Fangmann's Fun Follies

Happy,Happy, birthday to Adam:-)

2011-06-08T22:45:00.004-04:00

My oldest son is turning seven:-) Adam is such a joy :-)I can remember the day he joined our family, the long scary delivery where he and I almost didn't make it, but we did:-) And here we are seven years later, my little giggle box, who makes me smile. He has become such a wonderful young boy, full of life and love, watching him grow is such a blessing, and I thank God everyday for letting me be a part of his life:-)

Wishing my fun loving son a wonderful birthday he turns seven:-) Wow where does time go.

a Tim Burton Party

2011-06-01T18:59:00.007-04:00

We recently took a trip down the rabbit hole to a wonderful friends 16Th birthday party, which was full of fun folks and lots of laughs:-0)

Grace was the Chesire Cat:-)

we met the Mad Hatter and the little mouse, and the red queen and white queen where polite to each other.

will the cakes make us shrink, the butter beer make us giggle, the cayenne pepper frogs, make us hop.

all the children had on fun costumes and really enjoyed seeing what each other had come up with.

The girls and their friends had such a blast at this party what a wonderful time, and a great way to celebrate with a special friend.

our boat sailing adventure

2011-06-01T18:50:00.005-04:00

Having spent a morning building boats with our recycled materials the children wanted to sail them, so I decided to let lessons go for the day and go to the park. We packed lunch grabbed some toys and off we went on a windy spring day.

The boat builders and the boats. They had fun seeing how long they stayed afloat and seeing which design worked best.

Racing along the beach.

Shawn spent alot of his time playing in the sand and getting his bucket filled with water for a sand castle- sort of-.

Madeline helped Shawn build his castle.

it ended up being a fun way to spend a few hours enjoying the sun,sand, and each other.

brunch with Santa

2010-12-13T15:57:00.007-05:00

We had the chance to visit Santa on this beautiful steamboat, for breakfast.

WE had to wait a few minutes to board the boat it was a bit breezy on the water, but made the hot tea taste all the better when we did get on:-)

chatting to the big man himself, some of the kids got bashful some got giggling, Shawn he just walked right up and climbed on his lap.

Madeline was a bit embarrassed to sit on Santa's lap, so he put her to work helping him out, since his elf did not show up:-)

it ws a fun chilly way to get in the holiday spirit, good food, good fun and lots of laughs with family.

Holiday Reading

2010-12-09T10:55:00.002-05:00

Each Christmas we pick a story or two to read and It is usually one with a study guide and other activities to do. And always has a bible study involved with it.
This season we are Reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and are enjoying it alot it is a funny story. WE are meeting the Herman family of six kids who are ill behaved and a bit neglected, and then they get involved in the Christmas Pageant and they and the town find out what Christmas really means.

Game Time

2010-12-09T10:52:00.003-05:00

WE are big time Ravens fans- well living in Baltimore most of us are-. So When we played the Steelers this past weekend we got in our purple and black and cheered them on:-)

my turkey baby

2010-11-26T11:42:00.003-05:00

Wishing my high spirited daughter Grace a Happy 10Th Birthday.She is full of spunk, and loves those around her with a fierce passion. Always ready to defend those being taken advantage of, not afraid to stand her ground.She is a follower of Jesus and loves her Lord with all her might. Her zeal and feisty nature keep us on our toes and she is such a fun part of our family.

Love you Grace:-)

praise and thanksgiving

2010-11-24T15:41:00.004-05:00

as we prepare for a day of feasting an gathering with our families, I pause to remember all the blessings of the past year.

1. that God has allowed us to still be in our house, its still a struggle but he has provided for us

2. finding a new and wonderful church and renewing my joy in worship again.

3. for the four cords of wood given to us, which will heat us this winter. A reminder God was preparing and caring this for us before we even knew we needed it.

4. Wednesday night dinners at church which have taken a strain off of us, as we struggle along.

5. My moms weekly food delivery again to help us in this time of struggle.

6. friends who pray for and with us.

7. my health and well being.

8. four healthy strong happy children.Who remind me why I continue on each day.

9. my husbands company who found a way to keep him working while they where in between jobs. so we did not lose the paycheck or health insurance we need.

11. my girls getting to go to Boston this year with my parents.

12. Being able to visit Mt.Vernon on home school day.

13. laughter, and joy in the small things.

14. reconnecting with old friends

15. Peace and comfort knowing my God has it under control and not sure where this storm is taking us or when its going to end but he is in control and will continue to care for us.

16. for those Pilgrims so many years ago who followed a call to go and find a land to believe and worship Christ . They never questioned or lost faith even in the worst of struggles, they stood on faith . What a great example they are.

Not sure where this year is taking us, but, we will go forward with Gods guidance and faith. adn continue to count those blessings.

girls just wanna have fun

2010-11-13T13:24:00.002-05:00

The girls got new pj's for Halloween and started acting silly and posing for photos so couldn't resist. So fun to have a best friend in a sister.

I am so happy to see my girls becoming best friends sure they fight but all in all they really have a connection they will never have with anyone else.

tanagram fun

2010-11-13T13:01:00.002-05:00

for Adam's math lesson one afternoon he spent it designing and playing with tanagrams,of course they are irresistible to everyone. Even his older sis Madeline joined in.

its a joy to see how the imagination and creativity work. learning is fun and everyone enjoys when we are free to discover.

Novembers Hymn

2010-11-08T11:10:00.002-05:00

Give Thanks
With a Grateful Heart
Give thanks
To the Holy One
Give thanks
For he's Given
Jesus Christ, His son.

And now let the Weak Say
I am Strong
Let The Poor Say
I am Rich
Because Of What
The Lord Has Done
For us
Give Thanks

give thanks

2010-11-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

a visit to Mt.Vernon

2010-11-05T17:17:00.005-04:00

We visited the home of our first president during a recent homeschooling day. It was a pretty fall day perfect for a field trip.

the house, the kitchen building and the beginning of the tour line. it moved pretty quickly today, and the docents where very informative and we where able to learn lots of interesting tidbits about our first president and his family.

the view of the Potomac River from the back porch I can imagine George and Martha spent many hours here having coffee and entertaining guests.

the back of the home. we where not able to take photos inside the house so just believe me it was just lovely. walking onto stairs that the founding fathers did was just an honor.

The upper gardens and some of the livestock on the farm- this is a working farm btw-.

The wharf, from here Washington's men would catch herring and other fish to feed the family. A home of a slave family, this one housed a slave named Priscilla and her six children.When Washington and Mrs. Washington died their slaves where freed.

Fall Fun at Webers

2010-10-31T10:44:00.005-04:00

One of our favorite fall destinations is Weber's a local farm and fun place to visit. They have a great play area for kids of all ages, with mazes, and boo-barn.

We began with a hayride and stopped for a fun photo opp.

Whats a day at Weber's without a trip or two down the hill side slide:-)

Adam loves these peddle tractors, , Shawn in the hay tunnels:-)

See you on the farm next year:-) This is such a fun annual event, can;t imagine fall without it:-)

Church Harvest Party

2010-10-30T12:17:00.006-04:00

We attended our churches harvest party and had an amazing time.

The kids dressed in fun costumes=Shawn was a firemen but all he would wear was the hat and not too long either.

we made some fun crafts, masks, goodie bags, and pumpkin lanterns. had some yummy popcorn and warm cider.

one of the cars that was decorated for trunks or treats.

the night ended with roasting marshmallows .

a fun time with friends always a great way to spend the night.

Rollerskating with the boys

2010-10-07T16:00:00.004-04:00

the girls are away this week so the boys and I attended our monthly home school rollerskating. It was a lot of fun seeing old friends and meeting some new ones, and getting some exercise in .

Adam taking a break, he fell alot, but he was determined to get it and did not want me to help.

Shawn discovered the video games ad liked them alot. Especially the pinball.

The skating and game playing really wore them out this was the view in my rear view mirror:-)

looking forward to next months home school skate so the girls can join in. Lots of fun today.

Meet Rusty

2010-10-07T10:16:00.002-04:00

We recently added a new family member, Rusty:-) She is a lovely little lady. She was dumped down the street from us at the beginning of summer and the kids have been petting on her all summer trying to lure her to the yard and trying to convince me to keep her.

Long story short they talked daddy into bringing her inside, and here she has been ever since. She shows no interest in ever going back outside and likes her pillows and bowls of milk , and curling up by the fireplace.

Sandro Boticcelli Relief painting

2010-10-05T12:13:00.003-04:00

WE are beginning our year using Short Lessons in Art History, for our art studies and a bit of history mixed in. The lessons begin with the artist of the Italian Renaissance. This past week we did Sandro Botticelli- he painted the birth of Venus, Primevera and other wonderful paintings-. We poured over art books to see copies of these works.

We then made relief paintings with crayon and watercolor. the effect was wonderful the kids where surprised at how the watercolor wash really made the crayon pop off the page.

Next weeks artist is Leonardo Di Vinci we may actually spend a bit more time on his works, I have a great add on book Leonardo for Kids which I am planning to use a bit as well.

Adam's soccer team picture

2010-10-05T09:37:00.002-04:00

Go Cheetahs:-)

homegrown summer

2010-07-09T13:02:00.003-04:00

With summer upon us and the time for fun in the sun here. We have been doing things simply. With finances just straining and side jobs waning, we are are having a homegrown summer.
Which means time here at our pool, or bouncing in the trampoline, spend lazy days drifting on the river on our big raft. Walking the dog, making homemade fudge, playing freeze tag, and playing games. It means making what we have as wonderful as it is. Realizing the hype to go go go is just that hype, and being home and doing things together is wonderful.
And the kids do not miss all the running around, and are enjoying the time to hang out with friends, at our pool, I am keeping snacks on hand and the cooler full of sodas, and of course Popsicle's in the fridge. We do have a nice garden plot and enjoy weeding and watering it , And finding frogs, and lizards hanging around it.
This low key summer is proving to be very recharging to my soul as well. I have felt overwhelmed this year with school and events and am enjoying the break summer gives. It gives us permission to do nothing, except sip sweet tea, and read a good book.

Canvasback duck

2010-06-15T16:15:00.003-04:00

We have a new visitor to our river this beautiful Canvasback Duck, they do live on the Chesapeake and in its tributaries, we don;t always see them though. He is rather brave and has come up for bread. It seems every year a different duck or type of waterfowl wonders in our river so this year it seems to be Harvey- as he is being called- is our visitor. It is always such a gift and a blessing to me to see these creatures, God made so many lovely animals to share with us, it is always nice when he brings them here for us to witness and enjoy.

Gunpowder Bison Farm

2010-06-14T10:53:00.003-04:00

The kids had a lesson on the bison- they are not buffalo-, there was a brand new baby in the field the momma kept him away from us but we did get a glimpse. These bison where not to happy we where there, notice the raised tail of the male walking by the gate. While Shawn chilled in the grass and listened.

This was such a fun trip. After the talk we went into the store and browsed, we took home some sausage, and beef jerky, both where very good. We are going back for some steaks for the grill soon.

Aberdeen Swim Club

2010-06-10T17:01:00.005-04:00

Our local home school group is dissolving after this year and had to use the funds to officially close the group. So they rented out the Aberdeen Swim Club for us, what a fun fun fun day.

Having fun in the beautiful pool, the water was quite refreshing on a 90 degree day.

Adam doing a cannon ball that's him in the middle of the picture, he has become quite the daredevil.

Awesome welcome to summer kind of day, though it is a bit sad that the group is folding, but it is a new beginning an who knows where the road will lead us.

Lydia's Family:-)

2010-06-09T12:19:00.002-04:00

Do you remember the duckling Madeline raised last year,Lydia? Well she has four babies of her own now:-) She brings them to sleep on our sunk boat each night and they are quite cute.

We have been blessed to have the chance to see her family and she lets us feed them by hand.I have teased Madeline and told her she is now a grand mom:-)

Happy birthday

2010-06-09T08:58:00.003-04:00

Happy 6th Birthday to Adam, where has the time gone.

Many blessings and love to my wonderful boy. He is quite the comedian and keeps me laughing and he gives wonderful hugs.

Cromwell Valley Park- me and the boys hiking days

2010-06-05T23:17:00.003-04:00

For the past few months the girls have participated in a homeschool garden club at Cromwell Valley a local park , which has a lot of nice trails to hike as well.So each week as they gardened the boys and I had our own club a hiking/exploring club:-)

A view on one of the trails we walked and some flora we enjoyed. Adam with a walking stick he found, he actually found us all one.

the boys found a walking stick for me and they enjoyed the hike too.

we hiked all around the park every week for six weeks, and it was a fun time. Exploring , and seeing the changes as the trees and flowers awoken and spread their leaves. This was a wonderful time for the boys and I while the girls planted their gardens.

First boo-Boo of the summer season

2010-06-01T17:10:00.003-04:00

Summer hasn;t begun unitl theres a first boo-boo,;-) Well ours happened this weekend when Shawn slipped off the pool ladder and hit the bricks-literally- . he hit his head over his eye and his arm I think he twisted. I was at the time right next to him helping Adam out of his life jacket so he go to potty and the next thing I know Shawn came down pretty quickly. He was a bit dazed and seemed in shock so we took a fun trip to the local E.R. where it was decided he was more scared then anything. And i had a few more gray hairs then I began the day with.

So I am so thankful to God for catching him cause this phot could be alot worse. Head injuries can be serious.

Easter Express

2010-03-31T10:23:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday we went on a train ride in Delaware, with my dad and step mom, this was their Easter gift to the kids. Which was a wonderful treat. Shawn especially is my train buff he carries his woo-woo's - as he calls them- everywhere he goes. We couldn;t have asked for a better day the weather was fabulous, the company lively, and the kids where wonderfully behaved.

meeting the bunny, we did this on the train as well, but it was so nice outside and Shawn actually liked the rabbit I was surprised he isn;t too keen on those costumed characters.

in our seats having a wonderful ride. We where at the begining of the train right by the doors that the conductors used. Much to the kids delight this is where the bunny cam out of. And the man with the trolley full of goodies, just like on The Hogwarts Train, the kids asked him if he ahd any magic choclate frogs, he checked and was out of them that day.lol:-)

a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vSNB_Evi9Zo/S7Nb8YrO03I/AAAAAAAACtA/kDW1sBfQa3c/s1600/trainjerusalim+mill+hike+059.jpg">

after the train ride we watched them fill the boiler up with water- just like Thomas does- Shawn just loved this.And it seemed like a moment from yest er year.

Thanks to my dad and step mom for a lovely day out, our train loving family had a great time:-)And Shawn will have sweet choo dreams for along time to come:-)

Hiking The Mill

2010-03-30T17:44:00.006-04:00

On a recent family outing we went to Jerusalem Mill , and spent a fun family day exploring the mill, gun shops, blacksmith shops and hiking the trails.

Crossing the stepping stones, and king of the hill:-)
And of course what adventure is complete without a snack.

The mill from the trail we toured the buildings as well, and had a wonderful time, there where costumed reenactors and guides to talk to.
And the view from a bridge:-)

walking the trails, and exploring under the roots of fallen trees. and a funny family photo, it is always hard to get all of us in pictures, but Doug found a way:-)

the flora and fauna, Adam loved these fungus formations on the trees.

This turned into the perfect family day out, everyone enjoyed exploring and laughing together.Where will our hiking shoes take us next:-)

Go-Cart Fun

2010-03-26T18:01:00.005-04:00

Adam and Grace heading out on the go-cart for a fun afternoon of riding and laughing. Grace is a really good driver, though we did have to gear it back cause she was a bit to fat:-)

Daisy and Madeline waiting for a ride- Daisy loves this so much she jumped right on in.

our neighbor giving Adam a lift and racing the girls.

what a fun way to spend the first nice day of spring.

flood in a jar

2010-03-26T17:51:00.006-04:00

in our new testament studies we where at the story of Noah and how fossils and layers of sediment can be explained. Fossils are created when animals/plants are buried quickly in mud- as in the flood of Noah-. So we made a smaller version in a jar, we began by adding dirt, sand ,rocks, bark ,leaves etc.. in to the jar

adding in the water and a few extra leaves rocks, and whatever else we found. Then put the lid on and shake it hard like a hard rain would stir it all up.

all our matrials in the jar, watching it settle- Shawn could not take his eyes off of this, and gave it another shake.

settling after about 30 minutes, you cans see defined layers beginning.

we let it sit for a week and the water became very clear as everything settled, and we saw how some leaves got trapped in between layers of sediment much like animals and plants did during Noah's flood to create fossils.

March in like Lion

2010-03-26T17:49:00.003-04:00

for the beginning of March we made lion puppets, as March came in with a roar:-)

We are looking forward to it becoming lamb like very soon:-)

Adam's soccer Game fun

2010-03-26T17:45:00.005-04:00

This winter Adam played indoor soccer with his coach and team, from fall outdoor. He enjoyed it and liked being goalie the best.

warming up and getting in position for the game to begin.

in the thick of the game.

taking his turn out
- actually this game he spent some extra time on the bench for not listening,;-)

indoor soccer ended last week now we are waiting for baseball to begin.

Shawn turns 3 -March 7

2010-03-26T17:40:00.004-04:00

Happy birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you:-)

we all love you Shawn:-)

Yummy cake:-) Icing is the favorite part of course.

Here's wishing my baby boy a year full of growing ,learning, and love.

touched by angels

2010-03-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

Defenders of Animal Rights Field Trip

2010-03-03T17:13:00.004-05:00

We recently went on a field trip with one of the home school groups we hang around with to a local animal shelter. we actually have gone to this shelter a few times before and have a cat from here. The trip began with a talk by a worker on how to treat animals, and how the shelter runs, then we where able to visit and love the animals- our favorite part of the trip.

We spent alot of our visit in the cat rooms with the sweet -and some of them very scared- kitties.

we played with two very sweet and very bouncy puppies, Lucy and Sparky.

We always leave this shelter feeling so happy inside, it is a no kill shelter, and all the animals are treated with such love and respect, it truly brightens your day. To see that at least here the scales of justice are equal for all of Gods Creatures

log cabins

2010-03-03T17:09:00.004-05:00

For Presidents Day we made a yummy and somewhat healthy snack, we built Lincolns log cabins with pretzels, and nutella for pitch, and chocolate cookie roofs.

finished cabins looking very good indeed, and Shawn was just loving all the chocolate and cookies:-)

we then had our yummy log cabins for our snack, because I am sure old Abe would not have wanted us to let them go to waste :-)

what to do with a blizzard

2010-02-12T16:07:00.003-05:00

make snow ice cream of course:-)it is so super easy clean snow- with 4 feet in three days we have plenty of that ingredient-, vanilla extract and cream,milk or condensed milk -whatever you have on hand. You can very the flavor to by adding different extracts, or coco powder.It does not refreeze well at all so you have to eat it then or dispose of it, and make more later.

yummo:-)

such a fun treat, so when life hands you the unexpected

bouncy party and play

2010-02-11T15:18:00.004-05:00

we recently went to a home school day at our local bouncy place, it was a fun afternoon after being snowed in a few days , the kids where ready for some fun with friends, and i was ready for adult conversation.

shooting a few hoops is alot of fun.

Shawn says I think I can, I think I can, well maybe with some help:-)

Perfect way to spend a snowy afternoon with our home school friends. Can't wait to go again.

Pet Expo 2010

2010-02-09T10:04:00.005-05:00

WE made our yearly journey tot he Mid-Atlantic Pet Expo, last weekend- before the snow came-. We saw many friends, talked to great folks about their pets and organizations. and had a wonderful time laughing over some fries and cokes. Precious times together.

there where horses to ride and gold to be panned:-) Something for everyone.

Kangaroos, Owls, and snakes oh my:-)

this beautiful bird loved Adam and wanted to leave with him:-) The Ferrets belong to a friend who was there with The Baltimore Ferret Club, Grace goes to the monthly meetings with them, and plays with the ferrets.

this is an annual event and we love it. our family is a big animal loving bunch- not daddy so much but he tolerates us:-)-Can't wait till next year.

blizzard 2010

2010-02-06T10:06:00.003-05:00

we are in the middle of the snow event of the year for us, actually the decade, we don;t get much snow at all, and snow falls like today's only once a decade, we are at 20inches already, have had snow lightning and thunder- that was very cool-. and all kinds of fun bird visitors. I am thinking of doing snow ice cream, tons of clean snow today.

Shawn peeking out the door, he and all of them are very excited, the snow drifts are way over his head already. The dogs romping,they love love love this . and the birds are waiting in line for a chance at the many feeders in the yard, we filled them to overflowing last night.

we are only halfway through this storm suppose to snow all day today and be very windy so lots more drifting,, and power outages, I am in deep prayer ours stays on.but all in all it is so beautiful I am always in awe of Gods hand at work.

National Chocolate Fondue Day

2010-02-05T14:43:00.004-05:00

this of course is a holiday I can;t pass up, so around lunch time I pulled out my little dipper and put in some chocolate chips a bit of shortening and some vanilla, and by the time lunch was cleaned up we where ready. We had a wonderful tray of yummy dippers all ready to go.

Dipping our treats in the fondue, Shawn was napping he has a pretty heavy head cold so missed out on this, I will heat him some up later.

what a fun way to spend a snowy afternoon,as the blizzard of the century is barreling down on us:-)and of course any excuse for warm chocolate is a good one right?:-)

homemade kings

2010-01-06T14:52:00.005-05:00

for the visit of the three kings for our snack time today we made our own three kings with icecream cones, and marshmellows and various candies to decorate.

everyones kings, and Shawn holding the one I made.

and I decided the visiting kings deserved a toast as did the one true king they had come to visit .

I actually poured an extra glass by mistake but my kids said no that one was for Jesus and so it sat at the empty chair for our saviour.

there came wise men from the east bearing gifts

2010-01-06T11:12:00.003-05:00

Today we celebrate Ephinay the arrival of those three kings to worship the new baby king. This day also has great meaning, the reason God allowed the kings to visit Jesus was a sign that he was meant for the world, not just for the Jewish people but for everyone. He was a gift of salvation to all who would seek him. And his blood would save us ALL from our sins and give us eternal life.We know today that the wise men may not have arrived till years later, but, it doesn;t really matter what matters is they came:-)

and today wise men and women still follow him:-)

Our New Years Eve Celebration

2010-01-03T16:09:00.006-05:00

Happy 2010 this is how we welcomed in the new year.

the annual picture in new years hats. And our friends doggy who also came to the party.

a serious wii tournament going on.

we blew party horns very loudly too.

Shawn spent a good hour running back an forth with this string of pearl garland with the cat -Ruby- i hot pursuit, it was very funny and he laughed hysterically.

we went outside and watched some fireworks my uncle did, it was fun and a bit chilly. Then it was inside for a toast of sparkling grape juice then time for bed.

New Years memory verse

2010-01-01T18:02:00.003-05:00

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." 2Corinthians 5:17

I have not been very faithful in my memorizing of bible verses, so I have resolved this year to do one a week and really pray on it focus on it put it in my heart, and this one seemed a great place to start.

happy 2010

2009-12-31T17:38:00.001-05:00

visiting the cousins

2009-12-31T10:43:00.003-05:00

we spent some time this week with my brother in laws family. Having our Christmas visit, gift exchange.They live pretty close so we do see each other through out the year, we try and do something monthly.

it was a fun day, simple but fun. the kids played and laughed, we ate pizza, and talked. The gifts where simple, and they honestly where not the focus of the day. The girls loved all over baby Connor and the boys wrestled and enjoyed each others company, which is really the most important reason to visit family. To be together.

little drummer boy

2009-12-28T10:09:00.003-05:00

We had our church program yesterday- due to bad weather last week-, Adam was the drummer boy who marched up the aisle playing his drum, and then stood in front and drummed through the song, - this is the before shot, we aren;t suppose to take them during service time-. He was so sweet and did such a great job, not a dry eye in the house when he was done, even my pastor got choked up. Such a proud moment , to have children so loving in their service to the Lord.

family and friends

2009-12-28T10:01:00.006-05:00

photos by the tree, it is so hard to get them all together so I have do several, maybe I can piece them together.

our cousins and grandmom, came for a day of love and laughter.

Shawn and Aunt Nancy sharing a laugh.

Our friends Cuz and Neener- she got the sweater for Christmas- and Grace helping me get food on the table.My girls are superstars in the kitchen and I am finding it is a great place to be, we talk and laugh and share all sorts of thoughts.

Christmas is meant to be shared with those we love, and there was alot of love flowing here, it was a wodnerful cozy day. May all your days be blessed.

our year

2009-12-25T22:01:00.001-05:00

meowy Christmas

2009-12-23T08:36:00.001-05:00

this was to cute I just couldn;t resist:-)

A Pioneer Christmas

2009-12-21T16:05:00.004-05:00

We are reading this book this week too. It is a story of a family celebrating Christmas on the prairie, while waiting for their cousin and his new wife to arrive from the east- with the new baby-.Through out there are many bible readings, crafts and recipes to try, and games to play, like pompadour balls out of oranges, and snow ice cream- this week this come in handy:-) A fun book to learn how others in another place in time celebrated the day of Jesus birth. And how family has always been the most important focus.

I got this and the previous book from Rainbow Resources. the best homeschool resource I use:-)

Christian Christmas Tree

2009-12-21T09:25:00.004-05:00

WE are working through this book this holiday season, it is crafts for different images for you tree, some are obvious, but others are not. WE are doing stars of David today, each comes with a bible lesson, and explanation for the relation to Jesus. We have done fish,music notes, goblets etc.. and a few crosses. It is a fun book, and I think this could be done anytime and the ornaments could be hung on a seasons tree.

I have liked it because it is drawing the focus where it should be, and making us see how Jesus is always with us and also teaching how he is mentioned in the bible from the very beginning.

the day after...

2009-12-20T21:23:00.006-05:00

Our day was spent in awe of Gods work as he painted our world a vision of white:-) These are some views of our yard and around the neighborhood, Adam is getting a piggy back ride form dad we took along walk in the fields by the house and had some sledding fun and snowball fights of course.

the children and dogs have been in a flurry of activity, they are so happy with this winter play land just out side our door. I can;t get them back in for long, they come in warm up for a bit have a drink a snack and then they are off and playing again, my house is one big puddle.:-)Well at least we do not have carpet on our floors now I remember why:-)

the babe shivers in the cold, let us bring him silver and gold:-)

just love icicles and our house gets huge ones for some reason. the fields across from us and the river behind us, such beauty everywhere we look, God is so good, in providing this winter wonderland for us.

This blanket of white is so peaceful, and pure. It just calms the soul.

blizzard of 2009

2009-12-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Kenilworth Trains

2009-12-19T22:28:00.005-05:00

Thursday afternoon we stopped at The Shops At Kenilworth to see the train display it is a yearly holiday tradition.

we had pizza and posed for a smile. Shawn was getting a bit weary at this point, we had also gone to a local colleges theater production before we came here.

And we wondered upstairs and visited with Santa, we had to have our annual family photo with him, this may be the last year Madeline goes along with it- the one I got from them was a bit better , but I like the shots of them getting them in position.

On the way out we grabbed some cotton candy for the ride home, what a perfect ending to a fun adventure.Shawn fell asleep as soon as he hit the car he was so wiped out.

self portrait

2009-12-19T22:26:00.003-05:00

on a rainy chilly afternoon Grace amused herself at the whiteboard for along time, then called me to see her self-portrait.I think she did an awesome job:-)

Go-Cart fun

2009-12-19T22:22:00.002-05:00

we recently got a go-cart for the kids- and the big kid in the house too-. The boys riding with daddy, Shawn was okay with it for a bit-. We use it in the fields mostly, the farmer said only on Sunday during hunting season though which is fine for us gives them something to look forward to.

WE where so blessed to have been given this go-cart by a friend of Doug's, who really liked hoo polite the kids where and gave it to them-he no longer needed it for his kids-. Madeline is learning to drive it and really likes it. It has been a ton of fun.

First Snow

2009-12-11T18:58:00.005-05:00

We had our first sort of snow last week, the girls where away, but the boys where here to enjoy it. Poor Adam wanted to use that sled so bad but here it never accumulated to much.

the dogs played in it too.This was Daisy's first snow and she was afraid to leave the porch at first, but she did and had some fun. Bandit he just loved trying to catch it in his mouth.

we caught snowflakes on paper and looked at them, and came in for hot from the oven chocolate chip cookies,yum-yum:-)

our snow did not amount to much more slush then anything but for boys, snow, slush and some mud is the perfect combo of fun.

putting up the tree

2009-12-10T14:24:00.005-05:00

we got our tree up and decorated this past weekend. Shawn was so excited he is at the age where all of this is so delightful to him, and he ohhs and ahhs at everything. Madeline was the commando and had to have everything just so- its the 14 in her-. They had fun, most of our ornaments are made by them so it is a family tree.

the finished tree and Daisy looking festive, it is her first Christmas:-)

in front of the finished piece, they are still making and adding thinks as the holiday goes along.

our cat has since climbed the tree so it has been redecorated a few times.

making trees and gingerbread house.

2009-12-10T14:19:00.004-05:00

While Madeline went to the movies with her pop, the younger kids made this cheery Christmas craft, it is those foam kits you get at A.C, Moore, they made trees and a gingerbread house. They did a great job and had a ton of fun. I helped with the house it was a bit more involved but it was still fun.

the finished trees and the house on my side table so cute aren;t they. and the kids are so proud they made them all themselves.

I love these foam crafts, so easy for small hands to do the house needed more help but easy enough and they look pretty good too. a fun afternoon.

making sugar cookies

2009-12-10T14:14:00.002-05:00

We made our first batch of Christmas cookies, they are the store bought sugar cookie dough rolls we sliced them added sprinkles and baked them so warm an yummy and they are done fast .The kids love love love helping in the kitchen and we have alot no bake candies and things to make over the week to come, and things that get baked to for the older girls to help with.They are also going to spend an afternoon with their cousin baking, so lots of yummy fun.

more fun holiday projects to come. but cookie baking is always our favorite thing to do, actually it may be the eating thats the favorite thing to do:-)

Grace's birthday

2009-11-25T23:56:00.003-05:00

Happy 9th birthday to my energetic Grace. She is my firecracker full of life and energy. She lives life to its fullest and enjoys every minute of it. She can be hard to keep up with but she is fun to have around. She is also my defender of the wronged, and will stand up for what she thinks is injustice every time.I know God has some great plans for her.

piggy flu

2009-11-16T10:56:00.002-05:00

sorry I have not been blogging much lately but we are all down with swime flu, lucky us. Its funny I have been fanatic about lysoling everything , staying out of crowds, handwashing etc. so here we ae sick anyhow. We went to a local theater on thursday for a native american show and it was filled to the brim with shools and I just know one of those kids was a typhoid-mary. And shared with us. funny though Shawn and I have it the worst, Adam and Madeline not so much.So we are living on tylenol, motrin , and soft drinks and grahm crackers, -yummy;-)

So I will be back on in a few days, and please ladies if you wouldn't mind praying for us. Especially Shawn who is getting hammered by it- he is 2, and his fever has been up and down he is cool today so thats good. but its scary to see them so ill.

Hope all of you stay well.

remember our veterans

2009-11-11T10:18:00.003-05:00

42 today

2009-11-09T07:55:00.003-05:00

Yes another year older, a few more gray hairs a little wrinkle here some sagging there. It is another year gone by, my birthday, yay. My kids are so excited, they love birthdays. Me I am in a moment of reflection of where I have been and where I am going what I would like to do this year, where god has set my path and how the journey is going. I am feeling content okay with how life is, settled feeling very blessed with the little ones he has placed around me, a hubby who works like a dog so we can live as we do. And we have good times simple but good.We have a strong family and good friends around us, which is a great gift all in its own.

So today as another ache join my body, I will say Thanks to God for another year gone by, and pray for guidance to live as he would have me, and to take the time to listen to his call.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T08:43:00.001-04:00

Have a great night everyone may you get many treats and no tricks.

A Day At Webers

2009-10-26T19:26:00.002-04:00

We spent Madeline's birthday at a local farm, we go every year and have a blast, this year our whole homeschool group went as well. It was such fun.

we drove some farm tractors:-)

we talked a little turkey.

we went on a fun hayride around the farm withour friends.

we sliid down the slide in the hill this is super fun.Even Ms.Melinda tried it out.

We went thorugh a straw maze and played on some funny colored tires.

This is a yearly tradition on Madeline's birthday, I can see us doign this when she has kids, it is so fun and a great way to just have fun together.

Bunny Whisperer

2009-10-26T13:20:00.005-04:00

Grace and Madeline volunteer at the local animal shelter and really just love it. They love all the creatures and walk and play with them all. but Grace seems to have a special gift with the bunnies, they chirp when she enters the room and flock around her and climb all over her. She whispers in their ears how sweet and pretty they are and hugs them and gives them ymm-yums.

this is Bun-Bun, this rabbit is so attached to Grace it is funny, he cries when she leaves and will only love on her. He is being adopted though so she stopped to give him a goodbye hug. And to whisper in his ears he will be fine and loved in his new home.

surrounded by the bunnies:-) The one by himself cracks me up he looks like a dog,too cute.Grace loves visiting and loving on all the animals at the shelter ,but she certainly has a way with those bunnies:-)

Boys at Gunpowder Park

2009-10-25T15:27:00.003-04:00

This past Thursday while the girls where doing volunteer work at the animal shelter. I took the boys to a local state park . It was a lovely brisk fall day made for playing and exploring all that is around us.And honestly I needed to get out of the house and stretch my legs a bit.So we packed up some snacks, and off we went.

The boys found some lovely leaves and played happily on the playground. Eventually they migrated to sword fights onto the picnic tables- with sticks of course- boys will be boys of course.

having a snack and enjoying the view.It is so pretty here, with many lovely vistas to look at and savor.

After our snacks we took a short hike around the park- theres a ton of trials and such lovely things to see-. We saw some folks fishing and waved hi.

apples and pumpkins

2009-10-25T15:04:00.005-04:00

We spent Friday evening at the local nature center-Marshy Point- doing an apples and pumpkins fall program. Our friend Wanda was the naturalist in charge and led a fun evening. It was a rainy night and this proved to be a fun time. Madeline stayed home from her haunted trial cause of the rain but she had a great time here.

The kids painted mini pumpkins- as many as they wanted- in bright colors . Ours will look so pretty on our window sills.All the way till Thanksgiving.

coring out some apples to make baked- or microwaved- apples. And chopping up a few to make blender applesauce.

trying the finished apple sauce -Shawn was happy just eating a plate of raisins.

This was such a fun way to spend a rainy fall evening, not many people came to the event but we had fun, with those who did.

Madeline's birthday

2009-10-22T10:04:00.002-04:00

Happy 14th Birthday to my first baby :-) Her delivery was my longest- three days- but she was well worth it:-) She has been a blessing to us and all who have met her. Love you sweetheart:-)

SABBATH SMILES

2009-10-18T16:01:00.002-04:00

Frankenstien

2009-10-16T15:27:00.002-04:00

we are currently reading Frankenstein for our family read aloud, with Halloween upon us it seemed a fitting choice. We are enjoying it , and my step dad has the original movie he is gong to let us watch after we are done. The story has been good so far, we have only gotten past the chapters of the creature being made and of his killing the brother of Frankenstein. We are using a study guide along with it with plenty of discussion and vocabulary to go along with it. It has been a bit rainy this week so it has been a nice time to curl up by the fire and read it together. We should be done this weekend. Then we will begin the Witch Of Blackbird Pond.

Sabbath smiles-Jesus loves the Little Children

2009-10-11T17:27:00.001-04:00

picking some pumpkins

2009-10-10T10:26:00.004-04:00

Heading out on the wagon to the pumpkin patch. It was a sunny perfect fall day. We went to Lohrs which is a bit of a ride but it is pretty and this farm makes apple slushies which are a big favorite with all my kids.

the boys selecting a pumpkin or two- or many-, my battery died here so I did not get any photos of the girls getting theres. Always happens:-)

we took home 8 pumpkins, -and will have fun next weekend having a carving party- and we took home 20lbs of apples from the orchard, we have been making applesauce and pies, and dried some out , and of course just munching . Theres just something about a sunny day on the farm that makes all the worries it he world just melt away.

rock pie

2009-10-09T11:13:00.004-04:00

I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself and moping on the porch yesterday. When my sweet Shawn walked across the porch and set a plate on the chair next to me, and smiled:-)

the rock pie Shawn made for me:-) He was quite proud of this. It made me smile and feel all warm inside. Hard to feel sorry for myself when I have such sweet kind loving kids.

doesn;t that look yummy:-) Made me smile he spent quite a bit of time filling up this plate and carrying it across the porch to me, and said 'yum' when he set it on the chair. Bless his little heart. It is so wonderful to be so loved:-)

wooly bullies

2009-10-08T18:59:00.005-04:00

While helping put out our trash for tomorrows pick up my critter loving girl Grace made a great discovery. Four wooly bear caterpillars. Here they all are on her arm- one of them did some duty on her:-}-. It is part of their defense cause she said it itched before she washed it off.

I had never really known what butterfly or moth the woolie bears where from . So Adam ran and got this old book I had- its copyright is 1947:-)- and brought it out. And we found the woolie bears are Isabelle moths.

Shawn kept waving and telling them 'Hi':-) He is such a charmer:-)

What a fun impromptu lesson. It seems since i am not getting around to much that God is bringing the learning to us:-) Made for a fun afternoon anyways. The woollies are in a container with some leaves and sticks for a little while then will be let go. They do hibernate over the winter and need to make thier cocoons soon.

A Blustery Day

2009-10-07T16:49:00.003-04:00

We read The Blustery Day from the Classic tales of Winnie The Pooh, today was indeeed very blustery windy and chilly everything is blowing everywhere. It made for a snuggely day that pooh bear would love.

we also made banana nut muffins which smelled fabulous in the oven. so good with hot coco and a good book. around the woodstove

I so love the A.A. Milne Winnie the pooh collection- I like Disney too-, but the original is the classic:-)And with me being a bit on the gimpy side, this was a perfect day for this sort of thing.

Happy Fall Y'all

2009-10-07T10:21:00.004-04:00

My big boo-boo

2009-10-06T18:17:00.003-04:00

Well today I fell off our front porch and looked like the kid in the above picture and that is Grace helping me out. I was stepping off to bend down and pick up some trash on the ground and down I went :-) I hit my knee on the stepping stones we have off the porch- that is actually what hurts the most-, and sprained both- yes both- my ankles my right one though is really bad is so swollen it looks like a balloon. Madeline who is a bit squirmy can not come near me or she gets woozy;-) Anyhow if you all wouldn;t mind saying a prayer for me to heal quickly I would be so thankful . Momma cannot be down around here. Luckily the girls are good at taking care of stuff though, they help with the boys and picking up and laundry and getting me ice and pillows and juice.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable

2009-10-05T16:18:00.005-04:00

a wonderful book to read .

While carving one of these lovely orange spheres to .

look like one of these.

a great poem to say while carving your pumpkin and gives it a more christian meaning.

love this book so much so homey and wholesome, you and your kids will love it.

Let There Be Peace On Earth

2009-10-05T12:07:00.002-04:00

with the daily stories of missile launching in Iran, a suicide bomber in Pakistan today, Korea launching missiles aimed near Japan, and all the things in our own neighborhoods, daily stories of robberies, shootings, gangs, armed police at our schools- which is really troubling to me-. I have been hearing this song in my mind.

Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.

With God as our father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.

To Take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.

States of matter

2009-10-04T10:20:00.008-04:00

For our science lesson we did a lesson on states of matter from the book Cooking and Science. I really like this book the kids love it barely get that its school and really grasp the concept in such a fun yummy way.

the solid sugar free vanilla ice cream, tried to have a bit less sugar in the kids:-)

The liquid with a bit of the gas on top. I told them to listen for the fizz when you open the bottle that is the gas you can hear it before you see it.

solid and liquid making the gas, root beer floats tend to be very foamy so this concept is easily seen here.

Yummo:-)

showing the pictures they drew and labeled of the root beer floats. And Shawn he just was happy with the solid:-) Excuse his messy face we did this right after lunch so he was good and ready for a nice bath and nap by the time this was done- actually so was I;-)

This was such a fun,sweet, simple lesson, and an easy way for the younger kids to grasp the solid,liquid ,gas concept. We will be doing many experiments from this book this year, I find we learn alot with hands on projects. And cooking certainly offers many lessons. From math, to language to science, to social studies.

Sabbath smiles

2009-10-03T23:39:00.002-04:00

Fall Hike with Cake

2009-10-03T08:54:00.006-04:00

On Monday we took off for a hike and a cake picnic at Jerusalem Mill a local park and living history area near us. WE took a store bought cake our lunch some art supplies and off we went. Daisy came along with us too she loved it. I got the idea of doing the cake from another local homeschooling mom.We had a great day no rushing anywhere we strolled to our hearts content, climbed trees, and just had fun. I am thinking we need to do this more often, the children learned alot and the time together was refreshing for us all. I am being made very aware that he success of our school depends on me and my attitude, I need to look past the effort- not much really- and just do these things.

we saw some cool bugs and found a new trail to wonder on a bit.

we saw lovely flowers , black walnuts and interesting berries these grew on a stalk on the ground anyone know what they are?

Shawn wore out and got a piggy-back ride from his big sister.

We went back to the picnic tables and had our lunch and cake and did some leaf and bark rubbings,and played in the stream a bit.Unfortunately my cameras battery died- doesn;that always happen- so no pictures of that.

digging potatos

2009-10-01T14:24:00.004-04:00

we spent last Friday at Cromwell Valley a local park/farm, digging potato's. We had begun this project last spring when we planted a group plot of them in the parks children's garden, lots of schools and other groups come and plant a section of veggies.The day was full of fun and friends.

getting our hands and knees dirty, and digging and pulling up lots of the yummy goodness:-) The children had a blast as did the adults too. it was the end of a fun project we had worked on this summer together- families took a turn at watering and weeding through the summer-.

we had three huge bags of potato's when we where done. we divided them up between six families so we all had a nice amount to take home we baked ours with a ham and green beans for supper. They where very yummy.

faith walk

2009-09-28T09:08:00.002-04:00

wild grapes

2009-09-27T14:02:00.013-04:00

This is the wild grape vine that grows in our yard over our play fort. It is huge- the vine is thicker then my arm-. Well this year it produced a bounty of grapes, for us to pick and taste. It has been alot of fun . And provided a fun learning adventure as we took some and made some fresh grape juice.

a plate of fresh picked grapes, they are a bit sour compared to the cultivated ones but they are interesting and fun. its funny how willy-nilly the clusters are compared to cultivated bunches.

Mashing the grapes wrapped in some cloth and squeezing the juice into a ziploc bag, we did get enough for everyone to try a sip. And grape juice is also a great dye , maybe mix in cold cream for face paint?

The wild grape juice was very earthy tasting, and a bit sour. the kids got a kick out of mashing them and trying it. Madeline set a few grapes in the sun to see if they will become raisins. We also think this would make good ink to to write with.Perhaps we will try that this week.

MId-Atlantic Reptile Show

2009-09-26T10:44:00.006-04:00

We attended the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show last weekend. My kids loved it, they are big time animal people, and love all creatures. I had never seen so many snakes, lizards,and frogs in one place before. There was much to see and much to learn. WE all enjoyed the adventure.There where many interesting people to talk to as well.

looking at some of the many many snakes that where there with the breeders so many beautiful creatures I had no idea of all the colors and sizes in the world. Shawn liked seeing them since most where moving and at his eye level. I will say all the breeders where so interesting to talk to and answered endless questions from my kids. and many let them hold whatever they wanted.there of course where also booths with toys, and books, and shirts for sale. Grace an Madeline's favorite attraction- shopping!;-)

How about this huge tortoise, who was only$799, WOW!! Adam and Grace thought it was 7.99, no not even close. Should have seen their faces when I said no it was almost 800$.He was a sweet guy though an let us touch him all over and feed him some carrots.

This was Grace's favorite trip of the year, she is my no fear of anything child. She loves all creatures, great and small and wanted to hold everything.

We are now reading up and studying the bearded dragon all the kids feel in love with those little lizards, and want one. However , they and I are researching them out first, reptiles are so sensitive to changes in the environment and need very special care. We have to understand all that is involved before we bring one to live with us.

sweet potato bread

2009-09-23T11:02:00.006-04:00

wanted to share this with you all a friend sent it to me, and we are making it later today. It is very yummy, i tried hers. We are into baking mode here my favorite thing to do and this is the time of year for it:-)This is so good with a nice cup of tea out on the porch in the afternoon while the baby is napping and the others are playing in the woods across the street. A perfect me time indulgence:-)

Faith

2009-09-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

All we need is Faith

2009-09-23T10:54:00.004-04:00

All things are possible with Jesus. Walk in Faith and follow the saviour, and all will be well. We are building our kingdom for Christ and Christ alone.

When all seems lost or hopeless and we have lost our way all we need is faith in the lord he will pick us up dust us off and get us going on our way again.

Blessings to all dear ones.

Where there is faith there is a voice calling keep walking your not alone in this world:-)

Serenity Prayer

2009-09-22T13:49:00.003-04:00

this is one of my favorite prayers and thoughts. So often we want to change everything, and we cannot. WE need to accept and let Jesus have control. And that means once we let him have control we have to stop fretting over the problem, and going back over it. We just have let it go.We as humans tend to be impatient and not want to wait for God to decide when things will happen we want to 'help'. And often we just prolong the issue longer then it need be.

So today I pray to know what I cannot control an to truly let Jesus have it. To free myself form worry and quilt. To find peace in the Lord who is in control .

Madeline's eggplant dip

2009-09-21T07:59:00.007-04:00

Madeline made a yummy roasted eggplant spread on the grill- with a little help from me of course-
. . This is such a simple side to make we make it alot while waiting for dinner , it is such a healthy addition to the meal. Egg plant has a lot of nutritional value to it.
First select a nice eggplant, we get ours fresh from a farm near us so they are firm and nicely colored, then put it on your grill over medium heat- poke a few holes in it - like when baking a potato-. Close the lid then wait till it gets nice and black and wrinkled.

When the skin cracks and is black - mine actually exploded, she forgot to poke hole in it for when it expands, so I got a bit of a surprise, - let it cool a minute then peel off skin and put the flesh in a bowl and mash it up .

Mix in a few other things and that's all that is in it. The roasted eggplant takes on a more distinct flavor, almost a smoky taste.

Madeline gives it a taste and says yummy, and all plated on her serving plate. She did a great job. At 13-14 in a few weeks- she is becoming quite a little cook she is really enjoying experimenting with new foods and adding new flavors together. She has my curiosity about flavors and how they work together.

While a couple of our guest politely tried the eggplant, some where not fans of it. But it is a yummy very earthy flavor, theres nothing processed in it I think folks get so used to all the fat and other stuff they forget what real food tastes like.

we love this dip and do make it quite a bit. Actually the kids are pretty good veggie eaters. we also made a fresh lima bean casserole that week with mushrooms and carrots it was so good. We do get some odd looks when the kids eat this stuff, but I do not keep much if any junkie food in the house so they only get sweets on holidays or on some nights when we do smores on the fire pit.

I believe God gave us one body and we should treat it well. Nourish it with good things- both spiritually and food wise-.When we are nourished we are in a clear state of mind and have the strengh and energy to accomplish any task the Lord asks us to do.

Shawn and his trains

2009-09-20T09:12:00.006-04:00

Shawn has discovered the fun of the Thomas trains:-) We have quite a few from all the other kids so he has plenty to choose from.They just recently really got his attention,perhaps it was the trip to Straushburgh and all the big trains, and the huge Thomas displays everywhere. I have been reading him- and the others too- the Thomas books- which where written by a minister- as he plays and he likes it. We have a lot of the stories so they are a good add in and helps with language skills. Shawn is not a big talker yet so maybe these will encourage him along.

Shawn let Adam join in the fun with him he likes the helicopter-Harold-. It was so nice just watching them create and imagine together.

He likes keeping them all very close to him and gets such a huge smile when he plays. He does let us play with him, but is picky about who we can use:-)

Shawn really likes these trains, he even sleeps with them all in a bucket. Too funny. All the kids have liked Thomas but not as much as Shawn he is quite taken with them.

end of summer camp-out

2009-09-19T10:19:00.006-04:00

The kids and daddy spent the night in our yard in the tent. It is the closest to camping we could get this year but the kids don;t care to them it was a night of fun and memories.

Putting up the tent proved a bit tricky they waited until it was dark and that made it a bit harder. They where just to busy having fun to realize it was dark. But it did get put together.With out much bickering:-)

They roasted marshmallows by the fire pit and had glow sticks and necklaces, which broke so they used the glow gel and drew all over the place and our whole patio looked like a million stars by the time they where done.

Then it was into jammies and into the cozy tent for snuggeling and stories;-)Shawn and i went inside for the night.

they had a great night sleeping in the tent with daddy, though daddy did not sleep too well:-) This is a time they will always remember, .How blessed we are to be able to spend this time with the children, just enjoying them watching them be silly and love life. The innocence of childhood is fleeting but it is something we all should try to hold onto- Remember Jesus said ' Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for it those such as these who will enter the kingdom of heaven'-.

illustrating our names

2009-09-18T18:21:00.003-04:00

In our monthly art class , we talked about illustration. And made illustrations of our names. We also talked about how we each had a unique name and we are all unique to God, he knows each of us by name :-)

We first drew names in big puffy letters.

The puffy letters where colored with bright colors and/or illustrated with things the kids liked, see how Grace's c is a caterpillar, and the dot on Madeline's i is a guinea pig:-)

we brought them home to finish and since Shawn did not make one there we helped him make one at home. the plan is to hang them on their doors.

Hullabaloo

2009-09-18T08:38:00.003-04:00

We recently got this game in a bag of used games from a fellow homeschooler the box was a bit worn but the game is in great shape. It is a bunch of many colored and shaped pieces with various pictures on them- animals, food, instruments etc..You scatter them all over the floor-theres a lot of these pieces-. Then press the button on the control box, this leads you through all kinds of moves and instructions to move from piece to piece- stomp to red, spin to a food, hop to a triangle etc..-. It is a lot of fun, my kids have been playing this endlessly for the last week.Shawn really likes it , even though he does not get the whole idea yet, he likes the throwing the pieces all over and dances to the music and is learning colors and shapes a bit.

It has been a lot of fun since there have quite a few rainy afternoons this past week, and the kids get to burn energy and have a lot of fun in the process. They have even played it in the yard. The pieces are made of a rubbery material so it is weather tolerant to a point.

I know they like it they have just gotten up and I can hear it on already . We are working on going a bit more unplugged- gasp!- so this has certainly occupied them to the point they do not care about other diversions:-) And it has also been a nice break in our school days when they say ' my brain hurts'- this just cracks me up-I can get them to play this or something else for a while- so they get some learning in and not know it.