Slices of Life

Sometimes I really worry that scheduling our appointments in the morning lets my boys off the hook for learning that day. Since we began homeschooling I tend to make sure that we run all of our errands in the morning and make all of our dentist and doctor appointments in the morning to avoid the crowds.  This works out well since we can get our errands done quickly but I often worry that the time away from home isn't as productive as it should be. Here are a few things we do when our mornings get too busy for me to teach: 1.  Rely on Unschooling/life learning.   Just because I am not teaching doesn't mean they are not learning.  My boys got themselves ready early because they knew we were leaving the house early (time management lesson!).  They asked the dentist lots of questions and got their teeth cleaned. 2.  Encourage them to bring reading and learning materials with them .  Alec and Evan brought Pokemon books with them and they...

I was asked last week by another homeschooling mom if my kids got "quizzed" by family members.  She was upset that her family doesn't support homeschooling and so therefor quizzes all of her kids when they get together to see what her children do and don't know. I could honestly answer this has never happened to us.... until last night! We've been really lucky in that everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) has been very supportive of our choice to homeschool.  I'm sure some think it strange, but aside from what I've come to view as the " typical questions"  (you can click through for our 10 FAQ about homeschooling) we haven't had anyone say anything negative to us. So, I did have to watch last night, with amusement,  as my husband's aunt quizzed my middle son when she came to visit.  I remembered this mom asking her question last week and being baffled as to why family would act like that and I STILL am!  Our aunt was asking out of fun...

The boys helped me pick out some paint so we could re-paint our kitchen. We're fortunate enough to have a large kitchen with large windows so we went with a dark navy color for the walls. This morning the boys were up bright and early, eager to help me paint.  I used painter's tape to tape off all the trim, outlets, switches, etc and then the boys watched me brush around the outer perimeter of the room before they each took a turn with the roller.  They had so much fun and did a really great job! I know it looks a bit purply in the pictures but it really is a deep navy color They soon lost interest and asked to watch The Science of Disney's Imagineering; Newton's 3 Laws of Motion .  They just LOVED it! The movie is only 30 minutes and, while it was a bit advanced, they really enjoyed watching it.  It didn't hurt that many familiar Disney rides and attractions are featured in the movie. After the movie was over I heard Alec saying th...

A day in the Life of an Almost Unschooling Family: Cooking, Reading, Math, Science: Ian decided to try making waffles this morning; it was a great math and kitchen -science lesson. We double the batter recipes every time we make waffles and pancakes so we have extra for the freezer and this time I had Ian read the recipe and tell me how much he needed of each ingredient when doubling it. He got out the recipe book, found the page for making waffles (using the index without my mentioning it!), got out all the ingredients and measuring cups and spoons by himself.  He read through the list and double checked with me that he was using the right measuring tool and the right amount. I was so proud of him. He needed some help cooking them since he's a bit afraid of getting burned on the waffle maker but he tried!  He measured out the amount of batter needed and poured it into the waffle maker, he just didn't like the steam that came out when we had to open th...

OK so day #3 found me organizing my bin of brads, buttons and assorted embellishments. I may have bitten off more than I can chew as I only managed to organize my brads today.  I had no idea I had so many!  I should have realized it since it is my favorite embellishment to use.  I have brads in Disney shapes, cooking and kitchen utensils, trucks and tractors, stars, and every color of the rainbow.  I have had this magnetic organizer for well over a year.  I kept waiting for my husband to hang it (and for me to decide WHERE I wanted it) but today I decided enough was enough and I filled it up. I had bought some extra canisters and honestly, I need  more.  But I love how it looks with all the colors sorted.  And I love the idea that I can see them all.  I often forget to use embellishments or re-order ones I already have forgetting that I bought them. I am mounting  his over my bins of paper s...

I really had such high hopes that Ian's team would win their last game today.  I know playing sports isn't all about winning but just once I'd love to see the look of sheer joy on his face when his team won.  Instead he had a smile on his face as he received his participation award. His basketball team did not win one game all season long (sad to say they often weren't even close to winning). Ian has played quite a few team sports and every team, every sport, every time they've lost.   I know this builds character. I know this redoubles his efforts to win, but still it would be so nice to be able to celebrate a victory with him once in a while instead of always trying to cheer him up.  I have to say he takes it really well though and the losses have in no way dampened his love of the game and for that I am grateful! Now, the participation trophies, however, I could do without.   I'm sorry, I know many people would argue that it's c...

Anyone who follows my blog know I have such a hard time allowing, regulating, and enjoying video games with my children. I used to enjoy them and play games with them.  I was pretty good at Super Mario Bros.  I really enjoyed such Wii games as Wii fit, Wii resort sports, etc. But when the boys were in school most of the day, and we had homework, after school activities, and busy weekends we did have all that much time to play. I think video games are great fun but they do need to be limited.  Now that we homeschool we're home a lot more and have much more free time on our hands.  My boys thought they could play video games whenever they wanted for however long they wanted. They soon realized that was not the case.  I do have to admit that I've really started to watch very closely to see if they're learning anything from any of the games they play.  I will not argue that ALL video games are educational and while I still...

My older two boys love Monopoly and keep begging me to play with them. We've had a game going for quite some time now that we have kept set up at our dining table. While I hate playing Monopoly I know it offers great opportunities for lessons in math, reading, and good sportsmanship. Because I am the first to admit that my boys do not play with good sportsmanship. Ian and Alec both cheer when someone lands on their property.   They grin with glee when someone doesn't have enough money pay.   They pout and sulk when someone goes by their property and they cry when they run out of money.   It's tough but we're trying to teach them it's a game. They have both played on sports teams and showed great sportsmanship when they participated; always smiling and encouraging their teammates, always congratulating the other team on a good game or a good play, focusing on trying to better their own skills and making friends. But somehow when my two older boys start playing board ...

Looking to "neaten" up my craft room I've been searching Pinterest for ideas and inspiration for creating my perfect space. Sometimes I spend what feels like hours searching for the right color or pattern on a paper to go with the photos for a scrapbook page, or I'll end up ordering a tool, stamp set, or embellishment & end up realizing I already own it! I thought my craft room was pretty well organized but it has never been "perfect."  In the beginning I was just to happy to have one I didn't mind that I didn't have much money left to spend on organizing it and I made do with bins and containers I found around the house. Here we are several years later and I don't think I've purchased anything to help organize it yet.  I have, however, purchased a lot more "stuff" and now the room is looking very unorganized.  While I am usually pretty messy while I'm crafting and often thrive in the chaos it's starting to ge...

Alec decided he really needed to wash his clothes since he ran out of socks and asked me to help show him how the washer and dryer work.  We had a quick lesson and he was off!  He ended up doing two loads of laundry for himself.  It's not folded yet, but it's all in a basket in his room.  I can't nag him too much since he did wash and dry it himself and that is a huge step!  We were heading out to meet up with our homeschool group today and go sledding together. We enjoy meeting up with our homeschool group a few times a month and we're always trying to plan new and fun things to do together. A sledding day was a fun and easy idea! We could have met at a local park but one homeschool mom offered to host at her house. We all came prepared in winter gear and brought sleds. We picked a sunny day (in winter, when we actually had snow on the ground) We chose a time that would work for most everyone but would still allow the most heat from the sun; in...

OK, I think I am all done our Disney pages, as of this morning when I whipped up two more pages.... two more last pages. I know I talk a lot about Stampin Up! products but I'm not a demonstrator nor am I all that brand- choosy.  I will use anything and everything on a scrapbook page.  I have a whole room filled with products-- big shot, Cricut, stamps, paper of all sizes, colors and patterns, ribbon, Clip it up (filled with Jolee's Boutique and other assorted stickers), etc. Scrapbooking and paper crafting is my passion and I can't say I have a favorite anything!  Can you? If there is some product you just LOVE and can not live without please leave a comment.  I'm always looking for new things! Anyway, onto today's pages.  I had the "Magical Memories" banner title left over from a Disney scrap kit and that's where the whole inspiration for the page came from.   I pulled a light blue/gray sheet of 12x12 paper out and using...

I find solace in these quotes when I start to question what we've done lately.  I'm the first to admit we've done "nothing" this week.  My kids are taking full advantage of school vacation this week to soak up as much screen time as possible.  But I know they learn when they're playing. Play is so important for children to learn, grow and explore their world. My Favorite Quotes about the Importance of Play (in no particular order): 1.  "Play is the beginning of knowledge.” -George Dorsey 2.“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.” -Charles Schaefer 3.“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” -Diane Ackerman 4. “Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” -O. Fred Donaldson 5.  This is all play to the children, but the mother is doing invaluable work; she is training their powers of observation and expression, increasing their vo...