Getting it in Gear...

So this weekend, I spent a lot of time thinking about my lil' Turbo and Tank. I know that I don't have a ton of time with them...I hear it all the time...but I am beginning to feel that never-ending pressure of this reality! AHHH!

It seems that I am so scatter-brained lately that I don't know if I am coming or going half the time. Usually I just check out and hope for the best! (Don't we all?) I just don't get it, I used to be a planner! A very good planner! Now, i just hang by the skin of my teeth and pray to God that we are all there by the end of the day.

So this weekend, I had a bit of alone time. My dear hubby was off making some extra money, and I decided to buckle down and figure things out.

First off: Food...I have been using e-mealz. www.e-mealz.com has been the best thing that I have found in a long, long time. It creates a menu and a grocery list for you each week. DONE...now just have to find time to get groceries.

Next: School. I have been so overwhelmed by what is out there that I get so excited about doing stuff that I forget what I have and move on the to next. Hence...scatter-brained. So, I made myself say: "For the next 4 weeks, I am going to do this." If it doesn't work, then I'll move on.
I have done this with:
-Planning.
-Lapbooks.
-Themes.
-Bible Time.
-Memory verse.

Each week I am going to plan the week (meals included). Each week will include a theme, that will also conclude with a lapbook at the end of the week that will compile what we learned. Each morning at breakfast and before bedtime, we will read a story or two, or three from the Bible. Finally, each week, I will introduce a memory verse, that also has a song to help with memory.

Some of you may have realized that I have an addictive personality...Heh...meaning, I get addicted to things very easily. One that I have found that is something that I really believe our family can get into is Letterboxing (www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com). However, I find that I get too excited about finding a box, that I end up neglecting important things. So, along with my planning the week, I will also plan 1 or 2 letterboxing adventures. And once we have found the letterbox, then that is it for the week, no more until the next week. Plus, it gets us out of this tiny apartment and into the fresh air.

I am really excited about this week and me getting on top of things. I am really getting tired of this trying to keep my head above water thing...WHEW!

Bunnys and Chicks...well eggs really

To continue our celebration of Easter, Turbo and I decided to make marshmallow bunnies and rice krispie eggs dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with sprinkles...












While I was cleaning up and Turbo was suppose to be in the bathroom washing his hands, I walked past the bathroom and this is what I saw!


He had taken ALL his clothes off, wriggled himself into the sink so that he could "take a bath" and play with is Hot Wheel cars that change colors in the water. What is it with this kid and being naked today?

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Teaching preschoolers about St. Patrick's Day...of course...G-Rated, is fun and can be exciting!

First, we talked about shamrocks, rainbows, and pots of gold. Then I introduced them to leprechauns! I told them that leprechauns like to create mischief around the house and that they hide a pot of gold at the end of rainbows!

We did some coloring pages and learned the order of the rainbow colors. Then, to make it all sink in, we made rainbow cupcakes with fluffy white clouds on top!

Even Dear Hubby got in on the action!

?Can't We All Just Get Along?

So this week's playgroup was plagued by lessons of cooperation...err...getting along! Or lack thereof. Sickness has been going around, and now of course, the mommas are getting the bug. So after a few "its on", "its off", "its on, again", "its off again"...forget it..."its on!" we got the chillin's together.

Unfortunately, for both mommas, it was a rocky, hectic morning. Both Turbo and SweetPea were putting mom to the patience test. And we were failing. So we decided to do "calming" activities - DRAWING. Using an AquaDoodle, they drew imaginary dinosaurs, which by the way, Turbo is very interested in. When that got boring and they were finished with "sharing" the doodle pen...OI!...we went to the good ol' fashioned pencil and paper - no body painting this time around.




Turbo drew a diplodicus from a book on how to draw a dinosaur and then wrote the name. Not too bad! I think drawing books need to be on the next library order. He has been devouring this book and making hubby and I draw with him after dinner. It is really a fun family time together!



With it being nice outside, we bundled up and gathered colored water in our squirt bottles and set out on an adventure to see all the neat things we could color with colored water. Turbo thought a white car would be fun to try...BUT IT WASN'T MINE! AHHH! Good thing it came off easy! We even tried to see what color blue and green would make...I think they are still confused. We'll learn that another day.



Upon going inside, it was about that time for meltdown for both parties. SweetPea and Turbo had had enough of the cooperating and sharing. One was up when the other was down and vice versa. Time Outs were definitely the place to be this go around. Finally, both mommies decided to call it quits and were thankful that this was not the time where newcomers came. We might have scared them off for sure!

I've Been Schooled in how to do Schooling!

A friend of mine sent me this hilarious video on what it means to be a homeschooler versus being homeschooled. Just a funny video, I think!

Let the Learning Begin!

Turbo...officially Homeschooling...last day of preschool...first day of Homeschooling...

IT HAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL DAY!

This morning Tank has been a bit off, but Turbo has been outstanding! I am reading a new book called, Taming the Spirited Child, by Dr. Michael Popkin, which we all know that Turbo is, and it has helped the heart of this little boy tremendously and also the act of homeschooling! My approaches have been different and my methods have been altered. In doing this, his reactions are much, much, much different!

We started the morning out in reviewing his vocab words from the last couple of days: pup, car, big, dog, snowman, small, mom, dad, circle, blue, green.

Then we made Jell-O. In doing this we learned how to measure in cups and what hot water looks like. We also added the words: Jell-O and cup to his list of words.

Next up: some action math. We bought him a learning game that hooks up to the TV for Christmas. There is a pad that he jumps on to play educational games on the TV. We worked on math: adding and subtracting. He really does have a mathematical mind: Great! Just my luck!

Afterwards, we worked on uppercase and lowercase letter recognition. Followed by book reading and just playing together.

During this entire time, Tank was a mess. He is just really not into taking naps...only power naps. Which, incidentally, doesn't work too well when trying to do Homeschooling. GRRRR!

This weekend proved to be a lifesaver in the form of spelling! SNOW! I emptied out an old squirt bottle and filled it with water and added blue food coloring: also one of his vocab words - BLUE. I showed him how he can color the snow with it by squirting it onto the clean, white snow. We had a ball! We even spelled out his name and "Mom"; another vocab word.





Then, right before nap time, Turbo said, "I had a Great day at Homeschool, mommy! You're the best teacher!" Ahhhhh....warms my heart!

Now there is only, what: 2256 more days to go until he graduates!

Friday Cancel

It is snowy outside, noses are running, and patience is thin. It is Friday, and the hopes of having some quality mommy time have been dashed with sick kiddos and not to mention a sick mommy (ME!)

I guess this is the true test of a Homeschooling Mommy! I have no intention of tossing school out the window today; although, I am all for it right about now!

But this day seems to call for soup, cookies, books and a fire! I have enlisted a few friends and family to become pen pals with Turbo. Maybe we'll start some letter writing today too! Probably just a few short words. But hey, gotta start somewhere!

DAY 2: Intentional

Alright, so this morning wasn't a complete disaster in the realm of schooling. For some odd reason, Turbo has been engaged in his blocks he got from Nana and Papa for Christmas and has been making these impressive gadgets and gizmo's, dinosaurs, robots, etc.

Finally it was time for Tank to take a nap so I asked Turbo to sit down and to pull himself away from the block for just a few minutes. We practiced writing numbers 1 through 3, both in letters and in numbers. He did quite well. We did some sight words as well. Then off to read a book! This book was about space, astronauts and of course, ROCKETS! So we decided to build a rocket from a cardboard box. Right...cardboard box...where the heck was I suppose to find that at the last minute? AH! I just bought Tank some diapers we'll use that box! "But M-O-M! it's not big enough!" ME: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" Grrr....

I took the box apart and turned it inside out to re-glue it together so that Turbo would have a clean area to design his rocket! HOWEVER! Now that the box was turned inside out...what an AWESOME ramp it would make for his cars! OYE!

So for the next 30 minutes cars were whizzing past my head, followed closely by squeals of delight, "DID YOU SEE THAT?" Ugh...must let go of control, must follow his cues...Ugh...

Finally, I had had enough of cars, ramps, and rocket charged Hot Wheels. I bundled us up and walked to the office to drop off our rent check. Okay...it looks nice from the inside, but to a 3 month old, not so much on the outside. We hurried back inside, when Turbo finally said, NOW CAN WE MAKE OUR ROCKET?

YES! Thank you! Shortly thereafter and about 8 hot glue gun sticks later, we had a small, yet quaint rocket ship for Turbo to play in. Guess what? It now sits underneath our dining room table, discarded like a piece of trash! All that hard work? Kidding, it wasn't the greatest rocket ship, but it was fun while we made it together.

Next up, pizza picnic while watching Martha, the talking dog on PBS kids. How come we didn't have these kinds of shows when I was a kid? Sesame Street was about it! Oscar still kind of creeps me out.

Overall, it wasn't such a bad INTENTIONAL day of homeschooling. Turbo even asked if we could "decorate" our house like a classroom! Yes, baby, I would like to too, but we need to ask God for a new house! Let's pray!

Ahhh...can't get that in public school! :)