Practical Math

We decided to have Math class in the kitchen today! It was amazing to see my girls' attitude change when fractions were applied in such a fun way! As an added benefit, the oven warmed up our house on this blustery day.

Good Weather & Family Fun

Today, we decided to spend some time working on our garden plots. We made a trip out to "Cedar Acres" plant nursery, and found some really good deals on new things that we could add around the house! This little shopping trip was supposed to only take half an hour or so, but we kept wandering around...they literally have ACRES of plants, trees, shrubs, landscaping supplies, etc. There was even a little mini-golf area that we played on for a little bit. When we got back home, we spent the rest of the day outside...enjoying the great weather and some productive family time together!

Here is Becca, looking over the edge of our deck and imagining where she wants her flowers to be planted:

Here is Christy, after working around one of the garden plots:

Garden Girls

Christy and Becca have big plans for their gardens this year! They have been reading books about gardening, and wrote down their plans for what they would like to grown and where they would like to grow it. We have 4 garden plots this year...so plenty of room for the different vegetables, herbs, and flowers that they plan on growing! We are also looking forward to adding the fresh produce to our recipes, and learning to cook in new ways to accommodate the variety!

The girls would like to get out there today and start digging and planting, but we all know that the threat of another frost has not yet passed. Instead, we will start many of the plants indoors (we bought a mini-greenhouse container), and transplant them when the time is right.

It is going to be a fun spring and summer! Even though we homeschool year-round, the girls will have enough of their online classes completed by June that they will have a much lighter load to handle through the summer. However, we do plan on taking the entire month of August off so that the kids can be kids, and mom can plan for the next school year! ;-)

Christmas Dresses

My TX Parents send money every year for Christmas gifts and dresses, so here is a picture of the girls in their new dresses! Aren't they cute? The dresses have many similarities, but also some subtle differences that make them unique and special...just like my girls! ;-)

Early American History

The girls really like their new History curriculum! Since Becca is just starting 2nd Grade, and Christy is just starting 4th Grade, I chose an Early American History Program that can be used with both of them at the same time. The curriculum is literature-based, and covers approximately the last 1,000 years of American History. Right now, we are learning about when the Vikings came to explore North America (Greenland). The book we are reading describes the events from the perspective of a young boy, Leif, who sailed across the ocean with his father, Erik the Red. The book is written and illustrated in a way that is captivating to children, and entertaining for grown-ups also! ;-)

The study guide also gives tips for helping to incorporate character development into the lessons. We have been learning the "Principle of Individuality" which describes how God designed us all to be unique, and has a special plan for our lives. It is good to remember that we are not all the same, and God's will for me may not be the same as it is for another person.

Here is a picture of the girls with the book, the study guide, and pictures from the story that they colored this morning:

Blast from the Past

Christmas Dresses

Here are the girls wearing the Christmas dresses that their grandparents from Texas bought for them! Aren't they cute? They both had Christmas parties in their Sunday School classes today. They brought home a lot of neat little Christmas crafts and goodies! Christy told me that she wants to make thank-you cards for her Sunday School teachers because they gave her so many neat little gifts. I'm glad that my children are thankful and thoughtful.

Last Day

Today is our last "official" day of school until January! This morning, I was thinking about all of the free time I'll have with no school to plan, prepare, or present. Then I started thinking of Christmas crafts we could do, cookies we could bake, decorating that could be done, gifts that need to be wrapped, a big family birthday party to plan for Monday, a big family Christmas party to plan for Wednesday, all of the church activities that that need to be attended, etc., etc., etc. Then, a very needy (and smelly) 1-year-old started tugging on my leg to remind me that free time is really just a figment of my imagination. But, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way! ;-)

Lake Marion

We took the family to Lake Marion yesterday, since Eric only had to work half a day. The Weatherbug predicted 85 degrees and sunny, but it wasn't as warm as we hoped it would be. However, we had a lot of fun playing on the beach. Sam decided it was too cool and breezy to get wet, so he spent most of his time at the playground.