Christmas

Here's a great website for a unit study leading up to Christmas!  

Home Schooling in the Woods

Enjoy this week.

today we say...

Happy Thanksgiving !

Jelly Telly

Just found this site.  I've checked it out, and I love it so far.  I think Dancer and Minty will love it, maybe more than Veggie Tales.  

I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me tell you a little about Jelly Telly.  The man that gave us Veggie Tales Phil Vischer, has created a new company.  He has launched the new web site this month.  On the web site is all the info you need.  Very cool!  It's primarily for younger children. But check it out, you may be surprised:

Jelly Telly 

Pass on the news...   

  

You can do this

I love reading this blog.  I thought I would share it with you.  I'm going to try this, and I know you can also!

A Soft Place to Land

Dinner in a Pumpkin

To celebrate the season, we made dinner in a pumpkin.  What a fun time we had. Dancer loved taking all the inside out of the pumpkin.  She said it was "yuck!"  However, she laughed the whole time.   Minty was taking a nap.  I even baked homemade bread for our dinner.  

The dinner turned out very tasty.  It was a meat casserole.  You could bake anything you want in it.  The pumpkin turns into the baking pan.  I would highly recommend trying this dinner, and have fun setting the table!

4 years ago.....

My little girl was born!  

Happy Birthday Dancer!  

I'm so proud of you & love you more than you will ever know!

Thanks & Giving

Free Thanks & Giving  unit study for November.  

Thanks & Giving by First Fruits Publishers Holiday edition features Wisdom Stretchers, Coloring Pages, Challenge Pages, Puzzles and a Certificate of Completion! 

Check it out....  

School or...

One "learning" day, Dancer and I were working together on writing her name.  Minty's was learning his colors.  He was grouping straws into colors for me.  A few minutes after giving him the assignment he started laughing.  I turned to look at him and this is what he "learned" to do...

We all started laughing so hard!  What a cutie!

Apples...

Back in September, Hecknville went Apple picking and had a great time.  Besides eating apples everyday and making this beautiful centerpiece for our table,  we made caramel apples and they were yummy!!!  

Until next time...

Name changes & our day....

We have name changes!  No reason, I just wanted to change them.  Dancer is perfect for First Daughter.  She dances as much as she can and whenever she cans.  I love to watch her, because she enjoys it so much.  

Then there is Minty.  From Saturday on he will always be my Minty Boy.

 On Saturday morning, he ate 13 pieces of mint gum.  He paid for it, poor guy!  Thank God he only had a stomach ache for that day, but he had a strong smell of mint for 3 days.  Today was the first time I didn't smell any trace of mint.  He reminded me of that little boy on Charlie Brown, that had the "puff" of 

dirt around him where ever he would go.  But instead of dirt, it was the smell of mint.   

Today our school day went wonderfully!  I think it was our best day so far.  I'm looking forward to more of them.  Dancer even said  " I'm so excited!   I love doing this (school work)."  Minty even enjoyed his work.  I have a funny picture to post, but my camera is up stairs, and I'm down stairs, so I will have to post them another time.

Also I wanted to tell Chief something...  I love you very much.  Thank you so much for being a wonderful husband & father.  We have a wonderful family because of you.  Thank you for working so hard for us.  Dancer & Minty love you more than you know.  

Wow!  It has been almost 2 months since our last blog.  There's  been a lot going on in Hecknville.  Our lives are busy with a Pre-K and a toddler in the house.  First school has started!  Both FD & FS love it, most times.  We only have school at home 2 times a week.  However our first month, we only held "school" once each week.  We do other things, for "learning", and that happens all the time.  FD calls school "learning".  It is cute, and I hate to correct her, because she is right.  

Let me tell you about our first month of "learning", then I will tell you everything else that is happening in Hecknville.  Our first week, Monday our Co-Op day went beautifully.  FD & FS love it.  Tuesday & Wednesday we have home "learning".  Tuesday went really well, and the FD was so excited about it.  Then Wednesday came.  Every day we go out side and check the weather.  Well, I forgot to check to see if the door was unlocked, and of course it wasn't.  So, yes we were locked out side in the back yard with no way out.  Our back yard is fully fenced.  FD, FS & I had to climb the fence and go around to get in.  Chief came home right away, I remembered my phone in my pocket, Thank God I got to call him.  The way our house is set up, the basement door was locked and the back door to outside was locked, and of course we have no keys for either of these locks!  Cheif had to take the door off to unlock the basement door.  No learning went on after that.  The high light of the day, Chief came home early, and we learned how to climb a fence!  

The next Tuesday we were having a play date in Hecknville.  We got up early to straighten the house.  About 8:00am we heard really loud sirens.  We looked out the window and we saw 3 police cars in our driveway around this other car!  Yes, you read it right, IN OUR DRIVEWAY!!!  After about 30 minutes I went out side to see if everything was OK.  The police said yes, and please go inside.  Thank God they were all gone by 11:00, when our play date came!  The next night the police were back looking for a gun!!!  Ok...  We are freaked out.  We live in a very nice, and quiet neighborhood.  Things like this do not happen here.  After hearing about the gun, that they did not find, we would not let the kids out side.  Thank God we were very busy that weekend.  We went Apple picking and Mini Golfing.  We all had SO much fun. 

Monday, we are at our Co-Op.  We had about 1/4 tank of gas.  Not a big deal.  That will get us were we need to go and than some.  However, we parked on a

 hill with the front of our car pointing down.  I guess you are not supposed to do this with just a 1/4 tank.  Our car would not start.  After 5 hours of waiting, a tow truck came and pulled us out, and the car started!  The tow truck guy is other story!  He passed us 4 times before he saw us.  Then he pulled up and said " You're supposed to be stuck in a hole", I said "No, I'm stuck on the hill", he said "No a hole", I said "No, a hill".  So on and so no...  Finally after going back and forth, I said, "Look!  I'm not stuck in a hole, I'm on a hill, can you help me, my car will not start".  He looked at me and chuckled, your car is not stuck because you are on the hill, there has to be something else wrong with it.  I held up my keys, and said "you try!"  So he did.  And guess what!  It would not start.  He tried and tried and came to me and said , "Your right...  Let me pull you out".  HA!!!!!!!!!  That is all I have to say about that!  Oh yea, I forgot to tell you, the tow truck guy had a very thick southern drawl, and very hard to understand.  FD &FS were wonderful the whole time, even when mommy started to cry.  

Now, I will tell you about our Tuesday, the very next day.  Oh, I really would love to forget this Tuesday.  We were running late with starting school.  But we did.  After learning time, I put some dye on my hair (to hide my grey).  It was a beautiful day out and we had not step out side yet.  We had about 15 minutes before I had to jump in the shower to get the dye off.  So, we headed out side.  Boy, that was a great weather day!  My timer (yes my phone) went off, time to go in.  But guess what!  The door is locked!  Oh No!  I have dye in my hair, and we are still in our P.J.'s, and we can't get in, again!!!  UGH!!!  And now

 my head is burning.  The dye!  After quickly rinsing my hair, we all climbed the fence.  We are getting good at it now. 

 And went around to the front.  Plus, FD's ballet class starts in one hour!  

Our weeks are packed with "stuff" to do.  Monday we have Co-Op, Tuesday we home school, and FD has Ballet at 4pm.  Wednesday is our only day home, with no where to go.  Thursday we have MOPS.  Friday FD has Tap lessons.  It is busy! 

Well, it is late here in Hecknville, and according to my calender we have MOPs in the morning.  Next Blog post I hope to show you our "Learning" room.  

Thanks for stopping by, and God bless!

First Wife

Good News!

I wanted to share this new movie coming out next month.  Looks good!!!

Hot days of Summer...

Walking in the Zoo

It has been a very nice summer here in Hecknville.  We've been busy and lazy all month.  Some weeks we are non stop heading to the Zoo & parks and having so much fun.  On other days we are just staying cool in our family room and watching "Finding Nemo" for the  10th time (or more, we've lost count)  this year.  We are working hard on getting our learning room (play room/school room) together.  It is painted!  Yea!  Now, we are just "setting" it up.  We will post pictures of the room next month, when we hope to have it all finished.  We did set a goal to have the room ready to start school on July 1st, well it is Aug. 4th and we still have not celebrated our 1st day of school.  Can anyone say " a little behind".  Oh well...  Our  homeschool Co-op starts  in Sept, and that is when we will start our school, no matter what!  Even if our learning room is not finished!   Our schedule will be very easy this year.  It will look like this for the week:

Sunday: Church/rest day

Monday:  Monday fun (Co-Op)

Tuesday: School

Wednesday: School

Thursday: Field trip day or MOPS day

Friday: Library day or Catch up day. 

Saturday: Family day

Very easy!  I like it that way.  The First Daughter will start dance lessons this fall, but not until November.  In about 2 years she will start music lessons.   By then the First Son will be doing something also.  Plus we will have a"full" day of school, so our lives will be very busy then.  Right now we are LOVING our small children.  

We had a break through with our Daughter today.  She has been struggling with a lying tongue, and telling stories.  Today she tried to deceive us, but she was convicted!!  And told us the truth, right from the beginning!  She even told me, "Mommy I was going to tell you a lie, but I didn't, I told you the truth and it feels good"!  Out of the mouth of babes!  We've been praying & reading verses out of the bible to her about lying.  Our biggest prayer is that she and the First Son, know Jesus, and want to serve Him with all their hearts, and that they know His voice and listen to Him.  A little time after this happened we read a very good blog (who happens to be our very good friend), and this is what he had to say:

postmodernpilgrims.wordpress.com/

Great words!  We love it!  God is so good, we really needed to read the words he wrote, so from this day on we can help the First Daughter with over coming this struggle (even the "small" lies) she will always have in her life, but if she listens to God now, then His voice will be louder than her struggle.  Break through, we think so!  God is smelling a VICTORY!!!!  Thank you Post Modern Pilgrims for the wise words!  We bet you didn't know, God had you write that blog for us!  

 

The Chief brought these beautiful flowers home yesterday!  

                                                         What a wonderful surpirse!!!  
A friend of mine http://fountainacademy.blogspot.com/   asked this question:

"What says "Summer" to you?"  She lists a lot of good (and I agree with them all!) "feel like Summer" things, but I would like to add some:  

1.  the smell & sound of the ocean

2. feet in the water

3. jumping in the pool 

4.  watermelon

5.  red, white & blue (anything)

6.  fireworks

How about you?  What says "Summer" to you?

Weekend Project?

Our little man loves to help!  He sanded the project like a pro!  A boy after his Papa's heart!  

Ok, so we thought this was going to be a "weekend" project.  It ended up being a 5 day project, so a "week" project.  We LOVE how it turned out.  It really looks great in our kitchen.  Also, the color was a mistake, but we love it!  We wanted black, but the color turned out to be a dark blue.  Our kitchen colors are red, white & blue.  So it works!  Yea! 

Everyone else in Hecknville, is doing great!  The 1st daughter had her first gymnastics class.  She did great, but afterwards she told me "I wanted Ballet classes instead".  So she will be starting that in the Fall.  

Ok, until next time....

A day in the life of living in Hecknville....

Today after a trip to the store, the 1st daughter & son water painted.  What fun they had!  We have water painted before, but this time the 1st daughter really took her time to do her picture.  Also, we bought the "paint with water" book.  She loved it!  The 1st son, well he is 2 years old, so he enjoyed it as much as a 2 year old would.  For about 3 minutes.  It was so nice to see our daughter really take time and pride in her work.  

  Also, while shopping I found a great find!  This last year at my MOPS group we had a collage professor recommend this video.  So, today I found it and bought it.  The 1st daughter & son watched it and loved it.  They even started to sing the songs, after just one time watching.  Yea! So, if you need a gift or if you would like something to help your wee one with reading I would try this...