Bluebonnets
Taking your childrens’ photos in the bluebonnets is a time-honored central Texas tradition. I’ve been trying to scout out a good location for this year’s pictures, and just yesterday I found a decent-sized patch off of Shell Road near TX 195 in Georgetown. I got some good pictures this year, mostly because my kids are finally old enough to bribe. 
Here’s a look at this year’s photos, along with bluebonnet photos from the last 5 years: Read the rest of this entry »
Cute update
Today I was working with the kids on their phonics ladders (a la aBeka curriculum, the same I was learning when I was their age). When I got to the F’s phonics ladder (fa, fe, fi, fo, fu), Gabriel said I sounded like a giant. LOL.
My germaphobe tendencies must be rubbing off on my children. I almost always break out the Germ-X or Wet Ones after we leave the grocery store, or really any large public place. So, when we left Wal-mart today, after the kids strapped themselves into their carseats, Mikaela piped up: “Okay, now anna-tize my hands.”
This afternoon, we went driving around, looking for a bluebonnet patch to take the kids’ photos in (it’s an annual central TX tradition). We found one, and we were trying to arrange the kids “just so,” when Jay decided bribery might make things go more smoothly, so he promised them suckers if they cooperated. In the car and on the way back home, Gabriel asked if we could hurry home and get a sucker. We asked why, and he said, “cause you got some hungry kids back here!”
Long time no write
Wow, has it really been two weeks? What a slacker I’ve turned into!
Homeschooling is going pretty well. We’re about a third of the way through How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Mikaela is picking it up more quickly than Gabriel is. Each day we also read a book together, trace letters, trace numbers, have a Bible lesson and a science lesson. Crafts and cutting practice get thrown in the mix almost daily as well. We spend about an hour to two hours, depending on the day and their attentiveness. Sometimes Gabriel is totally spaced out, which obviously slows us down.
This week at our homeschool is animal week. We’re covering the following concepts:
- Animals live in different habitats, in different places in the world
- Animals come in a wide range of sizes
- Animals’ coverings protect them from temperature and predators
- Animals need food, shelter and water
- Animals move in different ways
- Animals can be classified
- Some animals lay eggs, some animals have babies
- Animals eat different food
- Some animals build homes
- Some animals hibernate, birds migrate
- Some animals are nocturnal
- Some animals provide products we use
… we’re covering those topics by reading an array of books, watching animal DVDs we rented from the library, doing animal experiments and activities from my Macmillan Early Science Activities kit, and hopefully we’ll be able to go to the zoo this week as well.
I love this stuff.
Aside from homeschooling, I am trying to get a degree plan written up by a couple of our local community colleges. Hopefully once I get the finalized degree plan it will help me to make my decision about which nursing school to attend. This decision is making me nuts, and I’m ready to have a solid plan in place. I am a goal-oriented person and I hate when things are up in the air like this. I’ll keep you posted.
