Enjoying the Chaos

  Last Christmas Boo received some amazing doll clothes for her American Girl Doll that her Grandma had made, Including a matching Princess dress for them both. Ever since then she has wanted to learn how to make clothes for her doll. When we were offered the opportunity to learn how to sew using Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns we were ecstatic. So who is Rosie you may ask? Rosie is a stay at home mom from down-under. She has been sewing for as long as she can remember, and now has a daughter to pass her skills onto. You can read more about how her business started here .  Boo and I are both visual learners, the so we found the Learn how to make Doll Clothes Video Course was perfect. The videos are designed for ages 8 and up and so since we both fitted into that age range, and I am a self taught sewer we decided to work through the course together. We decided that we wanted all the information first and so we watched all of the videos before we started any sewing (Boo'

This year I decided I didn't want the mess of carving pumpkins. We decided to paint instead;  I don't think it was any cleaner though. ©2011-2013 Chickensbunniesandhomeschool. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author Chickensbunniesandhomeschool.blogspot.com

I think everyone wants their children to be able to spell, I know I do. So when I was given the opportunity to try VocabularySpellingCity and their premium membership I jumped at the chance. I have used the free version before and so I was excited to find out what the differences were. All of my kids like playing games on their computer and so I was hoping this would be a fun educational review. We have tried the traditional spelling tests without much success and lean more towards the reading and copy work methodology. VocabularySpellingCity is an interactive site that uses games and quizzes to help children memorize spelling words. It's a very interactive program and the games are quite fun even for the 12 year old (although he may not admit that in public). The premium membership offers a lot of extras as you can tell from the checklist below. The program is suitable for ages K-12th as you can customize it for each child. It costs $29.99 for up to five students

The kids and I have finished listening to an awesome audio book just in time for Thanksgiving Stories of the Pilgrims . This story starts in England at Scrooby. We visited Scrooby last year during our visit to England. As soon as the story started the kids suddenly shouted "We've been there". The picture below is a picture of the information posted outside of the church at Scrooby. The Stories of the Pilgrims is a historic production told in story form. We use a lot of audio stories as we do quite a bit of driving. In my mind it's the perfect way to learn history, mainly because my kids don't realize they are learning. Even Little J speaks up now and again while we are listening. He asks questions like "What does _____ mean?" or "Oh I remember when we went ________" and so even when I think they have switched off or gotten engrossed in their coloring books, up pops another question and so I know they are still listening

Remember I promised the second monologue about Albert I don't like this one quite as much... Albert's Return  You've `eard `ow young Albert Ramsbottom At the zoo up at Blackpool one year With a stick with an `orse's `ead `andle Gave a lion a poke in the ear? The name of the lion was Wallace, The poke in the ear made `im wild And before you could say, "Bob's yer uncle!" E'd upped and `e'd swallowed the child. `E were sorry the moment `e done it; With children `e'd always been chums, And besides, `e'd no teeth in his muzzle, And `e couldn't chew Albert on't gums. `E could feel the lad movin' inside `im As `e lay on `is bed of dried ferns; And it might `ave been little lad's birthday- 'E wished `im such `appy returns. But Albert kept kickin' and fightin'... And Wallace got up, feelin' bad. Decided 'twere time that `e started To stage a comeback for the lad. Then puttin' `ea

Random Five October 25th 1. I had my eyes dilated today. Little J has to have it done a lot. I will be more sympathetic next time. 2. Little J has new glasses that we are using for his Amblyopia therapy. We have a set of cards that are red and green that he uses with them. It is to try and get his eyes to work together.   3.Little J passed Level 2 Preschool Swimming Lessons by the Red Cross this week. Please forgive the picture quality - it was hard to catch him. 4. By the way as far as kid size glasses go, Little J's are amazing. They are completely plastic and so swimming lessons in them is a breeze. 5. Jam and his Dad are on a camp-out tonight and it is supposed to be COLD. Boo, Little J and I are snuggled in the house enjoying the warmth! Plus Dad and Boo are running a 5K tomorrow (Dad on no sleep.) ©2011-2013 Chickensbunniesandhomeschool. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or trans

  Jam's new favorite shirt I recently had the opportunity to try something I have never done before. Making a customizable one of a kind T Shirt. Allied Shirts contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their service I thought it sounded fun. So I got Jam in on the deal and let him design what he wanted. When you first go to their website you get to choose between unisex long or short sleeved shirts, women's shirts, and sweatshirts.  Jam chose a regular style round neck lime green t-shirt. After you have chosen your t-shirt the next steps are really simple...literally you add your text. To do this you click on the 'add text' button write your text and then place it in the correct place on the t-shirt. If you want to add extra lines you just clear the text out of the box and then click on the 'add text' again. This can be done repeatedly until your t-shirt design is finished. Jam chose a quote that he loved from  October 2013 LDS General Conference.

I am sure that you have noticed I have had a huge opportunity this year. I have been a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew . It has been an amazing opportunity for my family. I have been homeschooling for three years. I found the crew as I searched for ideas and help to start me on my home school journey. To be on the crew myself has been a little surreal. I have be exposed to so many new (and old) curriculum ideas. So whether you are a veteran homeschooler or still feel very green (like me) and you have a blog I wanted to let you know of an awesome opportunity you might be interested in. The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be taking applications for the 2014 Review year from October 24 - November 8 ! Are you a homeschool blogger? Are you a curriculum junkie? Do you enjoy writing reviews? Then you might be perfect for the Crew!  Some requirements for being a part of the Crew include the following:  First of all you must be a homeschool mom or dad. You don’t have to hom

Boo my ten year old loves to read. In fact it is so difficult to keep her in books, so when I was given an opportunity to review a new book for her I jumped at the chance. We were offer a book called Diary of a Real Payne : True Story by Barbour Publishing .   Boo started reading this the very day it arrived, and I heard her giggling while she did (more like laughing her head off). Then she would run around the house saying "Listen to this..." It was very pleasant to be able to relax and know that she wasn't reading anything inappropriate.  Emma Jean Payne or EJ for short is fun loving, a little spunky, and often misunderstood. She seems to be always getting into a fix and reminds me of a set of books we read when Boo was littler. I have only heard the parts of the book that Boo read to me, so I asked her to write me a paragraph about it to share with you.   What Boo Thought; The reason I loved the Diary of a Real Payne Book 1 is becau

My mom used to read a lot of poetry to me when I was young. I loved it and have lots of fond memories. However one poem my Mom used to recite to us used to scare me a little. A couple of weeks ago, while eating lunch at my parents house I managed to convince her to repeat it to my children. They loved it - even the sad ending.  Matilda by Hilaire Belloc  Matilda told such Dreadful Lies, It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes; Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth, Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth, Attempted to Believe Matilda: The effort very nearly killed her, And would have done so, had not She Discovered this Infirmity. For once, towards the Close of Day, Matilda, growing tired of play, And finding she was left alone, Went tiptoe to the Telephone And summoned the Immediate Aid Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade. Within an hour the Gallant Band Were pouring in on every hand, From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow. With Courage high

At Christmas we always do skits as part of our entertainment.  My Mother in law's favorite is a fun monologue about a young boy called Albert who went to the zoo. This is one of my favorites! You can find them on Amazon . The Lion and Albert by Marriott Edgar There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool, That's noted for fresh-air and fun, And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom Went there with young Albert, their son. A grand little lad was their Albert All dressed in his best; quite a swell 'E'd a stick with an 'orse's 'ead 'andle The finest that Woolworth's could sell. They didn't think much to the ocean The waves, they was fiddlin' and small There was no wrecks... nobody drownded 'Fact, nothing to laugh at, at all. So, seeking for further amusement They paid and went into the zoo Where they'd lions and tigers and cam-els And old ale and sandwiches too. There were one great big lion called Wallace H

Random Five Friday 1. Today is my Mom's Birthday. She is the best Mom every and I love her loads. I was born four weeks early, the same year my Mom's Dad passed away and it was thought she had cancer. I was not the easiest of babies. I was taken to one hospital and my mom to another. In fact my Dad had a huge dilemma of which ambulance to follow. My mom has always been there for me through all my trials. I love her tons! Isn't she cute!    2. I took the kids to the zoo today and it rained - we still had a blast. Little J got to play with his 'Best Friend' which happens to be his cousin. 3. We LOVE the zoo. We always have to have our pictures taken near the statues.   4. We love the Polar Bear.  5. We lit our first fire tonight in the new house - delightful I hope you had a great Friday. Check out other Random Fives... ©2011-2013 Chickensbunniesandhomeschool. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and othe

We have been homeschooling for three years. However we have never had a dedicated school space. However in our new house we have a dining kitchen and a formal dining room space. We only have one dining table and really don't see the need for another one just to sit unused. We have been living here for about four months and finally last night my husband came on board with the idea of a school room. We had all of the furniture we needed spread around the house, it just needed to be gathered into one room. We already had bookshelves and our piano in the room and so after adding one of our filing cabinets (in an attempt to keep all those papers etc organized) and throwing the bean bags on the floor - it's as 'scholarly' as I want it too look. We are very casual in our style and I don't want to do school at home, however I also didn't want to have my children hide away in their rooms on the computer. My husband set the desks up with docking stations and large

Yesterday my friend and I (and 6 kids in tow) went to our local Amish Farmer's Market. We went earlier in the season and I bought huge amounts of sweet peppers and tomatoes. Yesterday I bought jalapeno's, mint, and sunflowers. I know a crazy combination.   The kids love to see all of the Amish things. I think it is an excellent opportunity to learn about different lifestyles. I know not to take pictures of the Amish themselves, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of this horse and buggy. ©2011-2013 Chickensbunniesandhomeschool. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author Chickensbunniesandhomeschool.blogspot.com