I Was Thinking...

Which means we are all in trouble now. It's that time of year when I start planning curriculum for next year. I have my wish list and my list of things we must have. I also have a tub full of curriculum I'm going to post on a couple of sites and see what I can get rid of. Everything else goes to the thrift store. I finally have a plan. I'm not sure it's going to work, but I have a plan. Want to hear it? Of course you do or you wouldn't be here.  ;)

Bible: I have so much stuff I have downloaded. We are working our way through a great curriculum that I downloaded for free I don't remember where from. I also have three age levels of Quest curriculum I bought a couple of years ago that turned out to not be quite what I was looking for then. I can always pull that out because I think the kids would do it now. I also have lapbooks galore and access to more for free. We are set.

Math: The big girl will be using Prentice Hall Geometry. I have looked and looked, but this is one that has everything I need without costing an arm and a leg. I just wish it had a solutions manual. It has answers but sometimes how they got there is a nice thing to know. I'm actually pretty excited about geometry. The big girl, not so much. The boy is going to use Landmark Freedom Baptist math. It's the same one I used for the big girl when she was in 7th grade. It is not fancy at all, and that's ok. The baby is going to do one more year of LIFEPACS. I think that's the right thing for her for now. I am looking into something else for her for 5th grade. These fit her and our schedule best. It gives her a feeling of confidence when she finishes one of the workbooks.

Science: The big girl will be using A Beka Biology. Yea for biology!! I am thinking of ordering 3 disecction kits. I want her to do an earthworm, a frog, and maybe a fetal pig. That was my favorite thing about 2nd year biology. The boy and the baby are going to have science together again this year. We are going to study weather and the seasons and a bunch of other stuff I have. We may even finally start the history of hot dog lap book I have. There has got to be some kind of science in a hot dog. Maybe not good science, but still science.

History: Ah, glorious history. The big girl will be using Bob Jones American History for Christian Schools. We'll supplement with a little America: The Story of Us and some books from the different time periods. I adore American history. The boy and the baby (and me) are going to study the states. We have studies for Texas, Florida, and New York. I also have some state unit studies and notebook pages that are sort of fill in the blank. It gives you an outline and you research the state and fill in the blanks. I'm also thinking about eating our way around the country. Find a signature dish from each state and have that for dinner. We'll see how we do.

Language Arts: Here's where it gets complicated. Lots to do, lots to do. The big girl will be using the world literature part of A Beka language arts. I'm thinking about having her do a couple of literature studies as well, but I haven't decided about that. With the extra history reading and everything else, I'm not sure when she would get to it. She will also be working on her vocabulary with Wordly Wise 3000. She has used that previously, but that was 5th or 6th grade. I think the series is fantastic. The boy will be using a couple of Progeny Press study guides. One of them is The Magician's Nephew and the other is either Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Secret Garden. He is also going to finish his grammar from this year. There is no way we'll be done by the end of this school year since we started so late. Then I have a grammar workbook for him to keep his skills in his brain. The baby will be using the reading portion of A Beka 4th grade language arts. She will also be using Worldy Wise. She will start the same grammar her brother will be finishing. That won't be confusing at all!
 
Foreign Language: We are going to start Latin. I'm getting ready to order it and need to fit it into our day. The kids are more than ready and so am I. I was going to have them do 2 different levels. The baby learning one and the boy and the big girl another. I've waited long enough that now I only have to buy 1 level and 2 extra workbooks. It is supposed to incorporate grammar so we'll see how much of their other grammar they'll really have to do.

I am getting 2 different lesson plan books. I think it would be easier to separate the big girl's stuff from the boy's and the baby's. Dance and piano and field trips and co-op will fit in there somewhere. That's our plan for next year. I'm not sure how much of it will actually get done, but at least we have options. Putting it in writing helps me see it. Getting it done is something else.

Have a great day. 


        

 

Daybookish...

Outside my window: It's a little gray, but the sun should be out soon. It's going to be cold tonight and the next couple of days, but hopefully, it will get back to the 80's. Soon!

Around the house: Holy smokes, will someone please get the Christmas stuff into the tubs and put away?!?!?! I have it all together, it's just getting the rest done. Meanwhile, all that stuff just sits in my kitchen, taking up space. It could sprout legs and help itself just any second now...

From the garden: I am this close to having rabbit for dinner! Stinkers ate our garden. We had taken some cabbage out of the tower and planted it. It was beautiful! It's gone. Brussel sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, broccoli and carrots are all gone. Gonna clean a rabbit it happens again! We cleaned out the tower to get it ready for "planting". We are plotting our square foots. And we are planning a fence! Grrrrrr...

From the schoolroom: We are taking the day off. I had work scheduled, but it's the boy's birthday. Hubby has to work Saturday, so we're gonna school then instead. I am trying to get the big girl to schedule her time better. Some days she can get it all done. Some days it's like pulling teeth to get anything finished. On a bright note, I have some curriculum planned for next year already. See how I am.

I am reading: Alas, Babylon. I know it should be a good book, but I haven't had the time to devote to it. I'm hoping to sit and read today and see if it gets any better. If not, it goes back and gets replaced by one of the 5 books I get to pick up from the library today. We finished Mark of Athena as our after dinner book, and are reading Shatterproof, which is a 39 Clues book. We have 3 series we're reading and they keep coming out with new books! Somewhere in there, I manage to throw in some classics and just some fun stuff.

From the kitchen: Smoothie heaven!! We are loving the Ninja! My favorite so far is kiwi, apple, spinach, cucumber, and coconut water. It is refreshing and cool and so stinking good! Hubby and I are rededicating ourselves to not going to restaurants. There are a couple of new vegetarian cooking websites that I like. I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes. And adding meat to a couple.
 
From the dance floor: Love, love, love, the kids new class! They are all taking a spins, leaps, and jumps class. After the spins, you should see the baby! Too funny. She's working on her spotting, but doesn't have it quite down yet. Recital dances are being learned. It is going to be crazy for us this year with 2 dances for each kid. I don't know how the kids with 4 and 5 classes or more do it. Eeeekkkk!

That's about it. I'm going to enjoy the quiet a little longer and do some reading.

Have a great day.

Fall Festival(s)

We only made one this year. We had plans to make several, but somebody was being a fuddy duddy (you can insert either hubby or me depending on the day). The one we did make, however, was a ton of fun.

 

As far as I'm concerned, a blow up obstacle course is worth every penny. My kids went on this one probably 20 times. I am not kidding.

 

This is the big girl with her friend K. Love those girls. They went on the obstacle course over and over and over...

 



Joy! That's what I love to see on my kids' faces!

 

 

This is the baby getting hooked up to climb the rock wall. The boy had gone earlier, but those pics are on hubby's phone and I haven't downloaded those yet.

 



Huby is always up a little wall climbing. He's like SpiderMan, only not so webby.

 



 

And she's off...

 

 

Hubby had to wait his turn.

 

 

But he caught up quick. He's also 3 times her height, but he'll take whatever advantage he can get.

 

 

The baby didn't quite make it, but she was almost there. Hubby encouraged her all the way up, but she just ran out of gas. Hubby, on the other hand, rang the bell. That's my man!!

 

 

I would have bet you money that the big girl would have avoided this like the plague. I would have lost.

 

 

And there she goes...

 

 

around and around and around. No, thank you!

 

  

My sweet baby kitty

 

 

We had a great time. It was at a friend's church and they had a ton of stuff to do. They had hay rides, face painting, rides, games, food, and lots of fun. It was definitely a great time!

 

Have a great day.

Sign Here

The first thing I bought when we got to Disney the first day was an autograph book. It is a must have. Hubby thought I was being weird (which I am), but it has brought much joy to us. Even hubby!

Hubby had taken the big girl and the boy on a ride that the baby wasn't big enough for. So we went and got autographs. They were the first ones in the book. I love the way Pooh is fluffing the baby's hair.

How can you not love this pic? The hug, the smile on the baby's face. Just makes me smile looking at it!

Eeyore may always look glum, but not this day. And the baby smiled the whole time.

 T-I-Double Guh-Rrrrrrrr. His head is made of rubber, and his tail is made of spring!

 Our first family photo at Disney. I never understood how a dog could have a dog as a pet, but they make a great team.

Rafiki!!



Briar Rose, aka Sleeping Beauty!

 



The king of the House of Mouse!

 



The Mrs.

 



Green Army Man! We kind of stumbled across him. Actually, I almost ran right into him!

We were able to go in to meet the Princesses! It was a long line, but they showed cartoons, so at least we were entertained.

 

Cinderella is my FAVORITE princess. I can't remember what was said, but I loved that I could make her laugh, too!

 



 

Mary Poppins! When we got home, I sat down at the computer and requested the movie from the library since the kids hadn't seen it yet. Loved it, even Dick Van Dyke's awful accent.

 

While the 2 big kids were at camp and hubby was at work, the baby and I headed to see the fairies. I was hoping they would all be there, but at least we got to see Vidia...

 

and Tinker Bell. It was a great day to spend with my baby.

 

 

Gaston, showing off as usual!

 

 

Arielle!!

 

 

There are still some autographs we want. We would like to get Peter Pan and Aladdin and Jasmine. The boy wants Chip and Dale. We're working on it. And we only have a month and a half left of our passes. We're thinking about renewing them, but time and the fiscal cliff will determine that. Hopefully, we can renew them even if we have to scale them down. It's worth every penny to see my kids laughing and smiles all around!

 

Have a great day.



Life Is Just a Fantasy

I tell people all the time that one of the best things we have done for our family is get Disney passes. We splurged when we got our taxes last year, and it has been well worth every penny!! I knew we would have a good time. I didn't know we would have a great time!!

As passholders, we were lucky enough to get to go into the new Fantasyland before it was opened to the general public. The process was a pain in the butt!! The Disney servers crashed, they didn't come back up when they were supposed to, there were so many issues, but we got in.

When we signed up for the preview, we had to decide if we wanted to do story time with Belle or autographs with Arielle. We wanted story time, but the only place left was with Arielle. Before we went, we stopped at Hollywood Studios and watched the Little Mermaid show. This is one thing the baby had been wanting to see, and what better time.

This is on the way to the Little Mermaid ride in Fantasyland. The walk to the ride is set up like a cave, with lots of flotsom and jetsom laying around. We thought it was pretty cool. You can even play a game with a crab that is gathering more things. You let the crab know when he's adding something to a group that doesn't belong. We had a great time with that.
 

I like rides that are continual. They move alot faster! This is just part of the ride, and some really cute kids!

Look at these 2 troublemakers! Aren't they beautiful? I love the one on the left so very much!

 This is one of the lights that was on the way to see Arielle to get her autograph. The picture just does not do it justice. They had some in different colors and they are way cool. I want one!

This is a statue of Gaston that was in Belle's village. It really looked like Gaston. I like the little guy filling his cup while the keg leaks.

  I loved the way this castle looks. I want one!! And I want ot to be in the mountains!! On a deserted tropical island!! With lots of the lamps from above!! I know, I don't want much.

Beautiful waterfall! It looks huge, but it really isn't. Along with the castle above, it made me feel like I was in the mountains.

We had a great time. We went to three parks that day, missing only Animal Kingdom. It was a great day and we were grateful for the opportunity. And the food. You should try the chocolate croissant. Mercy! That thing was good!!

Have a great day.