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The Great Sun flower project- ~join the hunt for bees! I just found this today, and we will be participating..it looks very easy to set up, I like easy.. :) So, how 'bout you, care to join us?



I'm liking this table over at Design Sponge...I'm bugging Sky to make us a new dining table, actually I'm thinking of old barn wood top..but I like the foundation of this table very much.


The Casual Blogger Conference, I'm going!! This will be my very first blog conference, if you are thinking about it, even a tiny bit, click over and then look at the schedule...it will convince you. Early bird discount ends today, hurry!

Labels: memes

Accommodate the wheelchair-bound among you,
or I'll be forced to think mean things about you...!

Last night, I invited Grandma and Grandpaw to come watch Josie at fencing lesson. Grandmother has to use her wheelchair more and more, something she has put off as long as possible.

Knowing I was going to invite them, I scoped out the fencing place- looking for where we would place her. The outside of the facility is in FDA compliance, but the inside is a little sketchy.
(funny how having strollers and or family with a wheel chair changes your perspective on things like curbs and aisles...)
There is a waiting room with comfy couches, but no view of the workout floor. Most of the parents sit upstairs on a balcony- not assessable, there are two seats at the foot of the stairs that are rarely used, because they are a bit awkwardly in the walking path of the stairs. There are a couple of chairs on the far side of the workout floor (which is wood) but they are off the wood and on a narrow strip of floor- I checked, too narrow for a wheelchair. So, our only option was the seat area at the foot of the stairs.

When we arrived, there was a lady already in one of the seats, with a pile of books in the chair next to her. I politely asked her if we could move the empty seat to another spot so we could fit the wheelchair there. I asked very sweetly. (and I admit, I expected her to then offer us the whole area and go sit elsewhere)
She protested that she was saving the seat for someone, and she would 'scooch' her chair over 2 inches to make room for the wheelchair next to her. Grandpaw (my dad) replied that this would not work, because the wheelchair would be totally blocking the doorway. She thought everyone would go around her. uh, no... The lady now had an air of "I don't know what you should do, it's your problem, but I'll offer suggestions"...and she suggested we move a set of wire shelves out of the way and park the chair there.

1. this is not my studio, I don't want to offend the owners by moving their furniture
2. there was nowhere close to place this shelf unit, our only close option would be to place it directly on the practice floor, again the owners might take issue with this
3. if we put it on the floor, Grandmother would be sitting right behind it and not be able to see...which was the whole point of packing up the wheelchair into and out of the car to go see her granddaughter fence...

We were being so polite, and this woman was being so obliviously unaware of courtesy in an on-purpose sort of way.

It was at this point I was about to suggest she take her capable body and two legs that work and climb up the stairs and sit in the seating up there. Two things held my tongue, a sense of not being the mean person...and the feeling that Grandmother would probably want to go about un-noticeable. I am thinking this must have stopped my dad, too. I had the feeling that if I pointed out the obvious to this woman, she would have become defensive in demonstrating why she was not in the wrong, when she was clearly behaving wrongly- and cause a scene that would make Grandmother unhappy.

So, we let it pass, moved the shelves onto the floor, but somehow my dad got the woman to move her chairs over so she was sitting behind the shelves, not Grandmother.

We were left standing for 1 hour, because the only seats left were across the floor or upstairs, and we didn't want to leave grandmother alone.

I don't get people. Really.

I did get over it, evidence A: I didn't take a photo of the scene and post it online.

next time, lady...next time.

p.s. she read a book the whole time. which she could have done in the waiting room.

p.p.s. karma or whatever you want to call it- comes around eventually... which is why these things don't bother me long. :)

Labels: Emma-doodle dog, Wordless Wednesday

I wrote in an earlier post about audio books being one of my homeschool secret-weapons.
In this post, I would like to share one of our all-time favorite audio stories, A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard.

Read superbly by Neil Patrick Harris- (really, I could go on and on about what a splendid job he did with this..) this is the story of Antwan, hip & wild Hollywood coyote- living the good life in the Hollywood hills, content to dine on left-overs scrounged outside movie-star homes, watching movies at the drive-in and through windows of homes, enjoying the wild/free life of living coyote.

Antwan is curious about the lives of domesticated dogs, and when he meets Buddy and is invited by Buddy to switch places with him, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he hilariously learns how to be dog. Antwan becomes the new family pet, sharing the house with Buddy and Miss Betty- a showdog. In return for lessons on being a dog, Antwan agrees to teach Buddy how to be wild and to introduce Buddy to Antwan's pack.

This story shines because of the fast and funny dialog between characters. It's wonderful on audio with the entertaining accents done by Neil Patrick Harris. Antwan calls Buddy "homes" and runs with a gang called the "wild diablos"- he exudes coolness. Buddy is the stern ex-dog star, Miss Betty the elegant, stuck-up show dog. The best character reading had to be Lola, the show cat Miss Betty talks Antwan into cat-napping, instead of eating...she is read as a valley-girl-talking aspiring actress, and it is just hilarious.

Antwan is accepted in the family as "our Timmy", Buddy becomes more depressed at being the over-the-hill dog star and Miss Betty comes up with a plan to cheer him up. The plot and adventures get all tangled up in good fun. All my kids, ages 7 up to 14 loved this book, they begged to continue listening everytime we got into the car.
-One warning, the *b word is used twice, in referring to a show dog- it's done in a technical, matter of fact way, not meant to be used as a bad word at all- but it might startle you if you don't know it's coming. My kids don't realize at all that it is used in a bad way, so it did not cause any comment with my bunch. -just a warning.

love this story, give it a 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Labels: book review, reading basket, secret weapon

A few things around the internet that have caught my eye:

• Making your home a little piece of heaven, over at Clover Lane. Simple, sweet, beautiful.

Aha!
Something to chew on this week...

• From I'm an Organizing junkie- Free printable responsibility charts, with an explanation of how she uses these on clipboards for her older kids, and some great links to other posts on kids & chores.

• From The Creative Momma- DIY Chore cards, these are for your little kids, and what a great idea! I love how pretty the cards are, too. Hat tip to Simple Kids.

• Just a reminder: My homeschooled kids still have basic human rights, most public school kids do not...FBI investigating PA school webcam spying over at Parent at the helm. It's not always ultimate power that corrupts, but unaccountability. Notice the slippery edu-crat speak as school spokespeople try to say there was no wrong-doing, without actually admitting or denying anything...

• last,

this will just make you laugh...


Enjoy your Sunday night!

7 Quick Takes Friday is hosted over at Conversion Diary.

Labels: family, fencing, memes

The Carnival of Homeschooling -Think Spring edition is up over at SmallWorld.

a few posts that I particularly enjoyed are-

• Why is homeschooling so popular? over at No Fighting, No Biting!
• Nuture Shock Chapter-Plays well with others over at Petticoat Government
• Oz never did give nothing to the children they didn't already have at Parent at the Helm
• my favorite had to be Prime Numbers are like Monkeys at Let's play math! (I can't wait till we get to prime numbers for the littles now!)

~I'm thinking about attending the Casual Blogger Conference, after all this talk about Blissdom, which sounded incredible!...I'm thinking the Casual Blogger Conference might be more in my league, and more important, it's closer in location to me. C Jane is one of the speakers! I heart C Jane's blog...

anyway, anyone thinking of going? Come on, it'll be fun!

Labels: homeschool

Labels: hens, Wordless Wednesday

Everyone loves a good story. Even if they do not know this indisputable truth of life -yet, it still rings true...everyone loves a good story. Your job, homeschool mom- is to reel them in...


My third homeschool secret weapon is...slip them a good, good story
- audio books are a highly effective way to accomplish this.

If you have emergent readers at your home- or even older readers who haven't fallen hard yet for reading...take a peek at the audio books your library has, and prepare to capture your captive audience.

My most successful audio stories to reign in the beginner reader:

• Hank the Cowdog
• The Boxcar Children series
• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  
  

The Boxcar Children are a series of easy chapter books written in the 1920's. Clean and innocent, with mystery. My first attempt at 'reeling' in my new readers was a big success.
~Here was my method, first time out of the box...

Step 1-I borrowed The Boxcar Children book #1-audio, listened to it in the car. The kids were a captive audience, became drawn into the story...and begged to listen to more whenever we were in the car.

Step 2- Brought home The Boxcar Childrn book #2 in regular old book format...began reading it to the kids nightly, and then- got too busy to finish 2 chapters from the end.

Step 3- left the book lying around in open areas...on the dining table/next to the couch/on the kitchen counter.

Step 4- happened on its own, spotted my readers curled up with book, finishing the story.

I keep my eye out for new/fun reads on audio at the library. We enjoy comedy best, but have enjoyed several classics, too. Have a long road trip coming up? Stock up on audio books, they will encourage an interest in books, and introduce wonderful vocabulary.

Hank the Cowdog is our hands-down favorite on audio- and what a treat, the episode supply is almost endless! Other audio books that tickled our funny bones include;

*The Tale of Despereaux ( a work of art!, not to be missed on audio!)
*Ella Enchanted (much different/richer than the movie) *Boston Jane *A Coyote's in the house
*did I mention Hank the Cowdog?...

others we have enjoyed:

*Winnie the pooh *Socks (read by Neil Patrick Harris, he is amazing- he did Coyote in the house, and did a superb job) *Pollyanna (wonderful, Sky loved this one on a long trip)
*Artemis Fowl *The Secret Garden *Chronicles of Narnia *Our only May Amelia

now, go reel them in, mom!

Labels: homeschool, reading basket, secret weapon

Sunday link awesome-ness fun...

• Ritzy Misfit pendants. I need one of these.Need. Click over, they look like sealing wax embossing for old fashioned letters, oh the colors!

I don't know how to choose... Would I get my initial or a fleur de lis?

Such questions will only paralyze me into ordering nothing...it's a sickness, yet serves to protect our bank account, so I go with it.

• Refining Possibilities at Small Notebook- yes, exactly.

• More than Words; simple ways to show your kids you love them -over at Simplekids

7 Quick Takes, a day- late edition...February 13

Labels: memes

If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal. I can call you Betty.
and Betty when you call me you can call me Al.

Did you forget all about this one?

The 80's, best *MUSIC* decade
eVaH!!

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

Daybook February 8, 2010

For Today;

Outside my window... it is a clear, dark night. We had a beautiful clear, blue day here. Tomorrow we are supposed to get rain again in the afternoon.

I am thinking... about the things I need to prepare for tomorrow's Classical Conversations class. Also thinking about homeschool prep.

I am thankful for...the blessing of being able to go out on a date-night with Sky- to be able to eat out, even if it is only a burger joint, and the chance to spend a few quiet hours together.

From the learning rooms... Teddy did not come today because he was sick. Meg is still sick. I am counting today as a no-school day, but I still had Josie, Demi and Amie do math. We are playing with a free 30 day trial of Aleks math (it's an online program), so I had the kids spend some time on this today.

From the kitchen...Leftovers! Served up leftover ribs to the kids, Sky made them last night in honor of the Superbowl. There is also a pile of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I made last night.

I am wearing... black pants and a sweater.

I am creating...photos. Playing with my camera and playing a bit with photoshop elements.

I am going... Actually, I am already at Barne's & Nobles after dinner at the hamburger place.

I am reading...
The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre
The Awe-Manac: a daily dose of wisdom by Jill Badonsky

I am hoping...that no one else at my house gets sick. That Meg is better by tomorrow.

I am hearing...jazz music playing at the B & N cafe

A thought I am sharing...

"Note to self: Think this- I am compassionate with the shadow aspects of myself. I'm only human but that's better than being a groundhog."
-The Awe-Manac

Around the house...I did some intense homeschool organizing for the week, but then left piles of notebooks around the dining room. Note to self to put it all away... Sky built and painted a storage shed for his woodworking stuff, he finished painting it today. The kids have a permanent village of playmobil stuff in my front room-at least it seems that way.

One of my favorite things... the wire basket I bought on clearance at Pottery Barn to keep our fresh eggs in. I knew it would look perfect, and it does!

A few plans for the rest of the week: CC tomorrow, work on finishing report card for Meg, the usual round of piano/violin lessons, art/fencing lessons and hockey game. I am planning on painting my chalkboard of ultimate power this week in the dining/kitchen area...or at least doing some prep work and begging Sky to do it for me...

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Labels: daybook

Here is a craft we did that packs a punch with the finished product, but it is not difficult to set-up.

Get some craftiness on at your house with block printing.
(I promise it is not as intricate, difficult or as messy as you'd think...)
promise


Albrecht Durer (pronounced Der) practiced the art of woodcut printing during the Renaissance period.

Rhinoscerous print by Durer, 1500 in the photo above. Notice all the detail.
You can find wonderful photos of his work, in art books at your library. Durer's Praying Hands is stunning.


I am all about connections, so I pulled out my Jane Eyre copy that sports beautiful woodcut prints.
Not Durer, but wonderful all the same.

For our project, we used

• pieces of balsa wood (the kind used for model planes and such, it's a soft wood)
• collection of metal pieces to make imprints in the wood, nails were a simple favorite here, also nuts and bolts, screws, metal shapes from the craft store such as leaves, flowers
• 2 brayers or cheap foam rollers will work too (like a small rolling pin with a handle)
• black paint (to be authentic, black ink...but paint worked fine, I used washable paint, and it didn't take me forever to find)
• paper
• packing tape (to protect those little fingers, an aha! moment)
• a hammer. (don't run away..it will be okay, really!)....

Here is Demi-Sky's wood carving. He used the metal leaves and some triangles.

Teddy went the route of simplicity and used nails. He spelled out his name.

• have the kids arrange the metal pieces/shapes in an arrangement that pleases them
• carefully lay the packing tape over the top of the creation, sticking the pieces to the wood
• and then, let them have at it with the hammers. We did this on the sidewalk. Adult supervision and help is a must here. The older kids might try a hand at carving with screwdrivers or chisels.
• remove the tape and metal shapes
• roll a thin layer of black paint onto the wood, don't push into all the crevices, you want those to be paint-free
• carefully lay a piece of paper on top of the wood (lay the wood on a table surface, paint side up) and then use a clean roller to roll along the paper with firm but equal pressure. Your hands will work okay, too
• carefully lift up the paper without smudging it
• voila! a work of art!
  

Here is Amie's finished product.
Doesn't that look like it could illustrate a book?

Discovering Art with Children: Hands on art for children- is genius. I highly recommend you get this book, to do this and other stellar projects.

Labels: craft day, homeschool

First, you have to check out the twillypop store on Etsy. Incredibly pretty and creative ribbon necklaces. I want one. Or two. Or three.

Do you know Etsy? You should go check out Etsy. It's a market place of small Artisans. I recently ordered a super hero cape (for my nephew) from a seller on Etsy. Wonderful!

Organize your web surfing with Evernote, over at heart of Wisdom blog. I've been thinking about trying Evernote for a while. It's free! That is the most compelling reason. It works with different platforms (even Mac) and you can use it on your phone, too. Maybe I could stop forgetting things. Maybe.

NEA puts power ahead of kids- over at Spunkyhomeschool. Quotes and video of NEA's General Counsel saying this at his retirement speech. Old news for homeschool parents, but this may be surprising to some.

Labels: Emma-doodle dog, memes

Labels: reading basket

Labels: Wordless Wednesday