Gardening

I am exhausted.  The kids and I worked on planting flowers around our mailbox.  I figured that was a small area and it would get me motivated to do the rest of the yard.  Well it might have had the opposite effect.  That small area took most of the afternoon and boy am I tired!  No wonder my grandmother stayed so thin all of her life!  She loves to garden and finds it therapeutic.  I was hoping to have some of her green thumb and wish that I enjoyed it half as much as she does.  Maybe it will become more enjoyable once my back gets used to the bending over and my arm muscles are built up from pulling weeds.  One can always dream:) 

On the other hand we did have a great time digging, finding all of the insects, playing in the mud, getting dirty from head to toe and then playing in the water!  I wish I would have taken my camera outside and taken a before and after picture.  We are excited to see our flowers appear!

These are our sunflowers from last year.  We are going to make a playhouse with sunflowers this year.  Looking forward to that project…I think:) 

Skater Boy

Yesterday at the park, Ryan was playing on a skateboard.  He has never done this before.  He was a natural!  Check out his moves!

 

Here he was using all of his strength to power this hand held excavator. 

Best Friends

With A Friend
By: Vivian Gould
I can talk with a friend
and walk with a friend
and share my umbrella in the rain.
I can play with a friend
and stay with a friend
and learn with a friend
and explain.
I can eat with a friend
and compete with a friend
and even sometimes disagree.
I can ride with a friend
and take pride with a friend.
A friend can mean so much to me!

These two are the best of friends.  I looked back yesterday and this was what a saw.  Two cute boys holding hands.  Sometimes they laugh and goof off, sometimes they fight and argue, but all in all they are great friends. 

Field Trip to Great Harvest Bread Company

Today we went to visit the Great Harvest Bread Company to see how bread is made.  The lady who led the field trip was so great with the kids! 

We got to taste lots of yummy bread while we were there!

First the lady read us a book about making bread! We learned about the five ingredients of good bread…wheat flour, water, honey, yeast and salt. Most of the store breads have a lot of preservatives. 

  

She showed us how to shake the wheat to get the grains.

We got to collect the grains and put them into a container.

The yeast smelled like stinky feet. 

This is the mill that they used to grind the wheat.

Here is the mixer that they used to mix all of the ingredients.

We got to roll out our own bread dough.

This is the huge oven where they cook the bread.  There are 8 shelves in the oven.  Each shelf holds 6 pans of bread.  They can fit up to five loaves on each pan which equals 240 loaves of bread that can be baked at one time. 

Thanks Great Harvest Bread Company for a fun field trip! 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Yesterday we had a St. Patrick’s Day Party with friends.     

We first read a book and made bracelets with green beads.  We learned that the color of Ireland was green.

We ate yummy cupcakes colored green.

We played outside in the water and mud to work off all of the extra sugar!

We made collages with tissue paper and confetti.  We also talked about parades in Ireland.  The kids had a parade.   Later we had pizza and green sprinkled cookies.  I love that we have another family to homeschool with!  We have so much fun learning together!

Simply Today

FOR TODAY 3/12/09...
Outside my window... I am looking at the bird feeder and the windy sunny day
I am thinking... I wish I could get caught up on all this housework. 
I am thankful for... our health.  Even though my son is sick with a tummy bug, I am grateful that he will get well.  We do not have any long term illnesses.  I feel for those parents that have to watch their children suffer daily!
From the learning rooms...we have been studying snakes and birds.  Looking forward to being well so we can go outside with our field guides.  Today we are learning about being content despite being stuck inside with a sick little one.  Arianna is going to do the 2nd Lesson of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  She also worked on some math addition this morning.  I am not a big worksheet fan but she enjoys “playing” with them.
From the kitchen... planning to cook chicken ceasar wraps and probably some soup for Ryan.
I am wearing... cozy black pants and green cotton shirt
I am creating... nothing at the moment, too busy caring for my sick boy
I am reading...Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Sally Clarkson, Raising Great Kids by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, 1st to Die by James Patterson
I am hoping... for Ryan to get well and no one else in our house to get sick
I am hearing... How The Grinch Stole Christmas Movie
Around the house... doing laundry and wishing for a house fairy
One of my favorite things... cuddling with my sweet kids
A few plans for the rest of the week: cancelled them all due to sickness...

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

We are all looking forward to spring here.  Can’t wait to spend our days outside in shorts exploring God’s creation! This picture was taken in our backyard right before Ryan got sick. 

If you want to join in this, visit http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ 

I Love Zofran

My Sweet Boy has been so sick the last three days.  The last 2 days, he has ran a high fever (despite Tylenol and Motrin) and he has slept all day.  He would get up and then lay down almost immediately.  This morning he woke up and his fever was gone but he couldn’t walk and was complaining that his belly button hurt.  I took him to the doctor and they checked over to make sure no obvious infections and told me what I expected…virus.  Just have to wait it out.  He did give me Zofran though for the nausea. 

After the doctor, we went to the pharmacy and waited to have the prescription filled.  Ryan was whining and complaining that his tummy hurt the whole time we were in the store.  While I was in line to pay, I gave him a dose of Zofran.  By the time we got home (less than 5 minutes), he was up and going.  He immediately changed his clothes which is one of his favorite things to do now.  He has been upstairs playing every since.  He still has sick eyes but it is nice to see him off the couch for a bit.

I had to take Zofran when I was pregnant with Ari due to extreme morning sickness.  That stuff is a miracle drug! 

Before Zofran 

 

After Zofran

Any takers…

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one would be greatly misunderstood. 

Ryan is sick.  He spent all day yesterday vomiting.  When Daddy got home, Ryan wanted to lay outside on a blanket.  We put him in the shade but as the afternoon progressed, the sun shifted and he was left lying in the sun.  My ingenious husband grabbed our old sign and put it by Ryan to keep the sun of of him.  I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this. 

He is still sick but hasn’t vomited since 3am.  He is sleeping right now.  Please pray that he will not get dehydrated and be well very soon.  Also please pray that Ari (nor Mom and Dad) doesn’t get it.

Beautiful Interview with God

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Arianna’s first soccer game

Arianna had an exciting day.  She began the day by doing one of her favorite things…singing on stage.  (I forgot my camera…bummer).  She loves hearing the audiences applause.   

In the afternoon, Ari had her first soccer game.  She was so cute all dressed up.  I was a bit nervous about coaching as I had no idea what I was doing.  The game was a lot of fun!  She did really well!  Enjoy the pics!

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Refreshing and Encouraging Weekend

This weekend I attended the Whole Hearted Child Mom’s Retreat.  I am so very encouraged by the retreat and what Sally Clarkson had to share with us as homeschooling Moms.  She is the author of Educating the Whole Hearted Child.  I am inspired and excited about reading her book. 

My family chooses not to enroll in public school so why teach how public school teaches?  And why measure my children’s success based on public school standards?   That is a scary statement but truly what I believe.  I love it when someone has gone before me with this similar belief and is sharing their insights and ideas along with their success story.  Sally Clarkson’s two daughters(age 25 and 13) also shared at the conference. They are amazing, mature and spiritual young women.  Their speech was eloquent and insightful.  It is encouraging to see the adults they have become even though they did not have a traditional public school education.  These two young ladies are so very different than other 13 and 25 year olds that I normally come in contact with. 

After the retreat, I am more confident to continue on the path we are on despite the frequent influence of our culture and public schools.  I know my family is going against the grain but I am excited to see the positive difference made daily in our children’s lives due to the choices we have made. 

I leave you with several quotes that encouraged me from the retreat…

“Before 1865, home was enough to create geniuses”

“In absence of biblical conviction people will go way of the culture”

“Build wisdom one hour at a time”

“Education is not about filling a bucket, it’s about lighting a fire”

“Right is always right even if no one is doing it”

“Foundations Determine the Strength of the Building”

“For this reason we owe it to every child to put him in communication with great minds that he may get at great thoughts; with the minds, that is, of those who have left us great works; and the only vital method of education appears to be that children would read worthy books, many worthy books” Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, 1925

And my favorite new family quote, “You’re a Dalton…that means something”

Stay tuned for new ramblings as I begin my new book!

Random Picture Challenge 7.0

 

There are 2 ways to pick your random picture this week so more of you can play along.

11th folder
or
September 2007
11th picture

I called this picture “Captive Audience”.  I was reading a book and Ryan was very into the pictures.  I had forgotten this haircut of Ryan’s.   It reminds me of my brother when he was little, he had a similar haircut. The picture is taken in our old house which was very small.  I had almost forgotten how we had stuff in every nook and cranny (see the books behind the couch).  Really makes me even more grateful for our new house.  I just gave the Pajamas that Ryan has on in the picture to my nephew this past weekend. 

I was excited to find this blog challenge.  I enjoy pictures and honestly there are so many that will never be seen by others.  Like this one…I didn’t like it because of me in it.  I am in Pajamas and looking rough.  But it is a captured moment in out history.

Ari's 5th Birthday Party

We had a birthday party yesterday for Arianna. It was a fairytale theme. Her friends came dressed as their favorite characters. Enjoy the pics (the comments of each pic tell what is going on)! It was a fun day despite the rainy weather!

Our Visit to the Fire Station

We went to visit a fire station with a homeschooling group.  The fire fighters at Fire Station 3 are the nicest guys!  They talked to us about fire safety.  We got to see them get dressed up in their gear.  They showed us where they ate, slept, exercised and spent their free time together.  We also got to see the fire truck.  It was a great visit!

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Crazy Ryan

Ryan put these hair clips on his ears (ouch!!) and ran around with them laughing.  He thought they were so cool!  I couldn’t get him to be still enough to get a good pic of them.  Boys can be so weird!