School and a Road Trip

It's been a pretty good week this week.  James and I had a great discussion yesterday about what we wanted for Marissa and Daniella, and the best way for our family to get there.  He confirmed for me what I have been feeling about the need for our family to go back to our "relaxed homeschooling".  This is such a relief for me.  My spirit has been so sad and disconcerted trying to do things the way I see others doing things.  It is not the way they (our girls) learn best, and it is not best for OUR family. 
When I say "relaxed", I do not mean that we don't do any structured school.  We just do some of it in different way than sitting down at books.  Math and cursive writing are the only things that we *usually* use a book for.  We are also not glued to a tight "have to" schedule.  We have taken the areas that we feel are important for our girls and are focusing on those.   We do lots of reading and life learning.  I  feel so much freer this week, and we are all feeling much happier.  The ironic thing is that now that I have become more relaxed with Marissa, it has given me an opportunity to become a little more structured and spend more time with Daniella.  She wasn't  getting much of anything from me.  She *loves* working in Kindergarten workbooks, but I had no time to help her before.  Now we can do a few pages. 
If anyone doubts that the relaxed method works, email me, and I will tell you about my older girls, their lives, and their ACT scores!!    Seriously, if anyone is interested in how it works, or upset that someone would use this method, I will be glad to share more with you.
Daniella had a great time this morning watching a woodpecker and a "flock" of robins in the backyard.  She ran to get the Birds field guide, and was so proud of herself that she found the woodpeckers in the book.
I had an unexpected, wonderful visit from a friend today.  I have known her for about 13 years, but only in the last few have we begun talking more.  Marissa, Daniella, and her daughter love to play together.  She is super busy with her kids' music, so we don't visit a lot, even when the girls get to, but we had a wonderful visit today.  She stopped by to pick up some spices and herbs we had ordered, saying she could only come in to write the check and had to run.  She stayed an hour and 20 min.  It was a refreshing, great afternoon.  (She,  too, confirmed my schooling decisions!)
Well, we're off on another trip soon.  We are leaving next week for Disney World.  The first morning we are there, we have reservations for breakfast in Epcot at the Norweign castle with the Disney princesses.  My girls (even the big ones) are excited about it.  We were going to get 4 day passes, but when we went to order, we could get a 5th day for only $7 each more, so we did that.  We might use part of that extra day to go to the Animal Kingdom to do their African Safari ride.  Since they have been into watching the Africam, the little ones are excited to do that.  We also plan a day at SeaWorld while we are down there.  Also, if we can work out the logistics, I am very excited that we might get to meet June and her 5 girls.  We will be taking our camper, and staying in the Fort Wilderness Campground.  We've done that a couple of times before.  That place is HUGE.   It is a more expensive than a campground off grounds, but much of that is made up in the fact that you don't have to pay parking.  The rest is made up in the convenience.  You take a bus from your campground loop straight to the monorail.  You can also take a bus to the lake, then ride the boat straight over to Magic Kingdom.  We may skip that trip since it's February.  Well, as I've sat here and typed about it, I've gotten myself excited about the trip.  I don't think I've taken the time to think about it too much, and it hasn't really sank in that we're about to go. 
Leave me a comment!!!    I won't be leaving for almost a week!!  I might even post again.  AND, when I get back I will have a great offer for everyone that you just WON'T be able to refuse! 

Letitia

Am I Weird?

My family would probably give a resounding YES!  But, at least I am not alone!  I have been tagged, and I am to share some of my weirdness with you all.  I will try to give you only a glimpse.  First, I am to state the rules:
rules:  each player of this games starts with 7 wierd things about you.  People who get tagged need to write a blog of their 7 weird things as well as state this rule clearly.  In the end, you need to  choose 7 people to be tagged and list their names....also, leave a comment that says "you've been tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for further info..!
my 7 weird things......
1.  I have never in my life had even a sip of coffee  (I find this totally wise, but I figure 99.9 % of the population would think I'm weird.) 
2.  I do not undecorate from Christmas until at least mid-January.
(Okay, I can't think of *anything* else weird about myself.  Let me go ask my children!)
3.  I am addicted to cardboard boxes (see a previous entry)
4.  Okay, this one grosses my family out.  I put water on my granola every morning, with just a touch of milk.  (There IS an explanation.   But you would probably still think it's weird.)
5.  I put mayo on my hotdogs.  I never really knew this was weird until it freaked out a bunch of people, who saw Ashley do the same thing.  Eeew.  Don't put mustard on it.  Why ruin a perfectly good hotdog?
6.  I can't stand tomatoes.  I actually have no idea what they taste like.  I just can't stand the texture of them.  My mouth can find them in a second in a bite of salad or sandwich.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.  Same for onions and celery in a casserole or something.  I do not want my casseroles to crunch.   I use onion granules.
7.  Most of the time, I don't like to listen to music at home or in the car.  Sometimes I like old time  gospel songs, and sometimes I like instrumental, but usually I just like the quiet. 
7 people I tag, only if they want to do it:
poshred1
iluvmy3chickiesandtheirdaddy2
threelittleladies
SweetHomeTennessee
PinkFlamingo
DancingFeet
His4Life

Letitia

Random Things

I typed an entry once this morning already, linking to a very funny video clip from a local theater.  I laughed at that clip so much I cried the first time.  After I typed the whole entry, I went to check to make sure my link worked, and they had removed the clip, because it had been used without permission of the theater.  Too bad.  It would have given you a good laugh for the day.
UPDATE:  My sister just sent me a link to her newspaper that has the video.  You've got to go see it.   The entertainer is a member of our church, and I've seen him do the routine on people we know.  It usually is really funny.   However, his routine is not the funny part this time.  Actually, by the time he gets to the routine, it's not even particularly funny after watching this other guy! 
http://appealtv.com/32_collierville_man_becomes_internet_celebrity 
Angie, Dawn, Annemarie, and I are supposed to brag today that we got a pre-issue of the winter TOS.  It's fun to have friends in high places!  : )  It looks really good as usual.  I hope to have time today to sit down and read it.
By the way, Jen, THANKS for the short conversation we had last night about school.  It has given me the courage to do what has always been in my heart to do with my sweet girl.  It's funny that I really never doubted my methods until I joined HSB.  I love all you guys(!), but the unintentional peer pressure was getting to me!  : )  I am so excited about all the ideas I have going around in my head, so this family will be doing some experimenting.  Some of it may even be science!
I am in a Bible study with all the ladies that I have mentioned on this blog today.  We have not met since Aug., but started back up last night.  We are studying the book of James this time.  It will be great.  Who doesn't love the book of James?  I have the first chapter memorized, though I've gotten a little rusty on the 2nd half.  (I need to practice.)  It is also great to spend time with these ladies.  This is the only consistant fellowships with other moms that I have right now. 
Our Africam addiction is dying down some, since we have seen such a variety of animals, but this morning we saw monkeys again, and this time there were 4 babies playing King of the Mountain.  It was a hoot.  Then we watched the monkeys and gazelle having a little "run-in".  Speaking of wild animals, Monday we got to go to a show called Silly Safaris.  It was here for part of Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge.  Jungle Jim is so funny.  It was standing room only, and he had kids and adults laughing.  This year we got to see a humongous bullfrog with teeth.  We watched it eat a mouse whole!  He also had a beautiful owl, a hedgehog, 2 Madacascar Hissing Cockroaches, a baby alligator, a huge rabbit (I forget where it was from), and a python.  After the shows, in the exhibits, we saw a huge bald eagle up close, and Marissa held a Pine snake.  Last year when my parents took the girls to this show, Marissa got to feed a dead mouse to a vulture up on stage.  I haven't been to their site yet, but it is www.sillysafaris.com, I believe.  We also watched a presentation from the Knoxville Zoo.  Marissa was so excited because she got to touch the pelt of a giraffe, along with his tail.  Back on the Africam subject--it is amazing to me the number of people who are addicted to it after we told them about--James' tile sub contractor, a little bit older lady from church, etc.   That lady emailed a friend in GA, and the GA lady will call her, and say, "Have you got it on?  Go look.  There are lions."   How fun.  God's creation is special, awesome, and inspiring. 
Hope you have a happy Wednesday, and God brings a smile to your heart, and laughter to your day.

Letitia

Africa and Locgical Thinking

Our family is absolutely addicted to this website that my friend Betsy (www.homeschoolblogger.com/Tenneessee) shared with us.  It is a live video of a waterhole and surrounding area in a South African Game Reserve.  The site is www.wavelit.com:80/popup/playerAfricam.asp.    We have a seperate line for the computer, so it stays on most all day, and we keep an eye on it when we're in the room.  They are 7 hours ahead of us, so the sun comes up at about 9:30 or 10:00 pm EST.  It sets around noon EST.  There doesn't seem to be much activity when it's dark there, although we did see an elephant just after dark.  They have the area lit up and with night shot.  You can see bugs zooming by.  So far, in the last few days, we have seen an elephant, several giraffes (including a baby),  hundreds of gazelle or impalas (or something similar)--including babies, lots of wildebeasts (including babies), monkeys, turtles, hyenas,  a warthog, several zebra (including a baby), and lions-male and female.   All of the time you get to listen to the crickets chirp or the birds singing.  I asked Marissa yesterday if she wanted me to turn the sound down while she was working her math.  She said, "No ma'am.  I like it.  It makes it seem like I'm working outside."  Marissa loves working outside!
The camera has someone manning it all the time, although, it depends on who it is is to how good of a shot you get.  One of them doesn't do as good of a job at zooming in.  It is so neat to see the animals, knowing they are in the wild, and you are seeing live video.  You can't wait to see what might wander up next! 
The other day James was talking to Marissa (9), and the hit on the subject of school work.  Marissa says, "I don't know why I have to do Spanish and handwriting (cursive).  There is just no point to them.  I mean, I can understand why I have to learn math.  It has a point.  But Spanish and handwriting don't have a point.  I can already write in print.  Why do I have to know cursive?"
James-  "When you get older you will need to know how to write things in cursive.  You need to be able to sign your name to a check."
Marissa-  "I can already do that.  You just write an 'M', then scribble."
I cracked up when James told me that.  Touche!  That is exactly how James signs his checks!  "J-scribble, scribble.   I don't think he could argue her point.     They are paying attention to the details! 
It poured snow here for a short while today, but at 40 degrees, no hope that it would stick. 
I'm off to finish lunch, and then read On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Letitia

Too Much Fudge

Okay, I think I have now officially eaten my weight in peanut butter fudge.  If I don't hurry up and get it all eaten......Yes, I know.  Eating it quicker does not make me gain less weight, but hey, if I eat it quicker, that's quicker that my walking might actually do some good, instead of just trying to break even! 
I have actually been walking on the treadmill more consistantly this week.  It's not really a New Year's resolution.  I've been wanting to get started for a while, but have just now gotten going.  I have missed one or 2 days, but I've done pretty well.  I just have to keep remembering to do it.  That's my biggest obstacle--remembering, along with making time.  I am tempted to put a tv in there.  I have a beautiful wooded view, usually with lots of birds.  However, walking everyday, I can only do so much contemplating life at 2.4 miles per hour.  I guess I don't have that many thoughts!  For now, I will just keep praying and watching the birds.  But a little distraction every few days would be nice.  I am not a music lover--at least not so much that I would be relaxed and enjoying it while I walked that long.
I hope our health is on the mend.  It started with Daniella, who had a cold that she couldn't shake.  She got some better and felt better after a few days, but held onto a lot of stuffiness for about 2 weeks.  Then Briana had that weekend episode that she ran the 102 fever for a couple of days.  Once the fever broke, she was pretty much fine--a little stuffiness for a day or 2.  The week before Christmas, James started coughing really bad.  He was getting a little better, but the Friday before Christmas he relapsed, and has had a terrible cough.  I never could get him to go to the doctor, but he did lots of herbs and other remedies here.  I think he's about gotten over it.  That same day, Friday before Christmas, Ashley had to go to the dr.  She was having a horrible sore throat, which was only getting worse.  It had only been about 2 days, but seeing that the offices were about to close for the holidays, we took her in.  I'm so glad.  She had strep throat, and got a lot worse, before the antibiotic kicked in on Monday.  Briana has now been sick again for about a week.  We took her in to the dr. yesterday, and she is now on an antibiotic for a sinus infection and has had a horrid cough. It is amazing that the little girls and I have managed to avoid all of this so far.  I am so thankful, but praying steadily that it's not just all slowly making the rounds. 
I was very hesitant to start structured schoolwork back.  I was not looking forward to attitudes.  They have not been good.   We have a big issue with FUN.  "This is not FUN.  It's boring."  If it's not FUN, then we have a pouty attitude.  Guess who's attitude too quickly follows?  Yep!  Mine.  The real issue is having to stop playing to do anything.  However, we started back yesterday, and both days have been a delight.  We are relaxed homeschoolers to start with (which makes the FUN comments even more disheartening.), so we don't just sit at books all day.  I have changed my schedule from the one I started with in the fall.  We scraped the Prairie Primer, which if you recall, I predicted.  We are still reading the books, though, and are enjoying them.  There are still some things I want to work in and work out with our activities, but we are off to a good start.  Pray that it lasts.  I am really good at starts.  I am beginning to think that in my old age I get as bored as she does.
I am so unbelieveable behind in my scrapbooking.  That is one thing I would like to work out for myself this year--a somewhat consistant time to work on pictures.   I am not one of those amazing scrappers.  I can't afford to put one picture on a page with elaborate, creative work (even if I knew how to!).  And, I scrapbook a ton of pictures.  I can't stand to leave any out.  We take LOTS of pictures.  I am hoping when I do ever sit back down to it, I can come up with some more creative layouts.  I think part of my problem is that I, along with Ashley and Briana, have done most of our homeschool group's yearbook for the past several years.  By the time I get that done mid summer, my brain is fried, and I am sick of scrapbooking.  It is my hope that this year I will be able to spread out the work and have other families help with the pages.  I've tried a committee of the high schoolers, and that works okay, but still leaves me with actually more stress. 
Marissa and Daniella have been practicing a "puppet show" rendition of the Nutcracker for days now using Barbies.  I sing Nutcracker music in my sleep!   We are due to watch the actual performance.  I have left explicit instructions that the show is not to last as long as the music.  Ashley and Briana used to do those kind of shows, skits, and plays all the time.  Marissa saw a video the other night of them doing one, and that is what has encourged her to be creative.  It should be interesting. 
Letitia