This week, I will somehow manage to get school done by Thursday. We didn't take any time off and now we will get ALL of Friday off. I am kind of excited!!
With that being said, I must get the children out of bed and started on school, so we can be done by 4 today in order to take Megan to dance class!
Now to make some fun plans for tomorrow!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Cookies Anyone?
Tomorrow in science we are learning about how matter can change from gas to liquid to solid and so forth. There are so many different examples we could go over and it seems a little overwhelming.
I had a great idea tonight- let's just make coookies and talk about all the different stages of matter and how they change. That will work, right?? We are in need of cookies anyway. :)
I love when we get to eat our science experiments!
Today we did an experiment called "Dancing Raisins." We filled a glass up with pop (sprite) and put in 5-10 raisins. We watched the raisins being carried to the top by the carbon dioxide bubbles and when the bubbles popped, they would fall down to the bottom again, and then raise up to the top and fall again. They did this many times. But guess the best part besides learning about carbon dixoide and pop? Drinking the pop at the end! The girls thought it was great!
You should really hear our dinner table discussions lately about all of this!! Let' see, tonight we talked about ultimate zero, where energy really comes from, can everything really be in all three stages of matter, etc. It really reminds me of taking Chemistry in high school!
I had a great idea tonight- let's just make coookies and talk about all the different stages of matter and how they change. That will work, right?? We are in need of cookies anyway. :)
I love when we get to eat our science experiments!
Today we did an experiment called "Dancing Raisins." We filled a glass up with pop (sprite) and put in 5-10 raisins. We watched the raisins being carried to the top by the carbon dioxide bubbles and when the bubbles popped, they would fall down to the bottom again, and then raise up to the top and fall again. They did this many times. But guess the best part besides learning about carbon dixoide and pop? Drinking the pop at the end! The girls thought it was great!
You should really hear our dinner table discussions lately about all of this!! Let' see, tonight we talked about ultimate zero, where energy really comes from, can everything really be in all three stages of matter, etc. It really reminds me of taking Chemistry in high school!
Monday, February 25, 2013
What do you mean??
I had downloaded 233 pictures off my camera the other day onto the laptop in our kitchen. I had Matt move them to their correct spot on the servers so I could access them from my computer in my bedroom.
Last night I asked him why I couldn't access them like I should have been able to. He came over and looked around on my computer and couldn't find them. He them went to the laptop to see where they were.
About 5 minutes later, he came back upstairs and said, "Um, I don't really know where your pictures are..."
"What do you mean??" I asked him.
He said, "I looked in all the different places that I thought they would've been and I can't find them
anywhere. Sorry."
I was kind of upset, 233 pictures! I asked him if he looked everywhere TWICE and he said he did. I begged him to go look at third time and he said, "I'll think about it." Hopefully he has thought about it enough and remembers where he put my pictures!
Last night I asked him why I couldn't access them like I should have been able to. He came over and looked around on my computer and couldn't find them. He them went to the laptop to see where they were.
About 5 minutes later, he came back upstairs and said, "Um, I don't really know where your pictures are..."
"What do you mean??" I asked him.
He said, "I looked in all the different places that I thought they would've been and I can't find them
anywhere. Sorry."
I was kind of upset, 233 pictures! I asked him if he looked everywhere TWICE and he said he did. I begged him to go look at third time and he said, "I'll think about it." Hopefully he has thought about it enough and remembers where he put my pictures!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Weekly Tradition
I have my kids addicted to "The Amazing Race." It is by far my favorite TV show as of late and my girls love to watch it with me! We count down all day on Sundays until it is 7 pm and then we all settle into the living room to watch it! Even Christian loves it!
Tonight they were in Bora, Bora and I didn't know where that was, so I pulled down my globe and found that Bora, Bora is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Next week they are going to be in New Zealand!
I love seeing other parts of the world and it is a great geography lessons for the kids. Courtney already has her team picked out that she wants to win and you can hear her cheering for them as the show goes along.
I love our weekly tradition, it really gives us something to look forward to on a Sunday night!
Tonight they were in Bora, Bora and I didn't know where that was, so I pulled down my globe and found that Bora, Bora is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Next week they are going to be in New Zealand!
I love seeing other parts of the world and it is a great geography lessons for the kids. Courtney already has her team picked out that she wants to win and you can hear her cheering for them as the show goes along.
I love our weekly tradition, it really gives us something to look forward to on a Sunday night!
New Week
Have you ever told your kids they can go play video games because you KNOW it will occupy them and then you can get some things done??? Yes, me too! (I rarely do this, but I really want to get school planned for the week!)
Ok, we are on week 23 of school, 13 left to go, and this week in science we are learning about atoms and molecules. How do you explain atoms and molecules to a 3rd and kindergartener?? You be very basic! Our book has a very basic explanation of each of these and then I think we are going to make some of our own atoms and put them together to form molecules. If I was a great teacher, I would go to the store and get gumdrops and attach gumdrops with toothpicks. Actually, I might have candy that will work OR I may just have the kids draw models on a piece of paper. (Remember Courtney only wanted to do activities that involved cutting, pasting, and coloring!) The following website has examples that we can make. I might pick out the molecules that they have heard of and do those.
http://www.chemistryforkids.net/help/molecules
We are going to talk about solids, liquids, and gases on Tuesday and then on Wedneday, we are going to talk about how materials change, such as from gas to a liquid to a solid. We are also going to talk about mixing materials, such as sand, cement, and water and it turns into concrete and about chemical reactions. This week sounds fun!!
I like this section of science because we can actually do experiments! I loved everything we have done this far, but this is actually science!
As for history, we are learning about the United States Constitution, I really have a girl after my own heart. Every day, Megan begs to start with history! Gotta love it!!
Megan is also going to be starting her chapter in her English book on adjectives and adverbs and Courtney is still plugging away on Phonics. Her reading has came a long ways and it will only continue to improve!
Ok, we are on week 23 of school, 13 left to go, and this week in science we are learning about atoms and molecules. How do you explain atoms and molecules to a 3rd and kindergartener?? You be very basic! Our book has a very basic explanation of each of these and then I think we are going to make some of our own atoms and put them together to form molecules. If I was a great teacher, I would go to the store and get gumdrops and attach gumdrops with toothpicks. Actually, I might have candy that will work OR I may just have the kids draw models on a piece of paper. (Remember Courtney only wanted to do activities that involved cutting, pasting, and coloring!) The following website has examples that we can make. I might pick out the molecules that they have heard of and do those.
http://www.chemistryforkids.net/help/molecules
We are going to talk about solids, liquids, and gases on Tuesday and then on Wedneday, we are going to talk about how materials change, such as from gas to a liquid to a solid. We are also going to talk about mixing materials, such as sand, cement, and water and it turns into concrete and about chemical reactions. This week sounds fun!!
I like this section of science because we can actually do experiments! I loved everything we have done this far, but this is actually science!
As for history, we are learning about the United States Constitution, I really have a girl after my own heart. Every day, Megan begs to start with history! Gotta love it!!
Megan is also going to be starting her chapter in her English book on adjectives and adverbs and Courtney is still plugging away on Phonics. Her reading has came a long ways and it will only continue to improve!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
What is it with Saturdays??
6 am. I hear a huge thunk and then Christian crying. He had fallen off of his bed.
He went back to sleep for about an hour and was back in my room by 7:15.
This seems to happen every Saturday, why can't the boy sleep in like he does during the week???
He went back to sleep for about an hour and was back in my room by 7:15.
This seems to happen every Saturday, why can't the boy sleep in like he does during the week???
Friday, February 22, 2013
Snow Days?
In case you are wondering, no, my children do not get snow days.
We get one day off of school every week. They shouldn't complain! (and they don't.)
We had some friends over Monday afternoon and we did errands Wednesday afternoon. Sorry, that was your day off.
Even though I would prefer to take Fridays off, it doesn't always work out that way.
Now it's Friday and I kind of feel like taking the day off. But no, we need to finish school for the week.
I like homeschooling because it is flexible and as long as I am done with 4 days worth of work by Friday at 5, I think we are good!
Trust me, when the sun comes out, we may be trying to get school done even faster, so we can get outside to play!!! (Or we will sit outside and have school...I can't wait to be practicing spelling with sidewalk chalk again!)
We get one day off of school every week. They shouldn't complain! (and they don't.)
We had some friends over Monday afternoon and we did errands Wednesday afternoon. Sorry, that was your day off.
Even though I would prefer to take Fridays off, it doesn't always work out that way.
Now it's Friday and I kind of feel like taking the day off. But no, we need to finish school for the week.
I like homeschooling because it is flexible and as long as I am done with 4 days worth of work by Friday at 5, I think we are good!
Trust me, when the sun comes out, we may be trying to get school done even faster, so we can get outside to play!!! (Or we will sit outside and have school...I can't wait to be practicing spelling with sidewalk chalk again!)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Homeschool Statistics for Nebraska
Somebody posted this link on facebook and I found it fascinating!
*There was a 5.7% increase in homeschooling this year.
*954 new students started homeschooling last year
*7200 students in NE are homeschooling. That is 2.35% of the school age children in Nebraska.
*The largest group by age is 8 year olds with 710 in the state homeschooling
http://www.education.ne.gov/
If you are curious, we chose to file under Rule 13 (religious reasons) and we are a single family unit, which means I only teach my own kids.
*There was a 5.7% increase in homeschooling this year.
*954 new students started homeschooling last year
*7200 students in NE are homeschooling. That is 2.35% of the school age children in Nebraska.
*The largest group by age is 8 year olds with 710 in the state homeschooling
http://www.education.ne.gov/
If you are curious, we chose to file under Rule 13 (religious reasons) and we are a single family unit, which means I only teach my own kids.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
New section in science!
Tomorrow we are starting a new section in science. The new section is about science! Tomorrow We are going to be talking about what science is, the different branches, and science and what it takes to be a scientist.
We are going to use this website to learn about the different branches of science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branches_of_science
We might make a chart of all the different branches and draw pictures to go along with them.
I think we are going to be studying the scientific method on Thursday.
We have studied the earth, animals, botony, human body, and we are now onto actual matters of science. After this section, we are going to be studying physics and then onto space.
I really like our science curriculum! Actually we are just going through this book-
http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Encyclopedia-Usborne-Internet-Linked/dp/0794503683
But our curriculum also have worksheets and experiments to go along with it.
We are going to use this website to learn about the different branches of science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branches_of_science
We might make a chart of all the different branches and draw pictures to go along with them.
I think we are going to be studying the scientific method on Thursday.
We have studied the earth, animals, botony, human body, and we are now onto actual matters of science. After this section, we are going to be studying physics and then onto space.
I really like our science curriculum! Actually we are just going through this book-
http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Encyclopedia-Usborne-Internet-Linked/dp/0794503683
But our curriculum also have worksheets and experiments to go along with it.
Candy time is over..
I potty trained Christian over Christmas break and we were doing good. A little bit of candy and some Thomas the Train and Lightning McQueen underwear seemed to do the trick!
A couple of weeks later, we were having troubles again. With the girls, we had some trouble too, but I had time to deal with. Now, I don't have time to deal with poopy underwear in the middle of science class, talk about frustrating!
So back to candy it went. My main point was for him to tell me he had to go potty and then go in the toilet. Just admit that you have to go!
So after 2-3 weeks, we are back on track, so I think we can stop handing out candy.
Every time he goes potty, I still get, "Can I have tandy(his word for candy) please?"
Sorry Christian, no more "tandy" for you! You are a big boy!
I am still putting him in pullups when we go to someone's house or to the church nursery, I am with him all the time and know his signals, but I don't know if he would tell somebody else or if I am in a different room at a playdate, I am not positive that he would come find me. (We had a bad episode at a friend's house one day, so now I am paranoid.)
We are in underwear 24 hours a day now!
PS Courtney put Christian to bed again last night. She changed his clothes, took him potty, brushed his teeth, read him books, sang to him, got him some water, and tucked him into bed. She said she wants to do it every night!!
A couple of weeks later, we were having troubles again. With the girls, we had some trouble too, but I had time to deal with. Now, I don't have time to deal with poopy underwear in the middle of science class, talk about frustrating!
So back to candy it went. My main point was for him to tell me he had to go potty and then go in the toilet. Just admit that you have to go!
So after 2-3 weeks, we are back on track, so I think we can stop handing out candy.
Every time he goes potty, I still get, "Can I have tandy(his word for candy) please?"
Sorry Christian, no more "tandy" for you! You are a big boy!
I am still putting him in pullups when we go to someone's house or to the church nursery, I am with him all the time and know his signals, but I don't know if he would tell somebody else or if I am in a different room at a playdate, I am not positive that he would come find me. (We had a bad episode at a friend's house one day, so now I am paranoid.)
We are in underwear 24 hours a day now!
PS Courtney put Christian to bed again last night. She changed his clothes, took him potty, brushed his teeth, read him books, sang to him, got him some water, and tucked him into bed. She said she wants to do it every night!!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
You're Hired!
Tonight as I came upstairs to get start getting kids to bed, I heard Courtney reading Christian books. They do this all the time, so no big deal.
I went into his room to put him to bed and Courtney said, "No mom,I'm putting him to bed tonight."
Um, ok.
I changed him, took him potty, brushed his teeth, and sent him back to Courtney. I then came into my office to get school planned out for the week, just waiting for her to call me for some help.
Before I know it, I hear Courtney tell Christian that they have read enough books and that it is time to sing. She sings with him and put him to bed! I have been busy getting school ready and helping Megan with homework that I haven't even went and checked on them!
I haven't heard anything from him, so I am assuming he is sound asleep now, I need to go say good night to him, but really, isn't it sweet that Courtney put him to bed??
I went into his room to put him to bed and Courtney said, "No mom,I'm putting him to bed tonight."
Um, ok.
I changed him, took him potty, brushed his teeth, and sent him back to Courtney. I then came into my office to get school planned out for the week, just waiting for her to call me for some help.
Before I know it, I hear Courtney tell Christian that they have read enough books and that it is time to sing. She sings with him and put him to bed! I have been busy getting school ready and helping Megan with homework that I haven't even went and checked on them!
I haven't heard anything from him, so I am assuming he is sound asleep now, I need to go say good night to him, but really, isn't it sweet that Courtney put him to bed??
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Saturday morning
Why on school days I have to WAKE everybody up, but on a Saturday morning, Mr. Christian is in my room begging to read books at 7:15??? It is Saturday!!
It must be because he knows how much housework I have to get caught up on today.
1. Dishwasher doesn't work very well, so dishes are stacking up...again.
2. I haven't done laundry all week. Yikes! The girls haven't started complaining that they are out of clothes yet, so it must not be so bad. :)
Is it bad that I still have clothes that I haven't put away yet from last week??
3. My bathroom is a disaster! Maybe once I get the dirty clothes out of there, that will get me motivated to clean the rest.
4. I have quite a few things piled up that I need to return to stores. Things that don't fit, things we don't need, etc. I just need to take a couple of hours and return them.
We are going over to a friends house tonight to play games and let the kids play, so maybe that will be my motivation.
But some fun first. We have discovered every Saturday morning there are animal shows on TV. "Jack Hanna's Wildlife Kingdom" at 9 and "Ocean Mysteries" is on at 9:30. Since the girls love animals so much, this has become a weekly tradition.
Last week on the ocean mysteries show, they had a scientist in the Alaskan wilderness trying to tag Kodiak bears, so they can watch them via GPS and help to conserve them. During the show, they were showing how they were catching salmon to eat.
On Monday morning, we were asking Christian what different animals ate. "What do monkeys eat?" Bananas! (He was eating a banana at the time and that is what prompted this conversation!)
"What do bears eat? Fish! He remembered from this show!
Then after these two shows, "Liberty Kids" comes on on a different station, but by then we have watched too much TV and it needs to be turned off!
I'm sure Matt will continue to work on the basement today. All the electrical work is done and the can lights are up, the ceiling grid is up, and I think Matt is going to try to get all the ceiling tiles cut and into place this weekend. I think his goal is to get it done by Christian's birthday. We haven't seen much of him lately, but there has been MUCH progres done on the basement.
It must be because he knows how much housework I have to get caught up on today.
1. Dishwasher doesn't work very well, so dishes are stacking up...again.
2. I haven't done laundry all week. Yikes! The girls haven't started complaining that they are out of clothes yet, so it must not be so bad. :)
Is it bad that I still have clothes that I haven't put away yet from last week??
3. My bathroom is a disaster! Maybe once I get the dirty clothes out of there, that will get me motivated to clean the rest.
4. I have quite a few things piled up that I need to return to stores. Things that don't fit, things we don't need, etc. I just need to take a couple of hours and return them.
We are going over to a friends house tonight to play games and let the kids play, so maybe that will be my motivation.
But some fun first. We have discovered every Saturday morning there are animal shows on TV. "Jack Hanna's Wildlife Kingdom" at 9 and "Ocean Mysteries" is on at 9:30. Since the girls love animals so much, this has become a weekly tradition.
Last week on the ocean mysteries show, they had a scientist in the Alaskan wilderness trying to tag Kodiak bears, so they can watch them via GPS and help to conserve them. During the show, they were showing how they were catching salmon to eat.
On Monday morning, we were asking Christian what different animals ate. "What do monkeys eat?" Bananas! (He was eating a banana at the time and that is what prompted this conversation!)
"What do bears eat? Fish! He remembered from this show!
Then after these two shows, "Liberty Kids" comes on on a different station, but by then we have watched too much TV and it needs to be turned off!
I'm sure Matt will continue to work on the basement today. All the electrical work is done and the can lights are up, the ceiling grid is up, and I think Matt is going to try to get all the ceiling tiles cut and into place this weekend. I think his goal is to get it done by Christian's birthday. We haven't seen much of him lately, but there has been MUCH progres done on the basement.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Friday
It has been an exhausting week. We have had something to do every night and yesterday we spent about 6 hours delivering cookies to our friends and families around Omaha. I was exhausted this morning- so much that I didn't even get up for school. I slept in and let the girls sleep in too.
I was also so exhausted that I crashed after lunch for a half an hour. I forgot how much a little catnap refreshes you! We didn't start school this afternoon until about 3, but I was refreshed and ready to go.
Courtney is just finishing her reading and it is 6 pm! We do have our read-aloud to finish and Megan has to finish her homework, but we will get to it.
Now for a low-key weekend! (HA!)
I was also so exhausted that I crashed after lunch for a half an hour. I forgot how much a little catnap refreshes you! We didn't start school this afternoon until about 3, but I was refreshed and ready to go.
Courtney is just finishing her reading and it is 6 pm! We do have our read-aloud to finish and Megan has to finish her homework, but we will get to it.
Now for a low-key weekend! (HA!)
Articles of Confederation and Constitution
We are finally moving past the Revoluationary War in history and onto the Articles of Confederation. We learned about them yesterday, but they are a lot for a 9 year old to understand. I am hoping these sites clear it up a bit, but honestly, I think she just needs to be a little older.
Do you understand the difference between confederation and federation?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/articlesofconfederation1.htm
http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/history/confederation-articles-of.html
http://www.thefreeresource.com/fun-facts-about-the-articles-of-confederation-for-kids
Soon, we'll be onto the Constitution and the three branches of government. Again, I think she needs to be a little older, but we can definitely try to explain the basics.
I was not in 3rd grade when I was learning about this, I think it was more like high school!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Wednesday Night
Christian and I are home tonight from AWANA. I am not feeling the best, I have introduced a couple of new things into my diet lately (nothing off my list, just some new foods) and something is bothering me. Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint it, I guess I will just live with the consequences for the evening.
Since Christian is home, we watched a "Bob the Builder" movie he got at the library today and I am making cookies for tomorrow.
Last year on Valentine's Day, we did a service project with the girls and I loved it. We are going to do it again this year. We make sugar cookies and deliver them around town to our family and friends. Tonight, I am making some gluten free cookies, so Courtney, Christian, and I can partake of the fun along with all our gluten-free friends. It's great making chocolate chip cookies right before bed!!
I like this project because
1. Being homeschooled, they don't get a Valentine's party at school.
2. We get to serve others. It's great when you arrive at somebody's work or home and surprise them with cookies! It really teaches my girls to think of others and teaches them not to expect anything in return.
3. Creativity. We sat down yesterday and made cards for everybody- brains at work!
4. A nice break from the daily routine of school.
5. We get to see some people we haven't seen in awhile, such as some aunts and uncles, and let's us be a part of their world for a few minutes.
So if you are a family or friend here in Omaha, you may be getting a phone call or text tomorrow and a couple cute girls might bring you some yummy sugar cookies!!
Since Christian is home, we watched a "Bob the Builder" movie he got at the library today and I am making cookies for tomorrow.
Last year on Valentine's Day, we did a service project with the girls and I loved it. We are going to do it again this year. We make sugar cookies and deliver them around town to our family and friends. Tonight, I am making some gluten free cookies, so Courtney, Christian, and I can partake of the fun along with all our gluten-free friends. It's great making chocolate chip cookies right before bed!!
I like this project because
1. Being homeschooled, they don't get a Valentine's party at school.
2. We get to serve others. It's great when you arrive at somebody's work or home and surprise them with cookies! It really teaches my girls to think of others and teaches them not to expect anything in return.
3. Creativity. We sat down yesterday and made cards for everybody- brains at work!
4. A nice break from the daily routine of school.
5. We get to see some people we haven't seen in awhile, such as some aunts and uncles, and let's us be a part of their world for a few minutes.
So if you are a family or friend here in Omaha, you may be getting a phone call or text tomorrow and a couple cute girls might bring you some yummy sugar cookies!!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Under Courtney's pillow...
Courtney lost one of her first top teeth yesterday. She looks very cute with a hole in her mouth!
I think it's funny that we said she should put it under her pillow.
I guess if she would've put her tooth under her pillow, she would've found a pair of dirty jeans and a dirty shirt that have been hiding out there for who knows how long!
Really, does she like sleeping with dirty clothes in her bed???
I think it's funny that we said she should put it under her pillow.
I guess if she would've put her tooth under her pillow, she would've found a pair of dirty jeans and a dirty shirt that have been hiding out there for who knows how long!
Really, does she like sleeping with dirty clothes in her bed???
Kids' bathroom
I finally got tired of looking at the dirty toilet, dirty counters, yucky sinks, and spotted mirror in the girls' bathroom that I decided to clean them.
In the middle of scrubbing, I thought, "Why am I doing this?" I think it's about time my girls learned how to scrub toilets, wipe down counters, clean mirrors, and stop spitting their toothpaste down the side of their sinks!!
In the middle of scrubbing, I thought, "Why am I doing this?" I think it's about time my girls learned how to scrub toilets, wipe down counters, clean mirrors, and stop spitting their toothpaste down the side of their sinks!!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Afternoon went much better!
Ahh, after the struggles of this morning, my afternoon went well.
You know your 9 year old is over being mad when she uses wrong grammar and laughs at me about it!
I did have Courtney in tears at one point because I was trying out something that I knew was too hard for her, but I wanted to see what she could do. We quit that right away. She has also been having little stomach aches again lately, so I think that was bothering her too.
We got school done for the week, but Megan does not have her homework done.
We have a babysitter for tonight and Matt and I are going to his company party. Should I let her play or force her to do her homework? Should I clean up the house or just let it be? Should I get Christian some tylenol so he won't be so crabby tonight??
You know your 9 year old is over being mad when she uses wrong grammar and laughs at me about it!
I did have Courtney in tears at one point because I was trying out something that I knew was too hard for her, but I wanted to see what she could do. We quit that right away. She has also been having little stomach aches again lately, so I think that was bothering her too.
We got school done for the week, but Megan does not have her homework done.
We have a babysitter for tonight and Matt and I are going to his company party. Should I let her play or force her to do her homework? Should I clean up the house or just let it be? Should I get Christian some tylenol so he won't be so crabby tonight??
Friday Troubles
I am hiding out from my children in my room. Yes, yes I am.
It was a long morning at Ruwe homeschool, so I am escaping. We are allowed to do that right??
Things started well until Christian found a semi truck that was broken. Like the part from the trailer that hooks onto the truck was gone and he wanted it fixed!
Right in the middle of school, he would bring it to Courtney, "Fix my truck" or to Megan or to myself. When nobody was helping him, he got even more frustrated and the crying started. I kept telling him that dad will need to fix it. Dad works downstairs, so to get a moment of peace (remember, I'm supposed to be educating my children!), I had Courtney open the basement door and sent him downstairs to bother his dad!
Ahh, peace, but then I heard Matt coming up the steps. He dropped Christian off, who was still crying about his broken truck and said, "I'm on the phone."
Ok, so we try to continue to school, but Christian is not letting up. I eventually put him in a chair that I use for time out for him during school. He stayed there (still crying) while we finished up Bible class. The girls were within 6 inches of me so they could hear the lesson.
Ok, that is over and I sent Courtney to go play and Christian usually goes with her, but he stayed in the kitchen while I worked with Megan. I usually don't let him on my lap, but he kept saying, "I'll sit nicely!" (By the way, Matt had taken the truck downstairs to "fix" it.)
Ok, he is sitting somewhat nicely, but now it was Megan's turn to give me trouble. :) She was supposed to have notes written down about a story she is supposed to writing for her language arts lesson, but it wasn't quite done how I thought it should've been done. She was getting pretty upset that I wasn't understanding her story and I was getting upset because she just had bits and pieces, but no real story line. Soon I gave up on writing because we were both frustrated and turned to English. This wasn't much better. She was too upset to do English too, so I sent her to her room to calm down.
So now I got Courtney and told her it was time for school. She came down, Christian crawled back on my lap, and we got busy. She got math done and we started her literature lesson and Christian's eyes started to look half shut and he was getting really snuggly. Naptime? He has had a cold the last couple of days and you could hear it in his lungs and he was constantly coughing (bronchitis?). So I eventually laid him down on the couch and he fell asleep around noon.
We had lunch and now I am hiding out until about 1:30 when we start school back up again
I hope our afternoon goes better than our morning!
(By the way, we usually take Friday off, but we took Wednesday off instead because we had some things to do. Maybe I should stick to taking Fridays off...)
It was a long morning at Ruwe homeschool, so I am escaping. We are allowed to do that right??
Things started well until Christian found a semi truck that was broken. Like the part from the trailer that hooks onto the truck was gone and he wanted it fixed!
Right in the middle of school, he would bring it to Courtney, "Fix my truck" or to Megan or to myself. When nobody was helping him, he got even more frustrated and the crying started. I kept telling him that dad will need to fix it. Dad works downstairs, so to get a moment of peace (remember, I'm supposed to be educating my children!), I had Courtney open the basement door and sent him downstairs to bother his dad!
Ahh, peace, but then I heard Matt coming up the steps. He dropped Christian off, who was still crying about his broken truck and said, "I'm on the phone."
Ok, so we try to continue to school, but Christian is not letting up. I eventually put him in a chair that I use for time out for him during school. He stayed there (still crying) while we finished up Bible class. The girls were within 6 inches of me so they could hear the lesson.
Ok, that is over and I sent Courtney to go play and Christian usually goes with her, but he stayed in the kitchen while I worked with Megan. I usually don't let him on my lap, but he kept saying, "I'll sit nicely!" (By the way, Matt had taken the truck downstairs to "fix" it.)
Ok, he is sitting somewhat nicely, but now it was Megan's turn to give me trouble. :) She was supposed to have notes written down about a story she is supposed to writing for her language arts lesson, but it wasn't quite done how I thought it should've been done. She was getting pretty upset that I wasn't understanding her story and I was getting upset because she just had bits and pieces, but no real story line. Soon I gave up on writing because we were both frustrated and turned to English. This wasn't much better. She was too upset to do English too, so I sent her to her room to calm down.
So now I got Courtney and told her it was time for school. She came down, Christian crawled back on my lap, and we got busy. She got math done and we started her literature lesson and Christian's eyes started to look half shut and he was getting really snuggly. Naptime? He has had a cold the last couple of days and you could hear it in his lungs and he was constantly coughing (bronchitis?). So I eventually laid him down on the couch and he fell asleep around noon.
We had lunch and now I am hiding out until about 1:30 when we start school back up again
I hope our afternoon goes better than our morning!
(By the way, we usually take Friday off, but we took Wednesday off instead because we had some things to do. Maybe I should stick to taking Fridays off...)
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Learning Phonics Blends
Today in phonics class, Courtney was working on some more final blends on words.
Before we got started on our lesson, I had written some blends on her white board and wanted to see if she could think of any of her own words that had those blends on the end.
I wrote " _ _ act." What two (or one)letters would you put in the blanks to make a word?
I would say, "fact," or "pact."
Courtney's answer, "lactose." Even spelled correctly.
I cracked up! Lactose? I asked her where she got that words from and she said, "I just thought of our diet, mom!"
It's funny because we aren't on the "lactose intolerant" diet and it's not a word we use daily around our house! (We do avoid everything dairy though.)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Another funny thing...
We should just mount Christian's vaporizer on his wall. Seriously.
For a good portion of his life, the vaporizer has been in Christian's room.(Mostly because we forget to put it away when he's done with it.)
Whenever we do put it away, he gets another cold.
Yes, I put it away two days ago and he woke up today with another cold.
This happens time and time again.
It is just amazing.
He loves his vaporizer though, he calls it his "bubble machine" and he knows how to turn it on and off and make the "bubbles" come out.
I am so glad it helps him, but really, can we put it away for more than a few days?
For a good portion of his life, the vaporizer has been in Christian's room.(Mostly because we forget to put it away when he's done with it.)
Whenever we do put it away, he gets another cold.
Yes, I put it away two days ago and he woke up today with another cold.
This happens time and time again.
It is just amazing.
He loves his vaporizer though, he calls it his "bubble machine" and he knows how to turn it on and off and make the "bubbles" come out.
I am so glad it helps him, but really, can we put it away for more than a few days?
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
It's a funny thing...
Christian was not doing very well today making it to the bathroom on time. He went through quite a few pairs of underwear by this afternoon.
I was checking my email when he brought me a clean pair of underwear. I looked at him trying to decipher what this meant, he had underwear on. Apparently he was trying to tell me something like, "I already peed in my underwear, I went ahead and got a new pair already." Sure enough he was wet! Why can't he just go in the toilet??
Crazy kid!
I was checking my email when he brought me a clean pair of underwear. I looked at him trying to decipher what this meant, he had underwear on. Apparently he was trying to tell me something like, "I already peed in my underwear, I went ahead and got a new pair already." Sure enough he was wet! Why can't he just go in the toilet??
Crazy kid!
Fingerprints
We are studying the body for the next two weeks in science.
Yesterday we talked about major organs and the blood and heart. (You try describing what the heart does to a 6 and 9 year old- it is very complicated!)
Today we talked about skin, hair, and fingerprints. I thought it would be neat if we could make our own fingerprints and then try to identify which kind we had by the websites I had put on my blog.
Project fail! I couldn't get our fingerprints to come out right. I had an ink pad, but must not have done them hard enough because they were hard to see. I tried a different ink pad, making fingerprints in pencil dust, and I tried marking the fingers with markers and making prints. Nothing worked! Time was up or else I think the girls would've kept trying to get their fingerprints to turn out!
A couple of consulting jobs ago, Matt actually worked with a fingerprint machine and he said he could call the company and see if we could borrow it. It would be neat!
Tomorrow we are going to study our bones and then Thursday is our gastro-intestinal system! Just right up our alley in this house!
I like this science curriculum because it gives a good overview of a variety of subjects. I just want the girls to be aware of these things, not necessarily know them in depth. Like today we talked about goose bumps and why they appear, it's just fun stuff like that, I am enjoying learning as much as they are!
Yesterday we talked about major organs and the blood and heart. (You try describing what the heart does to a 6 and 9 year old- it is very complicated!)
Today we talked about skin, hair, and fingerprints. I thought it would be neat if we could make our own fingerprints and then try to identify which kind we had by the websites I had put on my blog.
Project fail! I couldn't get our fingerprints to come out right. I had an ink pad, but must not have done them hard enough because they were hard to see. I tried a different ink pad, making fingerprints in pencil dust, and I tried marking the fingers with markers and making prints. Nothing worked! Time was up or else I think the girls would've kept trying to get their fingerprints to turn out!
A couple of consulting jobs ago, Matt actually worked with a fingerprint machine and he said he could call the company and see if we could borrow it. It would be neat!
Tomorrow we are going to study our bones and then Thursday is our gastro-intestinal system! Just right up our alley in this house!
I like this science curriculum because it gives a good overview of a variety of subjects. I just want the girls to be aware of these things, not necessarily know them in depth. Like today we talked about goose bumps and why they appear, it's just fun stuff like that, I am enjoying learning as much as they are!
Not many posts lately.
I don't know why, I just haven't written much lately.
Not much going on maybe? Actually life has been busy!
Painting basement, movie party with some friends, piano lessons tonight, working on potty training, teaching school, etc.
Courtney making me laugh again. "Mom, my shirt smells like Christian's poopy!" It was really a clean shirt, but Courtney has a very over-sensitive nose!
Not much going on maybe? Actually life has been busy!
Painting basement, movie party with some friends, piano lessons tonight, working on potty training, teaching school, etc.
Courtney making me laugh again. "Mom, my shirt smells like Christian's poopy!" It was really a clean shirt, but Courtney has a very over-sensitive nose!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Weekend Plan
Our basement is coming along nicely.
We had some friends over last night who helped put on the first coat of paint. After MUCH deliberation, we decided on a very light gray because it would go great with about any other color, but once we got the paint on, it actually looks a light blue!
Matt is at Menard's right now buying another 3 gallons of paint. The guy there yesterday told me that 3 gallons would be enough for two coats for the entire basement. He was wrong! It was enough for the first coat!
Matt is also going to pick up our cupboards for the kitchen area and maybe some tile for the floor. We are going to try to use the same stuff as we have in the bathroom.
After the painting, which we hope to get done today, Matt is going to put up the drop ceiling. Perhaps this will get done this weekend too?
I can about smell my new school room, can't you??
We had some friends over last night who helped put on the first coat of paint. After MUCH deliberation, we decided on a very light gray because it would go great with about any other color, but once we got the paint on, it actually looks a light blue!
Matt is at Menard's right now buying another 3 gallons of paint. The guy there yesterday told me that 3 gallons would be enough for two coats for the entire basement. He was wrong! It was enough for the first coat!
Matt is also going to pick up our cupboards for the kitchen area and maybe some tile for the floor. We are going to try to use the same stuff as we have in the bathroom.
After the painting, which we hope to get done today, Matt is going to put up the drop ceiling. Perhaps this will get done this weekend too?
I can about smell my new school room, can't you??
Friday, February 1, 2013
No Laundry.
I cannot do laundry right now. I am so sad. :( Just kidding!
Do you know why I can't do laundry? My pipes are frozen behind my washer because the pipes are on an outside wall.
If I ran my washer right now, I would have a nice flood. All over matt's office. He would not be happy.
So until it warms up a little bit, I hope we don't run out of clothes!
Do you know why I can't do laundry? My pipes are frozen behind my washer because the pipes are on an outside wall.
If I ran my washer right now, I would have a nice flood. All over matt's office. He would not be happy.
So until it warms up a little bit, I hope we don't run out of clothes!
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