Enjoying the Chaos

I came across this list  here and LOVE it such a reminder. I know we say a lot of these things but reading them here in one list ...well I needed a copy to keep, and refer back to, and remind me that my kids (and Husband) are the most important things in my life.   1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that. 2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one! 3. It’s all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do. 4. You’ve made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It’s all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you. 5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn’t easy, you did i

As school has started I was looking for something to liven up our narrations a little. I do require the two big kids to do a written narration once a week (twice for Jam). However I saw a fun idea  here  and thought I would try this to add a twist of excitement to our day. I changed a couple of the labels (My kids would die laughing if they read Mama). I also removed the playdoh and blocks as when my kids get those out it's hard to get them to stop. Draw and label a map based on the reading. Copy two important or interesting quotations from the reading. Draw a portrait and write a short description of a person or character in the reading. Write two important facts or events from the reading. Tell me how someone in the reading behaved. Find and define two new or important words from the reading. Create a short comic strip based on the reading Give an oral narration. Write a letter from the point-of-view of a person in the reading. Create a poster related to

Finally made something from Pinterest! Believe it or not sometimes my little Jam gets restless in church on a Sunday (those who go to church with us will probably chuckle over the use of the word 'sometimes'). Anyway because my older two are quiet a bit older little Jam has never really taken anything to Church to so in Sacrament.  I saw this idea for a Gospel ABC 4 x 6 picture book  here  and knew I just had to try it. The first thing that caught my attention was that there was NO sewing involved in fact ALL I had to do was download...upload...pick up and put in a photo album! BOOM BANG DONE!! In fact the hardest thing was to find the time to go to Walmart to pick up the pictures. I also had to make a special trip to the Dollar General to find the right kind of photo album. You need the one that has a clear front so you can slide in the picture.  When he posed for the picture he really wanted to go take the time to put on his little suit. I

"Not" First Day Back at School We had a fun day today. The school bus went past and we were all still snoozing. August is a quiet time for me and I had a morning with no lessons (I teach English to international business people) thanks to a public holiday in most of Europe!  When I talk about a lazy morning I mean that I get up around 7:30am (I know not as lazy as some) considering I used to get up at 2:45am it is. Anyway by 8:30 everyone was up and breakfast done. We all got down to business, I had some church work to do and the older kids got their schedule out. I was giving Jam and Boo a weekly schedule but they have decided they want be to actually break down their weekly work into daily assignments. I think it will be a good change and make sure we don't overload or fall behind. We are very casual homeschoolers I don't mean we are casual about our work just more casual about where we do it. I have caught the kids led on their beds, led on the jungle gy

Summer Vacation Update One of the joys that I have found homeschooling is that it is truly that... it never stops! Whether we are actually having school or on vacation it is a blast. Earlier this year we spent 3 amazing weeks in England catching up with my husband's family and celebrating his Nana's 100th birthday it was a blast. However we have just come back from a 2 week trip to Florida to celebrate my parents 45th wedding anniversary with all my family. We drove yes...21 hours each way, even though my husband had to fly home early and so only had to drive one way. (My penance for an extra week of vacation was driving home with 3 kids - yep 1 adult, 3 kids, 21 hours - sounds fun right!!!) But WOW was it worth it. The first week we spent at Disney (you have to right... Florida = Disney World!) We were very fortunate to stay at the   Boardwalk Disney Resort  it is definitely our favorite. We did however skip over to the beach club to have our family portrait don