Saturday School

K-Nex. May look like snowflakes, vehicles (I may have helped a bit), and sunrises to them, but it looks like hand-eye coordination, basic math concepts, and cooperation to me :)


Boy#3 played with the wooden beads in this bag, a small pie tin, and a basket for almost the same length of time.
Hooray for quiet(ish) activities while the H sleeps off day 3 of working nights. Which sounds weird, but I didn't know how else to put it so there you go.

fuel for the road

banana-orange-coconut(oil)-flax-kefir smoothies and real peanut butter on real bread. yum. off to grannyboo's house we go!

baby, it's cold outside...

...a fact that we do not take lightly in this house. In honor of making it all the way to the end of January with the thermostat set at 58 degrees (just doesn't seem right to turn up the heat on a poorly insulated house, ya know?), the boys and I have been working on a lot of winter/snow related things during our school time. I haven't taken pics of every activity, but these ones were fun and I happened to have the camera ready. We have:

*made elmer's glue melting snowmen:
*rolled dice and drawn a corresponding # of icicles on a house, roll a dice and build a snowman (both from 2teachingmommies)
*made snowflake observations and snow vs. temperature observations (as they relate to shoveling) and talked about the water cycle (also 2teachingmommies)
*painted winter scenes with white paint. The one time I tried giving them other colors this week, Boy#2 had yellow paint and declared that he was "making yellow snow!" to which his older brother replied, "that's awkward..." Yes, I had a hard time stifling my snort.
*studied a few tracks in the snow and made our own tracks,
*looked at recipes for borax snowflakes (but haven't made them yet)
*read a ridiculous number of winter-themed books, both from my own collection and the library and talked about sequence, character, rhyme, illustrations, etc.,
*counted and traced numbers (boy#1 went on to write the words himself):

*traced pre-writing pages and completed snowflake puzzles from confessionsofahomeschooler.com, (under that page is a letter search sheet. I printed one for each letter of the alphabet, and boy#2 really enjoys placing beads on the designated letters): *worked a lot with starting sounds as they relate to objects one encounters in the winter,
*problem solved how to climb snowballs without falling (answer: shovel steps): and land with style:*pretended we were snowmobile drivers carrying cargo and injured eskimos where it/they need to go:
*decorated and eaten cottage cheese snowmen (I think the flash surprised boy3!), pancakes, and played with sparkly snow playdough,
*and I'm sure there's tons more I've forgotten.

BTW, I've seen other blogs post about what their youngest is doing while the olders are schooling, so I thought I'd copy that idea. Boy #3 would like to be a part of every single blasted thing we do, so once the songs and fingerplays and weather is done and the older 2 begin their bin work, he tries his level best to be as entertaining as possible in hopes they'll sneak away and join him. You've already seen him drawing on the mirror, we also have fun sliding popsicle sticks into the opening on a travel mug, rearranging my silverware drawer:*role-playing as Davey Crockett chasing down a bear (or maybe he's a raccoon and Davey is off camera chasing him? Not sure. Either way there was a lot of screeching and growling.)
*emptying the laundry baskets and filling them again,
*eating everything in sight...you get the picture. Normal toddler stuff ;-p

PHEW, no wonder I'm tired at the end of the day. Here's hoping for an early spring.

fish filter on the cheap

so...we have this fish tank. In Mississippi, it was home to a blue gill and a placo for a long time while D was a single sailor. After we were married, a couple of crayfish were added to the mix and ate up just about everything else, so we started over with some cheapo Walmart guppies and goldfish. They were easy first pets, and kept both us and our other first pet (a precocious kitty) well entertained. Before too long Katrina hit and 2 things happened: the fish all died and precocious kitty turned into crazy kitty.


Fast forward a few years and we're in a new house with new kitties and new fish. Same tank. After a few batches of fish, I think these ones are finally going to make it (apparently tropical fish like warm water. Who knew?!). New problem: these guys are DIRTY! Filters are ridiculously expensive, but thanks to the internet, padding ripped from some (new) prefolds, hot glue, and a carton of carbon, I have a solution. They seem to like it =)

wherein I get dressed up and apply makeup(!)

A couple of my friends and even a few blog acquaintances have posted recently with pics of them wearing (gasp!) makeup and real outfits. They each mention that they feel so much more capable and womanly when fully dressed. Which reminded me that I used to do that (and feel that) once in awhile too, way back when. So this past Sunday when I happened to have a few minutes more than usual, I used them to get a bit more dolled up than normal. Felt weird, I'm not going to deny it. Since when do I have naturally curly hair, you ask? Since I quit using regular shampoo methods and started "plopping" for awhile after every shower, that's when. We're not going to mention the eye wrinkles, mm-kay? thanks.
Of course, I couldn't help but turn the camera back on the photographers (both took pics of me, only one made the cut) in their finery. Boy #3 wasn't available for the photo op as he was still eating breakfast. Or messing with the cat. Or something. I don't really remember. But last Sunday he looked like this (don't worry, he had different pants on for church that actually fit and matched):

let there be light!

from this (and trust me, it got a whole lot worse in the 8 months since that pic was taken):

to this:

makes a pretty big difference in my satisfaction level with the entry. All it took is a step ladder, about 10 cloth wipes, and my handy dandy clean anything spray (this recipe is more in line with what I currently use, now that I think about it).

Actually, I'm probably going to relocate this chandelier to the water closet (because it's not big enough to be called a bathroom) when that's done and get something a little more in line with my aesthetic for the entry. Eventually. Think Barn Light Electric except much cheaper. Anyone want to go auctioning this summer?

bare necessities

When we moved into this old house less than one year ago, we had a list (about a mile long) of "things we'd like to do first." A few of things were so high on the list that we began working on them before we even moved in, like the kitchen faucet, which leaked. A lot. Some things put themselves at the top of the list, like the former tenants. I will NEVER forget the sound of a new swarm of bees right outside my window. Thank God (I'm serious) for bee hobbyists who are willing to take 2 days out of their lives to re-home a hive of grumpy honeybees.

We also tore down a barn, erected a shed, tore out some carpet and replaced a few outlets. The rest of the list falls under the "need more money" category, and will be dealt with....eventually. The house is basically liveable as-is, and the longer we're here the more we tweak "the list " and prioritize.

This winter we moved one particular job to the top of the "need more money" list. So high, in fact, that we might be allocating the vast majority of our tax return to it. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words:

I'm aiming for: a light fixture of some sort and new wiring to that fixture, working toilet, smaller clawfoot tub, new cork floor, repaired and working sink. Perhaps an outlet or two and maybe even a small surprise extra that my dad thinks "just might work." Everything else is great but not critical and will happen, as they say, eventually. Really, I'm just looking forward to being able to bring kids down the hall in the middle of the night in the sub-zero weather to pee as opposed to down the stairs and through the first floor. Here's hoping we actually receive a tax return this year!!

last night we ate fried fish

Granted, there were sweet potatoes on the side, along with broccoli normandy, but still. Battered and fried fish. It was SO good, but left me feeling a little...how shall I put this...greasy. So tonight we're opting for something completely different. May I present: Curried (organic, local, cage free) chicken (that lived a long and productive life before sacrificing herself to our nourishment) with soaked brown rice, various veggies, and homemade bone broth, a la Nourishing Traditions. (recipe my own, but fairly basic.) Emily is right, the best food never photographs well, but the taste I just had left me itching for more. Good thing D just walked in the door!

it turns out I am now the admin. of my own blog.

at long last my mother cut the apron strings.

I think she convinced herself that the indoctrination/cloning process/training period was complete.

HA!

so I updated the template a bit.

I still need to simplify the labels. And yeah, I used a premade template. but it looks good, no?

benefits of a side yard: sledding hill!

Boy1 has decided it is his job to shovel this winter. Dad and Mom can help, but he will "be the one doing most of the work." No joke, the kid is out there every single time it snows, sometimes before breakfast. By the way, wool is spectacular. Check out the reinforced knees! After shoveling the sidewalk a few days ago (while mom did the driveway and the remaining 2 boys wreaked havoc inside watched from the window), we decided it was time for some fun!Thanks to a warm(er) day and the shoveling of one momma and one neighbor girl (thanks M!) we have our own pint-sized sledding hill in our side yard. It was great. Except, of course, when it wasn't. And then we went inside for spiced juice and lunch and a great nap, wherein I was able to mend 2 holes in my favorite slippers AND enjoy some chai in my new mug.

everyone loves markers...

...even the baby.

Christmas on any given day part 2

sooo...I didn't take nearly enough pictures of our Christmas with the in-laws. anyone else have any they care to share? These 2 will have to suffice.

Look, matching outfits! Probably the only year we'll do them, but they were free! and they're cute! and now we have black church pants all around (turns out most of my church clothing for the under 4 crowd involves short sleeves and shorts. I miss summer.)
We did do the obligatory "gather as many of your presents as you can find and look like you're happy with them" pic. I will never admit to how many of these came from my mother's attic or a yard sale or thrift store or some such. (Actually, that's not even remotely true. I'll brag to anyone who asks.) If you don't see the gift you bestowed, feel honored; this means we loved it so much it is already a part of our belongings to the extent that we cannot locate it at the present time.


little note about the Cabbage Patch Kid: My mom made that outfit, and I had a matching one for me when I was 5. Yup, she (and I) was really that cool.
Awww, even the dog got a present.