Just hanging out......

Just hanging out....

with 7 sick kids. This is our 3rd illness this month. First was a nasty cold, and mine turned into a sinus infection. Then there was the stomach thing that lasted almost two weeks and now this fever, coughing, sore throat, headache thing. Can I be sick of sick?

And.....

no baby.

Happy Anniversary!

No baby yet.

Nothing to see here, people.

Move along.

Keep walking, keep walking.

Seriously, it is our 14th anniversary today and my SIL's birthday so we are already having a busy week. I guess baby wants recognition in it's own right, not to share with anything else.

David took me to breakfast this morning, although he was on the phone for most of it. So, I just sat there and ate my grits and biscuits myself. You must never keep a pregnant lady waiting for food. :) Well, then we walked around the Christian book store without him on the phone. Well, actually he was on the phone once, but I was looking at stuff, so I didn't notice as much.

But, he is making progress on the job. Things will be working out very soon. I was having a rough day on Saturday, just needed some confirmation from God that everything was still going to be okay. So, I prayed for that confirmation and we sang a new song during worship on Sunday. What was that song? I don't even know, but most of the lines were "Wait on the Lord." Yes. Got it. I think that was confirmation for me, since that's what we've been doing. Waiting. On the Lord.

And waiting on a baby.......

And waiting on a paycheck......

And waiting on a new washer and dryer....... :)

I'm not one to splurge, but I have got my eyes set on a new Kenmore front loading washer and dryer in the color red. My washer is like 12 years old and on it's last leg, and well, you know about our dryer, if you've been reading my blog. I have been hang drying clothes in our spare bedroom for over a year. I just want me a new washer and dryer. I'm not sure if they will even fit in our small laundry closet in the hallway bathroom, but I don't care if David has to knock down a wall to shove those puppies in there, I need a new washer and dryer. Did I mention Kenmore, front loading, in red?

Happy Birthday Tristan!

Yesterday was Tristan's 4th birthday. He, at some point, had wanted a Diego and Dora party, but then kept changing it everytime we'd talk about it. I just stuck with Diego and Dora. He also really wanted a pinata and a scavenger hunt, since we had done neither of those at his birthday before.

Genny so nicely volunteered to have the party at her house, since we were dropping the kids off to head on over to my midwife appointment. It was only going to be her kids and ours anyway (since there are eleven of them altogether.)

I think they all had a splendid time.

Pin the badge on Diego.

Bashing the pinata.

Dad helping to break the titanium lined pinata.

Candy!!

A musical ABC game.

Blow out the candle.

Presents.


Post pinata/cake sugar effect.


A scavenger hunt.


A tired mama.

Monday Musings

Well, I finally did get my bag packed. The bag I have used to take my things to the hospital at the birth of every baby. The ceremonial "packing of the bag" as Brittany has called it. I actually got it done.

Sort of.

Somehow the bag has apparently shrunk since the last seven kids.

Or, perhaps I have gotten more high maintenance since I've gotten older.

What to do, what to do. Brittany would never let me chose a different bag. After all this is the bag has gone with me to every birth. So I had to compromise. I'll just take two.

Tristan said to me the other day, "Today drips of cry came out of my eyes."

Habitat Notebooks

We did a habitat unit study for the first half of this school year. I decided I really liked making these notebooks. We just used a three ring binder. We had more room than just a typical lapbook, but were still able to include our little mini books and diagrams and things.

This study took us 14 weeks, working on science for about two hours, two days a week. The 6th and the 3rd grader made the notebooks.

I broke the habitats down into 7 catagories:

-Artic/Antarctica

-Tropical Rain Forest/Islands

-Wetlands (Swamps, Ponds, Rivers)

-Grasslands (African Savannah and Australian Outback)

-Deserts

-Oceans

-North American Temperate Forest/Mountains

We used cardstock to seperate each habitat and on the first cardstock of each section we labeled the habitat and glued on nature magazine cutouts of animals/plants that were native to that habitat.

For each habitat, we also took a map and colored parts of the world that included that particular habitat. Also for each, I had them fill out a sheet of information for each of the following:

climate, temperatures, terrain, types of homes, common animals and vegetation.

I also had them choose one animal from each habitat to classify. We made a small accordian fold with those.

Now, everything else we included with each habitat just depended on what I had on hand for each one. Some of the mini books and things I got from Homeschool Share, some things were from other websites that I've included in my science resources, and some things I already had from various places that I've just collected here and there. You could use anything you have on hand or find online. We pasted these onto the cardstock, or hole punched them and just stuck them in after the cardstock. We also checked out some videos and books pertaining to each habitat from the library.

For the North American Temperate Forest, we focused on birds, so I had them include a few diagrams of feet, beaks, eggs, etc. and did an experiment with vinegar and an egg. (Stick the egg in vinegar and leave for a few days to see what happens.)

For the Grasslands, I had gotten a free lapbook on zebras, and we included a few more printouts from various places off the internet.


For the Rainforest, I used some printables from the Kapok Tree lapbook from Homeschool Share.
For the Ocean, we divided this into four parts: Intertidal Zone, Opean Ocean, Middle Depths and Deep Sea and did a few diagrams, mini books for each one (crabs, seaweed, anemones for intertidal and sharks, whales, jellyfish for the open ocean, etc.)

The younger kids, Pre-K, K, and 1st also did science at the same time as the older two, but we did lapbooks instead.

-Artic/Antarctica: Penguin lapbooks

-Rainforest: The Great Kapok Tree

-Wetlands: Frog lapbook from Homeschool Share

-Grasslands: some zebra lapbook printables, and various others off the internet

-Desert: various printables

-Ocean: various printables

-North American Temperate Forest: focused on birds

Again, most of the "various materials" come from "googleing" the subject on the internet, free company e-newsletters, "hand me down" curriculum, ect. Check all the "Resources" links that I have on my sidebar. You can adapt this idea, but just use whatever you have on hand.

Monday Musings

I'm off to ANOTHER midwife appointment. It's 39 weeks today. I am actually, really going to get the baby stuff out today. I promise. I really am. I am committed to getting it done. Today.

Brooke: "How many more days is it til Tristan's birthday and until the baby is gonna 'pop out'?"

Thomas: "I wan' a Travis, not a Bailey."

Tyler: "When you have the baby are you gonna be doing that screaming thing they always show on TV?"

If the children do not get things cleaned up right now like I asked them, I may start "that screaming thing" right now.

Yesterday was Thomas's 2nd birthday. (Notice the "congratulations" banner. I was obviously not paying attention when I threw that in the cart.) He was his typical Thomas self, but he really had a good time. He couldn't figure out why we were all singing to him. I think he was even a little embarrassed.
We kept telling him to blow out the candle, and he wouldn't do it. Finally I picked up the cupcake and held it up to him and he very softly blew it out.

Later that evening I was sitting on my bed and talking to him about the day. He said with a really sheepish grin, "Mom. I blow out da candle like dis 'woooooo'. "

Playing "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"- a birthday favorite.

Also notice the Kool-aid mustache and the blue icing all over the shirt. What you can't notice is that the boy isn't wearing any pants. He is at the "pants optional" stage of life.

Thomas loves his new doggy from Granny and Grandad that vibrates when you pull its tail.

TTTTHHHHHHaaanks Granny and Grandad!

The kids had a fun time blowing up their b'loonies, too.

Bible Lessons Resources

Here are some links I have used for Bible lessons, or materials to put together lessons.


http://www.gardenofpraise.com/ (some bible study and homeschool info)

http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm (Jesse tree)

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23

http://hennypenny.ourjunction.com/ (color pages, etc.)

http://www.calvarywilliamsport.com/kids-index.html (felt templates)

http://www.biblegateway.com/ (online Bible)

http://www.edgezonegames.com/ (printable bible story color sheets)

http://www.teacherhelp.org/color.htm#bible

http://littleblots.ning.com/BibleCraftTopics/page/show?id=1230297%3APage%3A23173 (St. Patricks days lessons)

http://www.coloring.ws/esther.htm (Queen Esther story color sheets)

Bible Fun for Kids!

Monday Musings

Me-38 weeks. Two more to go.
Thomas said "I love you, mom." for the first time last weeek (without me prompting him first. Yep, just out of the blue. The little guy loves me.

Everyone is better but the two little boys still have a little bit of icky-tummy syndrome left. I hope it stops soon.

Sick.

Oh me. Oh my. A week of stomach virus. How fun.

It all started Monday evening and went downhill from there. I started to get sick on Wednesday evening, when most of the kids and husband were beginning to feel better. I felt much better by yesterday afternoon.

The two little boys still have upset tummies and Tristan threw up last night. In my bed. Ugh.

I know I love waking up to "huu aaaa" an the sound of rushing liquid. Oh, and the smell. (Shudders.)

So, we are staying away from everyone, so that we can "de-germ" before rejoining the population.

I guess it was our due time for a vomit fest, since we hadn't had one in about 3 years.

Since it will be 70 degrees or so today, I think we'll open the windows and air this place out.

Monday Musings

Update: ALL of the children are throwing up and husband is sick, too. Please pray that this very pregnant mama doesn't get it- or lose her mind!

My boy sleeping in a Barbie chair.


Two sleepy little boys.


The boys' spiffy, and long overdue, haircuts.

Today I am 37 weeks. I am so not prepared. I haven't done anything to get ready for this baby. Yikes! I do have a sinus infection. My husband still hasn't signed his contract. I'm a tad stressed. I have two throwing up children. I guess that's why I haven't been getting it all done. I'm a little stuck.

On a much cheerier and funnier note, my kids and I were laughing to death on Friday night at this blog: http://www.cakewrecks.com/. It is so funny. You must check it out.