learning ALL the time!!

Favorite Resources: January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T06:54:00.000-05:00

Welcome to "Favorite Resource This Week", a weekly link-up hosted here on our blog. All of us have so many wonderful resources that we come across and use every week, and it's great to link up and share our favorites! **Resources of any type are fair game...books, videos/DVDs, websites, favorite television programs, computer games, field trip ideas, ideas for using old materials in a different way...anything that has worked well for your family.** Feel free to use a post you've already written that's applicable and link it up! If you don't have a post, it's fine to just leave a comment...and remember to check back and see what others are sharing!

I post "Favorite Resources" on Fridays, but the link-up remains open through the following Thursday, so you can link any time. You can link your post below. Please include our blog button (HTML code is on our sidebar), or a text link back here, in your post. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing...I am looking forward to reading everyone's posts!!

***

I have a fairly simple resource to showcase this week. The other day, when we were out shopping at our favorite craft store, we found these plastic templates. They didn't cost much at all, so we popped them into our cart and figured they'd be useful at home.

I almost didn't buy them because, honestly, we didn't really need them. I try to be very conscious of how we're spending our money. I suppose we could make similar templates ourselves from cardboard, but it is very nice to have them pre-made and ready to use.

Anyway, the girls opened the package up once we got home and thought they were very cool! We looked at all of the possibilities for what could be done with them...using the shapes together to make various figures, making valentines, adding thought bubbles or dialogue bubbles to pictures, and many other ideas.

Jenna started creating a coloring book the next day, that she might use as a gift for someone...

What kinds of resources inspire creativity in your kids? Have you had the experience of an unexpected find being used in oodles of imaginative ways?

If you're looking for some more good resources, check our Favorite Resources page...I often add new items to the list.

What is your favorite resource this week?

Highlights of Jenna's 11th Birthday

2012-01-26T16:20:00.000-05:00

So, first thing in the morning, gifts were opened.

Jenna was delighted to find that we've officially told her she can get the rabbit she's been wanting so badly...this coming spring or summer, when we find the perfect one. She'll be responsible for all of its care, and for buying its food and any necessary supplies.

This camera was her one request, besides the permission to get a rabbit!

Lauren bought this Lego set for Jenna, after MUCH consideration, with her own money.

Daddy is a volunteer firefighter, and many of the girls' current Lego sets are from the "City" collection. Jenna was very happy with this new set :)

The girls got right to work!

Daddy jumped in to help :)

This is the finished product:

After all of that, we went out together to do some shopping and go out to lunch.

Jenna took along her new camera, and she shared with Lauren how to operate it.

We went to Friendly's for lunch...Jenna's request.

Even though we already had a special dessert planned for after dinner, the girls just HAD to get the sundaes that came with their meals ;)

The happy birthday girl!

She officially turned 11 as we were riding in the car on the way home.

We had been watching the clock and we sang "Happy Birthday!" really loudly...

we sang again as she blew out her candles, though :)

An Update Re: Three Thinking Mothers

2012-01-25T18:19:00.000-05:00

On Monday, at Three Thinking Mothers, I shared that Theresa and I have been mulling over changes for TTM for many weeks now. I invited our readers to follow our Thinking Mothers Pinterest boards, which we are hoping will become an excellent resource, and a way to enhance the community already established at Three Thinking Mothers...have you seen the blog roll at Three Thinking Mothers? It's quite impressive! Already many have clicked to follow our boards, and we truly appreciate it. We've been following everyone back, hoping to build the community so we can all share resources and ideas. I extend the invitation to all of my readers, who may not be familiar with Three Thinking Mothers, to also follow our Pinterest boards...Pinterest is a great resource for finding, sharing, and organizing ideas.

Today, Theresa posted at TTM about the next part of our plan. We are going to host a shared weekly "how to" type of link up on our blogs. This link-up will open each week on Wednesdays, both here and on Theresa's blog, Red Oak Lane. Here's how Theresa described it in her post: "Did you do a really cool science experiment? Make a salt dough map? Come up with a great game? Figure out how to get your 8 year old to put their dirty clothes in the hamper? Write a post about what you did and HOW you did it so that other homeschool moms can do it too! ... Feel free to link up your old posts on how you did stuff too!" Fun projects, home organization tips, recipes, or anything that could be useful to another homeschooling family is what we are looking for!!

We plan to begin next Wednesday, February 1st. Here's a peek at the nifty new button Theresa designed :)

and here's the HTML code so you can grab a button to link up here:

We are hoping this link-up will be another source of shared resources among members of our online community. We're planning to categorize many of the posts that are linked up on our Thinking Mothers Pinterest boards. We are excited to get started! So, get your posts ready to link up next Wednesday!!

A Very Special Day :)

2012-01-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today has been a very full, busy day...

celebrating one SPECIAL young lady!!

And here she is, getting ready to enjoy her chosen birthday treat :)

(More details about her special day to come in a later post)

Remembering Gratitude #18

2012-01-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

This week I am grateful for:

The kind of friend who talks to me when our girls have some issues instead of making excuses and avoiding dealing with the problems...hooray for good friends :)

Homemade soup and bread

A good pencil sharpener...the kind where you put the pencil in and turn the handle.

There's nothing quite as inspiring as a nicely sharpened pencil!

Remembering to "release" -- just saying the word in my head helps relax me

The connection with homeschool friends, blogging across the country and on the other side of the world! One of my favorite times of day is when I can settle in, first thing in the morning with my coffee, and read others' words which I connect to. The same with reading comments on our blog. Some of these other moms I connect with through comments back and forth, others by email as well, and even a phone conversation now and then. I am grateful for the sense of community, even though it's not next door or down the street. I still feel it ... it's still there!

Theresa, and the fact that we're getting some details worked out to try to revive the community of Three Thinking Mothers in a way that we are comfortable with...a way that we feel won't hold too much of an obligation over our time, but hopefully will still be useful. (Details coming soon!)

Watching snow coming down, although I wish it would stay a bit longer!

We're supposed to have warmer temps and rain on Monday :(

Having my husband to co-parent with me. I could handle the work of being a parent on my own if I absolutely had to, but I am so grateful that I don't have to! It is good to have a partner to share the everyday work and worries, to help solve problems, and to help in guiding our girls.

From my first Remembering Gratitude post:

For many years, starting back when I was in grad school through when the girls were small, I kept a gratitude journal. I loved the practice of remembering to be grateful for the little things and taking note of it all. It was an important process for me, and it helped to change my overall perspective of the world from a negative one to a much more positive view. I have gotten out of the habit of writing regularly in a physical journal, although it does still exist on my bedside stand. I have decided that I want to try keeping a gratitude journal on a weekly basis on our blog. I firmly believe that remembering to keep an attitude of gratitude is vitally important to happiness!

Linking with Theresa, at Red Oak Lane:

Weekly Recap: January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T22:20:00.000-05:00

I finally remembered to take my phone into the clay studio on Monday to take pictures when I picked the girls up from their clay class!! This was their second to last class, and they've been learning to use the pottery wheel for the past six weeks. They've had a GREAT time and have learned a lot. After this session ends, they will be taking a break from clay classes for a bit.

1. We used BrainPOP to watch movies about Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, and Mahatma Gandhi.

2. Games were played! :) We played an animal trivia game with these Professor Noggin's cards and we played Phase 10.

3 - 5. LOTS of recorder practicing!! The girls decided that they were ready to resume playing their recorders. They practiced together to put on a performance for David and I one evening, and they worked on their music reading skills so they could learn new songs...completely self-motivated and only assisted by me in very minor ways.

6 - 7. The Lego play is still very much on upstairs in "Kidland". The girls have a whole story surrounding "Sunshine Mansions" that is ongoing.

8. Jenna and I made Theresa's Mystery Bars this week...so yummy!

9. We had to make sort of an unplanned outing on Thursday, to pick David's Dad up from a doctor's appointment. We were between audio books...we had finished Little Town on the Prairie, but These Happy Golden Years hadn't come in at the library yet...oh the horrors! To be without an audio book to listen to is almost unheard of for us anymore! ;) Anyway, the girls had to occupy themselves in the car somehow, so they dressed up the center headrest in the back seat, and made up various names and characters for the "person" they had created :) They have very active imaginations!!

Many, many things are not pictured...things like sewing; Snap Circuits; football watching with Daddy; cooking; drawing; writing (we began Everyday Dreams journals...thanks again Christina!!); watching Nim's Island, The Waltons: The Complete Eighth Season, various educational DVDs that we picked up at the library, and a great History Channel presentation on DVD called The Quest for Dragons; Jenna working on her digital photography study; listening to music from Broadway musicals on Pandora; lots and lots of reading; and we attended a free program to learn about the Northeast Mobile Search and Rescue team and met their service dogs.

Never dull, and never the same!

I'm happy to link with Mary :)

An Unexpected Email...

2012-01-20T23:25:00.000-05:00

I opened my email late in the day yesterday to see this subject line: "Learning All the Time named to our Top 100 Homeschool Blogs" on an email in my inbox! I was intrigued and curious.

I read that the site TeacherCertificationDegrees.com had awarded our blog "based on recommendations from other homeschool blogs and because we think your site is a great resource for people interested in homeschooling". Wow! Cool! I felt quite honored, and I clicked through to see what other blogs made the list...quite an impressive list and I am proud to be on it :) They included a description of our blog that I like: "Rigid schedules and restrictive curriculum have no place on “Learning All the Time”, where rural New Yorker Susan offers a handy reference to family-friendly web resources and tosses out the worksheets in favor of lessons contained in bread-making sessions or visits to a favorite thrift store."

Such a nice surprise! :)

Favorite Resources: January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T06:56:00.000-05:00

***

Jenna and Lauren have recently been enjoying a series of books called Manga Math Mysteries.

I asked the girls to tell me about the books. They told me that they are stories with math woven into them, not at all like a text book. The same group of kids, who are part of a Kung Fu school, are in all the stories. Each individual story is a mystery that is solved with math skills. Geometry, probability, division, and multiplication are just some of the skills in the stories.

I didn't read the stories myself, but I know Jenna and Lauren really seemed to be enjoying them. I also heard them talking about the stories and the concepts contained within them in other contexts. I would recommend the books as a high interest way for kids to see math in action. Fortunately, our public library now owns the set, so we have easy access to them :)

If you're looking for some more good resources, check our Favorite Resources page...I often add new items to the list.

What is your favorite resource this week?

Beer Bread Recipe

2012-01-18T07:02:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share a recipe we use frequently. There's not much better on a cold and/or damp day than hot homemade soup and bread for dinner. We LOVE homemade bread, but honestly, I often don't decide soon enough in the day that I want it for dinner that night to make more traditional bread recipes. An easy go-to bread for us is this recipe. It is very simple, quick, and typically yields a good result. The girls can help make dinner by mixing this up while I'm working on something else.

Beer Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups unbleached white flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 - 12 oz. beer

Combine all ingredients and scoop into a well oiled bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for a bit, then turn out of pan. Don't be surprised if it's a bit tricky getting it out of the pan, even if you've oiled well. The bread will still taste good, even if it's not beautiful :) It's also best to let the bread cool out of the pan for a while before you cut it...it does cut more easily that way. If you're like us, though, you'll often wait until the last minute to make it, and you'll have to slice it hot. This frequently results in less than gorgeous slices.

If there is any leftover bread, it's excellent toasted for breakfast!

Do you have any quick recipes like this that you turn to for making a good meal for your family?

Visit to the World Awareness Children's Museum

2012-01-17T06:55:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned, last Friday we girls made a visit to the World Awareness Children's Museum, which is about a 40 minute drive away from us. I actually took the afternoon off from work so that we could not only attend a homeschool program that was happening there in the late morning, but be able to explore the museum without having to rush to get home. Afterwards, we also made a trip to the large, regional library (one of our favorite places to go!) that is near the museum.

Just before the program started, we explored a bit...we managed to be a few minutes early (not quite sure how that happened!)

1. Lauren was exploring the traditional Japanese room, already dressed in a kimono
2. Jenna was checking out a kimono for herself
3. Jenna took this photo of Lauren and I
4. Jenna was giving Lauren a hand as she tried on a different look
5. Ta-da! Jenna finally picked one for herself! :)

Lauren explored the drum in the Dragon Boat...not surprising since Lauren adores noise and rhythms!

Then, the program began. The girls learned about the art of Chinese dragons, and they learned a bit about Chinese New Year. (The upcoming Chinese New Year is the year of the dragon.) Then they sketched out a dragon, which they watercolor painted. Lauren was sincerely unhappy with the way hers turned out, but she might try making another one at home.

After the program ended, Jenna and Lauren went back to exploring! There were some really nifty musical instruments from various places around the world. Everything was nicely labeled and interactive.

The girls' absolute favorite displays were the dressing up displays, like this World of Fashion exhibit {I took advantage of the big mirror to snap a shot of myself ;) }

I love globes, and this one was huge--and it lighted up!

This display is pretty cool...a magnetic world map with magnetic coins to match up with their country of origin.

One of the last exhibits we enjoyed was the Nigerian Marketplace...all very interactive and hands-on.

We'll be returning to this museum for sure! Admission is very affordable, and they have a monthly homeschool program, as well as a variety of other programs for kids. The current special exhibit and program focus is on Chinese New Year, and next month the focus is Haitian love symbols and carnival celebrations around the world (think Mardi Gras, but in a variety of locations).

Remembering Gratitude #17

2012-01-15T06:52:00.000-05:00

This week I am grateful for:

A new computer (our ancient desktop had a few too many tricky behaviors...I had enough!)

Being able to afford all we need, plus items like a new computer:

I really feel so very blessed with this one!

I grew up in very different circumstances than our current one...
seven children with never enough money.

My life as a kid was a lot different than my girls' lives, and I am

SO GRATEFUL!!!!

Winter weather, although I don't like driving in it!

Fun learning opportunities

Gingerbread cookies in the freezer

Hot cocoa after dinner with gingerbread cookies :)

David officially being on board with our getting a puppy!! :)

Planning family mini-adventures together

Learning OUR way (I'm constantly grateful for this!)

From my first Remembering Gratitude post:

Weekly Recap: January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

1. We played many math-themed games, including Pay Day...a favorite from my childhood :)

2. Jenna made us peanut butter rice crispy treats.

3 & 4. Many computer games were played, including those on Funbrain. We now have two new laptops, instead of our ancient desktop and one laptop...so blessed!!

5. We learned about cells this week and we made cell models from pizzas.

6 & 7. We went to a homeschool program about the art of Chinese dragons, in honor of Chinese New Year, at the World Awareness Children's Museum (about a 40 minute drive for us). The girls learned about Chinese dragons and how to draw them, then they watercolor painted the dragons they created.

8 & 9. Since we've never gone to this museum before (it's been on my list of places I've wanted to visit since they re-opened in a new location many months ago), we explored the museum thoroughly while we were there. {I plan to write a separate post including more pictures and info about what we saw there.}

Jenna took picture #8 while Lauren and I were dressed in some kimonos. The girls were exploring a Nigerian marketplace exhibit in picture #9.

Not pictured: finishing the seventh season of The Waltons on DVD, lots and lots of reading, Lego play, plenty of crafting and creating, letter writing, using BrainPOP, helping with various tasks around the house, continuing to listen to Little Town on the Prairie on audio book, doing activities from the Big Book of Girl Stuff, cracking up over jokes in Honest Abe's Funny Money Book, and generally having fun learning together as a family :)

Hope your week was great, too!! Now, off to have more fun with my family!

Linking with:

Learning About Cells!!

2012-01-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

This week, we decided to learn about cells.

Our starting point was Chapter 2 of Real Science 4 Kids, Biology Level 1.

This led us to watching many BrainPOP movies on the topic of cells.

We worked together on completing some of the pages of the lab workbook associated with RS4K...

we looked at these diagrams very closely,

and the girls worked hard on labeling cell diagrams for a prokaryotic cell, an animal cell, and a plant cell.

We learned LOTS of facts about cells, and it was a lot of FUN!! Seriously!

The best part is that we took our knowledge of cells and applied it to the pizzas we made for dinner :)

I was inspired by this post and this post at All Things Beautiful (thanks Phyllis!)

{These and other fun science ideas can also be found on my "science" Pinterest board}

Here are our pizzas!

animal cell model

plant cell model

Plant cell:

cell wall = pizza tray

cell membrane = crust

cytoplasm = sauce + cheese

chloroplasts = green pepper

Golgi apparatus (Lauren was SO PROUD that she had memorized how to spell this one!) = cluster of onions

mitochondria = pepperoni halves

nucleus = whole pepperoni with an olive half in the center for the nucleolus

ribosomes = small chopped broccoli

rough endoplasmic reticulum = separate cluster of onion slices sprinkled with chopped broccoli

lysosomes = sliced olives

peroxisomes = tiny chopped olives

Animal cell:

all of the above EXCEPT no cell wall and no chloroplasts

We had to get creative with the toppings we had on hand ;)

The girls did such a great job, and they shared all they learned with David over dinner that night.

I love this kind of learning!!

I'll be linking with Ticia at Adventures in Mommydom for:

Favorite Resources: January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T07:01:00.000-05:00

***

When thinking about which favorite resource to post about this week, I decided that the clear choice for us is Moneyville. I first mentioned Moneyville in THIS POST...the girls have really been enjoying this site! Good money sense is an important life skill, and I am all for learning it in a fun way :) Directly from the "information for teachers" portion of the site: "Moneyville.co.uk is an educational website that was designed to enable school children aged 5 to 9 years old to learn more about money in a fun and interactive environment. With its entertaining games and various activities, your pupils can explore where money comes from, what money is worth and how they can prioritise and save up." As far as the age range listed, my girls are 9 and almost 11, and they think it's a lot of fun! I just love finding enjoyable ways for the girls to learn math concepts!

If you're looking for some more good resources, check our Favorite Resources page...I often add new items to the list.

What is your favorite resource this week?

Liebster Blog Award

2012-01-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

"Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite. The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create new connections and bring attention to these wonderful blogs!"

I am so pleased and honored that Phyllis at All Things Beautiful thought of me for this award!! Phyllis' blog is definitely one of my favorites...I love reading about what she and her kids are up to, and I find myself frequently pinning her posts -- or repinning her pins ;) -- for us to use later. So, thank you so very much Phyllis!

The rules are:

Add the award to your blog.
Thank the giver with a link back to them.
List your top 5 picks and let them know they've been given an award by leaving a comment on their blog.
Hope that your followers will spread the love to the blogs you've spotlighted.

These blog awards are always tough for me...I read so many great blogs! Since I can only pick five with less than 200 followers, here are my top 5 picks, in alphabetical order ;)

HomeSchool Girls

Interest-Led Learning

Little Homeschool on the Prairie

loving to learn

Teachable Moments

Stop by each of their great blogs and say "hi!"... you won't be sorry you did!

Remembering Gratitude #16

2012-01-08T07:01:00.000-05:00

This week I am grateful for:

Sunshine

Time off from work

The smell of pumpkin cranberry bread and fresh baked cookies

Hot coffee

Chickens running around our yard, and fresh eggs

Quiet time to reflect

Snow, although it didn't last long

The discovery of Sarah Ban Breathnach books I haven't read yet

(many thanks to Rosemarie at Sweet Home Days for pointing this out!)

Time to read books, just-for-me kinds of books, early in the morning

My girls loving reading so much

The freedom to learn in our own way

The fact that even though the girls have colds right now, we don't spend our fall and winter really sick the way we used to when the girls were in public school

Having food to prepare

Having laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put away

Lauren's sense of bright colors, even though she feels yucky

My siblings...all six of them! :)

A quote to share about "the essence of wonder" from Romancing the Ordinary: A Year of Simple Splendor by Sarah Ban Breathnach (link to her website): "When we're little, a parental litany of 'Not now' to perfectly plausible questions ... stifles the spiritual growth hormone of curiosity, a crucial component of wonder. Sooner than can scarcely be imagined, innate wonder is replaced by indifference...Perhaps kids grow up so fast because they find childhood in our company so dull. Who could blame them? We're so caught up in the drudgery of our daily rounds, we're not much fun to be around and apathy at any age is contagious."

I don't know about you all, but this is NOT what I want for my girls...
one of the many reasons that this weekly gratitude list is important to me is that
it helps keep my sense of wonder alive :)
I intend to do all in my power to foster my girls' sense of wonder!

From my first Remembering Gratitude post:

Weekly Recap: January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a good week...but they all are, really :) There is always good, even in the worst weeks (and this was certainly not one of the worst!)

1 - 5: This has been a week for Legos at our house. The girls got them out and started building early in the week. The first story they created was a war/spy story (they've since recreated and come up with a new story). The war/spy theme is a first for them, actually. I think it might have been inspired by The Waltons, as the U.S. has entered WWII in the episodes we're watching. Cars 2 with its spy theme might be another source of inspiration...the girls watched part of that movie last weekend ;)

6 -7: We have been working on multiplication this week. We made multiplication boxes (link to my pin on Pinterest), and

8: we played Spiral, A Multiplication Game (link to my pin). This game was OK, but it seemed like the pawns moved too fast around the board when you multiplied the number on the cards times the roll of the die. (for lots of other math ideas, see my "math ideas" board)

*NOTE: after I published this post, one of my brilliant sisters corrected my (stupid!) misunderstanding of the directions of this game, and now I think we'll try again! I was thinking that the number of spaces that players moved their pawns depended upon the product of the numbers multiplied together (the card x the die). It turns out you are supposed to go the number rolled on the die, if you get the product correct. Silly me!*

9: Lots of reading on the new Kindles! Plenty of reading of the more standard variety of books, too.

10: Jenna worked hard on a blog post...

11: then she typed it in and posted it :)

12: Jenna and I decided together to buy a Digital Photography unit study from Amanda Bennett. Jenna has asked for a good quality point-and-shoot for her birthday, which is coming soon. She wants to learn all about taking pictures!

13: For Christmas, the girls got The Metropolitan Museum of Art Page-a-Day calendar. We've been using this to bring some art appreciation into our lives, as well as a jumping off point for learning more about famous artists. The first page in the calendar was a Degas painting, and we've gotten the book Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Edgar Degas from the library to read.

14: The girls have discovered Moneyville!! This is a site that I came across HERE, and since it looked like a good site to me, I added it to our Kid-Friendly Sites page. Yesterday, while we were at work at the library, the girls were looking for something to do. I remembered Moneyville, and showed it to them. They were hooked right away :) They have played at home several times, too.

15: Jenna is reading...

16: this book, The Big Book of Girl Stuff. Since this book came in at the library yesterday (I had requested it), both girls have really been enjoying it. It is filled with all kinds of facts that are interesting to girls, as well as more personal "girl stuff". I have a feeling we're going to end up buying this book...that's how much they like it!

Not pictured: watching lots of episodes of The Waltons, finishing The Long Winter and beginning Little Town on the Prairie on audio, using BrainPOP, much crafting and creating, outdoor play, and various other activities.

I'm glad to link up with:

Favorite Resources: January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

***

It's good to be back! I hope you all had a special and fun-filled holiday season with your families :)

While I was on a bit of a blogging break over the holidays, I did some research into some resources to go along with the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder that we've been reading. (Right now we're listening to Little Town on the Prairie on audio book--we so love audio books in the car!) I thought I'd share what I've come up with so far:

Little House Books, a site by HarperCollins Publishers. This site includes information about all of the original books, the Girls of the Little House books, and lots of other information and activities geared for both kids and educators.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum (Rocky Ridge Farm) site

Of course, we went to the historic homestead of Almanzo Wilder's family this past summer, which was a GREAT trip for us!!

I also found this site for Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl, which seems to include some good information and resources.

I created a "Little House project ideas" board on Pinterest that you can check out, if you're interested.

In addition to these online resources, we own The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories, by Barbara M. Walker and Garth Williams, from which we'll be doing some cooking. We've already looked up several foods in the cookbook to read information about cooking during Laura's time. Right now we have My Little House Crafts Book: 18 Projects from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Stories, by Carolyn Strom Collins, home from the library. I anticipate some crafting from this book in the near future ;)

If you have any other suggestions of resources related to the Little House series or pioneer life, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

If you're looking for some more good resources, check our Favorite Resources page...I often add new items to the list.

What is your favorite resource this week?

2012 Has Begun!

2012-01-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

Maybe you've noticed (maybe not?), but I've been taking a break from blogging over holidays. I've felt the need to be quiet here, for the most part, and spend my time focused on home and family. We've also been taking a break at Three Thinking Mothers, at least for the time being. It's been good to not worry about posting for a while. By not being focused on posting, I've spent my online time doing some research into ideas that might interest my girls and ideas that interest me. I've spent time on Pinterest, adding to my boards and thinking over some fun projects.

In the coming year, in our homeschool efforts, I want to focus on balance--balancing the girls' interests plus what I'd like to introduce to them. Towards this goal, I think we'll zero in on math learning for a while, with lots of games and hands-on activities. I see myself jumping in with lots of (hopefully) fun projects and encouraging them to join. The reason I think this is important is that we find it very easy to fit in history and science learning, lots of writing happens quite naturally, and goodness knows that reading is a constant around here! Math isn't necessarily a topic the girls gravitate towards, though. Practical, real-life math happens every day, certainly, but I feel like certain math skills need some work. I am planning to put my primary emphasis in planning activities for the next while on math-related activities and games. It should be lots of fun...I foresee much game playing...in fact, we've already begun :)

In other news, inspired by many other bloggers, I've been trying on various words as my own, personal word for 2012. This will be the word that I'd like to have define my focus for the year...rather than make resolutions I won't keep. The word I've settled upon is RELEASE. I have many things in my life that I need to let go of: feelings, ideas, petty stuff, expectations, to-do lists... I think RELEASE is a good word for me to focus my efforts on in the coming year!

Christmas 2011 Collage

2012-01-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

We had a very simple, low-key, relaxed Christmas Day...it was great!! I thought I'd share a few of the highlights:
1. Jenna's gift to Lauren...she made it all by herself!
2. Lauren's gift to Jenna (made from this tutorial), which Lauren and I worked on together.
3. and 4. Each of the girls got a Kindle Touch!
5. and 6. A Snap Circuits set (SC-300) was a huge hit!!
7. I baked cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree as part of our Christmas breakfast :)
8. The girls loved their Klutz My Style Studio, and many fashions have been drawn.
9. The girls' Aunt Elizabeth made their A.G. dolls new outfits and pajamas...they were thrilled (the girls and the dolls!)

I have many other pictures, but I think these capture the favorites of the day. Honestly, many of my pictures were blurry...lots of action and poor response time on my part, and the camera's ;)

Remembering Gratitude #15: Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been taking a blogging break for the last week or so, but posting my gratitude list is important to me each week...I didn't want to miss it!

This week I am grateful for:

Singing -- loudly!-- as I drive down the road :) Who knows, maybe my crazy-looking self made someone else laugh!

A fairly easy grocery shopping trip

Slowing down my speed while driving and really noticing how beautiful it is where we live

Music

Popcorn...popping it on the stove and watching it pop brings lots of smiles, and it smells so good!! :)

Lauren dancing and singing as she was throwing popcorn around outdoors for the birds and squirrels :)

Laying in bed, in no particular hurry to get up, watching snowflakes in the air outside the window

A very relaxed, simple Christmas day

Talking to my Mom and my Grandma on the phone

Time with extended family this weekend

That our girls are happy with simple gifts...sure we sometimes get tempted by all sorts of STUFF when we go out shopping, but when it comes down to it, we do well with simple

Time to relax and not worry a bit about blogging

New little houseplants happily installed in their pots and placed on my bedroom shelves

The prospect of a new puppy?? (we're thinking about it...)

My Three Thinking Mothers partners, even though we are making some changes, I am so grateful for Mary and Theresa!!

Homeschooling -- I'm always grateful for this :)

From my first Remembering Gratitude post:

I wish a very happy and healthy 2012 for all of you!!

Signing off for a while...

2011-12-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

Family Holiday Traditions

2011-12-23T07:56:00.001-05:00

This week at Three Thinking Mothers, we are focusing our attention on the traditions that our families observe to make the holiday season special. Mary told us about her family sharing some together time, driving around looking at the Christmas lights and sipping peppermint milk shakes. Theresa shared with us the many historically rich traditions in which her family participates. There have been several people who've linked up their own posts, sharing their families' traditions during this season. There are differences and there are similarities in what individual families do to celebrate the holidays, but what is important (at least in my opinion) is the fact that we do have traditions. Traditions connect us to our loved ones and to the time we are celebrating. Traditions can be simple or they can be elaborate, but they are ours, and they mean something to us.

To read more, you'll have to click over to read the rest of my post!!

Our Thursday in Pictures

2011-12-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today we decorated outdoors for the birds and wild animals:

1. our bird seed ornaments

2. popcorn and peanuts for the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, etc.

3. full bird feeders!

4. and 5. hanging up ornaments

6. Lauren singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" while scattering popcorn :)

7. Jenna joining in

8. scattering popcorn and peanuts

9. chickens had to investigate!

10. and 11. our ornaments are hanging on several trees outdoors

A while later, we looked out to see lots of birds had discovered our offerings :)

It was Lauren's half birthday today...she is now officially 9 1/2!! We baked and decorated Lauren's chosen treat...

Such a fun day, and David was here to share it all with us!!

Remembering Gratitude #14

2011-12-22T07:01:00.000-05:00

This week I am grateful for:

My girls' energy and happiness

Times when I feel like I accomplished a lot in a day, but it was still a relaxed day

Completing holiday projects we've been planning

The girls' clay class

The girls being able to go with me to work...and that they can read together :)

Our jobs which allow us to afford all we need, plus some of what we want

For good health care

Reading wonderful stories together (like the Patricia Polacco holiday stories we've discovered, and the Little House series)

Laughing with (at?) my husband...he does make me laugh!!

That my cousin (a Marine) is on his way home from fighting!!!!

From my first Remembering Gratitude post:

At Three Thinking Mothers, we will be continuing Thankful Thursdays through the holiday season. Won't you join us?