunch: Quesadillas, apple slices

Dinner: Taco Salad

Thursday

Breakfast: Puffy Pancakes

Lunch: Bean and cheese burritos

Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie, salad

Friday

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Ham 'n' cream cheese roll ups

Dinner: Small Group (bringing pies)

Saturday

Breakfast: English Muffin w/ PB

Lunch: soup

Dinner: BBQ Chicken Wings, potatoes, salad

Be sure to visit orgjunkie for hundreds of other menu plans.

Happy Valentine's Day

Menu

Artichoke Spinach dip
Grilled Steak
Baked Potato
Broccoli w/ cheese sauce
Asiago Artisan Bread
Molten Lava Cake w/ vanilla ice cream




We had a great family dinner, with candlelight and church shirts.

We exchanged handmade valentines. This is the origami lotus flower BJ made me.







Then we watched a movie called World's Fastest Indian. It was not a real romantic flick, unless you count his relationship with his motorcycle, but it was a great story.

Electronics 101

Large mound of speaker wire
Piles of electronic equipment
Triumphant 10 yro boy



He just finished hooking up the tuner, cd player, vcr, dvd player, and TV to 6 different speakers. That wire, along with 5 of the speakers, have been piled up behind the armoire for months. My little techie spent the afternoon getting everything set up beautifully.

Check out other projects here.

Look What I Got

I had been saving for months to get a new washer and dryer. Then last spring, I fell and broke my wrist. Thanks to thousands of dollars in medical bills, my washer and dryer dreams were forgotten. Until Now.

After B hooked them up on Sunday, he wanted me to do a test run to see if there were any leaks. The kids and I watched the clothes wash, crowding and elbowing each other for a good view, for over 40 minutes. That thing is amazing! I even bought these cute little blue mats to make W and D feel welcome. As a free bonus, the kids got a new fort.

Menu Plan for Feb 16-21

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Tetrazini

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Hot Dogs, peaches
Dinner: Potato Soup, bread, salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: English Muffin w/ peanut butter
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, Corn
Dinner: Spaghetti, green beans, salad

Thursday
Breakfast: Puffy Pancakes
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Burritos

Friday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, toast
Lunch: Pizza
Dinner: Bible Study

Saturday
Breakfast: English Muffin w/ PB
Lunch: soup
Dinner: BBQ Chicken Wings, potatoes, salad

Tough Love

I've really been trying to get more exercise into my day. I've discovered that if I don't do it first thing in the morning, it just doesn't happen. However, what I like to do, love to do, want to do first thing in the morning is drink a big ol' cuppa joe and check email/blog/facebook in my slippers! So, I made a deal with myself. I CANNOT go on the computer (or have my coffee) until I do my workout. It really is tough love. It seems to be working. So far.

Check out other great tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

File It!

These neatly sorted piles of paper used to be dumped in this bucket. I am estimating it has been a YEAR since I filed. (I know, I know. ) Anyway, I managed to sort, purge and file ALL this stuff. It has been hanging over my head as a must do for weeks months, and it only took me a couple hours. What a relief!

Check out other projects here.

Menu for Feb 9-14

My pantry was getting quite full, so I took stock of what I had and planned the majority of these meals without having to buy much at all. I'm planning to splurge most of the week's grocery budget on a yummy Valentine's Day meal for the 6 of us.

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Hot dogs, peaches
Dinner: Shredded beef tostadas, rice, beans

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Grilled Cheese, Chicken Noodle Soup
Dinner: Pot Roast, carrots, potatoes, salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: English Muffin w/ peanut butter
Lunch: Dee-Licious Soup
Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken, egg rolls, rice

Thursday
Breakfast: Puffy Pancakes
Lunch: Bean and Cheese Burritos
Dinner: Leftovers


Friday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: BLTs, fries

Saturday (Valentine's Day)
Breakfast: Apple Crepes
Lunch: soup
Dinner: Steak, baked potatoes, broccoli with cheese, green salad, rolls, choc mousse

Be sure to visit orgjunkie for hundreds of other menu plans.

Picture Tag

A little photo meme.

Here are the rules:
Find your 5th photo file folder,then the 5th photo in that file folder.

Post that picture on your blog.

Tag 5 others to do the same.

Here is my photo. It is me (age 7) on the right, with my grandpa and cousin. A few years ago, I made a scrapbook for my grandparents' 60th anniversary. I have very few pictures from my childhood, so I took advantage of having all their photos and scanned in a bunch I wanted to have.

I have tagged: Angie, Sheri, Rebeca, Heather, and Shanna

The Agony of Defeat

It was a loooooooooooooong day of wrestling. Z and BJ were competing in two separate tournaments today. In two separate cities. So, I accompanied Z to his tournament and B took BJ to his. Z got a tough, tough, tough 6 man bracket which meant he had to wrestle 5 matches. He was the youngest and lightest in the bracket and it was a physically challenging day. However, it was even more of a mentally challenging day, he wanted to quit, but he persevered. I am so proud of you!!

Friday Funny

She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, 'But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!'

I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye!!

To Do Lists With Style

Ambiance (finding beauty everyday)

I always have a to do list sitting on my kitchen counter. I generally make a list each morning as I drink my coffee of the things I'd like to accomplish that day, then as things come up throughout the day, I add them to my list. Best of all, I get to cross off all the things I've done. What a feeling of accomplishment!! These lists are written on scratch paper, usually re-using the back of something the kids used for school. Last week, while shopping at Ross, I came across this beautiful set of Laura Ashley notepads. They came with a bright colored holder. Twelve pads, each with a month of the year written on a beautiful Laura Ashley pattern, 40 pages in each, and a magnet on the back. Now my to do list adds a bit of style, beauty and color to my day.

See how others live a beautiful life at The Inspired Room.