tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45341723307321209312024-03-14T03:08:44.748-04:00Here We AreJodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-37508576329455192142013-01-01T09:42:00.000-05:002013-01-01T09:42:31.446-05:00Happy New Year!Welcome to 2013! Here's to hoping it is a good year for everyone. 2012 went by so fast, it seems. It was a pretty good year. Nothing terrible happened, we got to see and do a good bit, we didn't end up in the poorhouse before it was over. lol So year, a pretty good year.<br />
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I pretty much suck at blogging. So I won't even attempt to blog daily, or even weekly. I am going to try and do a monthly update though. I think I can handle that. I'll just set myself up a calendar reminder. hehe I am going to do my "100 Things To Do in 2013" post. (I did about half or so of my 2012 list.) I am working on that today, so hopefully will have it posted soon.<br />
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Another thing I am doing this month (at least for 21 days of it), is an organizing challenge. I found it on <a href="http://pinterest.com/dustywalrus/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> the other day. Here is her blog: <a href="http://holidaysparkle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Holiday Sparkle</a><br />
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<br />Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-27086092387897932332012-03-09T16:30:00.003-05:002012-03-09T16:30:43.522-05:00Weekly UpdateI think instead of weekly updates, I should do monthly updates, at least it seems like that is about how often I end up posting. I guess I really don't have as much to say as I originally thought. ;) But anyways, here a bit of what we've been doing -<br />
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Math: Jake is FINALLY finished his geometry. Now again, he didn't do ALL of the books in the set, just a few. If he feels later he wants more we'll either get the rest of the set or a different curriculum. But I am pretty sure he'll never, ever want more Geometry. <br />
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English/Writing: He's getting a little further into his book and finding the exercises getting a little harder. He is not enjoying "finding such & such clauses" and all that sort of stuff. hehe His writing is still horrible, and I hate trying to read anything. He insists on writing so tiny.. *sigh* <br />
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Geography: I am REALLY hoping that by the end of April we will finally be finished with this. It was started forever ago. We did great when first starting, because we were doing this as a group with some others. Then that fizzled out and, well, it just got pushed to the bottom of our pile. Here and there I've tried to get it going again, but it fizzled out every time. But no more, it needs to be finished. So he is almost halfway through it. So if we keep at this pace, then it should be finished by the end of April if not sooner. <br />
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History: We've been jumping all over the place here. I was going to start with Ancient History using Susan Wise Bauer's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Ancient-World-Earliest-Accounts/dp/039305974X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330952838&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome</i></a>. But instead I think we are going to do a US study first using <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/America-Story-Us-Illustrated-History/dp/1422983439/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330952698&sr=1-11" target="_blank">America The Story of Us</a></i> book & DVD first.That won't take us long. Basically I'll have them (Amanda is doing this as well) read a Chapter sometime M-Th and on Fri we'll watch the DVD chapter and do any lessons from the Teacher's Guide. I think there are like 9 Chapters or so in the book. If they end up reading the chapter early enough in the week, we can go ahead and do 2 per week instead.<br />
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Science: We are changing this, yet again. Not sure what I am going to pull of the shelf, but something Biology. And I think we'll do Chemistry at the same time, using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Chemistry-Amazing-Science-Familiar/dp/1591027713/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330953125&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things</i></a> <br />
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Amanda's been really into artsy stuff lately; working in her sketchbook, crafts of one sort or another, etc. We've made pom-flowers:<br />
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Notebook paper t-shirt:<br />
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Crayon art:<br />
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And we had a failed attempt at an altered t-shirt, which then become a cleaning rag. LOL So no picture of that one. ;) Oh, and I finally finished my tiles I made the beginning of Feb.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pzm0VnqFB4E/T1p2agrZodI/AAAAAAAAATs/hB1ERgPjofg/s1600/IMG_2921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pzm0VnqFB4E/T1p2agrZodI/AAAAAAAAATs/hB1ERgPjofg/s320/IMG_2921.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-78104027413582181292012-02-06T18:02:00.000-05:002012-02-06T18:06:15.765-05:00Menu Plan MondayI have decided I NEED to get back into menu planning. I only do a week at a time, on Sunday morning when I am looking through the sale paper and making my grocery list. But just doing a weekly plan saves me SO much time trying to figure out what I want. lol<br />
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So here is the menu for this week:<br />
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Monday - <a href="http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken.html" target="_blank">Crispy Cheddar Chicken</a> (This is in the oven as I type!) with <a href="http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2011/12/slow-cooker-scalloped-potatoes.html" target="_blank">Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes</a> and green beans<br />
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Tuesday - <a href="http://blogchef.net/taco-stuffed-shells-recipe/" target="_blank">Taco Stuffed Shells</a> and corn<br />
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Wednesday - Lazy Lasagna with garlic bread and a veggie<br />
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Thursday -Wild Rice and Chicken Soup with cheddar garlic biscuits<br />
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Friday - Pizza or leftovers<br />
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:)Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-42573251284263079092012-02-05T15:26:00.001-05:002012-02-05T15:30:41.467-05:00Week in ReviewYeah, I know a little late on the posting. But it was a good week. We did get a fair amount of work finished. <br />
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I let him slack a bit on math so he could get caught back up with some other subjects: writing, grammar & geography. So really there isn't much to report. Next week we'll get back into ALL subjects, including science. We're doing some biology work and we'll get into our chemistry work soon. I finally got my order placed and should have all the materials needed by Wednesday. I think this week we'll get our solutions made up that we'll be needing for the first few chapters. The weather is supposed to be decent, so we can head outside to mix our noxious chemicals up without worrying about ventilation. lol Should be fun. :)<br />
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I've been finding some fun things on Pinterest lately. I've been doing good about not getting too sucked into it, but I can spend WAY too much time looking around. <br />
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I had a Mom's Night Out (MNO) craft party last week. Several friends from our homeschool group came over and we made tile coasters. It was a fun evening. I didn't get pictures of everyone's tiles (bad me), sadly. They all looked wonderful though. Here are the set I made. <br />
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I want to make some more, plus have a few ideas for other things to do with the tiles. It was fun and easy. <br />
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So anyways, short update. Hope to have more to tell next week. :)Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-70887265202772658292012-01-27T09:29:00.000-05:002012-01-27T09:29:44.858-05:00Week in reviewWe are trying to get into a better routine here. Well, at least I am still *hoping* we can get into a better routine. I am being met with much resistance though from the boy. But this week we've gotten a fair amount of work done. No where near what I had hoped for, but... <p> Jake's doing pretty decent at getting caught up on his math. He in finally on book 3 of the Key to Geometry. He HATES Geometry. He HATES using the compass. But I wanted him to do a little bit of the work, which is why I didn't order ALL of the Geometry books and just the first 3. If the time comes and he needs or wants (HAHA) more, we can get the rest or find something else. He has no problem with the Algebra, so I shortened his work on that. Basically he just has to do half of the problems on each page. As long as he isn't struggling, we'll continue this way for now. He does make careless mistakes, but when I say "hey fix this answer" he knows exactly what he did wrong as soon as he double checks it. <p> He is WAY behind on Grammar and his writing. So I need to get him moving there. I know he hates the grammar as well (must be something with G's.. grammar, geometry and geography, he hates 'em all) but seriously it takes 5-10 minutes for each day. <p> We still haven't started our chemistry. That's my fault though. I still need a few supplies and I've been dragging my feet on getting things in order. We WILL get started on it in Feb. though, I swear! I had expected to do some simple & fun biology work this month. I ordered one of Janice VanCleave's biology books from Paperback swap earlier this month. It, of course, has not shown up yet. I have 1 more day before I can, hopefully, cancel it and order from someone else. I just wanted it to do some simple, quick experiments.Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-79970973059281358902012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:002012-01-27T09:37:38.833-05:00Friday FreebiesI think I'll do a weekly post of things I find around the web. I've been wasting <strike>way too much</strike> time on Pinterest lately and finding all kinds of really cool stuff. The age range will vary and I am too lazy to organize these in any way, but I'll try to mention a general age range.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kathimitchell.com/#Grade%20Level%20Websites" target="_blank">Mrs. Mitchell's Virtual School</a> I haven't looked around this site much yet, but it seems there are links for most grades.<br />
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<a href="http://lifehacker.com/lifehacker-u/" target="_blank">Life Hacker U</a> Free, online university level courses.<br />
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<a href="http://elements.wlonk.com/" target="_blank">Periodic Table</a> Printables of the elements in words or pictures.<br />
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<a href="http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/Human-Body-coloring-pages/" target="_blank"> Human Body coloring pages</a> From Crayola.<br />
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<a href="http://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/coloring" target="_blank">Biology coloring pages</a> Printable pages.<br />
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<a href="http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2012/01/free-biographies-and-activities.html" target="_blank">Biographies and activities</a> On a site called Teachers pay Teachers. This is a free download, you just have to make an account.<br />
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<a href="http://practicalpages.wordpress.com/free-pages/famous-musicians-pages/" target="_blank">Famous Musicians Pages</a> For notebooking.<br />
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Enjoy!!Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0Maryland, USA39.0457549 -76.641271237.4674879 -79.1681267 40.624021899999995 -74.114415700000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-51223551214750811212012-01-25T10:29:00.001-05:002012-01-25T10:29:55.688-05:00Teen Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dawNZscf9ug/TyAfusBdrWI/AAAAAAAAASs/N_Jw3VzklAo/s1600/ww%2Broom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dawNZscf9ug/TyAfusBdrWI/AAAAAAAAASs/N_Jw3VzklAo/s200/ww%2Broom.JPG" /></a></div>Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-29541125004616967672012-01-18T15:49:00.004-05:002012-01-18T15:50:23.516-05:00Lapbooking ResourcesI love Pinterest. I swore I would not get sucked into something else, since Facebook is such a time hog. But I said what the hell and joined anyways. I am not on there a ton, but do find some really awesome stuff. <p>
Recently, a lot of lapbooking pins have been popping up. We've never done much along the lapbooking lines, but I wanted to share these resources anyways. So here ya go!<p>
Lewis and Clark- - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/lewisandclark.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/lewisandclark.htm</a><p>
Vikings - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/vikings.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/vikings.htm</a><p>
Renaissance 1400-1600 - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/renaissance.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/renaissance.htm</a>
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Westward Ho! - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/westwardhooooo.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/westwardhooooo.htm</a><p>
Ancient Civilizations - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/ancientcivilizations.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/ancientcivilizations.htm</a><p>
American Revolution 1775-1783 - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/americanrevolution.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/americanrevolution.htm</a><p>
War Between the States 1861-1865 - <a href="http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/warbetweenthestates.htm">http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/warbetweenthestates.htm</a><p>
Enjoy!Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-56885101342121843672012-01-10T12:44:00.004-05:002012-12-29T06:21:48.085-05:00100 Things to do in 2012This took me a little longer to compile than I thought it would! But it is done, and now I can concentrate on doing as many as possible. :) <br />
1. Blog more <br />
2. Geocache more<br />
3. Use the crock pot more often<br />
4. Walk more often<br />
5. Knit & <strike>craft more often</strike><br />
<strike>6. Go on more field trips/day trips</strike><br />
<strike>7. Organize craft stuff</strike><br />
<strike>8. Organize kitchen cabinets </strike><br />
9. Learn to bake bread<br />
<strike>10. Garden</strike> (it was a small garden, just some zucchini, but it was still a garden)<br />
<strike>11. Read more (by visiting my book shelves more often)</strike><br />
<strike>12. Visit NYC </strike>(completed on 4/25/12)<br />
<strike>13. Play on the big piano in FAO Schwarz</strike> (completed on 4/25/12, well technically my daughter did for me)<br />
<strike>14. Get together with friends on a regular basis</strike><br />
15. Do the local walking tours (from newspaper a year or 2 ago)<br />
16. Walking tour of Philly<br />
<strike>17. Visit DC (preferably near apple blossom time)</strike> (6/16/12)<br />
18. Go to a stargazing event at Antietam<br />
19. Visit the planetarium at least once<br />
20. Go to the Baltimore Aquarium<br />
21. Rewatch Lost :)<br />
22. Knit Jake's Slytherin scarf<br />
<strike>23. Facebook less</strike><br />
24. Do more science-y things<br />
<strike>25. Go to the beach </strike>(9/13-9/16/12)<br />
26. Eat more local foods<br />
27. Visit more local places (shops, restaurants, historical places, etc)<br />
<strike>28. Make my recycled newspaper tree</strike><br />
29. Help Amanda with her craft list<br />
30. Update home décor<br />
<strike>31. Buy better sneakers that don't make my feet ache</strike><br />
32. Use my cookbooks more often<br />
<strike>33. Use our fire pit</strike><br />
34. Do some non-vandalizing street art, such as http://isaacgracelily.blogspot.com/2011/03/rock-on.html<br />
35. Have a harry Potter party<br />
<strike>36. Lose weight (boring I know.. But whatever)</strike><br />
37. Go to a comedy club/show<br />
<strike>38. See a play</strike> (completed 3/10/12)<u><br />
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39. Visit the Hager House<br />
<strike>40. Go to the farmer's market more</strike><br />
<strike>41. Make a new friend</strike> (Made a few new friends YAY!)<br />
42. Take a carriage ride<br />
43. Go to a drive-in theater<br />
44. Send a message in a bottle<br />
45. Release a helium-filled balloon with a message in it<br />
<strike>46. Visit the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore</strike><br />
47. Go to Brookside Gardens in the Spring or Summer<br />
48. Visit the DC Zoo<br />
<strike>49. Go yardsaling </strike><br />
50. Organize photos<br />
51. Hike up to Cunningham Falls<br />
52. Picnic at more MD State Parks<br />
53. Hike on the AT<br />
54. See all the Bridges of Washington County<br />
55. Make a late night run to Krumpe's Donuts<br />
<strike>56. Host a Murder Mystery Party</strike><br />
57. Visit a winery<br />
58. Go to maple Syrup making demo at Cunningham Falls<br />
<strike>59. Eat Fastnachts </strike><br />
<strike>60. Go tubing</strike><br />
<strike>61. Play croquet</strike><br />
62. Pick strawberries<br />
<strike>63. Watch fireworks</strike><br />
64. Play disc golf<br />
65. Go on a ghost tour (no matter how lame it may be lol)<br />
<strike>66. Find a better pizza dough recipe </strike>(technically the same recipe, just bought fresh yeast lol)<br />
67. Watch a Quidditch game<br />
68. Learn to cook some Greek foods<br />
69. Visit College Park Aviation Museum (use CertifiKid coupon)<br />
70. Visit State Museum of Pennsylvania (Use Groupon coupon)<br />
71. Take more pictures<br />
72. Organize recipe binders<br />
<strike>73. Have a yard sale</strike><br />
74. Buy a new couch<br />
75. Celebrate Christmas in July (just for something different)<br />
76. Wordless Wednesday (on my blog)<br />
77. Menu plan every week<br />
78. Some sort of community service/volunteer work (hopefully not court-ordered hehe)<br />
79. Play a game of pinball at the arcade<br />
80. Go to the Great Frederick Fair this year<br />
<strike>81. Eat something deep-fried at above mentioned fair</strike> (Not from the fair, but we had deep fried Oreos at teh beach)<br />
82. Have a water balloon fight<br />
83. See a movie in 3D (just to confirm that I do in fact hate 3D movies)<br />
<strike>84. Buy a new board game</strike><br />
85. Go to a concert<br />
86. Make candy<br />
<strike>87. Go putt-putting</strike><br />
88. Get my passport<br />
89. Watch all of John Hughes movies<br />
90. Go on a scavenger hunt<br />
91. Have a swap party<br />
92. Eat at an Indian restaurant<br />
93. Have dessert for supper<br />
94. Grill pizza<br />
95. Visit the Goddard Space center<br />
96. Go to Dinosaur Land<br />
97. Visit the Poe Museum and Poe's gravesite<br />
98. Go on a train ride<br />
<strike>99. Visit the MD Theater</strike><br />
100. Visit the Rural Heritage MuseumJodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-26054654938231984922011-12-26T19:47:00.001-05:002011-12-26T19:57:46.679-05:00Holiday HappeningsBeen awhile since I've posted and I thought I'd do an update. :)
We finally moved! The end of October to be exact. It was a bit rough at first... Amanda is never good about change, so we had about a week before she felt <i>"ok"</i> about living here. She was the one that BEGGED us to sign the lease and then once we moved she wanted to go back to the apartments. (She was like this when we moved into the apartments as well, but I thought it was because we moved from Smithsburg because we HAD to, not WANTED to.) I was very stressed about about various things and that was the icing on the cake. On the plus side of it all, I did lose 10lbs. lol
School-wise things are up & down. We started off ok back in Sept. then with the move we kind of slacked off since we were packing and what-not. And since we've been moved & unpacked things haven't restarted yet. The Holidays came up quickly and we were wrapped up in that.
We did manage to sneak in a field trip in Nov. We drove to Triangle VA to the <a href="http://www.usmcmuseum.com/index.asp">Marine Corps Museum</a>. We had a really nice day. There was a LOT to see there. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've done a bit of baking since early Nov. Cupcakes, pie, coffee cake, and cookies. A LOT of cookies!
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Jake also turned 16, so that's why the slice of pie is getting a candle stuck in it. ;)
Mid-Dec we attended our homeschool groups Christmas party. We wanted to go since we really aren't "active" in the group much anymore. There aren't many older kids in the group so there just isn't anything going on for my 2. :( But anyways, we went and had a great time. The kids each got a gift from the kids' gift exchange. Jake got a recycled butter box with about 27 tiny wrapped "presents". He had to open each one to find the Gamestop gift card. We had a fun time watching Jake open them. Amanda got a cool Hello Kitty "lunch-box" with 4 Hello Kitty Pez dispensers. I had seen this at AC Moore and told the mom about it. So Amanda was happy about getting that. For the moms gift exchange, anyone participating just brings a gift. we draw numbers and go round choosing or stealing a gift. Whoever gets #1 can go again at the end to steal if they choose. I got #1 (again) this year. My first gift was a bunch of nice ornaments and scented items. It of course was stolen. My 2nd one was a really nice crochet shopping bag. It was stolen. The 3rd time I thought I was picking up some candy or something, but it was a Port City Java gift card, a really cute coin purse and a handmade Golden Snitch ornament. I LOVED it. And I warned everyone if they took it from me I would be stealing it back at the end. So of course, I kept it. :) I had made a really awesome recycled newspaper sparkling tree. I have to make one for myself yet. So hopefully will get that done this week. lol
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Amanda and I also made cranberry & popcorn garland for the trees out back. I meant to get this done for the Winter Solstice, but we were a day late.
Christmas has come and gone and we had a very nice one this year. Kids got a lot of cool & fun stuff. I guess they were pleased as they both dove into their games and such. lol
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Here is sweet little Dwight posing... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Amanda's pile
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Jake's loot
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Family gifts
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Now we just need to figure out what to do for New Year's Eve, besides eating Chinese Food.Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-51543225860115661392011-09-24T10:34:00.000-04:002011-09-24T10:37:28.980-04:00Week in reviewOk so this week was a little better. :) Maybe we'll get back into a routine by, oh Jan or Feb. hehe It is hard enough getting back into a routine after "taking a break for the summer" but after taking a break from sit-down-book-learning for a few years, it is REALLY hard to get back into things.
<p>
I had hoped to do some geocaching this past week, but the weather was not all that great for being outside. The temps were low but the humidity was just ridiculous! I felt miserable just going out to get the mail. Our upcoming move (no clue as to where yet, but we are staying in the same town just really need to get out of this apartment!) is looking like it will be Nov or later. We're going to have stay here at least another month. The places we've been looking at just aren't nice on the inside. And while we hate living here, moving into a new shitty place just to get out of another one isn't going to work. So the search continues!
<p>
On the school front, here's what we did:
<p>
We have everything (or will after I go shopping for the last few items this weekend) for chemistry, so Mon will start on that finally. My Home Science Tools order came in on Thursday right before I had to head out for my weekly MNO. (A bunch of us went to see The Help, great movie! We were all crying, and a group of 8 ladies crying together is quite a scene! We all looked like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer coming out of the theater. hehe) So anyways, back to chemistry... I should have lots of fun reports next week on our experiments. We're looking forward to getting started.
<p>
<i>Math</i> - Jake finished book 1 of the Key to Algebra. He breezes right through most of it and actually went ahead and finished this coming weeks work as well. As for the geometry, he only did the minimal amount he had too. LOL There are 8 books in the set but we only have the first 3. Not sure if I'll have him do them all or not. I just wanted him to have a little bit of geometry, so if we do more it might be next year.
<p>
<i>Writing</i> - This weeks lesson was on Parts of Speech. He had to copy out the sentences and label the parts of speech. Not the boys most favorite way to spend his time. LOL But he got through it ok and didn't do too bad.
<p>
<i>Grammar</i> - Not much to say here, he finished up his 5 lessons for the week.
<p>
<i>Economics</i> - Same here, Chapter 3 read and questions answered. These chapters and questions are usually pretty short, so he gets them finished up quickly.
<p>
<i>Art</i> - He finished up his chapter reading, but didn't get the Artist Bio pages started. So he can either do them over the weekend, or first thing Mon.
<p>
He also finished up a "small" amount of his geography work. Why he is dragging his feet on this is beyond me. *sigh*
<p>
Another thing I wanted to note is the reason I do not mention Amanda in my posts is because she has basically "finished" homeschooling. But she isn't quite ready for taking classes at the community college yet either. So she is actually doing some things at home as well. She needs some math review so we are working on that. But she also wanted other work so she is doing the art lesson along with Jake. Plus she is doing a Shakespeare unit study and some other Language Arts "classes" (vocabulary and writing). And of course reading history books. We have to go digging through the boxes of books I've already packed up because apparently one of her fathers military dictionary type books was packed away by mistake. And she needs it out.
<p>
So that's out week. Hopefully I'll have picture to add in next week. :) Of chemistry and hopefully some nice Fall scenes. Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-39698709403728031502011-09-20T15:07:00.001-04:002011-09-20T15:08:15.568-04:00Week in review (a few days late)Better late than never though, right? <p>
We didn't get a lot done last week. Too much was going on (and not anything fun sadly) and I just let things slide. But some work was completed, so it could have been worse I suppose.
<p>
Chemistry is still on hold. I did a group order with some other moms so we could get free shipping from <a href="http://www.hometrainingtools.com/Default.asp?">Home Science Tool</a>s. (LOVE THAT SITE!!) So the materials will be here Thursday hopefully. Chemistry will then begin next week. :) The getting out of bed thing still needs work.
<p>
Here's the list of what was done last week:
<p>
<i>Math</i> - He finished up most of his work for his Algebra review. Not so much for Geometry. So he has that to get caught up on this week. It really takes him less than 20 minutes to complete 10 pages. He just hates geometry, so he drags his feet on it.
<p>
<i>Writing</i> - He started his lesson for the week, but didn't get it all finished. So he did that all up today.
<p>
<i>Grammar</i> - He finished his 5 lessons for this. It really only takes him about 15-20 minutes to do a weeks worth of lessons in this book as well.
<p>
<i>Economics</i> - He read chapter 2 and answered the follow-up questions in the guide book.
<p>
<i>Art</i> - Last weeks lesson was still just doing some reading. This week we'll be adding in biography History Scribe <a href="http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=90&products_id=2126&affiliate_id=1604">Artist Biography</a> pages.
<p>
He did some more geography work as well. And we didn't get around to adding in any History. Might wait until next week for that.
<p>
Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-58992571866111721402011-09-10T08:34:00.001-04:002011-09-10T10:55:35.730-04:00Week in reviewI'm going to try this again. :) Maybe I can at least do a weekly review throughout the year... that shouldn't be too hard right?
<P>
We had our first day "back" on Tuesday. We still need to do some work on Jake getting out of bed when I wake him. I find myself going back every 20 minutes or so and he's gone back to sleep! (But yet on a Saturday morning when he goes with his dad to the game store he either wakes up right away or wakes himself up almost 2 hours earlier than he needs to!!) So yeah, we need to work on that. But all in all, it wasn't too bad of a week. Tuesday was the hardest.
<P>
He finished most of the week I had planned, Chemistry I put on hold until next week because I needed a few other items. And I had planned to start working through the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Movies-as-Literature-Kathryn-Stout/dp/1891975099/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315654622&sr=8-1">Movies as Literature</a> book, but since we are packing to move all the DVD's are boxed up. So we'll pick that up once we get moved and unpacked.
<P>
So here is what we did accomplish this week:
<P>
<i>Math</i> - for the time being, I am having him work through some Key to... books. So the schedule is for 2 pages of Algebra and 2 pages of Geometry each day. He truly hates Geometry. lol But he got through it just fine and finished everything for the week on Thursday.
<P>
<i>Writing</i> - Since his goal is to start writing more, I had this book from last year when I was planning on working through Oak Meadow with him. But we changed our minds. I did keep the writing book to use though. It is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Least-Should-Know-About-English/dp/1428230793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315654935&sr=1-1">The Least You Should Know About English: Writing Skills</a>. I have an older copy, the 8th Edition, of Form B. Forms A, B and C are all the same except for the exercises in each book. So no need to buy all 3.
<P>
So Jake will be doing a section or 2 each week. Each chapter is broken into sections, which have explanations and exercises. Then there is also a proofreading exercise and sentence writing. The sections are about 10 pages each. They don't take him long to finish, which is why some weeks he'll be doing 2 sections a week (plus there are a few with just 2-3 pages).
<P>
<i>Grammar</i> - He is using the <a href="http://www.easygrammar.com/dtl11.html">Easy Grammar Ultimate Series Grade 11</a> book. The Ultimate Series books are just like the <a href="http://www.easygrammar.com/index2.html">Daily Grams</a>, but for grades 9+ (they do still have the Jr/Sr book, but recently came out with these.) Just a page a day, takes about 5 minutes. He'll most likely do all 5 pages on one day just to finish it up quickly for the week.
<P>
<i>Economics</i> - I had picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Happened-Explanation-Economics-Investments/dp/0942617622/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315656785&sr=8-3">Whatever Happened to Penny Candy</a> (An Uncle Eric book) at the curriculum fair in the Spring to use this year. Not sure how I feel about the rest of the Uncle Eric books, but this one got a decent review (even from secular homeschoolers). Then he'll also be working through the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bluestocking-Guide-Economics-Jane-Williams/dp/0942617630/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b">Bluestocking Guide: Economics</a> book.The schedule is 1 chapter and worksheet per week.
<P>
<i>Art</i> - I put together a quick and easy art history lesson plan. Using a few Usborne books I have along with the History Scribe <a href="http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=90&products_id=2126&affiliate_id=1604 ">Artist Biography</a> pages. So he will read a section/chapter in the book and do any biography pages we have with artists that were in the time period he is reading.
<P>
He also still has some Geography work he is finishing up. Next week will add in Chemistry (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Chemistry-Amazing-Science-Familiar/dp/1591027713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315657914&sr=8-1">The Joy of Chemistry</a>) and Social Studies/History (<a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/series/074/index_c.jsp">Critical Thinking in US History</a>)
<P>
So that's it for the week. Not a ton, but it was enough. LOL Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-44738256330800017872011-03-28T08:37:00.003-04:002011-03-28T08:40:04.975-04:00Waiting on Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3knsFptS8aw/TZB8wpKhhWI/AAAAAAAAAOg/kwvU_Vr2zpA/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>March is quietly (& coldly) leaving us soon. The few days of warm temps we had this month seem like they were years away. Its been quite cold and icky, I've debated turning the heat back on. lol We did venture out on one fairly nice day and took the short hike/walk up to the Washington Monument. It was a chilly, breezy day so we didn't stay long. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3knsFptS8aw/TZB8wpKhhWI/AAAAAAAAAOg/kwvU_Vr2zpA/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3knsFptS8aw/TZB8wpKhhWI/AAAAAAAAAOg/kwvU_Vr2zpA/s320/IMG_0975.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The closer we get to Summer, the more work it seems the kids have to finish. Of course, they haven't been doing much at all.. which is normal and they have to bust their asses to finish it up before our final review of the year. They've both still been doing a good bit of reading. So they aren't JUST playing on the computer or Xbox. hehe But I've redone their schedules and I am *hoping* they stick to it a little better in April.</div><p><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We've changed the dates a bit on the boys game days we were doing. It was becoming to much *work* for Jake since 2 of the boys were bickering a lot between them. So instead of every week, we are now hosting it once a month. So with the once a month Family Game Nights at the game store, that should be plenty of non-family game time. Which we've been doing a lot of. Jake won't always play, so mostly it is Amanda, Randy and I. We have all the Settlers of Catan expansions now. (We'll eventually get all the 5-6 player expansion sets so we can have friends join us.) We took a break from Settlers this past weekend though. On Saturday I showed Amanda how to play Uno Rummy Up. I hadn't played it in years. So Sunday, with dad with played that and Life. I think she's getting burned out on Settlers and needed a break (after all, it was usually her wanting to play Settlers so much!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">April brings so many activities I have on the calendar. Whether we'll get to them all, I have no clue but there are a few I *really* want to do. On the 2nd we a bake sale to raise money for our MS Walk team. So I'll help out a bit then, not sure if the kids will. The 9th is an open house at the <a href="https://sites.fcps.org/essl/sites/default/files/ESSL%20OPEN%20HOUSE%202011.pdf">Earth & Space Science Lab</a>. The 16th is the MS Walk. Amanda and I will be doing this, not sure if I can talk Jake into it yet. And then on the 17th is the <a href="http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/green_matters_symposium.shtm#earthday">Brookside Gardens Earth Day Festival</a>. This is the things I am most looking forward to this month. On the 23rd, there is an Earth Day Festival at Morgans Grove park. Not sure yet if we are doing this. And sometime in April we are hoping to spend a Friday in DC. </div>Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-4229854724716232992011-03-28T08:15:00.000-04:002011-03-28T08:15:52.435-04:00Menu Plan MondayQuick post with our menu for the week -<br />
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Monday - Moussaka, veggies and orzo<br />
Tuesday - Chicken Parm with garlic bread<br />
Wednesday - Pulled BBQ Beef sandwiches (in crock), veggies and rice<br />
Thursday - Creamy chicken and wild rice soup, grilled cheese sandwiches<br />
Friday - PizzaJodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-87337249107091766732011-02-28T08:44:00.000-05:002011-02-28T08:44:30.003-05:00Stuff....Not too much to report here really. Not a lot of book work going on, as usual. hehe The kids have 3 months to get their math work finished. I've made (and re-made) their schedules.. so it is up to them. I'm going to try and push them along this week, as I would rather they just get it finished sooner and not take until the end of May to do so.<br />
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Both have been reading a lot more lately. Which is good, as neither read all that much in the past few years. Jake is on a Sci/fi-ish kick, Amanda is opting for non-fiction. <br />
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Now that Spring is almost here, we have plans to visit many local places. First up is a trip to Harrisburg to see the <a href="http://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/index_1.php">National Civil War Museum</a> and the <a href="http://www.statemuseumpa.org/">State Museum of Pennsylvania</a>. I had gotten really cheap tickets through <a href="http://www.groupon.com/r/uu11389527">Groupon</a> for both. I also picked up some cheap tickets to the <a href="http://www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com/Home.htm">Aviation Museum</a> in College Park, MD. So we'll head there one afternoon. And of course, Earth Day is right around the corner, so we plan to visit <a href="http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/">Brookside Gardens</a> for their Festival. And of course, we can't wait to start Geocaching again. <br />
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Amanda wants to visit lots of battlefields again this Spring/Summer so she can get more pictures taken. So we'll try to hit as many as we can before the hot, humid Summer keeps us indoors.Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-32352837602584320992011-02-28T08:16:00.000-05:002011-02-28T08:16:03.482-05:00Menu Plan MondayJust a quickie post for my menu this week:<br />
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Monday: Sausages with onions & peppers, veggies<br />
Tuesday: Swedish meatballs with noodles, broccoli<br />
Wednesday: Baked haddock, mac & cheese, peas<br />
Thursday: Ham & corn chowder<br />
Friday: Chipotle<br />
Saturday: Pizza<br />
Sunday: No clue... lolJodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-43231880099099685122011-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:002011-01-24T18:46:00.659-05:00Menu Plan MondayMeant to get back here before (I know I say that a LOT!). But Here is the menu for the week. I may list a day, but we don't always stick with that. Sometimes I get hungry for one thing and will switch the days around. :)<br />
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Monday - Beef sausages, green peppers, onions and mushrooms (cooked in spaghetti sauce) with baked potatoes.<br />
Tuesday - Chicken Alfredo & rice bake (recipe found <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/recipes/chicken-alfredo-and-rice-casserole-540892/">HERE</a>)<br />
Wednesday - Stuffed green pepper soup (recipe found <a href="http://cat-in-the-moon.blogspot.com/2009/12/souper-saturday.html">HERE</a>)<br />
Thursday - Turkey tacos & Spanish rice<br />
Friday - Turkey meatballs and Dijon mashed potatoes<br />
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What are you having for supper this week?Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-22339512235199422562010-12-29T11:35:00.000-05:002010-12-29T11:35:13.966-05:00New Year's Goals (I don't like resolutions)Alright, my goal for 2011 is to blog more. At least checking in once a week. That would be fabulous. And we have to get a routine going once again to get some school work finished. School goals are to finish up the geography unit and science unit by mid-Feb. (Love for it all to be finished by the end of Jan. but I doubt that will happen. The health unit should be finished by the end of Jan. though as they are both almost done with that. I have a large stack of Learning Through History magazines they also need to get through. But that will take the rest of the school year. <br />
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We started up a game day with some of the older boys in our homeschool group. It is just 4 boys right now (3 plus Jake) that hang out for 3 hours playing games. The first meeting it was all video games. 2nd meeting was all board games. They played Risk, Lego Creationary, then some Uno. Next week I think I'll have them play board games for a bit, then let them hit the video games for the last hour (as long as Jake's Xbox works that is, might have to find some games for the PS3).<br />
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That's about it for now. We've taken a huge unschooling turn, but it is time to get back into a little more "bookwork" once again. So come Jan 3rd, I'll be cracking the whip. (LOL Yeah I've said that many times before!)Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-28477363428252749022010-08-09T16:17:00.000-04:002010-08-09T16:17:05.029-04:00Menu Plan MondayI missed posting last week, but wanted to post really quickly our menu for the week. It is a "cheap" eating week here. LOL<br />
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Monday - Tuna patties (I use a box of cornbread stuffing mix, mayo, relish, and cheddar) with orzo & peas<br />
Tuesday - Chicken of some sort (not sure yet what I will make), rice & veggies<br />
Wednesday - Cheese-steaks and fries<br />
Thursday - Creamy chicken & wild rice soup<br />
Friday - pizza<br />
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And one of these days this week I am going to do some baking. I want to use up some apple butter and bake a cake. Then I have some Golden Delicious apples to use, so I am hungry for apple crisp. And I need to get some mini pizza crusts made so the kids can have pizza for lunches.Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-17275900164792730652010-07-26T14:19:00.002-04:002010-07-27T19:55:20.906-04:00Menu Plan MondayAnother thing I want to begin (again) is writing my menu plans on the blog. I am pretty good about making a menu Sunday morning before grocery shopping, and for the most part I stick to it. There are some days I just don't feel like making anything I wanted to on Sunday though. :) I also write things on a day of the week, but don't always make it that day. Depends on time, how hot it might be, etc. So while I'll assign a day here, doesn't mean that we are having it on that night. ;)<br />
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Monday - Tuna something or other. (We only like a few fish items, tuna being one. But I have been trying to have a fish dish every week, or at least every 2 weeks.) Haven't quite figured it out yet. Maybe tuna patty melts. And we'll most likely have broccoli and some side with whatever I decide on.<br />
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Tuesday - Meatball subs, fries, and corn<br />
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Wednesday - Ghoulash (from <a href="http://sweetnicks.com/weblog/2009/12/bobby-deans-ghoulash/">Bobby Dean</a>) & a veggie of some sort<br />
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Thursday - Baked Chicken Penne (from <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/02/baked-chicken-penne-freezer-meal.html">Our Best Bites</a>) & a veggie<br />
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Friday - pizza and possible these <a href="http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-recipes/recipe-855909-toy-story-veggie-pizza-planets-t/">pizza roll "planets"</a><br />
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Saturday - leftovers or whatever they can find in the fridge and/or cupboards. :)Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-40765387436255151812010-07-26T14:06:00.001-04:002010-07-27T19:54:36.695-04:00I'm Back!Ok, I am going to give this a try AGAIN! I really do want to be "a blogger", but well I just forget to post sometimes. But I will try harder (I know I say that every time).<br />
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So obviously, we are on break from "school" for the summer. Jake finished his math program up late this year (well he got started on it late as well). Amanda did not like the MUS set, so we switched from that to the Key To Algebra. She is *supposed* to be working on it throughout the summer, but hasn't done too much recently. I am trying to get them to do more reading.<br />
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As for how the school year went, well it was kinda pathetic. LOL With the move and all I just had a hard time getting into a routine. We've really taken a turn in our homeschooling style, moving towards more unschooling. So our relaxed, eclectic approach has gotten WAY more relaxed. ;) Regardless, I will continue with a math program for both of them. I just can't let that go completely unschoolish. They can work at their pace though.<br />
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For the 2010-11 school year though we do have some unfinished things to complete. So these will be a priority come September. The things we need to finish are:<br />
<ol><li>Trail Guide to US Geography needs finished by both</li>
<li>Story of Science needs finished by both</li>
<li>Health unit needs finished by both</li>
<li>Word Roots by Amanda</li>
</ol><br />
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Then here is a tentative "plan" for other work:<br />
Amanda:<br />
English/Language Arts - Shakespeare study; Literature Through Movies<br />
Math - Finish Key to Algebra books; Consumer Math<br />
Science - Life Science/Chemistry/Physics (her choice)<br />
Social Studies/History/Geography - US Trail Guide to World Geography; You Decide (Bill of Rights).<br />
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Jake:<br />
English/Language Arts - Literature Through the Movies; Shakespeare study?<br />
Math - Key to Geometry (books 2 & 3); Key to Measurements (Books 1-4); Key to Metric Measurements (books 1-4)?; Key to Algebra (books 1-10)?<br />
Science - The story of Science: Newton at the Center; Life Science/Chemistry/Physics (his choice); Other Joy Hakim books<br />
Social Studies/History/Geography - US Trail Guide to World Geography; You Decide (Bill of Rights); Civil war<br />
Arts - Computer programming<br />
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But they will be able to work at their pace. Trying to make a schedule and stick to it is useless, I'm not that disciplined. LOL So we'll see how things go. :)Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-47255064262253827242009-10-12T13:18:00.002-04:002009-10-12T13:19:53.266-04:00I'm a bad girlI'm here to publicly admit that I've been bad and have not done something Halloweeny every single day. I'm sorry. I fully intended to.<br />
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Awhile back I had gotten some Harry Potter science kits from ebay. They've been moved around and stuck here & there, forgotten mostly. But I wanted to use them up before they were no longer usable. So I had planned on doing those since they were some creepy fun Chemistry things. Well, guess what? The materials were hardened and unusable. :( And I did put together a Halloween themed photo scavenger hunt for the teens in our homeschool group. So I've been doing a little, just not something every day.<br />
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And I'd like to share this photo -<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/StNgN3nc0hI/AAAAAAAAANw/6ZwgfKp3PzI/s1600-h/IMG_3025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/StNgN3nc0hI/AAAAAAAAANw/6ZwgfKp3PzI/s320/IMG_3025.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> All that fur, and he still wants a blanket! ;)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, so on the homeschool front... Again, I've been a bad girl. It's just been SO hard to get into any sort of routine this year. But here are the plans for this week:<br />
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</div><i>Science</i> - Health unit from <a href="http://kidshealth.org/classroom/index.jsp?Grade=0&Section=welcome">KidsHealth.org</a> This week we'll do the following units: Sleep; Bones, Muscles and Joints.<br />
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Begin study of Darwin & Evolution. <br />
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<i>Language Arts</i> - We have a bit of the Greek Myths literature unit from last year to finish. So we'll work on getting that completed this week.<br />
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<i>Math</i> - Dig out our brand new Math U See books and crack them open. I'm hoping to get 2-3 lessons finished this week.<br />
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<i>Social Studies</i> - Trail Guide to US Geography; Begin unit study on The Rise of Nazi Germany (using out Learning Through History magazine). <br />
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Then on Saturday I have our first homeschool review of the school year. We have switched reviewers and will be visiting with another homeschool mom & friend for our review (and getting to talk to another friend that moved to CO via Skype). So this is kinda why I am posting our plans, we NEED to get a move on so i have somethign to show. LOLJodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-85479018055338326312009-10-05T14:57:00.002-04:002009-10-05T15:05:03.375-04:00Poe & PumpkinSo far so good... I've been able to do something Halloween-y every day so far. Although yesterday might be stretching it a bit, but who cares. LOL<br />
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Oct 4 - was our homeschool groups's picnic. I usually do a NBTS picnic sometime the end of August or beginning of September, but with the move this year I just didn't get to plan it. So the owner of our homeschool group suggested a picnic where the newer members can join in, plus dads. So it was sort of a combined picnic.<br />
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As for what I did Halloween-like yesterday, I ate "poison" brownies one mom brought. We had a lovely day outside with friends and enjoyed the crisp Fall air. And I even ate some candy corn last night. ;)<br />
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Oct 5 - Today I took 2 frames I had that I really didn't like the color of and sanded them down and repainted them black. I just used some acrylic craft paint as I didn't want them to look glossy like spray paint looks. I had printed a picture of Egdar Allan Poe in black and white, made a mat and then placed both into one of the frames. Then I added 2 googly eyes. :) It looks pretty cool.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SspAkxLdUzI/AAAAAAAAANo/IaXbf9FkI_o/s1600-h/IMG_2927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SspAkxLdUzI/AAAAAAAAANo/IaXbf9FkI_o/s320/IMG_2927.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here is the pumpkin roll recipe I use every year. You can see pictures of one we made last year here: <a href="http://home-school-life.blogspot.com/2008/11/pumpkin-rolls.html">Pumpkin Rolls</a><br />
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</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Cake:<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">2/3 Cup Pumpkin (we use the pumpkin pie filling because it has more seasoning to it)<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3 eggs<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 Cup sugar<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3/4 Cup flour<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1tsp each salt, baking soda, and cinnamon<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Line cookie sheet with wax paper, spray with Pam. Combine all ingredients, spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. <br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Let cool about 5 minutes or so, then cover with a dish towel, flip cake onto towel & remove cookie sheet and was paper. Sprinkle well with powdered sugar, roll up (in towel) and put in the freezer to cool completely.<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Filling:<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">8oz cream cheese<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">2 TBS butter<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 Cup powdered sugar<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 whole tub (8oz) cool whip<br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Cream together. Unroll cake, sprinkle again with powdered sugar & spread filling over cooled cake. Roll (sprinkle more powdered sugar on the outside of the roll while rolling, to help from tearing) and wrap in foil. <br />
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</div>Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534172330732120931.post-28444603381006141392009-10-03T14:14:00.000-04:002009-10-03T14:15:05.700-04:00Halloween UpdatesHere are some things we've been doing to prepare for Halloween:<br /><br />October 1st - we brought out the Halloween decorations. In doing so, I realized how little I have. But we put a few things about and I left the rest for another time. I then started making a list of things we can do for the rest of October. I found some fun crafts, we have a few "spooky" science kits/experiments to do, and of course some baking.<br /><br />October 2nd - We put the rest of the decorations out. The kids decided to get rid of the cheesy window clings finally. LOL I gather more supplies for some crafts we'll be doing on the coming days. At the store we picked up some mini pumpkins and gourds.<br /><br />October 3rd - we've been doing some fall baking today. Brownies have been baked and are cooling. Then we'll be icing them and adding fall colored sprinkles. I don't usually ice my brownies, but hey, it is just more chocolate. :D Right now I have 2 loaves of zucchini bread cooking. Then I have to bake 2 loaves of banana bread to take to our homeschoolers picnic tomorrow.<br /><br />While the brownies were baking, Amanda and spread glue onto the stems of the pumpkins and gourds then added glitter. They look really cute.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT5KlrrZI/AAAAAAAAANI/yPkMJBcmFIA/s1600-h/020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT5KlrrZI/AAAAAAAAANI/yPkMJBcmFIA/s320/020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388438089476320658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT6TNfTTI/AAAAAAAAANg/rRKF2K4HQEM/s1600-h/IMG_2912.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT6TNfTTI/AAAAAAAAANg/rRKF2K4HQEM/s320/IMG_2912.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388438108970634546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT6B_G_lI/AAAAAAAAANY/S6_3NY0i8Cg/s1600-h/IMG_2911.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT6B_G_lI/AAAAAAAAANY/S6_3NY0i8Cg/s320/IMG_2911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388438104346918482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT5q_nDtI/AAAAAAAAANQ/x1AwSkm-lqA/s1600-h/IMG_2909.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9na7Liy9Jbs/SseT5q_nDtI/AAAAAAAAANQ/x1AwSkm-lqA/s320/IMG_2909.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388438098175004370" border="0" /></a>Jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173211432410482641noreply@blogger.com1