Ringorland

This space...

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 13:36:00 +0000

Its been 18 months since I have written in this space and I don't even know where to start in order to catch up. Perhaps a top 12 from 2012? I stopped writing for no reason at all except we got busy and life got messy and it was hard to write without sharing the mess. New jobs, sad days, missing my friends back home, vacations, family brokenness. Pictures are better for now! :) So if anyone is out there, here a few favorites from 2012:

So nothing fancy or edited...just slapping it on here to maybe get a fresh start. Tomorrow, 2013?

A Valentine Party

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:22:00 +0000

January: Beginning to End

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:44:00 +0000

I had ideas for posts and they were lost among school projects and just life....here is the short version. :)

We loved New Years Eve in Texas! The fireworks are amazing here.
We did some fun projects for history.

Fires in London

We glued a template of the streets of London on poster board.

Getting ready to burn London: the buildings were built close together and the streets were narrow.

The fire started in the bakery...see the ladybug shop?

And there it goes

Blending In

Another project that Caeden was given was to blend in as the Native Americans did in order to successfully attack the enemy. He had to decide how he could hide somewhere in the backyard without any of us finding him. Maleiah left a clue (which we thought might be a diversion) so it gave his position away. However, we couldn't see him and we were standing right in front of him. Can you see him?

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We discovered a new sandwich shop that we love called Which Wich?

Did anyone else go through that awkward smiling phase as a kid? My mom called it "the gun to your head smile"...it must be genetic because Caeden has totally got it going on.

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We said goodbye to our closest friends here in Texas. They moved to Georgia (which excites me a whole lot! Road Trip!!!!) to take a new job and we miss them terribly. It was a bit strange to be on this side of the leaving since we are coming up on a year of doing the leaving ourselves!

See the piano? I'm in love...

So January was busy, bittersweet, and full of new beginnings for us and for so many of our family and friends.

A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:35:00 +0000

A new year brings feelings of hope, a time to start over...we all think about the things we want to do better in the new year. 365 brand new days to do something completely different than we did with the previous. I am a sucker for new beginnings. I love a new calendar, a new school year, birthdays and of course a new year. Last years was so new to us as a whole, new state, new church, new job and new friends. This year will be much of the same. Our state is still new to us and there is still so much to see! Our church is experiencing lots of new changes as our pastor and his family are relocating to Georgia, they happen to be one of the families we have been the closest to here so we are sad for the loss but so thrilled for their new adventure in a new state. Bloggers all over the internet are establishing a word for the year: "What is your word for 2012?" I don't have one. I can't pick just one for fear of hurting the other ones feelings...they are all so good! I even found it hard to pick resolutions...aren't they the same ones we have each year?

Exercise more
Eat better
Get out of debt
Have fun as a family
Read the bible
Do school everyday
Organize
Live Simply
Grow a garden
Read more books

Yep, pretty much the same ones. So it wasn't as fun to sit down and make them...this time. Maybe next year will be more fun? It's been a hard few years with job losses and all that comes with that. It's been hard to trust that it will all be okay and I find myself falling into the thoughts of a pessimist, salted with some optimism to make sure that I don't fall all the way to the bottom of the pessimist trap. That's not where I want to be. My mother lived there and she suffered in her life and relationships because of it so I fight everyday, when we aren't sure where the work is coming from, when we are not sure of anything at all...I keep remembering the good. Giving thanks for all, each and every little thing. Because isn't the little things that make up this whole thing we call life?

I don't know what this year holds for us. That's the hardest part. The not knowing can be a wicked place. At one time for me the not knowing was an adventurous place but the adventure has repeated itself so many times that I have tired of it and I just want a solitary place for us to dwell.

Dwell.

verb: to live as a resident.
synonyms: abide, exist, nest, remain

How's that for a word?

Christmas Day 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:51:00 +0000

This year for Christmas we were away from family and friends for the first time in my entire 38 years. And I survived. It's one of my favorite holidays and I love the traditions we had in California but I also looked forward to starting new ones and bringing the old here to Texas. We did a little of both and thank God for Skype because it makes the distance bearable, seeing faces and sharing the moments together.

We had a Christmas Eve dinner just the four of us, it was strange and quiet, small and simple.
We attended a Christmas Eve service at our church.
We tracked Santa online, watching his every move.
Caeden had a hard time going to sleep, so did Maisie and then Maleiah.
It rained. A lot.
The kids were up early and it was magical, like I wanted it to be. There was awe and a bit of wonder.
There were bikes {we have spent days riding in the afternoon}.
There was glitter glue {I say "was" because it's gone...in one art project}.
There were grandparents on Skype and text messages with pictures being sent.

It was different and good. This year was a transition year, feeling our way around this new city, figuring it all out. Next year we will do more, add more and I am looking forward to it.

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:45:00 +0000

Lots of this happening today as we prepare for Christmas day:

CJ Elf::Mom Elf::MJ Elf

Hiding in rooms, code knocking so the wrong person doesn't see what is behind those doors. Sewing last minute projects and baking cookies for church and a special visitor we have been tracking here. We just decided to go with the magic of Santa and see how far we can take it. I am all for magic, there is only so much time...let the glitter fall where it may and live it up.

Merry Christmas...

Ballet

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:38:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:36:00 +0000

I have been trying to have some activities at the table for the kids to do so we don't have the "I'm bored" problem. Here are a few of the things we have been doing around the school table!

Perler Fuse Beads...found them in the school cabinet and found patterns online for anything you would like to make. We have a lot of them so the kids have been busy. I just keep them on the table and every couple of days they pass by and decide to make something. I printed out a bunch of the patterns and laminated them and stuck them on a book ring. Some are too difficult for Maleiah so I know we can pack it away and bring it out next Christmas.

We read the story of the Nativity this week from this bible and then Maleiah colored stick figure puppets {original idea, here...Love this blog, I don't know how she does what she does}. She then pulled every chair we own to give only Caeden and I a puppet show. For some reason Caeden and I couldn't sit next to each other...he was a front row guest...I had to sit in the second row. Perhaps it made it look like there were more people? Anyway, it was a cute show...somehow Darth Vader was involved {King Herod} and they all took a trip to the beach.

Glitter

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:13:00 +0000

It's the week before Christmas and all through the house

Everything sparkles, our noses, the dog and even the couch.

Glitter is everywhere and so are the sprinkles

The lights here in Texas, oh, how they twinkle....

Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to this week!

We made these delicious sugar cookies and took them along for our annual Christmas light tour. We taped the tickets to the bathroom mirror and told the kids to wash their hands and face after dinner. They found the tickets and lots of squealing ensued. So we were off to see some synchronized lights in Katy! This is one of the houses we saw that night:

We made chocolate covered pretzels for our church Christmas party....very easy and fun for the kids to make. I made chocolates when I was little with my aunt and cousins and I am so happy to be carrying it on with my own kids.

We made Sugarplums and gave those to friends this week.

The kids spent two days around the dining room table making Christmas cards which included the use of glitter. Either you love it or you hate it. If you hate it, you send it to Texas with your friend when she moves there. We love it...especially Maleiah and if you know her, this is no surprise. We had glitter from our friend Sarah and we had glitter from Grandma Carol...altogether this made for lots of sparkle, everywhere.

There is still much more to be made. Cookies, shortbread, pies and gifts. Pajamas are being sewn {most likely late into Christmas Eve} and the cutest magnetic paper dolls are being made this week too! I can't wait to show you all! More to come, SOON!

Sam.

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:00 +0000

We have a lot of arguing going on lately, so a picture like this makes me happy all over. Justin and I were primarily only children and so really the whole sibling thing does not compute. I don't understand the fighting, or torture that is involved. I didn't become a "sister" until I was 14, they were 18 and 10...I thought it was cool to be in the middle and there are only a few major fights that I remember (our parents could tell a different story, I am sure) but over all it wasn't torture. This is so different. Here are the tactics I have learned:

If I stand in the hallway and stare at you, it will cause shrieking.
If I touch something that belongs to you, it will cause shrieking.
If I ask you a question, it will cause shrieking.
If I don't poor the right cereal for you, it will cause shrieking.

Mainly we try to avoid the shrieking around here, the condescending tone of voice that often comes from 10 year old brothers who are SURE that if he continues to fight he will win in the end. However, the 5 year old always has to have the last word (I have no idea where THAT came from....)so him winning never happens. Mom just gets irritated. We are growing and stretching a lot around here. But at the end of the day, when sleepovers are requested and sometimes the playing doesn't end in a wrestling match or tears, it's all good.

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:16:00 +0000

I keep getting a certain request from some little people I know (not mine) that I need to post more frequently so I will give it my best. I feel like we have gotten into a bit of a routine, not as much new going on so I just have normal life stuff to share, projects and such so I hope that will be sufficient!

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This morning we were running late to ballet and I forgot to brush my teeth. I know, nastiness. So I RAN into the house, brushed at warp speed and RAN back to the car. This is the song that was playing on the radio as we raced to ballet, singing along:

November was a busy month full of birthdays and gratitude...

Our first fire of the season.

1. Pumpkin patch 2. Autumn nature walk treasures 3. Tiny pumpkin

Add caption

I can't believe Caeden is 10. He can't believe he scored on so many lego sets this year. It keeps his hands busy, for that I am grateful.

Maleiah LOVES to help cook. We made applesauce and apple pie filling with some apples from the co-op.

October in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:58:00 +0000

June Bugs Eat Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:46:00 +0000

We planted our spring bulbs last month in honor of fall, in the front yard. We found these strange little larvae and thought they were cicada larvae, took pictures, got giddy and then because we love most things buggy...we moved them somewhere else. Then we found more and just decided to plant around them. Still giddy we went inside to research them and found out they weren't cicada larvae but junebug larvae which happen to eat the roots of plants and flowers. Like the ones we just had planted...apparently for them to eat so they can grow big and strong and we can dodge them as we walk in the front door next summer.

We had a good laugh. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:42:00 +0000

When Justin left for Texas the kids slept in our bed with me and it has been a hard habit to break since we moved here. Maleiah was having a hard time sleeping without someone in her room, once she was asleep we would sneak out and inevitably she would come in our room in the middle of the night. I started telling her the week of her birthday that since she was going to be 5 (!) she had to sleep on her own. This was her first night (her birthday)...

And she has been so brave and I now have my evenings back! It was bittersweet, her growing up and showing me her independence. However, we still get visitors in the night. :)

When Fairies Come Alive....

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:15:00 +0000

Our miracle fairy turned 5!

Tulle netting tied with twine and flowers

Cupcake toppers made by my neighbor Christie :)

Fairy Food

Pink marshmallows and green grapes make great fairy wands.

Strawberries dipped in a fairy's favorite food: chocolate!

Banner made by Christie :)

Wings, halo's and wands from Halo Heaven (the most inexpensive costume site I have ever seen! Amazing!) and tu-tu's made by ME from this tutorial. :)

We painted fairy houses...ours is in our fairy garden in the backyard awaiting friends.

Maleiah and her friends. :)

Class Dismissed

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:26:00 +0000

an upcoming documentary that I am very excited about.

Star Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Since we have a boy that lives and breathes all thing Star Wars we would be a sad excuse for parents had we not taken him to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Health Museum in Houston. How excited were we when we realized as we were walking through the entrance that it was FREE Museum Day!?!? We still had to pay since it was a special exhibit but we saved 50% off what we thought were going to pay. Cha-ching!

Here ya go.

Around the House

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Our nature bench

Maisie, playing dress-up.

Homemade play-doh from this awesome recipe.

Wikki-Stix are fun for windows, unless you wanted clean windows, then they may not be for you.

Sugar Cookies from this delicious recipe, soft and chewy. With frosting, even better.

Turning Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:50:00 +0000

I tried adding links to the books but blogger isn't working, sorry!

We haven't had a consistent read aloud time as a family for a long time and with the new school year starting and it has been so nice to enjoy a few good books together again. Caeden's eyes have been wide as he asks, "Just one more chapter! Please?"

We started the school year with a Little Pilgrim's Progress. It was an amazing allegory of our Christian journey through life written at a child's level of understanding. We all loved it!

For our history we read The Sign of the Beaver, another great book that we were sad to see end. It is set on the northeast coast and at the same time we were reading this we were reading another book about the same time about Northwest Coast Native Americans. It was a good opportunity to compare the different ways of life between the two coasts and the people that live there.

We are still trying to finish Milly-Molly-Mandy with Maleiah but she is enjoying our family read-alouds too.

Today we read a picture book called Roxaboxen that is now on my favorites list. It reminded me of my childhood and my best friend in those days named Stacie. We had wild imaginations and we probably had a town similar to Roxaboxen going at one time or another. It made me want to build one in our backyard...and we might. :)

Caeden is participating in the Boys Book Club through the local homeschool group. The first book that they are reading is called The Wheel on the School and he really likes it. The group meets twice a month and they discuss the book and then do a corresponding activity together. If there is a movie that goes along with the book then they usually watch that to compare and contrast the two.

We are going to be starting a few unit studies as we learn about the colonization of America. I am so excited about entering this time in our history studies!

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:15:00 +0000

Twirling Ballerina: this is what my head
feels like most days.

We all wear hats. These are mine:

Wife
Mother
Daughter
Friend
Teacher
Housekeeper (don't laugh.)
Cook
Nurse
Seamstress (a beginning one.)

and the list could go on.

With our move my hats have been so jumbled and I can't decide which one to wear at any one time. I think I look like a crazy version of the Caps for Sale character and his encounter with all those monkeys. On top of that I am suddenly opposed to clutter and not so sure how to combat it. We are in, have been in a perpetual cycle of purging, simplifying and the saga continues. But, where to start? It's all in chaos and I was looking for a starting place and somehow a rabbit hole led me to this website, a place called Zen Habits and he has written an awesome list! It's long and overwhelming and he gives a simplified version for those that can't look at all 72. But I wanted it all so I started at number 1....

1. Make a list of your top 4-5 important things. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.

Leo Babauta, Zen Habits

So I am not thinking about the garage and all the organizing that needs to be done (we have done enough for now), or the quilt that remains to be finished (it will be). I am starting at the top, getting my goals down, the important things with which I can then base other choices on. How awesome is that? I have been making a weekly schedule so that the house stuff doesn't loom and a daily schedule so that we fit it all in, the important stuff. The creating, the togetherness...the stuff that matters to me. It all goes by so quickly and I don't want to miss it, and I already have so my goal is to miss less.

Right now I am sitting somewhere between four and eight on the list, working out tasks for the day, shredding my inbox down to a manageable size and trying so hard to limit my time on the computer. I feel less overwhelmed, like I have a plan in front of me that will take me through the steps needed to get a grip on this thing called LIFE. The last few years has taken a toll through unemployment, family health issues and now a huge move...I am trying to get my groove back, although I am not sure I possessed it to begin with.

Water fell from the sky! So we needed to catch some, since it may be awhile before it happens again.
So thankful.

the mish and the mosh

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Turtle cupcakes.....

....for the meeting of a turtle.

Gecko hunting

Creative lunches

Captured criminals

more ocean

stuck in sand

this face is lovely.

Jellyfish! Amazing.

Megadolon

Dinosaur! We just watched both Night at the Museums, Maleiah said she was glad we didn't come at night. :)

Can't even believe this.

Or this.

This is how I play catch up. :)

Welcome Home Dad!

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we welcomed Justin home, which I can imagine is a great way to be welcomed home in Texas where it's 900 degrees and 100% humidity...okay maybe not that bad, but close. It started out with balloons and as all water wars end, with the hose.

Sweet summer.

Photo Booth

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:24:00 +0000

I am working on some posts, sorry for the quiet around here...

BUT, I found these pictures on my computer, taken by Maleiah and I was cracking up.

Unedited for your viewing pleasure.

all smiles!

classic

her sad face?

This one is my favorite, so innocent. Ha-ha.

and then we get the real thing.

2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Manderly Ringor) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:56:00 +0000

photo booth

It's that time of year again, we are gearing up for school. Last year I didn't even post our plans for the year, I was probably sending out 75 resumes for Justin...it was just an off year for us. This year though I am participating in the Not-Back-To-School Blog Hop over at Heart of the Matter Online. I did it two years ago and it was fun to see what other homeschoolers have planned for their year, where they do school, who their students are, etc....

Texas is a green state for homeschooling, very green, as in GO! GO! GO!...which I love. Basically if you homeschool you are considered a private school so the state stays out of your business as long as you are teaching the basics: reading, spelling, grammar, math and good citizenship in a visual form that isn't a sham.

Caeden will be in fourth grade this year!!! I can't believe it.

photo booth

Math: We are going to try Teaching Textbooks this year. We have steered clear of any computer software curriculum in the past but since we are adding in Maleiah more this year I thought having the time with her during his time on the computer {which he loves. Score!} would be a good fit. It's a visually fun program, it tracks all of his work, and they break down the concepts in an understandable way.

Grammar/Writing: Primary Language Lessons will take us into grammar and writing. It's more of a gentle approach to Language Arts {see Charlotte Mason}. I also purchased 500 Writing Prompts for Children to add to our writing. Caeden will have a journal and he will write a few times a week. We did this in second grade and he really liked it. Also, as a family we are going to play around with a cool book called Rip the Page!

Spelling: We are actually not going to be doing a formal spelling program this year. Caeden is a fantastic speller so we will fix any spelling errors as we come across them. We are going to make a switch and focus more on vocabulary that we find in our other subjects.

History: We finished up the Middle Ages during third grade and are moving on to Early Modern Times, {1600-1850's} and a little bit of Modern Times {1850-current} with more of a focus on the people of that time and not so much about the wars and ugliness that I think are just too heavy for fourth grade. We are using Biblioplan for our scheduling with Story of the World as our spine. I am excited about American History and the great books we will read through the year!

Geography: How about a trip through the US? Well, kind of. On our wall we are making a map that we will color in as we learn about each state. We are loosely using Cantering the Country for geography. We would love to take some trips along the southern states since we are so close and it takes only 9 hours to get to Florida!

Science: Caeden's favorite! We are finishing up Swimming Creatures from Apologia and when we are finished we will move on to Land Animals. This is our favorite curriculum. Absolutely. I love the reading, Caeden loves the projects. Win-Win.

Fine Arts: I purchased Harmony Art's curriculum that corresponds with the time period we are learning about this year. Every four weeks we will learn about a composer and artist using literature, picture studies and art projects.

Maleiah is so ready for school...so we are doing Kindergarten this year and at the end of the year we can evaluate how she did and decide if she needs an extra year or not. She is only 4 so she will be a young kindergartener.

photo booth

She will fold into what Caeden is doing for Science, History, Geography and Fine Arts...just at her level.

Math: I thought we would use Saxon for math but at the last minute I chose Horizons. She is a completely different learner than Caeden and I think she will do well with it.

Reading/Phonics: She is already trying to read, we pulled out the Bob Books and she is determined to get to the purple books, but there are four red books she has to read well first. We will continue to use The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading as well as the Explode the Code, books A, B and C for phonics.

There are so many awesome activities we get to participate in through our homeschool group and we will be taking lots of field trips, discovering more and more about the state of Texas.

***We aren't doing all of this everyday...it's broken up through the week (that's another post?). :)

***We purchase most of our curriculum from Rainbow Resource (awesome prices!) and Amazon with a few used book purchases as well.***

***Visit Heart of the Matter Online for more!