Homeschooling and Life: Nov. 19-24, 2012

We had another good week and a nice Thanksgiving. We just spent a relaxed Thanksgiving day at home with just "us," which was very peaceful. We had a delicious meal, and then we decorated for Christmas. The only thing missing was my oldest son and his wife. They are in Hawaii, where he is currently stationed. This will mark the third year in a row that he hasn't been home for the holidays. It is one of the sacrifices that military families make. I am so proud of him, but sometimes it is so hard to be apart! That being said, however, it is important to focus on our many blessings. Here are just a few:

Treat of the Week

Doodles used this set as part of her Sonlight Core F studies

Doodles wrote these and hung them in her room.

Doodles' nature study page

Bug and I enjoyed several great discussions as part of his Narnia unit study, Further Up and Further In. I am so glad we found this study. It is really wonderful!

Snapped this shot on a nature walk...can you spot the yellow butterfly?

My sweet hubby and Bug, getting in some exercise...I love these guys!

After Thanksgiving meal nap...does it get any sweeter than this? Daddy and Baby Girl :)























 

Our Week...Busy!!!

  Whew, what a whirlwind of a week! Late Sunday night we said goodbye to my older son, as his plane left out WAY EARLY on Monday morning. It is always hard to say goodbye, but it's something that we've gotten used to as an Army family. Still, it's much easier this time since he is now back in the states (well, sort of) and NOT headed back to the Middle East. And, pretty soon, his new wife will join him so they can start their "real life" together as a married couple. So exciting!
  There was a lot going on at our house this week, as you'll see in the pics below. But, I'm not complaining. Staying busy is a good thing sometimes. Still, though, we managed to find plenty of time to relax and enjoy being a family. As usual, there have been ups and downs, and highs and lows, but it's been a pretty nice week for us. One of the highs for me personally was when Doodles and Bug planned & prepared dinner one night. It took a load off me...thanks, guys! We are still working on our "regular school stuff," but we are also chasing a few interest-led rabbit trails, as you'll see below.
   I finished reading The Connected Family and am currently reading Siblings Without Rivalry. Wow, both books have been so helpful to me! I highly recommend each of them. Next on my reading list is How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk.  We sat down as a family and wrote down things we'd like to do together, and now we are working on putting everything on the calendar. If you want to make sure it happens, then schedule it! Tonight we are having a "Girls' Night" and a "Boys' Night," per our kids' request. You will see the activities they chose for tonight in the pics below. Usually we do things all together as a family, but every once in a while we separate for more one-on-one time, which is really nice.
  Doodles officially moved into her older brother's room since he is now married and no longer lives here. And, boy, can that girl clean and organize when it benefits her! Of course there is still a ton of stuff piled in my entryway as we continue to sort through everything that she cleaned out of the room. That is our task for this weekend...what fun! (sarcasm here...LOL) Also, Doodles did her typical school stuff this week, but now she is also doing an interest-led Twilight unit study. We got the idea here: Twilight Unit Study. We are HUGE Twilight fans around here-both the books and movies--and literally have a countdown for when Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits theaters!
  Bug continued with his interest in volcanoes, so we took a "detour" from his usual work on Friday afternoon and focused on volcanoes. You will see a few things we did in the pics below. Also, he got to make both craft dough and yeast rolls as part of his Sonlight science this week, which was awesome! I got in on the action, too. There is something quite peaceful about kneading dough. :)
  And, we had a MAJOR victory with Baby Girl this week! Several times a day, every day this week, I read Goodnight Moon to her. Then, today, she picked it up from the coffee table, brought it to me, and said, "Doodnight Moon." Yes!!! This is the first time she has truly connected with a book. She LOVES this book, and so do I! Thank you, Lord, for this blessing.

Me and my Doodles! Getting ready for a fun girls' night in!

Doodles' list of activities for our girls' night

Bug's list of ideas

Making memories: my dining room table, any given day of the week

And we surely discovered that yeast makes things rise!

Bug mixes dough...not sure if this is for the yeast rolls or the craft dough

Yay! I got to knead the dough and shape the yeast rolls.

Yummy yeast rolls!

Bug reads a recipe

Doodles sautees zucchini for the meal she planned

The miracle book and the miracle baby

Bug's volcano book of choice

Bug's "volcano" erupts (vinegar, baking soda, and food coloring)

Doodles' art project from her Twilight unit study: Bella's transformation into a vampire

Ahem...the pile of stuff that Doodles cleaned out of her older brother's room, which is now piled in my entry way

Part of Doodles' "new" room

Doodles' organized bookshelf/entertainment center

Wedding Weekend

It's official...I am the mom of a married son now. I am thrilled to welcome our new "daughter" into the family. Here is a glimpse into our weekend:

The bride and groom a few night before the wedding...still kids! LOL

Baby Girl was right in the middle of things when the wedding flowers were delivered.

Bug helps his big brother (the groom) make wedding favors

My son, the groom, and me, the mom, before wedding rehearsal

Mother and sister of the groom

Time for wedding cake

First dance as husband and wife...my precious son and new "daughter" :)

Groom's table

Our newly expanded family

Sweet Moment

Baby Girl enjoying some time with her big, big brother while he is on leave

Great Week

I have so much to be thankful for, but I am especially grateful for three things right now: first, Baby Girl is doing better (although she is still having some issues), my oldest is home and is done with his deployment (YAY), and he is getting married in a few weeks. So much going on! Also, we are having a blast simply enjoying the day-to-day life as a family. We are doing a lot of natural learning right now (and quite often I'm amazed at what my children choose to do and learn on their own), plus we also finished Week 29 of Sonlight Core D+E and Bug did a fun science experiment. Here are some pics of our week:

Bug's welcome home sign...he was SO excited to see his big brother again!

My family is complete again (I'm behind the camera)

Doodles' "inside joke" sign for her big brother

I surround Doodles with a giant bubble...FUN!!!

Bug gets "inside the bubble"

Star Wars battle scene that Bug set up in the dining room window

Bug squirts mustard into ice tray for experiment (freezing different materials)

What we put in the freezer (for three hours) that froze solid: lemonade, mustard, hot sauce, butter, and red wine vinegar; things that did NOT freeze solid: pancake syrup, oil, chocolate syrup

Doodles thought Bug's experiment was gross, and Baby Girl didn't know what to think!

Doodles gets creative in the kitchen...she loves to create and try her own recipes.

Bug was reading this in his bed last night, and he drew the following disastrous events:

Titanic

Mt. Vesuvius (Pompeii)

Dust Bowl

Happy Times as an Army Mom

My oldest is home on a short leave, so we're capturing all we can on film. It's so wonderful to have him home again-even for a short time.