Halloween Homeschooling

This past Thursday I got together with my best friend who also happens to homeschool. We planned a small Halloween party with LOTS of fun and educational activities. We went over to her house at about 2pm and she started right on in with a fun lesson of the skeletal system. It just so happens she is a nurse and had lots of fun things for them to look at and do. They watched a video, she read them Dem Bones and then they got to put together a skeleton. It was VERY cool. After that, we played some pumpkin math. I had pumpkins on the floor with the numbers 0-9 on them. I would give each child an equation and they would have to go get the right pumpkins and put them together for the answer. The kids all moved to the table for their craft and writing project. While they were working on their pumpkins, a paper went around for all the kids to write a part of a spooky story. They girls really got into this one and the story was so descriptive it was amazing. While Donna was cleaning off the table, I read the story they had written aloud to them. They all thought it was very cool. We went back to the table for a CSI autopsy. I had various items in paper bags. They were to feel the items and write down what part of the body they thought they were touching. It was really gross and realy fun for them to use their senses and logic to figure it out. I had a peeled tomato for the heart, a head of cooked cauliflower for the brain, baby carrots for fingers, popcorn kernals for teeth, spam for the liver, and two peeled grapes for the eyeballs. They got so excited about this activity and it was priceless to see the grossed out faces on them as the touched the items in the bags. Donna had some games lined up for outside so we went outdoors to bob for apples and have a donut eating contest. It was the first time my kids had ever bobbed for apples and it was hysterical.



The finale was BINGO, snacks and icecream floats.



It was a GREAT day and LOTS of fun!

Pumpkins

It is an annual tradition in our house for the kids to clean out the insides of their pumpkins and then find the most difficult pattern they can for Daddy to carve. This year the boys went with Star Wars pumpkins....of course! Is there anything else? Kaleigh went with her favorite too...horses. It always takes him hours, but he never complains and always delivers. Thanks Daddy!

Football with the Big Boys

Today after church some of us got together to say goodbye to our friend Forrest who is leaving for boot camp tomorrow. It was nice to get together, eat, laugh and play. The boys decided to get a game of football going in the back yard. They invited me to play. I accepted and had fun. I can't say that I knew what I was doing, only a LITTLE. I did catch the ball a few times and ran a touchdown! It was great excersize that's for sure. Blake took some pics of me hanging with the big boys! :)

It's Snowing

Yes this New England at it's best! Snowing on October 15th, 2009!

I took that video around lunch time today and the snow has begun to stick making for some nice winter wonderland kinds of pics. A little too early for me as the kids don't even have snow boots or winter coats yet!

Brrrrrr...Yup it's Fall!

Yesterday we officially turned on the heat. Frost was on the ground and my boys woke up first thing this morning and wanted to go check it out. They argued over whether it was ice or snow on the the ground and I explained that snow is really ice crystals, so they were really both right. My husband is adamant about saving money on oil, and keeps our heat at about 64 degrees. This is how my poor daughter decided to come to the school room today.......

I swear it's not REALLY that bad! But if I had my way we would sit at about 67 degrees!

Needs Vs. Wants

I have never really struggled with wants of material things. Now don't take that the wrong way! What I'm trying to say is that, sure, I'd love to have lots of things, but I have to ask myself if it is a need or a want. If it is not a need, I tend not to buy it. I have one pair of jeans that really fit me and most of my clothes are many years old. Why???? Well I would rather go without and be able to stay home with my children than have more than I need and be working. It is as simple as that. So, why since I have been able to keep this frame of mind in the past, am I struggling so badly now? Keep reading.......

My van died on Sept 26th. It was a good van. It was a 1998 Dodge Caravan that we bought in March of 2003. It had 86K on it when we bought it for $7,000. When she died, she was 5,000 miles shy of making the 200K mark. She struggled in the end. The dash lights had been blinking on and off for about a year. The horn and CD player no longer functioned. The temerature gauge would bounce between 30-80 degrees really fast for no apparant reason. BUT.....the engine still worked and I was determined to drive her as long as she would go. So now that she has passed on we have been looking for new vans. We looked and and researched just about every van and SUV out there. The top three choices were a Chrysler Town and Country, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odessey. The Town and Country costs about half of what the Toyota and Honda do. My husband has thrown out the Chrysler because the other two are more reliable and they have not gone under. So we have settled on the Toyota because we like the features more and they are a tad bit cheaper. Now this is the part I struggle with. We went to test drive the van we thought we were going to buy. When we got there, we were informed it had been sold. SO...they tried to sell us another van. A fully loaded van. One with leather seats and a DVD player. Well, needless to say I fell in love. I really like the idea of quick and easy cleanup of spills with the leather but I don't like the hot in the summer and cold in the winter(at least until the seat warmer gets up to temp) I soooo want the DVD package. We travel on LONG trips a lot and it would be so much easier to have one there and not have to deal with kids tripping over wires, etc. (That is how they broke the last portable DVD player we had) But again I come back to Need vs. Want I don't NEED leather seats or a DVD player but I sure WANT them. Just a side note. They same van with a DVD package is 2 grand extra. My husband has given me a figure that we can afford, but again I have that nagging voice that says...just because you can afford this much do you NEED to spend that amount. SO.... I pray that God will help us with this decision and help me figure out His will and not let my wants get in His way. If you could say a little prayer for us too I'd appreciate it.

Buell's with Mem

My grandmother likes to go apple picking. Well actually I think it's more like my grandmother enjoys the joy the kids have going apple picking, so this year we decided to pick her up for the day and take her to Buell's annual Fall Festival. We grabbed a bit to eat at Friendly's first.


Next, we headed out to Buell's where the kids we checked out the cider mill. A funny thing I learned about my grandmother is that she will not drink cider. She saw it being made back in the day and it grosses her out to think about bugs and sticks and dirt being in with the apples. I think they might be a little more strict in the process now a days but there was no swaying her. LOL We got a a gallon, which I am drinking as I type.

What would Buell's be without a hay ride to the pumpkin patch.






20 lbs of apples, a pumpkin, apple cider and candy apples = a priceless day with my 91 year old grandmother!

Blake says....

Today Blake was just a barrel of laughs so I figured I'd document it so I can look back in ten years and laugh. Not to mention anyone else who might be reading this might have a good laugh too.

Kaleigh was struggling with her math problem when her Blake stepped up and solved the problem for her...yup she's 10 and he's 6! After looking at him astonished and amazed, he looks at me and says...."I'm a smart Alex!"

I was just stepping off the treadmill as Blake came around the corner and said, "Whatcha doing Mom?" "Mommy just did 3 miles on the treadmill", I replied, "Aren't you proud of me?" His response...."Yup and your butt got smaller".

That kid is constantly cracking us up with the things he comes out with. Sometimes I wonder if he isn't 36 instead of 6. I'm so glad God blessed me with him.