Scout Pic and Candy Cane Princess

Finally, I had enough time to take pictures of my scouts before their meeting: The last several times we have gone to scouts, I have had to dash madly out the door because some certain boys can never remember where they have left their shoes! Last night I started setting out the uniforms 45 minutes before we had to leave.

But, they've sold over $600 in popcorn so far! We had our Open House pack meeting last night where all the new families from the public school came. It looks like I will have at least six Tigers in my den.

I gave E my old ballet costume from my Kindergarten recital. We were candy canes. E has worn this for two days now and absolutely loves it. I can't wait until she is bigger and can fit in the really pretty costumes! (And funny how you can't tell where the awful carpet ends and the grass outside begins in the picture)

Wirey, but Strong

Climbing the tire swing rope: Climbing the wall: Time to get this girl in gymnastics!

Hairy Scary IJ

I have never known a boy to be so picky about his hair at such a young age. We've been saying things like, "Put your hat on before that animal jumps off your head and runs away!" Before yesterday's haircut:Of course I didn't know many seven year old boys, so maybe there are a lot of picky-hair-boys out there. During yesterday's haircut:I have never seen IJ so mad at his father. Only Sponge Bob distracted him afterward. But then he woke up this morning, remembered his haircut, and refused to come out.

And S had a good time playing "Good Son" to IJ's "Bad Son." "Thank you, Dad. I love my new haircut!"

Good Advice

"Mom? Have you and Dad ever danced under a full moon? Because I learned on the movie today that if you do, you will stay together forever. But you have to watch out for the werewolves and witches because they like to come out on the full moon too. And let me know if you see a werewolf."

-IJ

Sleeping Beauty

Every night, as soon as she is sleeping, she flips on her tummy. When she wakes up in the morning, she has red spots on her knees from sleeping in this position all night.

Before and After

Before New Windows (ignore the man in red with animals):

After New Windows (ahhhh):

Too Busy to Blog!

I can't believe how quickly things have picked up now that school is "in session." Gone are the boring days of summer.

Friday, the kids and I spent the day at a local YMCA camp. They host a homeschool day once per month. I did the craziest thing I have ever done with these kids. Crazier than hiking up Artist Point. Crazier than spending a week living at a hotel so the boys could go to Cub Scout Camp. Yes, this time I took all four kids in a row boat. All by myself. A small rowboat that is supposed to hold only two adults. No one fell overboard, although F tried. Twice. We also got to hike and swim. All us girls took a nap when we got home. Does nothing tire my boys?

Saturday we madly dashed to the grocery store so we could sell more popcorn for Cub Scouts.

Sunday we split and stacked a cord of firewood before I went to the leader meeting for Cub Scouts.

Today we took the kittens to the vet and will start both Homeschool PE and swim lessons at the YMCA.

Tomorrow is Cub Scouts. And we are replacing all but five windows in the house. So every wall, inside and out, needs to be cleared by tonight.

Wednesday is more Homeschool PE and swim lessons.

Thursday is a local homeschool coop swim day.

Friday, if I survive the week, will be dedicated to lounging. Or catching up on schoolwork.

And can anything be more pathetic than this?

And Don't Forget...

...that an important part of every child's education is

Grotesque Faces

and

Blowing Bubbles with Bubble Yum.

Grotesque Faces is something they discovered on their own. That is not something I would teach. It must be on the Y chromosome, along with the need to keep scraps of junk that "could be useful someday." Yes, IJ has joined the pack rat club. Lucky for me, I am his MOM and can go through his desk and throw things away without his permission. I've found old San Pellegrino lids, empty cardboard boxes, and rubber bands stashed away in his room. I'm going to nip that behavior in the bud, before it becomes a problem. I have enough sentimental men in this house!

But Bubbles with Bubble Yum.... that is a useful skill.

Seeking Balance

I've been eyeing this activity, Equilibrio, forever! Using "18 sturdy, precisely cut, solid plastic blocks, your children build the structures illustrated. Each successive structure is more complex to build and more difficult to balance, requiring the use of fine motor skills, creativity and perseverance. As an educational bonus, while accomplishing these tasks, children will subconsciously be experimenting with basic concepts of geometry and balance." (from Timberdoodle) I built the base of this structure and then F crawled up on the table and "helped" me finish the top. She is already very interested in stacking blocks.

Who is more scared? F wasn't scared at all. She kept trying to hit the side of the tank while saying, "Spi' walk?" We think Fuzzy is getting ready to molt, so she will be even bigger! We have never actually witnessed a molting because Fuzzy lived in A's room. M is pretty nervous about having the tarantula out where curious kids could take the lid off. He is right to be worried; Fuzzy is a dangerous creature. But the lid is locked and even I have trouble getting it apart.

Homeschool History

This is the second year we are using The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. This series really clicks with IJ. History is his favorite subject (after reading). I also use the activity books that go along with the readings and check out the recommended books from the library. That is why I find this:
The Story of the World has an easy version of Beowulf that I read out loud to the boys. I dug up my dramatic past and had the boys mesmerized. Even S was hooked. And when I got to the part where Beowulf twists Grendel's arm off, their eyes almost popped out of their heads!

One of the benefits of homeschooling my kids is I get to fill in the gaps left by my public school education. All I remember about Beowulf was that he wasn't really a wolf! And the teacher's classroom was so hot and her perfume so stinky that all I wanted to do was sleep. And the scariest girl in my grade sat right behind me.

M and his dad stayed up late on Saturday night to watch Beowulf and Grendel with me. I have to say, once you know the original story line, go watch this movie! I had to hide under a blanket during the scary and gross parts, but the movie really brings these characters to life. Grandad thinks the boys might be ready for the movie in a few years and I think over my dead body! Good movie for people who like history and literature and can stand appropriate (for the story) violence. But not good for boys.

Homeschool Taekwondo

My boys are very lucky to have their own personal Taekwondo instructor. Three times a week they have a little class in our downstairs. Saturday is sparring day.

IJ may have a soft spot in his heart for his baby sister, but he has an aggressive fighting streak for his brother. After kicking his brother too hard for class sparring, M split the boys up and sparred them individually. Part of IJ's education is learning that kicking hard doesn't necessarily earn points. Hitting the target with precision and control is far more important than pure power. Especially when one is sparring someone younger and smaller. IJ got a taste of his own medicine (and learned a new way to duck) while sparring his dad. Don't worry, M didn't unleash his third degree black belt powers on a seven year old red belt.

Here S tries to get his dad with a sliding roundhouse:

The Baby IS the Lesson

I went to a great homeschool presentation about the different kinds of homeschooling styles last Spring. My favorite presentation was done by a mom of nine children and how she manages to juggle all her school age kids and toddlers and babies. Her philosophy: The baby is the lesson. Not necessarily the physical baby body, but the act of patience while including them in the homeschool and valuing their presence as a member of the family. If I treat the baby or toddler as an annoyance, the older kids will treat them the same way. I thought of that this morning when I saw this: IJ is only seven years old, but has enough patience and love in his heart to allow his baby sister sit on his lap and color on his flash cards (which are incredibly boring and easy, but that's life!)

This is how I juggle my baby and preschool aged child with my two school age boys: I take everything on a moment by moment basis. Yesterday, the kids not being actively schooled played with Cuisinaire Rods (E is showing off her "Mosaic Cake"): Today E played with the kitties and the boys took turns playing Legos. And doing push ups if they were not listening (S did ten, IJ did five). F climbed on us, played with kitties, and snacked on melon with Grandad.

I do try to keep everyone together while we are schooling. I learned that S and E pick up information even when I'm not speaking directly to them. E has a box of preschool-type activities and can play with our math manipulatives. And since they are all right here in one room, they can't get in to as much trouble as they could back in the playroom (which is where I send them when they are too disruptive).

First Day of Cub Scouts

The boys and I had our first day of Scouts yesterday, not at a meeting, but at a popcorn sale! Our new group gives families the choice to fund raise for their membership dues or just pay them. Its easy to write a check and have the school reimburse us, but its more fun to give the boys a chance to work hard and earn the money (and the prizes).

But then it rained. Hard. Torrential downpour! Our carport flooded! And I really wanted to stay home and forget the whole thing. But I wanted to set a good example for my boys and be cheerful and prepared and DO MY BEST (which is the Cub Scout motto). So we donned our galoshes, layered our shirts, and drove the long trip in to the grocery store where our table was set... in the rain. But wouldn't you know it, the rain stopped! And the boys raised half of their memberships in three hours.

The great thing about returning to the town I grew up in was that I saw several people I knew a long time ago. For example, I saw my high school choir teacher. I called to him by name. He had to stop and make polite conversation with me and ended up donating all the cash he had in his pocket. He had to. I spent hours and hours fundraising for our choir in high school!

So selling popcorn in front of the grocery store ended up being not as bad as I thought it would be and the boys and I are really glad we did it. We had way more sales than we did just asking friends and family last year (so for my friends who are involved with our old pack, sign up for the store option if they have it!). Our first actual meeting is tomorrow, so I will take a picture of the boys in uniform then.

Girls

Can you believe she is big enough to swing on the tire swing? I can't. We caught E "reading" My Friend Flicka.

Roller Derby?

Or not! Check out those bruises (they are on the boys' elbows)! The local homeschoolers meet twice a month for roller skating. I took my four kids and we all had a blast. The boys worked very...hard...on their roller skating skills. Even F insisted on putting a tiny pair of Buzz Lightyear roller skates and going out on the floor. I had the opportunity to chat with some like-minded homeschooling moms. It was pure heaven. I can't wait for the next one.

The Zoo

This morning, IJ and I talked about common nouns and proper names for some common nouns. The common noun zoo can be a proper noun when it is called The Point Defiance Zoo. And so we went. For our homeschool science. This post is picture heavy, but fun.

Who are the monkeys? And who is watching whom?Guess what the kids got to ride? A camel! When I asked the kids if they wanted to ride the camel, S said, "Okay, but just as long as its not a dromedary." Someone has listened to Curious George Learns the Alphabet too many times. He did not want to go "bump, bump, bump, and get dizzy." So I have a new camera. This is one of the cool functions. In low lights, the camera takes two pictures with two different settings so you can pick which one you like better later. No need to mess with settings and miss a good picture (not that these are good pictures, but they illustrate the function). The polar bear height picture op has been there since I was a kid. It was fun to line my kids up in front of it. The Kid Zone is a favorite because of the low to the ground exhibits and fun things to climb on. I haven't let my kids play in the water until today and boy they had fun. Especially my little Water Lily. But the best part was that Grandad came along with us. We wore him out, but he had a good time anyway.