Belated Birthday in Clarksville

 

L-R: Grammie, Hannah, me, Autumn, my mom
(Grendy), my sister Meagan, Emma

 We went to Clarksville last weekend and celebrated Hannah's birthday with family. A great time was had by all.  Hannah's "big" gift was a Power Wheels jeep from my dad, and she went 4-wheeling all over the yard. :) It has a passenger seat so Emma, Autumn, and Marianne had to restrain themselves and remember the art of sharing. Hannah wanted a polar bear cake, but I still had the pan from last year!  Hannah is already talking about having a black bear birthday next year. Oy.

All the pics were taken by Hannah's Nonna (my mom's BFF).



My mom made a mini version of Hannah's favorite bear
to go with her new American Girl doll (which you can
see behind her).



Hannah and Marianne are giddy about something :)



pondering what she will do with her life now that she
has passed the half-decade mark.



The cake!



"I wish...a polar bear will be our next president and
focus on conservation!"



"Slow down, Hannah!"



Week in Review #29: Short but productive

This week was short and weird. We came back from Clarksville Monday, and then turned around and went back Thursday for my brother's college graduation and commissioning ceremony.  Ryan couldn't come with us for the graduation because he didn't have enough notice to rearrange his schedule at work.  All good, though.  I'm so thankful it is only a 4-hour drive! We basically only did school work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  Got a good bit done, but still just feel off balance.  I'm ready for a new (and normal!) week.

I have drafts about our visits to Clarksville saved. I would love to get those posted some day if I ever get the chance. :-p

4 Subjects, 1 Activity

Hannah started on thank you cards from her birthday party last weekend, and I realized in just doing that we covered quite a few subjects--reading, handwriting, spelling, and etiquette.  Hannah was so thrilled to write them.  "Oh, Mama! That is so polite!"  I was so amused since I remember hating to write thank you cards after my birthdays, but of course I now know the importance of them.

I know etiquette is not specifically a school subject, per say, but there is actually an etiquette curriculum out there for preschool all the way up through high school called The Etiquette Factory.  It goes from table manners all the way up to etiquette for a job interview. I read about it on another blog and I was definitley intrigued. Through day to day activites I tell Hannah what is considered polite and what is not.  

Famous Homeschoolers

This list was taken from the book The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling (which finalized my decision to homeschool!).  Very interesting to see.  I'm sure some of these people are "weird" in their own right (aren't we all?), but they definitely found their passions and ran with them.

Ansel Adams
Claude Monet
Leonardo da Vinci
Charlie Chaplin
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
George Patton
George Washington Carver
Albert Einstein
Booker T. Washington
Winston Churchill
Benjamin Franklin
Pearl S. Buck
Sandra Day O'Connor
Charles Dickens
Agatha Christie

Famous Homeschool Parents

John Travolta and Kelly Preston
Paul Overstreet
Robert Frost


There were some others listed, but I did not really know who they were. :-/ Then there were others I would not exactly use as a model of homeschooling (LeAnne Rimes, anyone?). 

Homeschool Planner Giveaway

Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler is giving away Well Planned Day homeschool planner! It's adorable ad has enough room to plan for four separate children! Click here to see how you can enter or about purchasing your own!

Choose Life

 A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together. So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you... want me to do?' ... She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.' The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.' She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request. Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms. The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child! 'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.' The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same! If you agree, please SHARE. Together we can help save precious lives! "Love says I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself..." Jesus sacrificed Himself for the good of sinners! That's perfect love! -unknown

Week in Review #28: A Rainy One

Exactly 25 days to go! :-D We  are in the last month! Now I'm starting to remember what senioritis feels like! Is that weird? You're just ready for the current school year to end so you can start fresh again the following year.  Guess that's true whether you're a student, public school teacher, or a homeschool teacher! A few people  I went to high school with now work for the school system and it seems they are more excited for summer than the students could ever be!

Moving on...

Last week was great for school! I was hoping to get a little bit ahead since we went to Clarksville for a long weekend.  On Tuesday Hannah took it upon herself to do three math lessons and six pages of reading! Three times what we normally do in a single day! I love super motivated days like that. We also started lesson 15 in her phonics book which is the 'v' and 'y' sounds (as in 'happy'). That's a cinch. ;)  Autumn did a lot of stickers, coloring, playdoh, and building with giant legos.  She's definitely becoming more verbal and clear in speaking which is always a good thing.

The weather around here has been so crazy with all the rain and storms.  Tuesday night especially made me a little nervous, but thankfully we did not even lose power.  Our hearts and prayers are definitely with those in Alabama who have suffered tremendous losses. I sure hope this spring weather wraps up soon!