Weight Watcher Wednesday 21

184.6

If every anyone lost weight as slow as a turtle crawls...it was me! Oh well, better slow and steady than not at all...right? To be honest, I haven't been focusing on it these last few months with moving and vacation and homeschooling, but life is starting to settle into a routine and I'm thinking more about what I'm putting in my mouth. I haven't been counting points [shocker I know], but I am making good decisions. I'm thankful to be down about two pounds since last time I checked in.

Hoping to start walking daily soon too. I really wanna get pregnant again, and am more motivated than ever to lose the weight. Around 40 down, and 30 more to go. Don't want to think about it, but I'm going to attempt for another 3 months and reevaluate it. 

How y'all doing?

S is for Sun

The last two weeks of [homeschool] Kindergarten were focused on Creation. The next 26 weeks are focused on one letter of the alphabet and a coordinating subject and scripture concept. This week:

S is for SUN

Jesus is the Light of the world


Genesis 1:14-19
John 8:12
Psalm 119:105

We've only done one day of S this week [as it is only Tuesday now and we haven't done school yet], but we had a lot of fun yesterday. Nation, all on his own, made a sun out of tinker toys for me. Love it. I've been leaving legos out on the table and Nation plays with them on and off all day making fabulous creations.

Later this week we will be painting a sun, making a grape/raisin chart, making a sundial, and doing an experiment with a globe/flashlight. Of course, followed by other school work...but those are the "fun" things!

I got a lot of my ideas from Pinterest, see my S is for Sun folder here

End of Week Update:

This week we added in a few science experiments, did our Cuisenaire Rods and adored our new Sun model & globe.

We also read 6 books about the sun:

1. Bear Shadow [Easier reader & cute story]

2. Wake Up Sun [Easier reader & cute story]

3. Sun Bread [Beautifully illustrated & our favorite fiction story]

4. The Sun of the Nearest Star [Our favorite informational with experiments]

5. What Makes Day & Night [Informational with great explanations & also experiments]

6. To Be Like The Sun [Least favorite of the books...about a sunflower seed growing]

[borrowed portion from a blogger friend, edited for us]

Linking Up At

How Long Should You Wait To Have Kids

The answer is...


...there is no answer. Really it varies from person to person, but here is my experience---

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

         So are the children of one’s youth.

 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

         They shall not be ashamed, 

         But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127: 3-5




How long did you wait?
Thoughts?

Kicking Off The School Year Right

I love that the boys can spend all day together and just be boys and enjoy the outdoors when they want to. A homeschool mentor friend of mine gave me this simple chart to chart on simply when we plan to do school every week. The first block is for after breakfast, the second block is for after lunch, and the third block is for after dinner. It's really helped! I'm also exposing the boys to 5 different famous works of art having to do with the sun. Personally, that's my favorite part---I love learning things I never was exposed to!

Scripture & Snapshot 36

10 Things I Love

Things I love

I was sitting here just thinking about a few of my favorite things [while I get lost in the amazingness of Pinterest's endless ideas of beauty]. I feel no shame in "wasting time" looking at beautiful things. And I feel no shame in "wasting time" making silly crafts with my kids because, after all, life doesn't get much better than making beautiful things...especially with those you love. 

Creating beauty, or just standing in awe of it. I think both are good for the heart.

Right, back to my list...

Things I love

Fall

Restoration

Chocolate

Jeans

A Birth

[lately...] The Alphabet

Being awake when everyone else is sleeping

Girl Talk

Down comforter

White Chocolate Mocha

There's 10 from me, how about you? 

Okay, what about even 1?

What's ONE thing you love?

Comment below.

Thankful Thursday Top Ten 56

Thankful This Week For:

1. My mom starting a blog [she'll be reviewing books...oh and y'all she's funny & feisty!]
2. My first attempt at fajita stir fry [the veggies were $4, I couldn't pass it up & my hubby loved it!]
3. Lego club switched to my house [the boy and girls table happen naturally]
4. Flowers on my table
5. My husband letting me pick the chocolate at The Melting Pot [banana foster!]
6. Apologizes
7. My first monogrammed purse
8. Small group at my house last Friday [and this time I didn't stress out and clean...I'm growing!]
9. Playing Pictionary with friends [and winning!]
10. Exclamation points!!!!! My husband always makes fun of me, but hey, life is too exciting!

All photos brought to you by my iPhone because I'm too busy to plug in my real camera?!?!

2011 Homeschool Shelf

I took a shot of my shelf for y'all and thought I'd let you know a few things that are on it. Can't go into detail now, but thought I might get you curious...

1. A felt calendar

2. My Father's World Kindergarten Deluxe Package

3. Inchimals

4. Singapore Kindergarten Math [textbook, activity book, readers]

5. Operation World

6. First Encyclopedia

7. Beginning Geography

8. Usborne Art Treasury

9. Beginner's World Atlas

10. Hooked On Phonics Pre-K & Hooked On Phonics Master Reader [never used yet]

This year we are mainly doing My Father's World Kindergarten [MFW], but I bought my very busy 5 year old a few supplemental things to keep him busy if he starts getting in trouble bored. My plan [insert laugh here] is to do a little of this and little of that every week to expose him to deeper math & the world.

I highly highly highly recommend the Hooked On Phonics Pre-K, for really even 18 months and up. My kids were singing all their letters and sounds super early and I completely attribute it to their DVD's & little kit. We weren't pushy with it, but they loved it! I haven't used the Master reader yet, but it was given to me [almost free] so I just have it as backup incase we run into need for extra reading help.

Other than that, I've just been lesson planning tonight for about two hours [silly, I know], but can you blame me? It's my first go around with Kindergarten [again, go ahead and laugh at me] homeschooling and I'm a bit excited/over the top. This much planning is by no means required, I'm just excited I think. I never finished adding up all the hours I spent copying, cutting, laminating, organizing for this year, but it was somewhere around 3 days. Not to mention all the hours I've spent on these two sites:

My Father's World Message Board and Training Them Up [a mom who posted her whole year!]

So far, I'm liking what I'm seeing. Both of these sites have helped me to find ideas to save time down the road & be more creative. I found a great chart that organizes my days & some extra printables & crafts I love too!

Here is the list of the 26 lessons [spend one week on each]
we are about to do after we finish our two week lesson on creation:

If you know of any amazing videos, songs, books, apps, games, crafts, snacks, etc etc

on these subjects---let me know!!!

Happy homeschooling y'all!

10 Thoughts on Playing Golf

This past weekend Charles surprised me for our anniversary and took me out of town for the night. Friday I had a massage & we went to dinner and Saturday we played 18 holes of golf. My lovely mother watched the kiddos. I've only hit a golf ball one other time [recent date night at the driving range] so this was for sure my first "round of golf".

Here is a 4 minute vlog on my 4 hour experience. I share my 10 thoughts/revelations [ha!] on golf:

[Could I look any more inebriated in this freeze frame from YouTube? ha!]

I feel as though I should add, on the way there I realized I did not pack a collared shirt or shorts [because it was a surprise] so we stopped at Wal-Mart and I got my "awesome" outfit for $22 [visor was $2, had to have it to complete the dorky golf look], and I was so glad I did because a similar shirt and shorts at the pro shop there were 5 times the cost!

Sixth Anniversary

Funny Friday #22

Do you ever come up with crazy games for your kids just to keep them interested in the same-old-backyard, or the same-old-toys? Well this week I invented boot bowling. I lined up all their boots in the backyard [that's a whole other post] and gave them some heavy bocce balls to throw at them. Let's just say they didn't want to come inside when outside time was over. "Boot Bowling" For-The-Win.

[Insert picture of poopie cloth diaper here]

Disclaimer: If you [A] don't have kids or [B] don't use cloth diapers or [C] are grossed out by bugs you may not want to continue reading.

So, my neighbor must be thinking, what is that girl doing outside in the dark at 11:30 PM on a Friday night? Is she washing something in the backyard? Is it a cloth diaper? Weirdo. Yep, that was me. Tonight after small group left I could almost go to bed, but wait two things still remained...that one load of laundry I promised myself I'd get to today and of course a blog post.

Imagine me outside spraying off a dirty cloth diaper I might have left in the garage all week because he pooped in it just as I was leaving to go somewhere and my sprayer is still at my rental house...oh and I was avoiding it. I kept putting it off until now I'm too cheap to be on the verge of loosing it. WELL---y'all, it had maggots in it, yep, you heard me right, and it was majorly caked on. The things we do for our kids! 

[Insert picture of small fan on kitchen counter blowing into Ziplock of lettuce]

I'm still not sure how to dry lettuce even after rinsing, and spinning in my salad spinner, and patting dry with a paper towel. It still sometimes seems---wet. So, this week I tried letting my fan [that I tote around the house all day to blow on me because apparently I'm permanently "temperature pregnant"] do some of the drying for me. As I stared there at my lettuce being blowing around in a bag like a women's hair for a photo shoot, I thought---should I even photograph this?

Candra, you have out done yourself domestically this time.

Anything funny happen to you this week? Link up below & comment!

Thankful Thursday Top Ten 55

Thankful This Week For:

1. My new van. It's our first new car together! So thankful for the extra space & better gas mileage.
2. Making it through my first [almost] week of teaching Nation Kindergarten
3. 8 hours of sleep several nights this week
4. The wisdom of mother's before me, whose advice I've rehearsed in my head all week
5. Seeing a late night movie with a friend [laughing at the size of our coke!]
6. A small group to attend, Godly friends are hard to come by
7. The last 4 teeth making their way through Moses' gums
8. Playing doubles with friends [and the game not ending in tears for me! #competitive]
9. A sitter who we love & loves our kiddos [not to mention she's now attending Hootie Hoo]
10. The embroidery machine finally making it's way from my moms house to mine after 15 months.

What are you thankful for this week? Can you think of 10 things?

Link up below and comment on one persons.

My Father's World: Creation

I debated about even writing a post because my new bedtime is 11 [sigh] and it's 11, but I figure a little post is better than no post, right?

It's not official, but I think I might make Tuesdays the day I talk about my homeschooling. I don't want to bog my blog down with homeschooling stuff every-single-day. There is no reason you need a play by play when there are plenty of other great blogs out there walking you through Kindergarten. 

I say all that to say, our school district started Monday, so...we did too. I don't know WHY I picked this week because it was probably silly with all the people in and out of my house this week for some minor renovations & deliveries, etc.

So far I've learned...

1. Nation is an artist

2. I made a good choice picking his curriculum that is full of crafts

3. You can't laminate something small unless you want to break your new laminator

4. You will want to laminate everything you own [and once you start you can't stop]

5. Buying extra worksheets for $30 is a greater value than printing them myself #lessonlearned

6. I lost my optional naptime to teach and hence have a new bedtime #summerisover #itsoffical

7. Homeschooling with a baby awake is pointless...unless you have lots of organic suckers

8. Don't say, "you're coloring so dark you'll tear a whole" [you'll just give him a new idea]

9. Playing school all those years has actually come true, and day 2...it still feels fun? #hopeful

10. I never knew how much teachers hand to prepare [both in paper & mentally] before lessons

That's all for now folks. Blogging may be less, it may be more. One thing is for sure---Life won't get any less boring or dull. It's all stories & hilarity from here on out---in my organized chaotic life!

Nation's In Kindergarten

Nation's 1st day of Kindergarten [homeschool]

In continuing with the last few Monday's, Here is a Vlog. Although the last two have been under 3 minutes, this skirts near 7...BUT I do answer 7 questions from last week AND there are two hidden surprises in here!

[Sure to make you laugh even if you learn nothing]

Have a question for me? Ask me below and I'll answer next Monday on Vlog4!

Scripture & Snapshot 35

Funny Friday #21

Moses resting on one of the 10 large piles in my bedroom [aka folding laundry central] 

Boys [in the rain] with their "boy made" umbrellas

Moses dragging his mini-pillow pet by the tag everywhere he goes!

Thankful Thursday Top Ten 54

my lovely mother at the beach...even giving it a twirl

Thankful This Week For:

1. AT&T paying us to run a wire under our backyard
2. The water company cutting our bill by $1600 [Re: accidental sprinkler programming]
3. Anderson Cooper ---being a voice for those who have none
4. Houston's veggie burger
5. Ice in my water
6. A friend who hand delivers my Farmer's Market Basket
7. Getting a "new" car in the next few days [SUV=passed away this week]
8. Three boys hair cut
9. An organized kids craft area [so long junk drawers]
10. A husband who is learning my love language of acts of service