Yellow House in the Woods

Catchup Photos

2010-01-02T21:05:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time! Some photos from the last couple months....just in case there's anyone out there who still visits...

Picking Pumpkins....

Halloween....
Putting up the tree...

I still have the Christmas pics on my camera so that's it for now!

Pigtails!

2009-10-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

Daybook for Monday, October 5th

2009-10-05T14:14:00.003-04:00

Outside my window...The sun cannot decide whether it wants to stay out or not. The yard is absolutely covered in leaves.

I am thinking...raking is in our future. Ugh.

I am thankful for...finally getting a pumpkin for the kids yesterday. We almost always wait until the last minute so we are early this year, and now they have one less thing to nag me about!

From the learning rooms...back in the swing of things after taking last week as a catchup week.

From the kitchen...we picked apples yesterday so of course we had to make crockpot applesauce today.

I am wearing...my yoga clothes...I should get changed to go out but I don't really want to.

I am creating...I don't know. I can't think of a single thing I am creating right now. How's that for inspiration?

I am going...to do yet another load of laundry when I finish this.

I am reading...the last in the Twilight series. I will be sorry to see it end! I should probably be embarrassed to admit that, but hey they are a nice, light read.

I am hoping...for good scans this week.

I am hearing...my kids outside riding bikes.

Around the house...it's pretty quiet, the baby is sleeping, she loves her naps and she desperately needs them the way she tears around this place lately.

One of my favorite things...Watching the leaves fall.

A few plans for the rest of the week: the usual stuff, plus another trip to an apple orchard for a wagon ride and pumpkin picking, hiking with some pals, visiting with Grammy, and finally switching the kids closets over to recognize the fact that it just isn't summer out there anymore.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing..

Visit Peggy's to read more daybooks.

Happiness is...

2009-10-04T12:43:00.001-04:00

Your very own Nascar race...for a few minutes anyway!

Catching Up

2009-10-02T13:43:00.003-04:00

I was doing so well posting for awhile there. We have been playing catchup with our school stuff this week, just focusing on the stuff we've gotten behind on or that we've been skipping (like history projects, Latin, and art). In the past couple weeks we have also gotten a new kitten- due to Connor's favorite cat deciding to bolt when the door was left open- never to be seen again....we went to a fair, bought the kids their fall clothes, have gone on a lot of walks and done some letterboxing, and a little schoolwork here and there.

It isn't November but I just learned that November is lung cancer awareness month (or maybe they are trying to have it named lung cancer awareness month-?) This is something that is very near and dear to our hearts since my mom was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in February 2008.

So to do my part to raise awareness to anyone who reads my oft-neglected blog, I want to point out, as the ribbon on my sidebar says, that you do not have to smoke to get lung cancer! My mom never smoked a day in her life and she got it anyway....it's obviously an extremely hard thing to live with every day, for her and for all of us who are so close to her... but she has been fighting it like a champ & has so much courage in the face of this that I am literally awestruck.

I recently saw someone wearing a tshirt that said "Cancer Sucks". That about sums it up. I do not normally post on this topic, my mom is one of my most faithful readers after all and I want this blog to be a nice relaxing place to visit. But she is always in my thoughts and in my prayers and in my hopes. Go Mom!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T08:07:00.000-04:00

Fall Into Reading

2009-09-22T14:21:00.005-04:00

Forget how exactly I found this but Callipidder Days has come up with a fall reading challenge and since I never seem to get through books as quickly as I'd like I thought- hey what the heck. So here is a list of 10 books I hope to have read by the end of the challenge- Dec. 20th...and yes I'm a homeschooler but they aren't going to be all serious books or anything..

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie

Beowulf On the Beach by Jack Murnighan (so I can plan future, more serious reading)

A Christmas Carol by Dickens (because I read it every December)

The second Harry Potter book, whatever it is...I'm reading them with Ellie

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini

Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Daybook for Monday September 21st

2009-09-21T16:39:00.004-04:00

Outside my window...the leaves are starting to change. Boo.

I am thinking...our boys will never finish the mountain of cotton candy they brought home from the fair.

I am thankful for...my husband...because he always makes things better.

From the learning rooms...we took today off to go the big area fair. We'll be back at it tomorrow.

From the kitchen...not much going on there today...the kids all had corn dogs and cheese fries at the fair. Good healthy food, you know.

I am wearing...my pajamas. At 4 something in the afternoon. I'm tired!

I am creating...a plan for what we'll try to get done this week.

I am going...to hopefully get more than 6 hours of sleep tonight!

I am reading...The Secret History. I forget the author. But it's very good.

I am hoping...That my mom has a good week :)

I am hearing...my kids fighting unfortunately. Ugh.

Around the house...it's amazing how neat the house is when no one is home all day isn't it?

One of my favorite things...my baby's feet!

A few plans for the rest of the week: our usual roundup of stuff, plus Madeline's 15 month checkup (something to NOT look forward to), and hoping for our last tomatoes to turn red before a frost comes along.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing..

Visit Peggy's for more daybooks!

Wordless Wednesday: Big Brother's Sweatshirt

2009-09-09T16:37:00.001-04:00

Weekly Report for Week 1

2009-09-04T13:22:00.005-04:00

This week was our first week back to homeschooling and it went pretty well I thought, considering that (among other things) we'd just gotten back from vacation, the baby was exceptionally whiny, and some of the kids extracurriculars started up again. This is what we did-

The 3 R's: Ellie did four lessons from Rightstart C, including the midyear test, the name of which kinda makes me nervous since I think it should have been given midyear last year. I will forever feel like we are behind since she isn't on Level D yet, even though I know Level C is known to take longer. Benjamin did 2 lessons from Rightstart B, he is ahead because he finished A so quickly- so we only did 3 days of math this week.

Other than that, we did our usual FLL 1 lessons and Ellie started FLL 3- it is so nice having a separate workbook for this one! They both read independently from Charles Perrault's Fairy Tales, which they loved. And Benj. started Writing With Ease Level 1 (he likes the narrating part, not so much the copywork) and Ellie started WWE 3- which has some really long dictations but she is doing okay with it so far, even though we skipped through most of Level 2.

FIAR/Preschool: Connor did a couple letter A activities from our workbook and I asked him to point out our "A" magnet everyday on the refrigerator. We did a Five in a Row story this week (Storm in the Night) and just talked about a few things that came up, like thunderstorms, reflections, and being afraid of things. For the record, he isn't afraid of anything.

History: We read Ch. 1 of SOTW III about Charles V and the Spanish taking gold from South America. We did coloring pages but no project yet. Maybe later today, they want to make Spanish doubloons. We also started reading a junior version of Don Quixote by Margaret Hodges and they read Sad Night and The Legend of El Dorado independently.

Science: We are doing chemistry this year so we did experiment 1 from Adventures with Atoms to Molecules (Do Molecules Move?) Writing out the definitions was not Benjamin's cup of tea, even though I was the one doing the writing. He did enjoy the experiment though, and has been doing around all day saying "You are made of atoms, this chair is made of atoms, the CAT is made of atoms..." We also managed to do our first Outdoor Hour Challenge with our rather sad tomato plants and hunted for cicadas( which we can hear but can't see!).

Art: We did lesson 6 from Artistic Pursuits II, which involved making calendar pages. I thought they came out rather well. Connor painted a pumpkin, his first time actually painting a recognizable object, and Madeline did a little fingerpainting- and she only tried to eat the paint once!

Ellie's shows our morning glories climbing up a trellis...then Benjamin and Connor both made October pages, though Connor colored over his calendar!

Music: This week we listened to the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel several times. So now it feels like Christmas. Benjamin started at home piano lessons and has actually been good about practicing.

Other: The boys both started back to gymnastics this week and Benjamin started soccer, which he loves as long as they aren't playing an actual game- he gets overwhelmed by all the activity I think. But he does look cute in his socks & cleats...

Photos from Our Maine Vacation

2009-09-02T12:25:00.003-04:00

New Riding Boots

2009-08-20T09:41:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T06:39:00.000-04:00

Our "Class" Photo

2009-08-18T13:39:00.005-04:00

It's student photo week over at My 3 Boybarians so here is ours. It about sums it up!

They are crazy but they have tons of fun together. I never thought I'd have four kids but here we are.

Ellie is the oldest (8) and of course she knows everything, because when you're 8 you really do know everything. She is very into crafting, she has a lot of artistic talent which she certainly didn't get from me. She's also into ballet, horseback riding, swimming, putting on "plays" for us (which she always directs), & reading tons of books.

Benjamin is 6 and is the one we refer to as our Zen Master. He can be very shall we say- intense...but he is also a fantastic, doting brother. He loves reading and stays up way past his bedtime trying to get in one more chapter. He also likes sports (baseball especially), anything to do with Star Wars, and gymnastics- he is forever doing flips on the swingset & trees.

Connor is 4 and his main goal is to be Benjamin. Seriously. He loves everything Benjamin loves but he tends to be pretty easygoing (well as long as he is getting his way). His favorite time of the day is when I read aloud to him. He spends much of his time playing with his "Star Wars guys" and setting up Playmobil scenes. He hasn't been too much of a major player in our homeschool yet, but this year he will be doing a little here and there with me (I hope) and practicing his letters.

Madeline is our baby, this isn't the greatest picture of her, but of course, being the baby this blog is full of pictures of her if you just scroll down a little! She is turning into quite the firecracker. She is always busy- loves to follow around her siblings, play with her "babies", climb on things she shouldn't, eat things she shouldn't. She is definitely into toddlerhood!

So that's my group! Thanks for stopping by :)

Daybook for Monday, August 17th

2009-08-17T13:32:00.006-04:00

Outside my window...Man is it HOT out there. It has finally decided to be summer now that August is over half over.

I am thinking...August is such a funny month. It's the only month that really feels like summer to me but it also feels kind of sad at the same time, like the beginning of the end. Must be my public school mindset :)

I am thankful that we were able to get out yesterday without the kids- it only happens once in a blue moon but it should really happen more.

From the learning rooms...the kids cleaned out their school bags and set up their new pencil cases (always exciting). So we should be ready to go when we get back from vacation. Theoretically.

From the kitchen...It's too hot to cook. But I am going to make an exception for brownies because I have this brownie obsession lately.

I am creating...a vacation packing & to do list

I am reading...Time of my Life by Allison Scotch which is about a woman who wakes up and finds she's gone 7 years back in the past. So it's all about what she'll do differently and how that will affect her future. Interesting idea anyway.

I am hoping...that Ellie's riding lesson will get canceled. It's too hot to muck around a horse farm today!

I am hearing...a lawnmower, my baby babbling

Around the house...It's amazing how much easier it is to keep the house clean when you are on break from homeschooling!

One of my favorite things...the sound of cicadas

A few plans for the rest of the week: buying soccer stuff for Benjamin who will start his first season next month, planning our first week back to "school", packing packing and more packing, and a week in Maine starting Saturday!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Visit Peggy's to read other daybooks!

Butterfly Release!

2009-08-14T12:51:00.000-04:00

We successfully raised 3 of our 5 painted lady caterpillars using a kit from InsectLore. We released them this week, here are a few photos....

You can see the butterfly just flying past Benjamin's arm here-

Free at last!

Eye of Newt Soup

2009-08-13T09:16:00.001-04:00

We made Eye of Newt Soup from the SOTW II activity guide this weekend, our final project for the year. Ellie insisted that each ingredient be placed in a labeled jar and everyone took turns adding things. The eyes were chocolate chips, dragon scales were really M& M's, and there were many other not-so-healthy ingredients. A dentist's nightmare!

We did quite a few history projects over the year and they were unquestionably one of the highlights of our week. I look forward to doing even more in the coming year.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T06:22:00.000-04:00

A Summer Weekend

2009-08-11T05:40:00.006-04:00

Now that it's August it actually feels like summer- at least during the day! This summer hasn't been the best weather-wise so there hasn't been as much swimming/sprinkler play/slip & slide type stuff going on as normal. This past weekend we took the kids to pick blueberries...

and then they spent a night camping in the backyard with their Dad.

Connor has been asking to do this all summer. I'll say it's MUCH easier than camping away from home. We pretty much spent the entire evening marveling over how easy it was compared to the car camping we've done with the kids in the past.

We still did all the regular camping things...cooking over the fire, making s'mores, playing "I'm going on a picnic", breaking out the glowsticks, stargazing, staying up too late...but what a difference! We also had a dishwasher, running water, two bathrooms, electricity, and a real stove to make cocoa on. I think we're spoiled now. Unless one of the kids specifically wants to do "real camping" this is it for us! It didn't hurt also that I got to sleep inside the house with the baby :)

Daybook for Monday, August 10th

2009-08-10T06:10:00.004-04:00

Haven't done one of these for awhile but it's fun so here goes...

Outside my window...Everything looks wet and rained on, but the sky is blue.

I am thinking...6 hours of sleep just don't cut it.

I am thankful for...getting up early enough to exercise without being rushed!

From the learning rooms..we're on break! Well the kids are on break. I am in planning & organizing mode.

From the kitchen...We are swimming in blueberries after a picking expedition this weekend and the kids have a long line of requests-blueberries with whipped cream, blueberry crisp, blueberry pie, blueberry cake. I will not make all of those today. But maybe one of them.

I am creating...plans. Plans which will hopefully get followed!

I am reading...The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I'm almost finished. Fantastic book, beautifully written & completely original. I'll be sad to see it end... I'm hoping she'll write more-I've been needing a new author. I know now why I could never find this one at the library!

I am hoping...for nice summery weather this week.

I am hearing...quiet. Yes, quiet is actually a sound of it's own in this house.

Around the house...I have been decluttering the school/playroom and it's nearly finished. We've also been on a mission to eradicate fleas which one of our cats brought home. Ugh.

One of my favorite things...my orange juice in the morning. It's like coffee to me. I have to have it.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Let's see- a riding lesson, a library trip, lots of laundry, trying to whip my garden into some semblance of order, going out for ice cream (haven't been doing that enough this summer), and the driving range this weekend (Benjamin's pick).

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Visit Peggy's for all the daybook links!

We're Finished!

2009-08-07T10:37:00.003-04:00

We finally finished our school year this morning, did our last lesson in First Language Lessons (well okay we skipped over some memorization & composition writing lessons that didn't seem necessary) and we read our last chapter of Story of the World II. The kids have a few projects they wanted to do from the last couple of chapters like making eye of newt soup (out of candy) and we didn't do a coloring page yet for the binders but other than that we are finally on complete break.

I finished up our list of memory work for the coming year and it looks like this:

Both Ellie and Benjamin will memorize:

at least 1 poem of their choosing a month, plus FLL poems as they come up
the first 12 U.S. presidents
Their address & phone number (mostly for Benjamin)
The 12 Labors of Hercules (just for fun, Benj. loves Hercules)
Major Wars 1600-1850
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November poem from SOTW III activity guide
Introduction to the Declaration of Independence (at least the beginning part)

Ellie only:

The Preamble to the Constitution
The Star-Spangled Banner (hopefully the entire thing, we'll see)
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (again, we'll see how much we can get though)

White Mountains Vacation

2009-08-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

Just a few photos from our recent vacation....

Madeline in the backpack carrier, hiking....

Kids admiring a waterfall...

Another little waterfall...

Skipping across the river...

Exploring a cave...

And here they are at Polly's Pancake Parlor- gotta take a picture with the horse out front even if it's raining. Our first ever picture here was of Ellie as a toddler so it's cool having one with all four!

Growing

2009-08-03T14:12:00.002-04:00

Planning Out a Year

2009-07-31T14:37:00.007-04:00

This is the first year I've ever attempted to plan out an entire year on paper, but inspired by fellow homeschool bloggers and the general stress of everyday life I've decided to give it a shot. I have had issues this past year with getting behind/not knowing where I should be in a particular book etc. and I hope this will help me stay on track and feel more accountable to something.

I am also thinking ahead to the kids' activities starting up again, plus the many other things going on in our lives right now, some good- some very decidedly not (this is not a "tell-all blog" but this is not the easiest time of our lives right now) and wanting to simplify things as much as possible. It didn't even really take that long- maybe an hour and a half. It looks so neat and easy on paper that I will be afraid to even start for fear of getting behind and messing it up! But it is on a spreadsheet which will be easy to update.

I just made columns for each subject I wanted to plan ahead for (FIAR,Grammar, History, Chemistry,Art, Music, Latin, Writing, and Spanish) and listed weeks 1-36 down the side of the spreadsheet. Then I figured out the amount of each book that would have to be covered each week in order to finish the book in 36 weeks. After that, it was just a matter of plugging the page or lesson numbers into the spreadsheet. I did not include math because we just plug along in the book for 30 minutes a day, or independent reading/read-alouds, or nature study, handwriting, or memory work. My next step is to figure out which of the many (many, many) supplemental history books I bought go with each SOTW III chapter so I can make a list to go by. I don't want to forget I have any!

Then I just need to make up a rough schedule of what days we will do what. We plan on starting August 31, after we get back from our summer vacation- but I know being away wreaks havoc on routine I am not too attached to that date!

Caterpillars

2009-07-30T08:36:00.003-04:00

Ack I am so far behind in posting anything here. These are the caterpillars that showed up in our mailbox two days ago, ordered from InsectLore. They are already hanging upside down on top of the cup, but unfortunately one of them didn't spin their attachment button -or whatever you call it -strong enough and fell down. Ellie was pretty upset, hopefully the other 4 will work out okay. They are painted ladies.