Happy Birthday Baby!

7 years ago tonight I dropped off my two girls with their Titi J. and left for the birthing center with my husband to bring this little peanut into the world. He was born early the next morning.

4 hours old leaving the birthing center

1 year old! Look at those chunky legs!

2 years old! I love that smile!

3 years old! His true personality............

4 years old! That would be his cutie face 

5 years old! 

6 years old! All of the sudden we have a sense of fashion

7 years old! When did this change happen? Is that my baby?

As I look back at the last 7 years I can't help but think that it has been quite the ride. 7 years ago I was the mom of two little girls and unsure I knew how to parent a little boy. I soon learned that the love I had for him erased all doubt. We have had our fair share of sorrow and laughter, sunshine and rain.I am thankful for each precious moment, something I learned to appreciate because of him. Happy Birthday Baby! 

Lazy Work Day

Lat night I declared that tomorrow( today) would be school free. We were going to .....I don't know what . But I knew we were going to go outside, suck in some fresh air, and were just going to......be.

Unfortunately diabetes did not believe that I was super serious about doing nothing. Up every hour checking blood sugar, treating again and again, only to get a reading that was too low to let me sleep, again, and again. I literally went to sleep "for real" not just the lay in bed and pretend to sleep or sit in some half state of consciousness, at 5:00 a.m. My alarm went off at 7:30. I snoozed till 8:30. I could feel my plans for the day and happy relaxation melting away. I was grouchy.  Take a deeeeeeeeep breath, be in the now, let the song 10,000 reasons by Matt Redmond float through my head, I convince my self to fight the grouchy...... and win!

Coffee, a little breakfast, and away we went outside to suck in the fresh air. The air was crisp, the sky was cloudless, the kids rode their bikes around the park. As luck would have it, on my day to do nothing, I met a neighbor who was spending her morning tidying up the park in the community where we live. The kids and I offer to help but she insists she doesn't have much to do that day. She does however offer to allow us to help her plant some plants she has next week. Score! We spend 45 minutes chatting in the park, talking about plants, her niece who homeschools, and ways to make our neighborhood a better place, I lover her! Come to find out she is a retired Registered Nurse/ Midwife- for those of you who do not know both my husband and I are RN's. She also happens to be wearing an orange floppy sun hat...I think I have seen a glimpse of my future self today.

Inspired by our little chat I decide that we are going to tidy up our yard. And we did, all day. My day of lazy nothingness turned into a day of work. But it was work I loved. The kids and I raked the yard, trimmed plants, and made a fire! Now I was never a girl scout and my parents weren't the camping kind, so my fire making skills are zilch! Imagine my husbands surprise when he came home, smoke billowing from the back yard, yep I had made a fire in the fire pit and it was actually burning! Of course he did need to help me a little with chopping some wood to add, but none the less I made fire! We stayed outside until the sun went down. It was a glorious day!

I didn't really sleep last night and yet somehow I feel refreshed tonight. Plans for planting our garden next month are starting to come alive. Days like this, when I can work in the yard with the kids, and just have fun doing nothing, watching them laugh and dance around as they throw leaves in the fire, are the days I live for. They are the days that burrow deep inside your mind's heart and create emotions you never forget. I count my self the luckiest person in the world to have these great people, my husband, my children , and new friendships at my side. What a blessed day!              

Day 5 :Roots and Wings

You have to know that when you hang a large glider from your kitchen lamp and pass out hot chocolate that the kids are going to be interested.

What are we doing today?


 

I am a big believer in kids needing inspiration. So many times we can get locked into doing the necessities of school like grammar, spelling, math, etc.(The roots)  that we forget that we are there to inspire, encourage dreams, and facilitate exploration ( the wings). I am constantly reminding my self  of that . I make a conscious effort to have at least one day a week where we break from the normal school routine and work on something a little differently. Today our theme was "Adventure"  

Like so many times before our next Bible lesson fit seamlessly  into our theme. Genesis 12: The call of Abram. We read the passage and then talked about the types of feeling that Abram might have had. Going on an adventure would require faith, trust, and bravery,  but also cause nervousness, excitement, sadness, and happiness. 

We moved on from there to history where I then introduced them to our next adventurer: Amelia Earhart. 

I happened to have purchased a book a few weeks ago that has been such fun for us to read at night as a family. "Real life Hero's. America's Story" 

 

So we started by reading the story of Amelia Earhart and the Power of Adventure. We began by learning that she was from Kansas which gave me the oppertunity  to pull out a map, locate Kansas and discuss the Capital city. I also asked the kids to tell me anything they knew about Kansas.

Their answers included: Prairies, Cyclones, The Wizard of Oz, farms, and Aunt D. 

As we continued to read we learned that Amelia had been to the St. Louis state Fair in 1904. We discussed that the fair was a celebration. The centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. Again I was able to find a map that highlighted the land that was purchased and we listed the states that were part of it.

I was able to find and we read aloud the story "Anna Goes to the World Fair"  You can find the story online as well as pictures here: http://washingtonmo.com/1904/midi/stuartg.htm

The kids were really interested to learn about the inventions of that day including the vacuum, toaster, and ice cream cone. 

When we finished the story on Amelia Earhart  I decided that it would be fun to learn about Bernoulli's Principal , the reason why planes can achieve flight. We also learned about the aerofoil shape of a bird and planes wing. There are so many fun things to do that simply  explain the concept.  

I found a really great lesson plan for a  kids  Introduction to Flight that explains this here: 

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/lessonplans/flight/flightintroduction.html

I found an amazing video for the kids to watch that explained what we had been learning as well as more ideas/ experiments that we could try :

http://www.videojug.com/interview/fun-science-demonstrations#what-is-bernoullis-principle

And then it was time to try it for ourselves! 

 

We did a few other experiments but we were so busy I forgot to take pictures -oops! What the kids thought was just a "fun school day" as they call them included Bible, History, Science, and Math/Physics. It also encouraged them to seek adventure and dream. School can be so may things but it should never be limited by what we think is the right way. Dream big and take chances. My husband has a saying that he tells the kids and has become integral to how we live. " We are Puerto Ri-can's not Puerto Ri-cant's" Now I know that not everyone is a Puerto Ri-can but you can be Ameri-can's instead of Ameri-cant's, or a number of other things that will fit but the point is that if you believe it, it is true. You can homeschool :) 

I want to thank you for taking the ride with me this week, now go be awesome!    

     

 

Day 4 -Report Card Day

So today was report card day.........

No not the ABC kind but the Diabetes kind. For those of you who do not know my youngest in a type 1 diabetic. We meet with the Endocrinologist, Dietitian, and Nurse Educator once every three months.
Normally this is annoying to me because it takes up my whole day. It's a 40 minute drive each way and we are there for two hours. That means almost four hours of our day is shot. In addition to the regular annoyance and added stress of finding out if you have been a good pancreas, I was also a bit annoyed by the fact that I forgot about that detail when I decided to blog every day this week.

And then I realized that it might actually be a good thing. Homeschooling is not always done at home. It can be done in the car, in a doctors office,in a library,or in a park. In fact some of our best days are when we homeschool on the back porch in the garden in the spring or fall. Now how to work out homeschooling on the beach?hhhmmm....

Today our work was done in the car and at the doctors office. The night before I came up with a plan for the work that they could do on the go. Today this included things like spelling lists, math warmers and lesson worksheets, grammar tests, flash cards, and chapter books. Before we left we loaded everyone's backpacks  with their supplies and off we went!

I realize it sounds funny that my kids have backpacks but my mom happens to work at a local state college and so there you go. They were free and they Come in handy.

Let's roll!

         

So serious

Maybe school in the car is a better idea than I had though......quietness..... ahhh!

Apparently schooling in the car is a pretty popular idea and there is even a book about it called Carschooling by Dianne Flynn Keith. I may have to check that out.


Well I know that this was a short one but I hope that it provided another little glimpse into our world and how we school. Normally we do not have school on Friday's unless we need to catch up from a day like today, so I'll see you tomorrow !


By the way if you were wondering about the report card, it was a good one.

You can do it!

This week my posts have been  geared toward helping others who may be new to the homeschool arena and or those who are curious about homeschooling in general. I blog and share how we homeschool not because my way is perfect but because I feel that if I can do it, so can you, if you want or choose to. I am hoping to have one or two of my  homeschooling friends guest blog at some point so that others can get a better idea of  the methods that are out there. The fact is that none of us do it the same way. We each play to our strengths and our families needs. Lets face it, I was the girl who took, Ag Farm, Home Ec, Shop, and was a member of FFA( ya, that stands for Future Farmers of America just in case you didn't know) - and I  loved it! It only follows suit that my blog and teaching style fall along these lines. I am also the girl who loved Microbiology and Chemistry in College, and got a Nursing degree, but would have preferred to be a potter, a teacher, an archaeologist, or a forensic scientist- go figure,  so again my teaching style plays heavily towards the sciences. My husband happens to have a strong musical background and we are trying to instill some of that. My kids are scientifically and musically inclined as well, and being tactile learners for the most part  the style suits us well.

Knowing how your children learn and what your strengths are will ultimately create your homeschool environment. You can have your children tested but there are plenty of free resources on line that can help steer you in the right direction.

There are many  sites that vary in complexity but for a simple 10 question quiz you can check out Scholastic.com

  http://www.scholastic.com/familymatters/parentguides/backtoschool/quiz_learnstyles/

For more detailed  information check out Child Central at : http://www.child-central.com/learning-styles-children.html

Before I get to the details of the day I thought I would share some of the Curriculum we use just because that seems to be the question everyone wants to know when they talk to you about homeschooling.

For some Reason Math Curriculum is always a hot topic. We use Saxon Math and love it. It is very parent and student friendly, the teachers manual is scripted(meaning it tells you how to teach it) and after 3rd grade can be purchased on DVD so the parent does not have to teach the lessons. Of course you will have to know how to help with the work so I always think this is a catch 22.You will still have to watch the DVD in order to know what is going on. Another reason we love Saxon math is the manipulatives. From teddy bear counters to tangram pieces, this kit is lots of fun!


Grammar! The next big question. O.K. we use Shirley Grammar/ Shirley English. Gasp the horror! Lots of people think Shirley Grammar is too intense and I agree so that is why we do it at the pace that each child is ready for at the time. The reason I use it is because I think it really is the most thorough.I am sure there are lots of other great programs out their though.


Reading: I am a huge believer in phonetics so we used Hooked on Phonics because there is a strong emphasis on word families. Many people will love this and others not just because you have to add in  grammar and spelling . Again this is just what works for us.

O.K. , those are the top three that I get asked about so, on with our day!

Today our lesson in Bible was on the Tower of Babel. We read the story as the kids  busied their hands making  bricks. I should mention that before we started I whispered a word into each childs ear and had them repeat it to me several times before we started. They were told not to tell each other their word.I basically had the kids say hello in 3 different languages- but they didn't know that. After the story I had the kids say their words one at a time and had the other kids guess what the one who said it was trying to tell them. This made everyone laugh. afterwards I told them all that all they had done is say hello. They understood the meaning of Babel quite well after that.  They then could work together to build the tower.

Cooperation at it's best :)

We then proceeded to science where we discussed atoms- the building blocks of matter. Hence the tie in with the bricks/blocks from the tower. I just love it when things work out that way! Before we read the text and worked on the review questions we watched a video on Neo- Kids- a great site by the way. I was surprised at how much they learned and how great their ability was to understand despite the narrator. All in all a good intro to atoms. You can check out the video here:    http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX535b645741075450741a06&t=Atom     

I would also like to mention someone named Steve Spangler. You can watch his video's on You tube where he explains all  kinds of cool science things and has a website where you can buy supplies. Very kid friendly stuff! 

So the rest of the day  was grammar and math, writing, and spelling, reading comprehension, and the like. 

My hope is that you will be encouraged by what you see. Realizing that you can make homeschooling simple,  fun, and distinctive to your family. It can be artsy, it can be sporty, it can be techy, or a myriad of other things but  most importantly it has to be true to who you are as a family in order to succeed. 

And with that, I wish you a good night! See you tomorrow!     

Day Two: Creative Arts

After yesterday's time logging  challenge, today seemed to be a breeze. Yesterday felt frenetic, trying to keep times inhibited me from really getting into the swing of the day, nonetheless, I am glad I did it.

Today was different. Our focus was better fit to our families needs and enjoyment. We started today like everyday. Cajoling,coffee infusion, morning walk, etc.

We started our school day with Bible( like everyday). Today we were reading from Genesis 9. We discussed what a covenant was and the details of God's covenant. At the end of the story we see God provide a symbol for his covenant- the rainbow.

I decided that I would tie in Bible with Art / Art history today and make a craft that would go along with both. The result was a craft on Rainbow Mosaics( rainbow being abstract- simply multi-color mosaics)
We discussed the known history of mosaics and our first records of them, the assorted materials that were used to make them along with the class/ status of people who originally would have had them done. We then took a brief look at expanding the idea of a mosaic and the materials that could be used. For example a mosaic that had been made out of apples and weighed almost 9,000 pounds.

This is what the kids created today:

An under the sea mosaic using construction paper

A horse and her foal using stickers

An alien robot woman using beads for the woman and stickers for the background.

These take quite a bit of time. The kids were initially given an hour to work on them and were able to continue their work during free time.We played classical music in the background and the running joke with the kids today was that they were making mosaics while listening to Mozart.  Of course the kids also had Math, Reading, and Grammar today but those pictures aren't much fun LOL! 

We do a lot of crafting in the house and sometimes we run out of supplies faster than I anticipate or notice. That happened today. We were out of glue halfway through the project. No worries! You can make your own glue at home with 4 basic ingredients from your kitchen ( 3 if you don't count water).

Here is a link just in case it ever happens to you:  http://sustainableecho.com/homemade-natural-glue/

This is by far the best recipe for homemade glue I have found and the kids thought it worked better than Elmers. The only thing, is that it does not dry clear, so it would not be a good choice if you are looking to finish a project with a top coat of glue. Otherwise it works great! Plus the kids think it is awesome that it is edible- yuck!

In addition my oldest had her first Calligraphy lesson, something she has been asking to do for quite a while. 

I found a great Calligraphy book for kids that we are enjoying. I appreciate that it gives a brief history of calligraphy and different alphabets as well as instructions on how to sit , hold your pen, etc.

The author is Eleanor Winters

One of the kids favorite classes is Music. The kids all worked on learning how to read sheet music with my husband today.  

So that was our school day! 

 I like to share a recipe when I can. We made pizza's tonight and this is the recipe we use. BTW it's my own recipe so no need to site this one.

 

2 packets active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water- 110 degrees

2 tsp. sugar

1 cup cold water

4 Tbsp. olive oil

3.5-4 cups flour (you can use white, wheat or a combo of the two) 

1 tsp. salt

Before rise

After 1 hour

Mix the first 3 ingredients and let proof for 10 minutes.Add the remaining ingredients. Knead by hand- or Kitchen Aid if you have a hook attachment for 8-10 minutes until smooth. This dough is a bit sticky so be prepared for that part. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil and place dough inside. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for 15 minutes. Punch down, re-shape, and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Your dough is now ready to be used and topped with whatever you like. We use a pizza stone and set our oven to 500 degree's. It takes about 8 minutes for individual pizza's. As a note this will make 5 relatively well sized personal pizza's. If you do not have a pizza stone you can always use a sheet pan 

Well that's it for today! See you tomorrow!.        

Day One: A Peek into the Week of a Homeschool Family

So I will start by saying that by far, the hardest part of today was trying to keep a running log of the days events. I am not likely to do this again( logging time) this week but I wanted to give you all as readers a realistic view of how our family runs. 

8:30-9:00 Cajoling kids out of bed- they are not morning people, I wonder where they get that from ? Me: Bible reading ,devotional, coffee infusion.

9:00 Enforce morning routines- thank you "Accountable kids"

If you have not heard of "Accountable Kids" before check out their site:  http://www.accountablekids.com/

Here is a Picture of our Accountable Kids boards . Please excuse the poor lighting!

9:30 Breakfast and clean kitchen

10:15 Morning walk with kids and dog

10:45 Home -drinks

10:50 Bible and craft:

Read Genesis 8- flying dove craft. Play music for kids while they craft . Me: run another load of laundry and fold dry laundry.

Our doves when they were finished. We decided that since "L" colored his black it would be the raven in the story.
There are variations to this craft and you can find the template at: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mflyingdove.htm

11:30 Science and snack while I explain Observation/ Investigation activity

Investigation activity ( physical properties)

Tell kids not to scream at each other over the observation items they need

12:00 Have L work on reading with me while he waits for the girls to finish charting( I helped him write his observations down so we were done first)

In order to cut down on the amount of time it would take to allow all three kids to construct and fill in a chart I pre- make the charts and print them off so the kids just fill them in.  

12:05 K: Mulitplication.com while we wait for A to finish charting

12:10 Read science text, review new vocabulary, and do review questions with all of the kids.

I usually pre- type and print out their vocabulary words so that as we read the section together they can take turns reading the definitions aloud as we come to that topic.

12:30 Grammar jingles as a group- all kids

12:40 Girls: Diagram sentences, work on verb tenses and write letters to person of choice.

I always want to share this and forget. Window crayons! The best invention ever! If you don't have a chalk or dry erase board you can use any window instead. 

Sentences for diagramming  on the window. When you are done simply wet a paper towel and wipe away!

L: Multiplication.com( addition and subtraction)

1:00 Start lunch while girls write , reload washer and dryer, fold clothes, assist kids as needed.

1:30- Kids use tickets for “T.V. Time” while they eat. ( accountable kids)

I eat and play on the internet then decide that the kids show( Nanny 911- they love watching the “bad “ kids ) is more interesting so I watch with them. Tidy kitchen ,soak lentils for dinner.

2:00 Start school back up: L and I work on a math lesson, girls: Spelling and Reading Comp.

2:30 Quickly reply to chat from hubs online while A feeds dog before we start. A: Math lesson, K Reading: 30 min.in chapter book, L: math worksheet.

2:45 Happy dance! A caught on to math lesson much faster than we allotted time for- work on worksheets. Run a another load of laundry( if you didn't realize yet- it's laundry day).

3:00 K: Math- test, lesson, and worksheets, L&A 30 minute reading in their selected chapter books.

3:30 School is out! 30 minute tidy of house, kids ask to spend more time cleaning their room- um yes!!!!!!!.......

4:15 Coffee with the hubs – kids free time ( accountable kids)

A& L Cranium fort kit

K: Painting

5:15 Start kids baths and dinner

5:35 Dinner is working- I unload the dishwasher and re-load. Hubs works in the garage kids come in and out of showers / play/ spend time with J in garage. I work on this blog post.

6:25 Dinner

6:50 Clean kitchen

7:10 Shower- Kids playing

7:30 Emerge refreshed LOL! Kids cleaning up for the night

7:35 – 7:55 E-mail /correspondence

8:10 Reading aloud with kids( 1 chapter each from their selected book)

9:20 kids brush teeth and in bed

9:40 post to blog post.......

After this I will probably need 20 minutes to get tomorrows supplies together

Then have tea, spend some time with my husband and go to bed.

Oh ya!, and repeat tomorrow ….....

In case you are interested here is the recipe for the lentils:

Soak lentils for a few hours before cooking( I start ours soaking at lunch time)

About 1 hour before you want to eat:  To a large pot add

 4 TBSP Olive oil

1/2 a diced red onion

1 tsp. curry powder

1 celery stalk( I leave it whole because we don't eat it. It's just there for flavor.

3 medium carrots ( diced)

1 large bay leaf or 2 small

1/4 tsp dry thyme

1/4 tsp dry rosemary

Sweat these down over medium low for about 10-15 minutes

add 1/4 cup tomato sauce

2- 32 oz. boxes of vegetable broth- or chicken 

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40-50 minutes

Serve with brown rice and a salad or vegetable.

I hope this was informative and I will see you again tomorrow! Same time, same place!

  

A blog site near you

Back by popular demand! Coming to a blog site near you............... This week ......

1 week 5 blog posts: A peek into.... THE WORLD OF HOMESCHOOLING!

Learning, silliness, and fun are all part of the plan!

   Hope you follow along!

Nochebuena

Nochebuena

Tonight is the night of the Three kings -Nochebuena! Celebrated every January 6th it is the celebration for many Hispanic cultures( and African and Phillipino) of the Epiphany. The traditions very slightly from culture to culture but in general children leave grass in their shoes and water under their bed( for the camel, elephants, and or horses the magi will be riding). In exchange the 3 Magi leave a gift- typically something small- candy or small toys.

In our house we celebrate this night each year by reading the story " A Doll for Navidades"

The kids fill their shoes with grass that they have collected by flashlight in the evening for the camels...

and leave water and notes under their beds...

For some reason this holiday although not as grand in our family as Christmas, still retains some magic for me. Is it because it seems more plausible for 3 men on animals to deliver reasonable gifts than it does for a large jolly elf  in a sleigh with 8 reindeer ( one with a light bulb nose), and a factory of elves delivering billions of toys? Maybe. 

Or maybe it is because it has not lost it's charm due to commercialism. I don't know of any children asking the 3 Magi for ipods or Wii's.

 Maybe it is because I am not stressed out trying to keep up with the magical grandness of Mr. Clause for my children. 

But I think that the reason it is still so beautiful is because it retains for me what Christmas is truly about- the announcement to the world of my Savior, our Savior. You see the Christmas story is still alive in the 3 Magi for they are indeed part of it. Peace on earth? - for tonight- yes !

Nochebuena! ( translation: Good Night)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I have to admit that the New Year Festivities were really tame in our household this year. Three sick kiddos, one of which had had a fever of 102 for the last three days did not lend it self to much partying. Luckily today everyone looks like they are on the up and up.
Each year I attempt to make a list of things I want to improve upon and each year I have noticed that I am writing the same list and working on the same things. Surprise!
 So what does each years list really boil down to? For the most part people make resolutions that make them happier or healthier - the only differences in peoples list is how they go about doing those things. The interesting things is that this year I am not making a list. It's time to simplify. Guess what? People who simply enjoy life/ are grateful for life in the moment they are in, are happier and healthier. So that is my  resolution. Enjoy life!  So this didn't just come from no where. Again like so many times before I have been inspired by a documentary or two......

A girlfriend of mine had been telling me about a documentary called "Happy", which I had seen the cover for on Netflix many a time but had never watched. Well I finally did, and I loved it. If you haven't made a New Years resolution yet, watch this first! You will be a little surprised- many times it has nothing to do with making YOU happy.  Happiness- check

From there I was prompted by/ recommended by Netflix to check out "Hungry for Change". And being the "Documentary Junkie" that I am , of course I watched it. If you are looking to check off the category  "healthier" this New Year this is the one for you. I know I will be making different choices because of it.      


So a few pictures of my simple happiness ......

My sweet girl

My funny girl

My cutie

My love

.                                                            and my crazy, naughty, sweet dog


 So here is to wishing you and yours a happy New Year!