Just Missing It

Yesterday was such a lovely day for schooling. Even though there were other things going on we got so much done by deciding not to leave the house. Frodo took a math test for me and Bug did a lesson. Monkey finished his handwriting and math book. Then he used his new math supplies freely. Frodo wrote an essay response to some questions about the Taj Mahal. While Bug finally got caught up with her lessons and went to see Madagascar 2 with her friend. Then we just read until dinner time. I really miss the freedom of not having anywhere to be or anything to do and just reading. Even Monkey sat with us in the quiet living room flipping through his books.
Of course the reason our day was forced to be so restful was because I wasn't feeling great. But there is always something to slow your life down just when you need it.
Today we went on a field trip to the planetarium. It was really great. The professor gave the kids so much more information than I could have hoped. He was also so engaging, the kids (and adults) really loved him. I will admit I had to close my eyes during the rollercoaster effect, I guess I'm just not that young anymore!
After the planetarium we headed to a Borders nearby because Michael Phelps was there doing a book signing. Sadly by the time we got there the line was so long that the workers told us they doubted we would get in. We had several very hungry children between us all and ended up deciding it wasn't worth chancing it. The really sad thing was that the kids couldn't even get a glimpse of him because the store kinda barricaded the area where he was signing books so no one could see him. Oh well, maybe next time.

Petty Party

I will start with the good then do a bit of a rant on a situation that is really bothering right now. First I cut all my hair and donated 12 inches! I love my hair shorter, its so much easier for me!
The older two kids had Shakespeare yesterday which is always wonderful. They also got their parts. Bug is Katherine in Love's Labour Lost and Frodo will be Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice. Frodo is soo excited, he's very good friend will be Gobo and the two of them will be quite the comedy duo. Even the teacher yesterday said, "Well I guess I asked for this". They kids also did math and played at a friends house for the afternoon. Our friend has an acre of land ( a rarity in Southern Cali.) so all the kids always have a blast!

I am so mad about what is going on in our homeschool group right now. It was such a wonderful group in the beginning but now one of the leaders has become very narcissistic. She has contradicted herself on many occasions, started picking off those who show her any kind of opposition, and done things that are just plain unethical. The final straw for me today was kicking someone out of the group for nothing other than her own personal agenda and then without talking to the other group leader removing her as a leader and saying that she can do what ever she wants, its her group. This just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth and makes me feel unsafe in such a terrible environment.

So then this poses the question "Do I really need a group?" I have a good network of close friends that we see regularly. Some of them are talking about setting up an informal group of their own. But really, there must be something in the water around here that leaves people with the need for world domination. This is the third HS group I have been in that something like this has happened. I have some decisions to make, but I am tired of standing back and letting the pieces fall where they will, people with control issues need to stop trying to control the masses. SO do I need a group, no not really. I guess the only thing holding me back is the comfort of having a "group" but I just don't really think its necessary anymore.
Thanks for listening to my little rant. :)

Huge Thanks!

We just got our graphic in! This is the poster that we will have up in our school room. I owe a gigantic thank you to my dear friend Kozispoon for making this for us. Thank you Kozi!!! We love it!!!

Is This Better?

Since a friend privately told me what a god awful picture I posted of myself, here is a better one. It's not the best but it was after all at the end of a very long day. But this is for my self esteem of course!

The sale today was wonderful. The kids sold out of everything they made, they were ecstatic! In the afternoon we went to our history group meeting. It is a Story of The World Group and we are about to finish book one. Bug was able to compare what Jesus was teaching to the teachings of Gandhi to the group. I was so pleased that she got the message of peace. The kids played driedel at the end of their discussion. This evening we decorated our Christmas Tree. We are certainly feeling very festive!

Preparations

Today we spent our entire day getting ready for a kids holiday sale. In order to participate everything must be handmade. The kids had a great time getting there stuff ready. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Me after all the baking, looking very tired and covered in flour! Oops, don't look in the fridge!

Bug's cookies and many bags. She was still working on hats when I took the pic.

Frodo's baked goods. All were gluten/ soy/ dairy/ and nut free. He made cranberry and pumpkin bread as well as chocolate chip muffins.

Monkey's chocolate lollypops. He had to eat one today!

A Little Bit of Fun

Today was an interesting mix for us. The kids started out the day with their last Lego class. They have been taking a wonderful Lego engineering class. But we have chosen not to continue with it because honestly it is just too easy for the older two kids. They got more of a social time than learning time. It's not that the class wasn't great, but having a child that can build the Millennium Falcon blindfolded kinda changes things. Frodo probably could have taught the class. He is a natural engineer. He's been building things since he was very tiny. He is a master at Mindstorms and frequently enters challenges on their site.

So after Lego, we went over to library for a while. We read a few books on Mother Teresa and unsuccessfully looked for a few other things. After lunch everyone did some math. Monkey did handwriting, math, worked on memorizing a poem, painted a picture of the poem, colored a picture of Gandhi, and colored a map of India. Frodo researched and wrote a report on Gandhi and did alot more programming work. He's currently programing a music video, it should be interesting when he's done. Bug worked on researching and writing an article on Mother Teresa. In the evening we watched the first in a series of eight BBC movies on the Himalayas.

Later in the afternoon after much begging we had some friends over to play. It was alot of fun. They are very good friends of ours but see we see them so much for educational things the kids were on their knees asking to just "play" with no school work involved. How could I resist?

Daily Routine

I really need to get back to recapping our days. We do so much everyday that I need some way of remembering! These are the wonderful things we did yesterday

Bug had an orthodontist appointment in SB (an hour drive). On the way we listened to two Teaching Company Lectures. One on the Bagda Gita and the other on the Biography of Gandhi. We had a great discussion after each of the lectures.
In the afternoon we watched "Desperate Crossing" which is a History channel telling of the Mayflower journey. Then the older two did their math and Monkey did some handwriting.
Next we read a story about an Indian mathematician and discussed his life.
Monkey and I then played some money Bingo while Frodo wrote more of a program he's working on. Bug made everyone in the house stocking advent calendars, which she place on all the doors. We ended our day going out to dinner. It was a very quiet day!

What the Heck?

So I will admit the inevitable, I have been a super flake! I have had such a busy life recently that this blog has been the last thing on my mind. Here is a short list of what we have been up to recently:

~Traveled across country to two funerals over the summer
~The airline lost most of our luggage (permanently)
~We moved over Labor Day
~Unpacking........
~I wrote and am still writing a homeschool curriculum with a friend (because there was no way we could finish it!)
~I'm helping lead Bug's very busy Cadette troop
~Hubby has been working 7 days a week for several months
~We have been making spirutality a larger focus in our lives
~Frodo is finally growing at a normal rate!
~Bug is almost as tall as me
~Monkey is beginning to read
~We have discovered a fairly significant health issue with Monkey
~We had a Halloween party!
~ I lost 20 pounds (yeah me!)
~We went camping several times
Most importantly we are very happy.