Science Experiment

Hubby has been working so much lately, he hasn't had the time to do our science experiments. Well, today was the day. He got home a little early from work and got started after he changed his clothes. The experiment was about heat and cold.

You need a plastic bottle with a lid, a straw, some modeling clay, tape, and a small piece of cardboard. Cut a hole in the lid of the bottle. Try to make it just big enough for the straw. Fill the bottle with water and put the lid on as tight as you can. This helps create pressure. Stick the straw through the hole about half to three quarters of the way. Use the modeling clay to put around the straw where it comes out of the lid. You want to try to seal the hole, smoothing the clay out as much as possible. Tape the cardboard to the straw, with enough room to make markings. Let sit for one hour to settle.

After an hour, you put mark where the water level is. You can drop food coloring in the water before sealing the lid to make it easier to see the water level through the straw. Place the bottle in a bowl of hot tap water. Watch the water level rise as the water heats up. Mark the top level of the water. Take the bottle out of the hot water and place it in a bowl of cold water. Mark the lowest level of the cold water.

It turned out to be pretty fun getting the bottles together. It was trial and error with the lids and straws and the modeling clay. But hubby finally got it done. Yea hubby! While he was putting the experiment together, I sat down and wrote a quick 4 question quiz to make sure the kids were paying attention. It worked. I know how my kids get. I posted some pictures.

Have a great day!

Whoo Hoo!!

It's Friday, it's Friday. We love Fridays. Friday is the day we can be with our friends and laugh and play and have lunch. Friday Rules!

It has been a long week. The issue this week has been the lack of motivation on the part of the kids. I've been motivated to get it done. Granted we had a busy week, but still. There were some nights that the kids were working at 6pm. That was their own fault by the way. We had over two hours to work in the mornings before we had to get ready to go, but they chose to play instead. I absolutely guarantee that no work got done for the twenty minutes that I was showered and dressed. Our errands were to places that we weren't going to be very long, certainly not long enough for them to get any work done. And they chose not to bring their work in the van.

One night, hubby was working outside and the baby was jumping on the trampoline. It was killing the kids to watch her outside while they were working inside. The big girl got done first. It took her all of ten seconds to get outside. The boy just couldn't help watching his sisters outside, and that killed him. I went outside to help hubby move some stuff out of our shed, and the boy was beside himself. I had to stand in the kitchen and make him work. He only got to go outside for about twenty minutes. And before you start feeling sorry for him, you should know that one of the places we went was church. And the boy ran and ran for the whole time we were there. He also got to run at one of our other stops as well. So I don't want to hear it.

The big girl got that way by the end of the week. She was great at the beginning, but it was so busy, I think she just couldn't get into the groove. She fought the good fight, but alas, she couldn't hold on. She and I had a couple of discussions and she seemed to perk up, but pretty soon, she was back at slacking. Even with that, she is such a great child. I am such a lucky mama to have my children. She got finished before the boy a couple of days this week and that's rare. She was happy, happy, happy the day she got done first and got to go outside. You could see the flush of freedom on her face.

The baby is doing so good with her lessons. I save all the work she does as well as her siblings. By Florida law you have to keep a portfolio or a sampling of their work. I keep it all because I love having it. I've been showing hubby her work, but he hadn't heard her read yet. So I dragged her book out and had her read for Papa. She did so good. She sounded out her words and read for him. He couldn't believe the progress she has made. He told her how fantastic she was, and she just beamed. She almost glowed she was so happy.That was such a great moment for them to have and I'm really glad I was there to see it.

Here was our big lesson for the week. We had a science quiz this week. We reviewed on Wednesday using the same questions on the quiz. When the kids took the quiz on Thursday they bombed it. I was so upset. I thought how in the world could they have answered the questions the day before and not answer them the next day? My feelings were that although the information and questions can be tailored to fit younger elementary grades, I try not to do that too much. It will help the boy in the long run, and I've already seen a difference in the way the big girl thinks and answers questions. But then I thought that maybe changing the format of the questions would help them. So I retyped the quiz using some matching questions and answers and the kids did much better. I had three Q&A type questions, and they did better on those, too. I think the next quiz review, I'll have them do the Q&A type questions for the review, but retype it in a different format for the actual quiz. We'll see how they do.

The two big kids wanted to take their scooters to the park today. I let them with the understanding that when we start our next week, we won't have another one like this one. I told them that they couldn't bring their scooters next week, or play Club Penguin, which is an online "club" from Disney. They have to earn scooter and computer time now. They seemed to be agreeable, but we have to actually get to next week.

We always have a good time at the park. And the weather was fantastic. It was about 85 today and was partly cloudy and gorgeous! Two of my friends stayed and we were the last families there. We decided at one point to take a walk around the park. We ended up doing four or five laps around. It was fantastic to be with friends and enjoying the splendor of a blue sky day. I needed the camraderie of these ladies. Without it, it would be impossible to keep my sanity somedays. Its comforting to have the support of people who share common ideals and goals.

Monday I had a dentist appointment, so hubby did the schooling. I didn't fuss about the way he did things, because he got it done. They got a little bit of a late start, but the kids seemed to be good with it. It threw me off of my week a little. It was slightly past 11 when I got home, and all was well.

I love the fact that hubby will step in when we need him to. I've been slowly going over where everything is and how to keep the records and all that stuff. He also is our experiment guy. He's worked really late the last few weeks, so we're a little behind, but we'll get caught up. It makes me love him even more that he supports and wants to be included in our schooling. He is a wonderful man and father and husband.

Enough for now. It was a great week. It was an opportunity to meet new people, learn new things, and go new places. We expanded our vocabularies, our horizons, and our minds.

Have a great day!

Scared of California

Let me preface this blog by saying that I am a child of public school. For good or for bad, I loved my high school and my high school years. I missed my ten and twenty year reunions and it killed me. My parents did the best they could and my mom even wanted me to go to private school. I said no.

I have several teachers that were mentors to me. They were there when I needed someone to be there and didn't think I had anyone. My mom worked several jobs to keep us afloat and spent quite a bit of time away from home. I am not judging and I completely understand the need and the want. And times were much different now than they were then. But I had people that cared about me and took an interest in my life. They wanted to make sure that I turned into the best person I could. That being said, here goes.

The state of California had taken steps to stop parents from homeschooling their children. Certain individuals think that a parent can not teach their child without a degree. One official is quoted as saying "a primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism, and loyalty to the state and the nation." Yes, and isn't that what we are trying to do? Let's start at the beginning of that statement, shall we?

We don't "train" children. They are not animals, they are children. They are meant to laugh, play, love, and bring joy to the world around us. I teach my children that they should treat each other with respect in order for them to be treated with respect. I teach my children that we are very lucky to live in a state and a country that allows us the freedom to learn at home. I teach my children that the world is much better with "please" and "thank you". I don't train them to do anything.

If the schools are doing such a bang up job at "training children in good citizenship, patriotism, and loyalty", why was voting so low for so long? That would show that we are good citizens and have loyalty and are patriotic. Why is it that more people vote for American Idol than President?

But here's the comment that really got me: "children need to be in a place daily where they would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety." Where do I start? How about the fact that my children are in a place with someone who has the responsibility of their well being? That would be home with their mother. Duh! And on his days off, with their father, too. So the daily thing I have covered. Daily they are told that they are loved and appreciated and brought into this world and this family by the loving hand of God. Daily they are told that they did a great job on something, usually several times. Daily they are thanked for a job well done on whatever their endeavor. We do not have the perfect family, and my children do get disciplined. But they know they are loved no matter what.

The big girl came home from school one day almost in tears. I asked her what was wrong, and she said her teacher had said she was stupid. That is one of the smartest children I have ever known. That is not because I am her mother. It's because she is super smart like her mother. I was furious. I calmly asked if she wanted me to talk to her teacher and she said no. On the inside I was raging. I let that one slide, but waited to see if it happened again. The day I signed the paper work to homeschool was the day the teacher called my daughter pathetic. What the heck? The only reason that b***h didn't end up on the floor that day was because we didn't have bail money. So I told my nine year old daughter that she was none of the things her teacher had called her. And then explained that she didn't have to go back if she didn't want to. She stuck it out until Christmas break, which was all we were waiting for. It was only a couple of weeks, and she seemed happier knowing that she wan't going back. It was almost like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Let's go to the next part, shall we? Something like "observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety." There is someone out there who can protect my kids better than I can? I would really like to see someone who can do that. Have you ever gotten between a mother and her kids at someplace like Disney or SeaWorld? It's like invoking the wrath of the mama bear. I do not know of anyone that can protect my family better than I do. They are protected physically, mentally, and spiritually. It seems that it should be my job and my hubby's job to love and protect our children. We do it for the love we receive from our children. There is nothing like having your children greet you at the door when you get home. And it doesn't matter if I've been gone two minutes or two days. They are bright, giving, loving, funny, precocious children that love to use their minds and their imaginations. They are being brought up to know that God loves them and has a plan for their lives.

I know that these people meant well in their intentions. I know that they wanted to protect children. But they went about it in the wrong way. Its as if parents have no rights or say in the education of their children. Its as if we could not possibly have brains enough to teach our children anything. I can tell you that a college degree doesn't make you smart. It isn't like the scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz". We don't get a piece of paper with our name on it and are instantly smart. There are people that are intelligent and well rounded that never went to college. Or they went to college, but never finished. I'm one of those. But I can teach my children. I don't have a degree, but I'm not ignorant.

Thankfully, the court reversed their decision. And Gov. Schwarzenegger even threatened to establish new homeschooling laws that would protect the families. He says that the parents have every right to offer a great education to their children. You go, Governor. It has opened new avenues for the homeschooling movement.

Some of the reasons we decide to homeschool had to do with our values and the quality of life we want for our children. I knew one other mother in the big girl's class, and none in my son's. I was a stay at home mom that was very involved in my children's classes, but I didn't know their friends' parents. I know all of their friends' parents now. The park friends we meet each week at the park. The church friends all go to church with us. And we have actually socialized with them. It's not just waving hi across the parking lot. I know the parents of their dance friends, and even dance with some of them in my own class.

My daughter needed a safe environment where she wasn't brow beaten and made to feel inferior. My son needed a safe environment where he could stand up and work, instead of being forced to sit down. my children need to feel loved and nurtured.

This is a different time than it used to be. And parents need to be aware that your rights are in danger. Not just the right to homeschool, but your right to have any say in their education. We chose what we did for our family and it was the best decison we ever made. We want a better education and a better life for our children than the one society says they need to have. It may not be a decision you agree with or like. But you have to agree that at least we had the right to make that decision.

Have a great day!

What's a "stay at home mom"?

It has been a busy few days around here. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm coming or going. I have to write everything down or I lose track of our lives. I wonder sometimes when that happened. Without our calendar, I am lost. I had to schedule a dentist appointment yesterday, and almost couldn't do it as I stood at their calendar. Their calendar doesn't have my schedule on it. Luckily I picked a day I didn't have anything else going on. Anyway, here's where we've been.

The boys got back from their camping trip on Sunday. My poor boy was eaten up with sand fleas and mosquitoes. And his body doesn't react very well to them. We had to cover him in Gold Bond Sunday night after his shower.They had such a good time. They had a couple of times that hubby and the boy clashed a little. They both need to learn to pick their battles. But if you ask them they had the time of their lives. I love a little male bonding.

The big girl was supposed to go camping instead of the boy, but she had a birthday party on Saturday. She was a little shy at the party, but got into the swing of things after a little while. She said later that she was glad that she had stayed for the party. That made me feel a better. Hubby is trying to plan a trip in about a month to take her. I told him to be careful about the sand fleas.

Today was a running day. We had our volunteer work at the church today. We stock the shelves at the food pantry our church runs. It's a great program and the kids love it. It makes them feel like they are helping people. I like the fact that they are learning about giving back. I have noticed they don't ask as much for things now. They still ask, just not as much. And the kids feel important. I think that's a good thing, too. Don't we all like to feel special?

I had to talk to the our Associate Pastor about funds for our after school program, then we got started. We had quite a lot to do today. It makes me feel good that our church and the congregation are responding to the needs of the community. Sometimes we all get caught up in how important we are to ourselves. Which brings me to the next activity.

The boy had a doctor's appointment. We had to leave a little early, but I wanted to make sure that we got everything done. So after walking around the campus to find a key to our activity center, where their was more food waiting to be shelved, I was a little frustrated. Which meant I was fussing at the kids. They were actually pretty good. The boy was having a few issues today, but he got over that thankfully. The boy's allergies are still allergies, see you in six months.

Then it was across the road to get a pair of shoes for the boy. We bought him a really good shoe and spent a lot of money last time we bought him shoes. I was hoping that they would last a while. They didn't. He has a hole in one of them. On top. How do you get a hole in the top of your shoe? Wal Mart had athletic shoes for $8. We found a pair that he liked, and they fit. We got back out to the van and he had to put them on right away. I didn't have a problem with that. He didn't take them off until he was forced to take them off tonight at bedtime. He loves his shoes.

Then it was our last stop. We had to go to the grocery store. Yes, I could have done that at the last place, but I had a really big coupon for our local grocery store. It was $10 off an order of $50 or more. And I had coupons for a few of our other things that were $1 off. I was feeling proud of myself using buy one get one free deals on top of that and saving $45. I love when that happens.

And then it was time to go home and make lunch. And put away groceries. And school. We hadn't even done that yet. By the time we got home, it was after 1. By the time I got groceries put away and lunch made and served, and we ate, it was after 2. Then we got started schooling. It started a little rough. I didn't feel like the kids were listening when we were doing our science.

I was reading a sheet that had the atmospheric layers with their names and some stats. They were fidgeting with stuff and talking. So while we read our on line article together, I made up a 5 question test on the printout they weren't listening to. The kids were shocked that I had done that. But I bet they pay closer attention next time.

Hubby wasn't working overtime today (boo hoo), so I asked him to take the baby to dance class. He said she did a great job. She loves that class. She gets so excited when it's her turn. Hubby asked her if she wants to take hip hop like her sister, and she said no. She wants to be a ballerina. I hope she does. I think she would be fantastic. When they got home I fed them dinner and then they got ready for bed.

Tomorrow is Wednesday. That's our very busiest day. And I get to dance! I'm posting some pictures of the boy with his cousin while they were camping. Mine is the cute one with the longer hair.

Have a great day!

Weekly update

Whew! It has been a long one, let me tell you what. We got off to a busy start again this week. I feel like the world is spinning sometimes.

Monday started pretty well. The boy is starting to get more and more antsy. He's about to drive his mama a little nuts. And it seems like he is having hard time keeping his mouth shut. He has a comment for everything. At one point I told him to go play and he had ten minutes. He came back ready to work, and he did pretty well for awhile.

I don't mind if he stands while he works. At least he's working. And in a public school they would be fussing at him for standing. Some times you just have to move. And I don't know many seven year olds that can sit still for long. But when he started dancing, I had a couple of issue. It would have been alright if he had worked and danced. But that wasn't the case. And that irritated me. And he knew he was pushing my buttons. So I pushed his buttons. The rest of the week, he started to mellow out a little, but it was touch and go for awhile. We both needed park day come Friday.

The big girl was fantastic this week. She had some grammar issues last week, but she ended up doing really well. She started a new topic this week. And kicked butt at it. She had a couple of attitude issues, but I feel like we worked through them pretty well.

Her dance class was Monday, and she rocked it. She is such a good dancer. And she loves dancing. This is her third year in this class, and I think come next year, she may be ready to move on to something else, either a more advanced class, or maybe a different genre entirely. She always seems a little shy and nervous when class starts, but she rocks it every time. And by the end of class, she's smiling, so yea!

I am so proud of her. What an amazing young lady she is turning out to be. I thank God for her. I told her the other day that she was meant to be our shining light. She is beautiful, smart, funny and has such a great personality. She can be shy when you first meet her, but then she finally opens up and the fun comes out.

And the baby. We had our issue last week with her reading lessons, but this week she was fantastic. We didn't have one issue. She has done such a good job. We are on lesson 18 of the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". The downside about the program is that by the 10th lesson or so, I think the child loses interest. They are ready to read already. But if you hang in a little further, it starts to pick up. And she is already sounding out words and reading the sentences in the lessons. We've had to work on her speech as we go along, but that has improved already as well. We're still working on a couple of things, "th" is still a little difficult for her.

She loves her dance class. She gets mad when somebody else gets ready for dance class. She wants it to be her turn. Don't we always want it to be our turn. I'm glad she loves it. I hope we can all dance forever.

Hubby and the boy went camping at the beach this weekend. They went with hubby's brother and his son, and hubby's dad. They took the metal detectors and fishing poles. They have a campsite almost right on the water. The last time I talked to them, they hadn't found anything worth anything, but they were having a good time. They're going fishing later. At least they aren't fishing for dinner. They could starve.

The girls and I went to a birthday party for a friend from church. She is a really sweet girl and she and the big girl are really good friends. She goes to public school and her friends from school were there. The big girl felt a little left out, but once eveybody got in the pool, they loosened up and all played pretty good together.

Tonight, I have to clean out my tub. I have a nice big tub and some bubble bath just screaming our names. So I'm gonna go take a bubble bath.

Have a great day!

What a day

Today is Wednesday. To some it signals the middle of the week. Only two more days until the weekend. Some call it "hump day". I call it the busiest day ever.

On Wednesday, we get up early, which for us is about 8. Ok, for Mama, its about eight. The two big kids are up about 7 or 7:30. Sometimes they get to kiss Papa at the back door. Usually, Papa has to come wake me up for a Mama kiss. But, I digress. I try to get everyone started about 8:30. That gives us an hour and a half before I absolutely have to get into the shower. We can get all of our together stuff done and move on with the day.

By eleven, out the door. And sometimes that's like pulling teeth. We go to the Parents' house and drop off kids. Thank goodness. Then off to dance class for Mama. I love my tap class and I highly recommend that you take one, just for you. I cannot imagine doing something that is much more fun than that. And hey, this is a family blog so clean your mind up.

Then back to pick up the kids. We need to hurry, so come on. Thanks for keeping the kids, see ya next week. Then to church for JAM. It's our Wednesday afterschool program at church, and right now we are in the planning stages, so it's just meetings. Soon it will out until 6. Some parents are chronically late picking up their kids. I know this ahead of time so I am prepared. Then home to cook dinner.

While dinner is cooking, the kids are doing the schoolwork that they didn't finish that morning. And the are whining about it because they are tired by this point. I don't make them take it to the Parents's house because that's just cruel. And any hopes of them working at JAM instead of playing with their friends would just be mean. After dinner and schoolwork, showers and bed. That will probably be closer to 10 than 8.

And then there's spending time with my husband. After the kids go to bed, it's time to snuggle and cuddle. Fine, you got me. We're usually in bed falling asleep with the TV on. But at least we are snuggling and cuddling.

So, that's our Wednesday in a nutshell. It is busy, busy, busy. But I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way. And the best thing is how flexible we can be with the school work. Everyone knows work can be done ahead of time, or caught up by Friday. Because Friday is park day and we can't go until all the work is done. I do have some rules.

Hubby says I'm crazy to put this on the internet, for security reasons. But we really don't have anything. All of our stuff is old and worn out. But it is late, and I think I need a little snuggle time, and cinammon toast. That sounds like a good midnight snack.

Have a great day!

Happy Double Digits!

Today was the big girl's birthday party. What a good day it turned out to be. Hubby and I have been cleaning for three days trying to get the house in order. You know how it is, company's coming, straighten up.

We invited a couple of people from church. We also invited a couple of families that we home school with. And then, of course, there were the cousins. Only one family pod showed up, but that was alright with us. The big girl had a great mix of friends, and got some really cool stuff. I hope you had a great party, baby! I attached some photos so enjoy.

Have a great day!