tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37245690898372642682009-07-05T21:50:23.280-04:00Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-83889402835504853922009-07-05T21:38:00.004-04:002009-07-05T21:50:23.391-04:00

I'm typing this on a little wee mini computer (netbook, technically). Mostly to see if the clickly computer keys are going to start sending shockwaves of pain up through my fingertips. So what should I type while I try to figure out if my fingers will explode? Hmmm. I don't know.We got rid of our dog. He was insane. No, seriously, he was. See, way back last Christmas we went off to church and

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-90733229226253601332009-05-14T20:12:00.002-04:002009-05-14T20:14:39.181-04:00

Our first use of the fire pit this season, marshmallows and all. I love this property!Dr. D and St. Nick in the background, Big Fish right up front.Little Fish.Mud Pie sharing with Big Fish.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-50056494301847360312009-05-14T20:06:00.002-04:002009-05-14T20:08:32.617-04:00

St. Nick usually does little with Maggie beyond coo at her (in the same voice he uses for the cat), but here's a rare moment captured. He's setting aside his anti-girl biases and is acting as ... drum roll ... hairdresser!See it, believe it.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-52222151533455291542009-05-12T10:04:00.003-04:002009-05-12T10:10:22.336-04:00

He'll do almost anything. So far this morning:1. Watch Sesame Street with his younger brother.2. Put messy pigtails in his sister's hair.3. Pet the dog.4. Pet the cat.5. Make his own breakfast, involving the toaster, the refrigerator, etc.6. Blow a granola bar wrapper from one end of the table to the other and back again.7. Write a list of his favorite websites.8. Run in circles making monster

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-82414517994987898722009-05-08T10:38:00.003-04:002009-05-08T10:42:09.468-04:00

Again, what St. Nick did this week:MCP phonics workbook pages 111-116. Printing power pages 27-31, Singapore Math 2B exercises 24-30. Read several library books. Wrote a poem. Here's the poem:There was a puddle of jamand I was inside acannon, andBLAM! I was in jamHa, so there. We did stuff. We also stained and put together a picnic table and enjoyed the weather.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-21299267996815611992009-05-08T09:27:00.002-04:002009-05-08T09:47:17.022-04:00

That would be a test for Little Fish. He had his Young 5s/Kindergarten assessment this week. I thought he did great. A little shy, but came back smiling. Only he came back with the occupational therapist (who was like fifteen - no, not really, but it seemed like it) who then gave me a handout and instructions on how to improve his fine motor skills.Huh? What's wrong with his fine motor skills? Oh

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-81521267457450050652009-05-04T08:32:00.002-04:002009-05-04T08:37:10.766-04:00

Since I've put away Sonlight and am therefore not keeping tack of what we do, here's a little record of the past week (new "method" is to give St. Nick his to-do list on Monday and he can decide when/what he does each day, but if it's not done by Friday evening he doesn't eat).Last week: MCP Phonics pages 105-110. Printing Power pages 21-25. Math - Singapore 2B exercises 22 and 23 plus Review 2.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-56460837943394057102009-05-01T09:20:00.004-04:002009-05-01T09:26:36.299-04:00

I've been toying with the notion of quitting homeschooling for the past year (actually, it's been my unofficial plan). But this was the moment that really solidified my resolve:St. Nick was fussing over his homework. Loudly. Reminding me of a 2yr old, actually, which I pointed out to him. And I asked, "Would you act this way in a regular school?"Pause, but not for thought. Rather to look at me as

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-53508192360656553642009-04-30T12:34:00.006-04:002009-04-30T17:24:29.108-04:00

Long time, no post! Nothing much to update. Basement flooded in February (beginning) and we spent the next two months scheduling our lives around contractors and repair people. The boys got in the habit of spending the day avoiding whatever part of the house was being fixed, I got in the habit of letting them. After months of slacking, school has become the Evil Thing that Mean Mom forces on her

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-1715965514863955992008-12-15T19:17:00.001-05:002008-12-15T19:18:30.485-05:00

Miss Ching Ching

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-52110578234964368062008-11-15T19:58:00.004-05:002008-12-15T19:18:48.393-05:00

We have a new family member, as of today. His name is Fisher and he's about 90lbs, three years old, and the sweetest BIG guy ever!!A little background: eight years ago, before kids, we thought of getting a dog. An Old English Sheepdog would be perfect, we thought. So we found a rescue organization, and who would know, they had a dog needing adoption! We drove across the state to get him. After a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-90027355525315743092008-11-14T19:55:00.003-05:002008-11-15T19:58:22.011-05:00

Here's a fellow we met this morning, him and three companions. That stretch of asphalt is our driveway.Fish and St. Nick hurried to the window, but poor Mud Pie was getting dressed. She did catch a final glimpse, so excited she rushed down in the buff, and then had to hurry upstairs to put some clothes on!

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-61034356784337587952008-10-23T16:42:00.004-04:002008-10-24T08:26:53.173-04:00

Halfway into first hour at coop this morning the director knocked on the door. She had St. Nick beside her, and neither of them was happy. He was being kicked out of class for his first time ever. Kicked out! Sent to the office! Sent to sit in the hallway! Whatever that horrible thing was that happened to the bad kids in school, but never to me. How have I managed to raise one of those bad kids?

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-22250206115675435942008-10-21T15:34:00.003-04:002008-10-21T15:44:03.492-04:00

That's what I haven't had for a while now. Homeschool coop has been going better. Fish loves it, Pie doesn't know that she has a choice, and St. Nick is under strict orders to put up with it or else. He may well find out what "or else" means before it's said and done, however. I guess I should put some thought into what "or else" means, eh?So, I'm sitting here at Biggby sipping a Big Chill

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-68919181992720979092008-09-27T09:33:00.006-04:002008-10-21T13:03:13.454-04:00

Another day of our new coop down and this time I sent St. Nick armed with a notebook and box of pencils, to take notes. He didn't think this would help. "It's sooooo boring, Mom! What am I gonna do, WRITE?""No, no, you can take notes in pictures, sweetie.""What kinda pictures? Pictures of dumb birds?" (Cue five minute rant about how birds have feathers and he already knows birds have feathers,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-53198030205521977252008-09-24T08:15:00.002-04:002008-09-24T08:20:01.442-04:00

Must I really, truly identify myself with this? Please say no. Please?That link is the modern version, and I dare you to not think of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. I double dog dare you. "Bring out the Gimp." Here's the 1970s version:"I am not ashamed of the gospel ..." But in this package, I am. Deeply ashamed.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-15984181484633747952008-09-23T09:44:00.002-04:002008-09-23T09:54:06.612-04:00

Math. We're on Singapore 2A, exercise 10 and I'm finding that St. Nick has no trouble at all doing math when we do the money-related problems, like Sam has $30 and wants to buy the book, how much more does he need? (The book costs $32 - must be a textbook - so he needs $2, obviously.) St. Nick hardly has to think about this, even when it's more complicated (like Sam has $86 and buys the pencil

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-40780286400854202542008-09-23T08:10:00.002-04:002008-09-23T08:18:10.350-04:00

I shared my grumpiness with Dr. D yesterday and he got on the phone and called the Charter Academy. They do have openings in 2nd grade, but St. Nick would have to apply and start classes tomorrow (well, today now, since he called yesterday). That's just too fast. If we could have a week, even, I think we might have done it. I could have returned the curriculum I bought and gotten a refund (for

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-14775491350837217092008-09-21T15:05:00.003-04:002008-09-21T15:20:55.537-04:00

Our first homeschool coop was this past week and already I've gotten a call from the director to talk about my son's "special needs." Special needs? Like classes that are interesting?Pardon the sarcasm; I'm such a horrible person. He, apparently, tried to hide, escape, etc. etc. during the second of his two classes, and when he saw me in the hall before his third class he put on his fiercest

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-20128552110707611772008-09-17T20:42:00.004-04:002008-09-17T22:03:29.892-04:00

Frazzled already and it was only Wednesday morning, so I decided to treat the little ones to some time at the McDonald's playland. As usual, I got in, sent the big kids to play while I ordered with Mud Pie. The boys hurried back out for their food, gulped it down, and headed back in, only I noticed a handful of other kids were in the playland too, older ones. So instead of sitting right outside

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-9453965040864258092008-09-14T08:27:00.004-04:002008-09-17T22:09:07.398-04:00

And my was it ... WET. We hooked up with our new homsechool group to attend a historical encampment/reenactment, and the forecast called for morning showers. Well, it was indeed raining when we were picked up, raining as we drove, raining as we unloaded, raining as we waited for the event to start .... Don't take my word for it. Here are the highlights in pictures:First tent, storytellers and

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-20345106664595799162008-09-11T08:18:00.002-04:002008-09-11T08:28:22.464-04:00

To finish off our rough day yesterday, I thought I'd make something especially healthy ...I was going to make peach crisp from a recipe, but I got a little carried away. This is what I ended up with: a peach-apple base with oatmeal cookie crust. Amazing! Served with mini egg fritatas (slices of deli ham in muffin cups filled with whisked egg, milk, salt, pepper and a dash of garlic powder, topped

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-59109356262917999832008-09-10T10:47:00.004-04:002008-09-10T11:04:25.163-04:00

Or Mental Health Day or sick day (more mental illness than anything, though the kids do have colds). Whatever you want to call it, school just isn't happening today.And here's why:The morning started typically. We had breakfast, I nuked my coffee about fifteen times because it kept getting cold, St. Nick wanted to try tea, didn't like it, so it got dumped and he got coffee instead, I took a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-89694022733767856222008-09-04T13:06:00.001-04:002008-09-04T13:07:22.122-04:00

Three non-negotiable essentials for the first week of school:Caffeinated beverages.Gourmet chocolate.Tissues.That's essentials for Mom, in case it wasn't obvious.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724569089837264268.post-27364783263198434702008-08-28T15:36:00.001-04:002008-08-28T15:37:57.765-04:00

I have two frogs on my kitchen counter.In a jar, thank heavens.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292597646595740720noreply@blogger.com