tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129422822024-03-07T17:13:21.378-06:00SuperchikkSuperchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.comBlogger1528125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-13085493261688095572018-05-10T13:02:00.001-05:002018-05-10T13:11:03.800-05:00Instagram... I miss blogging. I really do. But for now, I give you... Instagram.
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Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-4352554743577316942015-06-17T07:56:00.000-05:002015-06-17T07:56:00.305-05:00Water, Water Everywhere {and an obscure movie reference}We have plastic cups sitting everywhere in the kitchen. Half full of water. It's bad. Like, I'm waiting for aliens to land and someone to yell "Swing away" and start hitting the half-filled cups with a baseball bat kind of bad. (Points if you know what movie that's from.)<br />
<br />
Also? It drives me nuts.<br />
<br />
How hard can it be to use the same cup all day? Just one day. Not a month or a week. Just a single day. That's all I'm asking.<br />
<br />
Apparently, it's really hard.<br />
<br />
"Whose cup is this?"<br />
"Not mine!"<br />
"Not mine!"<br />
"It has to be one of yours. Because it's not <i>mine,</i> and I'm pretty sure Oz can't reach the water dispenser."<br />
*blank stares*<br />
<br />
(And no, it didn't matter what the cups looked like - superheroes, pink, flowers, plain. DIDN'T MATTER.)<br />
<br />
I couldn't handle it any more. So I decided to try a new thing. And it's actually working pretty well.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCJqRP7Gfikjglx0eCyfTR35bonwWeQxyO1uDdDthzbgtnPcfzkownq_QWkY3105uK5RSPFpb4VkkyySY6CJ6KJqA6shrHjYVlS_PUzbqv0Mzhyphenhyphenbh_jLU1fNBtkPJ2mMI-ME0/s1600/Personalized+Kid+Coaster+Title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCJqRP7Gfikjglx0eCyfTR35bonwWeQxyO1uDdDthzbgtnPcfzkownq_QWkY3105uK5RSPFpb4VkkyySY6CJ6KJqA6shrHjYVlS_PUzbqv0Mzhyphenhyphenbh_jLU1fNBtkPJ2mMI-ME0/s320/Personalized+Kid+Coaster+Title.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I bought some plain cork coasters at Walmart - they were around $4. Then, I traced a C and an H on the coasters and colored them in with Sharpies. Now, when the kids get a cup out, they're supposed to set it on their coaster after getting their drink. It keeps drippy cups off the counter, and it gives them a single place to put their cups.<br />
<br />
I know I'm not the first person to use this little trick, but it's made a huge difference in the state of my kitchen and the number of cups sitting around the house. Now, if I could only manage to make it work in the kids' bathroom, too. We're still set up to fight aliens in there. But one day...one day.Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-67104760257913457072015-06-12T08:53:00.000-05:002015-06-12T08:53:00.387-05:00Red Velvet WafflesRemember the time I was <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-velvetagain.html" target="_blank">obsessed with all things Red Velvet</a>? It couldn't last forever, but I do remember it fondly. And I still love Red Velvet. (I might need some <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-velvet-cake-balls.html" target="_blank">cake balls</a> soon.)<br />
<br />
So the other day, after spending the better part of the day cleaning, vacuuming, and washing cars, nothing sounded better than some Red Velvet. Oh, and a shower. Since we got a new waffle iron a month ago, it's been like a game at our house to see how many different things we can make in it. I've even menu planned "Waffle Iron Night". I blame Pinterest. But it seemed like a perfect way to whip up some quick Red Velvet goodness.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
I might've even sent a photo of them to Husband on his way home from work. (He wasn't driving, so there was nothing illegal or dangerous about checking his phone and drooling over the red waffly goodness.) They were requested for <i><a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2011/11/mancation.html" target="_blank">Mancation</a> 5: The Reckoning</i> before anyone besides me even tasted them. (<i>Of course</i> I tasted them before I sent Husband a photo. I couldn't send him a picture of a sub-par product. And I was about to get hangry from all the cleaning. I needed some sugar and red dye.)<br />
<br />
Let me break it down for you. Are you ready? It's super complicated.<br />
<br />
1. Buy a Red Velvet Cake Mix (Duncan Hines is my go-to brand for this flavor)<br />
2. Take your waffle iron out of the cabinet and turn it on. I used medium heat.<br />
3. Follow the directions on the cake mix box as you would for a cake.<br />
4. Pour the batter on the hot waffle iron and cook until done in the middle and still soft on the outside.<br />
5. Repeat until all the batter is gone!<br />
<br />
I "frosted" mine with some cream cheese stuff I had left from making a strawberry pie. It was basically a block of softened cream cheese and a cup of sugar mixed on high in the mixer. For a better consistency, use powdered sugar and add milk to thin to your desired thickness.<br />
<br />
Now, go make some. You know you want to.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-22237429520852216162015-06-02T10:59:00.000-05:002015-06-02T10:59:00.726-05:00Summer School 2015 (Between 1st & 2nd Grades and Preschool & K4)<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve discovered that long breaks aren’t really beneficial
for us when it comes to school work. So our strategy for this summer will be a
bit different. I don’t want to necessarily do a year-round school schedule –
planning a more traditional school year with the breaks we need works for us.
Continuing in the summer is going to be helpful for us, but I want to do
something besides what we normally do throughout the year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t want to be a total stick in the mud, and I need a
break, too. So we’ll take a few shorter breaks during the summer, and do our
“summer school” schedule the rest of the time. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summer Vacation:</b>
I will require a minimum of 30 minutes of reading each weekday, even when we’re
on summer vacation. Caedmon will read (hopefully independently a lot) and Honor
will either look at books herself or we’ll do read-alouds. Both kids will also
be required to draw/color/do something creative each day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summer School,
Caedmon:</b> The 30 minute/day reading requirement will continue to apply. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re also going to begin a vocabulary program called <a href="http://www.literacyunlimited.com/">English From the Roots Up</a>. It’s
meant for older kids, but Caedmon has an interest in Greek and Latin, and we
won’t start formal Latin studies until 3<sup>rd</sup> grade. I thought this
might be a good way to introduce some Greek and Latin while at the same time,
maybe help him with vocabulary and spelling. I’m adapting it for his age and
skill, so I’ll let you know how that goes for us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After reading and vocabulary, Caedmon will have a few things
to choose from. He’ll choose one thing from Category 1 and one thing from Category
2.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Category 1: <a href="https://www.explodethecode.com/01_overview/">Explode the Code</a> or <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/building-thinking-skills-primary.html">Building
Thinking Skills</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Category 2: <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/">Kahn
Academy</a> (math, online) or <a href="http://www.hwtears.com/kwt">Keyboarding
Without Tears</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think those options will give us plenty of variety and
keep us from getting bogged down in the work. It also won’t take terribly long.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summer School, Honor:</b>
I had originally planned to start “school” with Honor in the fall, which would
be her K4 year. So I bought a few things at a curriculum sale this past spring with
that in mind. And then she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">insisted</i>
that she needed to start school <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i>.
So we did. And she loves it. Her thinking and reasoning skills are outstanding,
but her writing skills aren’t quite there yet. (She just turned 4 – so she’s
developmentally appropriate with writing.) So we’ll continue adapting the work
so she can work at her own pace and worry about writing skills a little later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aside from 30 minutes of book time, Honor will have
computer/iPad time for phonics and reading type sites/apps. She’ll also
continue to work through <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/building-thinking-skills-beginning.html">Building
Thinking Skills</a> and <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.com/mathematical-reasoning-beginning-2.html">Mathematical
Reasoning</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Book Study:</b> We
will be traveling some this summer, and that’s a great time for a book study.
Our library has a great selection of audio books, and we’ll choose something
classic that’s age appropriate. (Last year, we did The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.) I’ll browse Pinterest to see what study
aids I can come up with, and we’ll do some activities to go along with the book
and Caedmon will do a Book Report like we do throughout the school year. (It’s
a one-page sheet – very simple.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I’ll evaluate at the end of the summer and let you know how
it goes!<o:p></o:p></div>
Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-74440114546008362802015-05-27T10:52:00.000-05:002015-05-27T10:52:25.884-05:001st Grade Homeschool Recap: What Worked and What Didn't<div class="MsoNormal">
To read about my 1<sup>st</sup> Grade prep process, check
out <a href="http://www.superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/05/1st-grade-prep.html">this
post</a>. I’ll be going down the list item by item for recap purposes. We
finished 1<sup>st</sup> Grade over two weeks ago! Boom!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZXU9Y9QyfhlTL79WgKWEiTNuTPiiy3-He8IfXDlkW6UMjE8aksxy0GqfPo6tc2u0w3ljfT0CxTxaLdwJhL4mmeLmUbyqpmJIY8wwtGmLMNz6T6OmotxEvp_OJSo7KHOGOTt6/s1600/1st+Grade+Recap+Title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZXU9Y9QyfhlTL79WgKWEiTNuTPiiy3-He8IfXDlkW6UMjE8aksxy0GqfPo6tc2u0w3ljfT0CxTxaLdwJhL4mmeLmUbyqpmJIY8wwtGmLMNz6T6OmotxEvp_OJSo7KHOGOTt6/s320/1st+Grade+Recap+Title.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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First, we ended up doing about five school days worth of “work”
over the summer between kindergarten and 1st. It was mostly through field trips
and book studies. It was good to have those days under our belt, and we didn’t
completely lose our heads, but I think a more consistent summer “program” will
be better for us in the future. I’ll talk about my plans for that another time.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reading:</b> My plan:
use library books. How it went: great! I probably was not as consistent with
making Caedmon have “book time” on a daily basis as I should’ve been. But he
read aloud a lot to me during our lessons. He reads better than he gives
himself credit for, he just needs to build confidence. He’s started reading to
Honor a bit toward the end of the year, but it’s challenging because she
prefers to be the one in charge of the agenda. To sum it up, I think library
books along with reading during his other lessons was good for him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We also did a few “book studies” – usually during a time we
were taking a break from other subjects. Spring Break, for example. We took a
couple of days off, but since taking an extended break isn’t beneficial for us,
we continued the other days with a few light subjects and reading a book (like Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory) and did a character study, coloring pages, etc.
Pinterest is an awesome place to find resources for book studies!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Writing:</b> My plan:
use Writing With Ease Level 1. How it worked: great! I like this program – it
teaches copywork at this age, as well as listening and narrating. It also gave
us a jumping-off point for some of our reading. I’m SO glad I got the workbook.
If I hadn’t, I would’ve had to come up with all his copywork on my own. No
thank you. Writing is definitely not Caedmon’s favorite subject, but I felt
like this gave him great practice and incorporated grammar elements along the
way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Math:</b> My plan:
use Saxon1. How it worked: really well. I like the concept behind Saxon –
continually working on things you’ve learned while adding new skills. It seems
slow to add new things sometimes (and I grow super weary of all the “meeting”
stuff), but it has been a good program for us. It has lots of hands-on elements,
which Caedmon really enjoys. Honor often participates with us during those
exercises, even if it’s just playing with pennies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The only thing I really don’t like is that on Assessment
(test) days, it gives you a written assessment, a fact sheet, and a problem
sheet. That’s a LOT of work. So, I usually ditch the fact sheet or problem
sheet on those days. I’d save them for a day we needed extra practice. I found
the “make your own flash cards” tedious and unnecessary since they include
flash cards with the workbooks, so I quit making them about halfway thru the
year and we just used the cards that came with it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During the last few weeks of 1<sup>st</sup> Grade, I began
incorporating Kahn Academy into our math program. We were going to run out of
math lessons before we ran out of school days, so I sprinkled it in to stretch
it out a bit and give Caedmon a bit of a change-up. He enjoys computer work, so
I thought he would like this. He does, for the most part. There’s a bit of a
challenge sometimes because it presents problems in a different way than he’s
used to seeing with Saxon. But usually after we work through one of them
together, he’s able to continue on without help.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bible:</b> My plan:
use The Gospel Project app. How it worked: great! The kids both love this app
and the videos are fun to watch while teaching solid biblical principles. I
love that it’s a chronological walk through the Bible. He is still “journaling”
by drawing pictures, but he’s learning and enjoying the Bible, and that’s
what’s important.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spelling: </b>My
plan: Spelling Workout A. How it worked: meh. Don’t love it, don’t hate it. I
think part of the difficulty is that it requires writing and Caedmon doesn’t
enjoy writing. He also doesn’t quite see the parts of words yet – like –ing,
-ed, or the two words in a compound word. I think we need more phonics work
before tackling spelling, honestly. I kind of wish I had skipped spelling this
year. I’m not entirely sure it has been beneficial for us. Or maybe a more
phonics-focused program would’ve been better for him. We will be trying
something different next year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Language Arts:</b> My
plan: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Level 1. How it worked:
great. Love that the lessons are short and sweet. Most don’t require writing,
and the ones that did, I often allowed him to use the white board instead of
paper. I do feel like it’s slow to teach a few things, but I like the
simplicity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">History:</b> My plan:
Story of the World, Volume 1. How it worked: fabulous. Caedmon loves history. I
loved the audio book of the textbook! We listened to history in the car while
running errands, and it was one less thing I had to read aloud. It was also
more “user friendly” because the kids both felt like they were listening to a
story instead of a lesson. We used the Activity Book for narration guidelines,
activity sheets, and maps. Caedmon has immensely enjoyed the mapwork. Honor
loves to color a picture along with us since she’s listening to the “story”
too. We supplemented a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lot</i> with books
from the library, which wasn’t hard to do at all. We tried to use the Usborne
and Kingfisher encyclopedias, but they’re a bit cumbersome for a 1<sup>st</sup>
grader to handle, and they contain so much information, it was kind of an
overload for us both. They’re awesome books and I know we’ll use them more in
the future, but smaller, more kid-friendly books from the library were better
for us. We did not do tests, but will incorporate those next year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Science:</b> My plan:
use DK Animal and Human Body Encyclopedias as a jumping off point, and study
gardening. How it worked: pretty well. I have to admit, I’ve been pretty
relaxed about science this year. I chose topics from the encyclopedias, we read
those pages, and checked out supporting books at the library. After reading our
pages together, I gave the library books to Caedmon and told him to “go learn
things” and had him report back to me with one thing he learned from each book.
I wrote those down on our narration sheet and we discussed the pictures, he
asked questions, etc. For gardening, we checked out some books at the library,
he’s helped me prep our garden beds, plant seeds, maintain our seedlings, and
has chosen to grow a watermelon plant as his “project.” My theory is that we
have plenty of time to get into the details of science.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll repeat these subjects again at least
twice. At this point, I want to introduce topics and concepts and let his
curiosity take over. He conducted an experiment last week to see if you really
can’t taste stuff when you hold your nose (we were studying digestion). He
thought it was awesome…and I thought it was awesome that it was his idea to try
it out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Enrichment:</b>
Caedmon attended an “enrichment” class one day a week from 9am-2pm with other
homeschool kids his age. He loved it, and so did I. It was valuable for him to
be in a classroom setting, interact with other kids in that setting, and learn
from someone who’s not me. He actually learned some things there before we got
to them in our books, which I loved. I heard more from him about lunch and
recess than anything else, and I’m not sure that’s entirely abnormal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a place I could feel good about sending
him, knowing I could trust not only the teachers, but the content.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sports:</b> We’ve
played the sports. Caedmon played baseball last summer, then he and Honor both
took swim lessons in the fall. He played basketball in the winter, and we
finished up the spring with swim lessons for both kids again. While I think
playing sports teaches some great lessons (and gives an outlet for physical
activity), the schedule is difficult for all of us when both kids aren’t
participating at the same time. So, my favorite has been swim lessons. Both
kids can participate at their own level during the same time slot, and we all
get the benefits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I added:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Keyboarding:</b> In
January, I added a keyboarding course from Keyboarding Without Tears. Caedmon
has enjoyed having a “school” reason to use the computer, and I love that it’s
teaching him how to actually type. I chose 1<sup>st</sup> grade level, though
they offer kindergarten. It’s all online and I found it very affordable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Math:</b> As I
mentioned above, we added Kahn Academy during the last month of school. We’ll
continue using it throughout the summer. Best part? It’s free. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Explode the Code:</b>
The best way I can describe ETC is that it’s phonics, but incorporates spelling
and reading. I brought it in when we finished our Language Arts book, and we’ll
continue with it over the summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So, has 1<sup>st</sup> Grade been all sunshine and roses?
Hardly. There have been days when we didn’t want to school. There have been
days when we both had to take a break…from the books and from each other. But
there have also been days that were painless. And even fun. And seeing the
light come on in those little eyes when the brain finally makes connections has
been priceless. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I will also say that having a homeschool support group makes
a world of difference. We are part of a small group of families who homeschool
and have the same values we do. We do field trips together, have park play
dates together, encourage each other, celebrate victories, and support each
other when we have rough days. This journey would be so much more difficult
without those other Mommas who are in the trenches with me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, on to 2<sup>nd</sup> Grade and Pre-K…yes, already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll talk about those very soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-83460092695805373872015-05-14T09:02:00.000-05:002015-05-14T09:02:00.264-05:00Why I Can’t Do a Capsule Wardrobe (See also: My dumb first world problem.)<div class="MsoNormal">
Simplification is all the rage. But it gets kind of
complicated. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.un-fancy.com/category/capsule-wardrobe-101/">Capsule Wardrobes</a>
are the thing right now. Basically, the idea is to limit yourself to a certain
number of versatile clothing items for each season. You wear the same 37 (or
so) articles of clothing/shoes in different combinations for 3 months, then
pull everything else out of storage and remix your wardrobe for the next
season. (That doesn’t include undies/socks, workout clothes, pajamas, etc.) The
idea is to only purchase things you love and will work well with things you
already have. Given the blog posts and Facebook links I’ve seen on this topic
lately, it’s a brand new idea no one’s ever thought of before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But here’s the thing. The Capsule Wardrobe is supposed to
simplify your daily life. And I love that. But switching out clothes from
storage every three months? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No way.</i>
Talk about un-simplifying things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
be honest. I do good to move my kids’ shoes and clothes out of their closet
when they’ve been too small for 3 months. There’s no way I’m going to
voluntarily decide to “remix” my own clothes four times a year. Go ahead and
think, “that’s not that often.” And then smack yourself. Because remember when
Caedmon was having laser treatments every 3 months? Something you have to do
every 3 months comes around too fast. Every single time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s also supposed to help simplify your laundry. I don’t
know about you, but no matter how many articles of clothing I own, I only wear
a certain number of clothes each day. So the laundry burden wouldn’t change for
me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also wear a lot of the same things in every season. Sure,
shorts and sandals are pretty much a summer thing. And a few sweaters are only
worn in winter. But jeans? V-neck t-shirts? Boyfriend cardigans? Chucks? Most
of my long sleeve shirts? All year. (I’m cold natured…and it’s the same
temperature inside all year long.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it
really wouldn’t do me much good to switch out even half of my 37-ish items
every 3 months. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And let’s talk about how many articles of clothing/shoes 37
x 4 actually is. (Not counting your workout clothes, swimwear, undies, and the
jeans you wear to paint the living room.) Sure, there are a few that would
cross over. Let’s say that you have 10 things you wear all year long or would
cross over to multiple seasons. The other 27 items are switched out every 3
months. That’s 118 items. And actually a lot of clothes. At any given time,
you’re required to store 81 articles of clothing/shoes. Where are you supposed
to put that stuff? It’s not supposed to be in your closet. It’s supposed to be
in “storage”. I don’t have that kind of extra space lying around for stuff that
could actually fit in my closet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure, I keep things I should get rid of. Just today, I went
through my side of the closet and donated quite a few items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My general rule is that if I didn’t wear it
in the past year, it’s gone. And I haven’t been diligent in that the past
couple of years. Generally, if I’m buying something new, it’s probably
replacing something I’ve gotten rid of or filling a gap. Just for fun, I
counted the items in my closet – including a few quality pieces I’ve chosen to hold
onto even though I haven’t worn them in a while. I have about 100 items. That
officially leaves me 18 items short. Yet I don’t feel the need to run out and
buy 18 new things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think the main point in the whole Capsule Wardrobe
endeavor is to only buy things you love and will wear a lot. With very few
exceptions, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I already do that. And I
always have.</i> So that means I leave a lot of things on the rack at the
store. If I don’t love it, or I don’t see myself wearing it a lot, I don’t buy
it. It’s pretty simple. I’ve also been known to visit clothes in the store. If
I really like something, I’ll keep going back to it each time I’m in the
store…usually waiting for it to go on sale. If I really love it every time I
see it, I know it would be a good purchase. If I don’t, I know it might not be
the best idea, no matter the price.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If the official Capsule Wardrobe works for you, then by all
means, go for it. I get what it’s trying to do. It’s just not my thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-67729323788946429352015-05-01T10:29:00.000-05:002015-05-01T10:29:09.715-05:00It's Been a WhileSo…it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I have missed blogging. Well, I should say that I’ve missed blogging for myself. I have been blogging regularly over at <a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/" target="_blank">Real Mom’s Disney</a>, and while I absolutely love it, it’s not the same as sharing thoughts over here in my own little corner of the Internet. Even if nobody reads them anymore. (Or ever?)<br />
<br />
I can’t really blame my absence here on busyness. Sure, I’ve been busy. But it’s really been more of a writer’s block, so to speak. I didn’t decide to quit blogging or even forget about it. In fact, I’ve thought about it quite a lot over the past several months. It just seemed like I never had the right words to say. Or the things I wanted to say would take way too many words. Things have seemed to be much easier <a href="https://twitter.com/superchikk" target="_blank">140 characters</a> at a time.<br />
<br />
A lot has happened in life since my last post. We managed to make it through almost all of <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/05/1st-grade-prep.html" target="_blank">1st Grade </a>(we finish up next week), and I’ll update on that later. Caedmon is growing in so many ways right before my eyes. He has gotten 2+ inches taller since <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/09/caedmon-turns-7.html" target="_blank">his birthday</a>. He’s a kind, smart, helpful boy, and he’s a great big brother to Honor. He’s spreading his wings a bit, becoming a little more adventurous in lots of ways…except he still doesn’t like avocado. (I’ll convince him one of these days.) <br />
<br />
Honor turned 4 last month. FOUR, people. She’s also growing like a weed, keeping pace with her brother’s 2+ inches since the fall. She’s spunky, loud, and lovable. She also keeps her big brother on his toes. There’s never a dull moment around here, to say the least. She’s loved going to <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/09/1st-grade-and-mothers-day-out.html" target="_blank">Mother’s Day Out</a> this year, and next year will be her last year before kindergarten. And with our swimming lessons, she might actually be full-on swimming in the pool this summer (score for Mom!).<br />
<br />
We’re all looking forward to summer over here. It’s going to be a bit different for us – at least, different than the past two summers. We only have one trip planned. One. Caedmon isn’t playing baseball. We’re doing some “summer school” (I’ll update on that later), and relaxing. After the crazy schedule we’ve had this winter/spring, I’m really looking forward to spending mornings at the pool, evenings in the garden, and straight chillin’ in between. Ok, so there are other things to be done too, but I think you get the idea. <br />
<br />
Maybe I’ll even be able to find some words to string together.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-7087512922540511932014-09-12T08:36:00.000-05:002014-09-12T08:36:00.741-05:00Caedmon Turns 7!<p>We have a big seven year-old now! I can’t believe how time has flown. And we celebrated for an entire week.</p> <p>The Thursday before Caedmon’s birthday, we invited two of our homeschool friends and their siblings (and Moms!) to go bowling with us. Oh, and we brought cookie cake.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rH3UqJGyAGE/VA4TgG1IP-I/AAAAAAAAOGI/qW3Q_QiHCWE/s1600-h/_DSC0046%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0046" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0046" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n1D5uMftF_4/VA4ThDJvgAI/AAAAAAAAOGM/iBmEIqh10-U/_DSC0046_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h7oReqxpqeY/VA4Tho2bjjI/AAAAAAAAOGY/Jt2z-Hbglcs/s1600-h/_DSC0055%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0055" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0055" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-51HIYYJG99Q/VA4TiU6caxI/AAAAAAAAOGc/moIMeezEc1E/_DSC0055_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>We had a ton of fun with these friends and are so grateful they could celebrate Caedmon’s birthday with us.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2kVlDGsS9O8/VA4Ti_0TX2I/AAAAAAAAOGo/IM3coNQnBzc/s1600-h/_DSC0102%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0102" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0102" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fnf5pdMjdeo/VA4TjmwIXyI/AAAAAAAAOGs/FsMPznCtRwY/_DSC0102_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon loves all things Minecraft these days, so of course he asked for a Minecraft birthday cake. It was my first time to use fondant, but I think I managed pretty well. We celebrated on Saturday, the day before his birthday.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-G7aGhzsFkRs/VA4Tkbn48UI/AAAAAAAAOG4/HXePXat3iy0/s1600-h/_DSC0145%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0145" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0145" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2NcPEbcANwc/VA4TlKtAB4I/AAAAAAAAOG8/lQFH0mO2k3U/_DSC0145_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KIvlT7ijvmQ/VA4Tlvgh13I/AAAAAAAAOHI/KcgGk4azF44/s1600-h/_DSC0161%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0161" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0161" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mCpzyv3n1M4/VA4TmYFewWI/AAAAAAAAOHM/NqwpLgWHUvU/_DSC0161_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Z7e6AEdpucM/VA4Tm3X7TaI/AAAAAAAAOHY/yy3lJwtbrc0/s1600-h/_DSC0165%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0165" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0165" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OcEGHeL0lLo/VA4TnWwgkgI/AAAAAAAAOHc/Mxh0bY0Y4Us/_DSC0165_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vDDdBwpq024/VA4Tn9ev7uI/AAAAAAAAOHk/RGhfruwbOYc/s1600-h/_DSC0122%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0122" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0122" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-opmYbfHWMU8/VA4Toq3n-2I/AAAAAAAAOHw/WvwL9SciHuQ/_DSC0122_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tGDlS5Bq9kY/VA4TpenLG-I/AAAAAAAAOH0/fQFmTfNLxHY/s1600-h/_DSC0134%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0134" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0134" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4F6lEQuzCTU/VA4Tpu-kg4I/AAAAAAAAOH8/IfzKpm_VF0s/_DSC0134_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>We invited some friends and neighbors to come have cake and ice cream with us.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-B2urg5E8Tes/VA4TqQN9p7I/AAAAAAAAOII/pI6sHEAtXaQ/s1600-h/_DSC0174%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0174" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0174" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-78wzuy1jrIY/VA4Tq5dJpwI/AAAAAAAAOIM/_dP9xml6MNo/_DSC0174_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>The kids had a blast, and Caedmon enjoyed his birthday celebration and gifts. And now, he’s a big seven year-old!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xffdVGmeN08/VA4TrXBSThI/AAAAAAAAOIY/LUV425UIfkE/s1600-h/_DSC0139%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0139" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0139" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Per3aAPOApM/VA4TsONetiI/AAAAAAAAOIc/CBL6OMTjX14/_DSC0139_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-anb-SgSIWRU/VA4TspuFSKI/AAAAAAAAOIo/8vOhEd15HP8/s1600-h/_DSC0141%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0141" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0141" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iXE3JPU_ec0/VA4TteAEabI/AAAAAAAAOIw/yQU6GtfPIjo/_DSC0141_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="253" height="370" /></a></p> <p>Oh, and this kid enjoyed all the birthday partying, too. She’s already planning her next party.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KTVXiEteV8g/VA4TufcKfcI/AAAAAAAAOI4/WibDB6t_-4c/s1600-h/_DSC0138%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0138" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0138" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UwLSCjLSstE/VA4TvMJRC9I/AAAAAAAAOI8/0XJRTFlyl3c/_DSC0138_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-23463803799033563162014-09-08T15:22:00.001-05:002014-09-08T15:22:50.724-05:001st Grade and Mother’s Day Out<p>We did actually start 1st Grade and Mother’s Day Out. Our schools start early here, so we were actually in full swing by the second week of August. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FJ6XOE6DVuw/VA4QCr2EpkI/AAAAAAAAOFU/xoAtbJ89ALE/s1600-h/_DSC0011%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0011" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0011" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uk0dUFTutH0/VA4QDVhRDBI/AAAAAAAAOFY/VAc5vm7gSms/_DSC0011_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>When Caedmon started 1st grade, he was about to turn seven, had already lost two teeth, and loves all things Minecraft. And yeah, when you homeschool and it’s still <em>blazing hot</em> outside, you wear shorts and flip flops to school.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aW7lofvn1ng/VA4QED0pIHI/AAAAAAAAOFk/XaNSobzARUE/s1600-h/_DSC0016%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0016" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0016" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DMiyauLY84Q/VA4QE395vhI/AAAAAAAAOFo/GT4khdQ3itU/_DSC0016_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="253" height="370" /></a></p> <p>Honor is three and a half. She loves pink and purple, but is into superheroes too…thus the hand-me-down Captain America t-shirt she chose for her first day of class. With a bow, of course.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tw1fIvE3Fys/VA4QFUaNHLI/AAAAAAAAOF0/ireW4_xnr3s/s1600-h/_DSC0022%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0022" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0022" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yrMzqX8xo1Y/VA4QGPDu4VI/AAAAAAAAOF4/cTScRuiCV30/_DSC0022_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="253" height="370" /></a></p> <p>They are both doing well and are enjoying their classes!</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-32067812922374558832014-08-14T08:36:00.000-05:002014-08-14T08:36:00.324-05:00End of Summer<p>Whew! It’s been a busy one around here. </p> <p>Let’s see…what’s happened around here lately?</p> <p>It’s been a busy summer over here. We visited family and have had enough guests ourselves to hang a Bed & Breakfast sign on the front door. We’ve picked strawberries and made jam. We’ve grown a garden with lots of cucumbers and made pickles. We’ve even made Lemon Zucchini bread with zucchini from our garden. It’s been busy, but fun. </p> <p>We took a great weekend trip to Louisville. We toured the Louisville Slugger Factory, went to the Zoo, and the Mega Cavern (where Caedmon learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis). Also, Honor wiggled her little behind out of her booster seat at a restaurant and almost knocked out her front teeth. It was special.</p> <p>You know what’s more special? The fact that the dentist instructed us to <em>make her stop sucking her thumb</em> so that her teeth would stay in her head. That has led to desperate things like cutting the fingertips off of gloves that have the thumbs sewn to the palm. And then safety pinning and/or taping said gloves to her sleeves. Then, I discovered that she can still get her hands out of the gloves, even while they’re pinned to her sleeves. I don’t know what to do with that girl some days. </p> <p>We spent about a month passing around a lovely summer cold/respiratory virus. That kind of put a damper on the end of our summer. But we’re trying to make up for our lost pool time now that everyone has gone back to school.</p> <p>We have started school. I know, it’s still super early. But public schools have already started here, and Caedmon was ready to go. We’re full-blown into first grade. I know this is optimistic in our second week, but I think we’re going to make it. And that’s a good thing. Honor starts back to her Mother’s day out program next week. Now, if only we can get the <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-do-my-children-hate-sleep.html" target="_blank">bedtimes</a> under control again, we’ll be in good shape. </p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-39010737538851469422014-07-26T13:14:00.001-05:002014-07-26T13:14:19.046-05:00Why Do My Children Hate Sleep?<p>This is a question I’ve asked for a very long time. But last night took the cake.</p> <p>Honor has been through phases of terrible bedtimes. Ok, so maybe this phase has been going on since she was 16 months old. It’s been a long phase. I keep telling myself it’s a phase because that means it will be over one day. <em>One day</em>, she will JUST GO TO BED. No fighting, no fussing, no crying or whining, no getting out of bed 873 times. No parking myself at the top of the stairs with a wooden spoon. No sneaking up the stairs to catch her in the playroom long after she was supposed to be sleeping. No hearing Caedmon yell, “Mom! Honor’s in my room!” thirty minutes after lights out. One day. One day, <em>both</em> my children will <em>sleep.</em></p> <p>(Don’t crush my dreams, ok?)</p> <p>The past few nights have been particularly challenging. Honor has been extra resistant at bedtime, and it’s about driven me to the brink of insanity. Who am I kidding? I was pretty close already. But last night? Last night was it. And I mean <em>it.</em></p> <p>I was worn out. I finally dragged myself to bed a little after 9pm, which is way earlier than I usually go to bed, and over an hour after Honor had “gone to bed.” (Yes, in quotation marks. Because she clearly hadn’t <em>actually </em>gone to bed.) As soon as I got settled under the covers, her shrill little voice yelled “Mom!” from the top of the stairs.</p> <p>I joked with Husband that she must have a sensor that went off as soon as I got into bed. Because it seems that no matter when I get in the bed, she yells for me. It could be 9pm or midnight…she will yell.</p> <p>I got up and walked to the bottom of the stairs. She was looking down at me from behind the gate at the top. I asked what she wanted. The words that came out of her mouth both made me want to laugh hysterically and scream at the same time, “Mom, why did you try to go to bed?” </p> <p>That’s exactly what I did. I <em>tried</em> to go to bed. I suppose I just need to quit trying to go to bed. Maybe that’s the whole problem.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-1838760064644651232014-06-24T09:03:00.000-05:002014-06-24T09:03:00.427-05:00A Pretty Cool Thing<p>Remember <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/search/label/Disney">last year, when we went to Disney</a> and I became completely obsessed with all the planning? Apparently, I’m not the only one that happens to. </p> <p>I don’t know how many hours I’ve talked with friends about planning their trips. I’ve talked to just as many friends who want to plan a trip, but have no idea where to start and feel overwhelmed with all the choices. And let’s face it. Not everybody is a detail freak, loves to spend time on message boards, and creates spreadsheets and color coded lists for fun.  </p> <p>My friend <a href="http://www.jennablogs.com/" target="_blank">Jenna</a> approached me with an idea to start a blog on Disney planning, focused on helping make things easier for families. <a href="https://twitter.com/linds_ken">Lindsey</a> agreed to join us in this crazy venture, and together, we’ve started <a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/" target="_blank">Real Mom’s Disney</a>. We each get to share what works for our families, and you’ll get to see lots of things from three different perspectives. Feel free to email, <a href="https://twitter.com/realmomsdisney" target="_blank">tweet</a>, or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RealMomsDisney" target="_blank">Facebook</a> us with things you’d like to see on the blog or with Disney planning questions.</p> <p><a href="http://realmomsdisney.com/"><img title="RMD Header Screenshot" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="RMD Header Screenshot" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rs1V93RSVpE/U6j-n5Y-BnI/AAAAAAAAOEw/_kVem7tpyVA/RMD%252520Header%252520Screenshot%25255B12%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="632" height="167" /></a></p> <p>We just launched the site last week, and there’s already some great content waiting for you!</p> <p><a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/2014/06/getting-started-setting-budget.html" target="_blank">Getting Started: Setting a Budget (and a free spreadsheet)</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/2014/06/crowd-calendars-who-what-when-where-why.html" target="_blank">Crowd Calendars: Who, What, Where, When & Why</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/2014/06/planning-budgeting-for-souvenirs.html" target="_blank">Budgeting for Souvenirs Without Breaking the Bank</a></p> <p> <a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/2014/06/getting-started-how-many-days-should-i.html" target="_blank">Getting Started: How many days should I spend in the parks?</a></p> <p>We’ll have new articles up every day this week. Go <a href="http://www.realmomsdisney.com/" target="_blank">check it out</a> and let us know what you think!</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-83747673602124985052014-06-09T09:16:00.003-05:002014-06-09T09:16:47.762-05:00In SummerIt’s summer, y’all! We’ve been busy the past few weeks, but we’ve been soaking up summer as much as we can. I know some of y’all are just now getting out of school, but we’ve been out for almost a month. And we’re loving it.<br />
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Every day, Caedmon asks if he has to do school work. When I reply, “Nope, it’s summer,” it’s almost as good as saying, “It’s Christmas!” We’ve hit the pool, played with friends, gone to the zoo with friends, attended VBS, and <em>finally</em> played on the slip n’ slide. <br />
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Caedmon’s baseball season has started. He’s playing for the Bulls this year, and loving every second of it. (The teams are named after AAA baseball teams, so we’re the <a href="http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t234" target="_blank">Durahm Bulls</a>.) Honor is still so attached to the “baseball shirt” I made her last season, I hope I can convince her to wear the new team colors. Maybe since Caedmon’s jersey number is also her age, she will be more inclined to wear it. Who am I kidding? A new shirt with something ruffly on it? She’ll wear it. I might have a challenge finding a brownish orange ruffle, though. We may have to go with royal blue and be happy.<br />
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It’s no secret that Frozen has been <em>everywhere</em> lately. And I know that most of y’all are all about “Let it Go.” However, in our house, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFatVn1hP3o" target="_blank">Summer</a>” is the favorite. Every time it comes on Disney Junior as a little between-show short, we stop what we’re doing, and we sing and dance. I think this sums up how excited we are about summer at our house. <br />
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Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-13819613552311155002014-05-28T09:49:00.000-05:002014-05-28T09:49:00.061-05:001st Grade Prep<p>Even though I <em>just</em> <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/05/kindergarten-recap.html" target="_blank">recapped kindergarten</a>, we’ve already moved on to 1st grade over here. Actually, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in 1st grade for a couple of months now. </p> <p>I know. I’m an overachiever.</p> <p>Actually, I just don’t want to spend my entire summer working on school stuff. So I’m motivated.</p> <p>The way the homeschool year works here, we can actually start in July. So we will be working a few days over the summer, mainly to keep things fresh.</p> <p>We’re expanding a <em>lot</em> this year. Kindergarten only had four subjects, and this coming year we’ll have eight.</p> <p>Please excuse me while I go breathe into a paper bag.</p> <p>Yes, eight subjects. Reading, Writing, Math, and Bible have carried over from last year. We’ll be adding Spelling, Language Arts (Grammar), History, and Science.</p> <p><strong>Reading:</strong> We’ll use library books, and the reading lists from our other subjects will be our starting point. I will read aloud, we’ll read together, and he will read independently. There will be “school” reading, and “fun” reading, where he can choose whatever he likes. We also enjoy audio books, especially in the car. Hopefully we will expand from our <em><a href="http://www.hankthecowdog.com/" target="_blank">Hank the Cowdog</a></em> repertoire. (I love Hank. But we’re about to exhaust our library’s collection.)</p> <p><strong>Writing:</strong> We’re using <a href="http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/writing-with-ease-strong-fundamentals/" target="_blank"><em>Writing with Ease</em></a>. I bought the hardback book and the workbook. The hardback book covers grades 1-4, and the workbook just covers 1st grade. I mainly chose the workbook because there is lots of copywork involved, and I didn’t want to have to write it all out beforehand. I like the concept behind this method, and it gives you the freedom to choose short or long passages depending on your child’s capabilities. </p> <p><strong>Math:</strong> We’re sticking with Saxon, moving up to <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/Saxon-Math-1-Homeschool/9781565770188" target="_blank"><em>Math 1</em></a>. As opposed to last year, this year will have daily worksheets. Caedmon is already asking to start his new math, so I have a feeling we may be diving into this soon-ish.</p> <p><strong>Bible:</strong> We’re continuing with <em><a href="http://www.gospelproject.com/kids/" target="_blank">The Gospel Project for Kids</a></em>, and we’ll keep the same general format we used <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2014/05/kindergarten-recap.html" target="_blank">last year</a>. </p> <p><strong>Spelling:</strong> I decided to go with <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spelling-Workout-Level-Student-Edition/dp/0765224801/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400814025&sr=8-1&keywords=spelling+workout+a" target="_blank">Spelling Workout</a></em> from Modern Curriculum Press. We’re starting with level A. I hadn’t planned to purchase the Teacher’s Edition, but Husband found it at the used bookstore for $2.50. Score! I might be glad I have it – we’ll see! I think Caedmon will like the format – at least, I hope he will! </p> <p><strong>Language Arts:</strong> I chose <em><a href="http://peacehillpress.com/grammar/first-language-lessons-level-1/" target="_blank">First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Level 1</a></em>. It’s scripted – so it tells me exactly what to say/do. Which is awesome. It will use copywork, narration, memorizing poetry, and picture study. I’m an English nerd, so I’m kind of excited about this one.</p> <p><strong>History:</strong> We will use <em><a href="http://peacehillpress.com/history-geography/the-story-of-the-world-vol.-1-ancient-times-revised-edition-hardback/" target="_blank">The Story of the World, Volume 1</a></em>. Caedmon is going to love it. Remember how he loves all the melee? I predict he will love all of the ancient warfare. I also purchased the <a href="http://peacehillpress.com/history-geography/the-story-of-the-world-vol.-1-revised-audiobook/" target="_blank">audio version</a> so we can listen in the car, and the <a href="http://peacehillpress.com/history-geography/activity-book-1-revised-edition-the-story-of-the-world-ancient-times-paperback/" target="_blank">Activity Book</a>. The Activity Book comes with questions and narration cues for each chapter, as well as extra activity ideas and instructions, coloring pages, and maps. If I had to come up with all that stuff on my own, well…I wouldn’t. We’ll supplement with <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Internet-Linked-Encyclopedia-World-History/dp/0746041683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400815133&sr=8-1&keywords=usborne+internet+linked+encyclopedia+of+world+history" target="_blank">The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kingfisher-History-Encyclopedia-3rd/dp/0753468751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400815192&sr=8-1&keywords=kingfisher+history+encyclopedia" target="_blank">The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia</a></em>.</p> <p><strong>Science:</strong> We will study “biology” this year – animals, people, and plants. We’ll be using the <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Animal-Encyclopedia-Reference-Series/dp/0756602270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400815232&sr=8-1&keywords=dk+first+animal+encyclopedia" target="_blank">DK First Animal Encyclopedia</a></em> and the <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Human-Encyclopedia-Reference-Series/dp/0756609976/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400815273&sr=8-2&keywords=dk+first+animal+encyclopedia" target="_blank">DK First Human Body Encyclopedia</a></em>. I haven’t decided what we’ll use for plants yet, but by the time we get to that part, it will be time to get going on our garden again, so there will be plenty of hands-on. We will study 20 weeks of animals, 10 weeks of the human body, and about 6 weeks of plants. I plan to let Caedmon choose a new topic each week, and explore from there. We may study reptiles one week and elephants the next, and that will be fine with me.</p> <p>I purchased all of our stuff thru Amazon.com. After scouring the internet, I found the best prices and availability there. Overall, I spent about half of what I thought I would. I know I could’ve waited until summer to buy more used resources, go to curriculum fairs, etc., but that just wasn’t going to work for me. There was no guarantee I’d find what I was looking for, and I didn’t find that most used prices were that much less than what I could purchase for on Amazon. Plus, I wanted it <em>right now.</em> A few of the resources will be used for multiple years, and we’ll (hope to) be using many things again when Honor follows in about three years.</p> <p>So there it is…I’ll review all of these things at the end of next year, and let you know how it all worked for us. What are your favorite homeschool resources? </p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-54682250162245369722014-05-23T09:07:00.000-05:002014-05-24T10:19:40.408-05:00Kindergarten RecapI guess it’s time to officially recap our first year of homeschooling. It’s actually kind of hard to think back to the beginning of the school year. Maybe that’s because I’ve already ordered our curriculum for next year and have almost finished lesson plans. It’s a never-ending cycle!<br />
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Kindergarten went well for us. Caedmon is a smart boy. He has interests far beyond his 6 years, but at the same time, he has no interest in some of the basic things…like handwriting. That’s just part of being in kindergarten. And a boy. And 6. <br />
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Caedmon attended a weekly homeschool enrichment class this year, and we both loved it. His teacher was/is fabulous (he’ll have her again next year) and a huge blessing to our family. Caedmon got to go to “school” and learn along with friends. He was challenged by working with a group and independently within a class. He learned some things we didn’t touch on until the end of the year, and a few times I heard, “Mrs. J already taught me that.” That, my friends, was a good thing. After school pick-up, he told me more about lunch and recess than the other 4+ hours of the day. And, each week, he informed me that he ate the Oreos in his Lunchable first…just because he could. Free range lunch is big stuff, y’all.<br />
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(And yes, go ahead and judge that I send a Lunchable with my kid every week. I make breakfast, lunch, and dinner every other day of the week. He can enjoy some processed food in a pack once a week.)<br />
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At home, we focused on four subjects – I kept things simple on purpose. I didn’t want to push him too much, and I wanted him to have plenty of time to <em>learn to learn.</em> So while we supplemented with field trips, extra learning opportunities, and self-guided study, our four main subjects were: Reading, Writing, Math, and Bible.<br />
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<strong>Reading:</strong> We used <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985" target="_blank">Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons</a></em>. My Mom used this book to teach my siblings to read, so I knew it was time-tested and effective. It also took zero prep from me. It has scripts for the parent to follow, so you don’t have to “know” anything. It starts very basic, and by the end of the book, the student is reading short stories. It uses a parts to whole method (basically <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonics" target="_blank">phonics</a>), and only teaches sight words one or two at a time, not as a big list. It has 3-4 lessons that teach a new concept, then a review lesson. It also has a writing aspect, and teaches the child how to write one or two letters at a time. <br />
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When we started the year, we were actually picking up from our “K4” year. We got through about 50 lessons last year, so we went through all the review lessons up to lesson 50 when we started this year. Then, we picked up where we left off. The book recommends doing a lesson every day. But we didn’t. (I’m such a rebel.) Caedmon’s favorite thing was <em>not</em> reading, and I didn’t want it to be a chore. At the same time, he needed to learn to read, and was quite capable. So we did 2-3 lessons a week, and on the off days, we either went to the library or I read aloud to him/we read together. <br />
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Each week, we chose a library book for a “book report.” He could choose any book we brought home from the library. It wasn’t always my favorite book, but I wanted to make sure it was something he was excited about. I read the book aloud to him, and then he did a book report. I made a template that we used for these, and I’m so thankful I did. It made life so much easier. We’d write the author and illustrator, if applicable. Then, I’d ask him for a sentence about the book - what he learned, what he liked, etc. I’d write down his sentence, then he’d draw a picture about the book. Then he’d write his name and the date on the report. <br />
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Reading finally “clicked” for Caedmon about a month before we finished kindergarten. He realized that he <em>could</em> actually read things outside of his reading book. (I was right! Gasp!) Now he reads all kinds of things in all sorts of places. Signs, license plates…it amazes me where he sees <em>all the words</em> now. He can read things like <em>The Cat in the Hat</em> and <em>Green Eggs and Ham</em> without help. He’s started trying to spell things on his own, and it sometimes ends up quite comical. I love it. He’s still a bit timid – mainly because he doesn’t want to be wrong. But we’ll continue reading over the summer, and I’m confident that he’ll follow in the footsteps of a long line of great readers from both sides of the family.<br />
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<strong>Writing:</strong> For the first semester, we used the writing part of <em>100 Easy Lessons</em>. I’d write sample letters on his writing paper, and he’d trace, then write his own letters. I also had him write his name, family members’ names, and numbers. Toward the end of the semester, he wrote well enough that I’d give him an extra line at the bottom to write “something for fun.” He really enjoyed having a line to just write something he came up with. <br />
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For the second semester, I used the <a href="https://www.zaner-bloser.com/zaner-bloser-handwriting-grade-k" target="_blank">Zaner Bloser Handwriting Grade K</a> workbook. It goes over each letter individually, followed by numbers and some copywork. We got most of the way through it, and will finish the last few pages over the summer. I didn’t have the teacher’s book, so I just went with one letter (one page front and back) per lesson. <br />
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Caedmon has always had good fine motor skills, and his writing is pretty decent – when he wants it to be. We do kind of butt heads over the proper way to make some letters, though. He tends to want to write them in the most complicated way possible. He doesn’t understand that even though there may be seven ways to write the letter, only one is considered correct as far as his school work is concerned. I made a deal with him that he could write them however he wants when he draws/writes anything on his own, but he has to write them the proper way for his school work. He didn’t like that until I explained that it’s important to write letters properly so he can more easily learn to write cursive. He’s <em>dying</em> to write in cursive. I’m not dying to teach cursive.<br />
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<strong>Math:</strong> We used <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/Saxon-Math-K-Homeschool/9781565770171" target="_blank">Saxon Math K</a> with the <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/Saxon-Homeschool/9780547317168" target="_blank">manipulatives kit</a>. (The manipulatives kit is used K-3rd grade.) I’d heard that some just started with Math 1, and was tempted to do so, but I’m actually glad we started with K. It was very simple at first – way more simple than he (or I) thought it should be. There were lots of concepts he already knew and understood well. But I knew that he <em>didn’t</em> know the things toward the end of the book. He loved using the manipulatives – counting bears, tangrams, shape pieces, geo board, etc. We spent a lot of time learning patterns, and honestly, I was kind of worn out on patterns by the end of the year. I was even <em>more</em> tired of making pictographs. The only worksheets with Math K are optional and begin in the last half of the lessons. They are geared toward writing numbers and coloring in a certain number of shapes, not working problems. <br />
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It did require prep on my part – not a ton, but some. I actually made a lot of the things on my computer and saved them so I can just print them again when Honor uses this in about three years. It was a pain to open up the lesson and see that I was supposed to cut out a bunch of construction paper shapes for that lesson, so I spent some time going through the entire book and made a list of what prep was needed when. I will say, however, that this is a great math program and we did enjoy it overall. Caedmon learned a lot, and absolutely loved doing math lessons. <br />
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There are 112 lessons in Math K, and it was designed for three lessons/week, and one day for review. We did math three days/week, sometimes doing just three lessons, sometimes up to five, especially during the beginning of the year. We skipped the review day – we just didn’t find it necessary.<br />
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We did finish the book a couple of weeks early, so we moved on to a Grade 1 math workbook I picked up in the Target $1 Spot. We got about half way thru it by the time we officially finished school, and we’ll complete the book over the summer.<br />
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<strong>Bible:</strong> We used <em><a href="http://www.gospelproject.com/kids/" target="_blank">The Gospel Project for Kids</a></em>. It’s published by LifeWay and is written as a Sunday School curriculum, meant to go through the entire Bible in three years. This was our second year to use it. I simplified a lot this year. (Last year, I ordered the teacher’s books and activity pages. Caedmon wasn’t interested in the activity pages, and I found that with the app, I didn’t need the book.) We downloaded the iPad and/or iPhone app each quarter. The app has lesson videos, discussion starter videos, parent guides, memory verses, songs, and games. I found it super easy to use and it worked well for us. We also added <a href="http://www.lifeway.com/Product/the-big-picture-interactive-bible-storybook-P005559500" target="_blank">The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook</a> this spring. The stories correspond with the lessons, and it gave us another way to experience the lesson. <br />
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We did 1-2 lessons a week. My goal right now is to familiarize him with the Bible and follow the thread of God’s plan throughout the Scripture, not necessarily go deep on each lesson. That time will come. If you know anything about my boy, you know he loves battle. So he <em>adored</em> all the fighting and general mayhem in the Old Testament. Kings and wars…right up his alley. <br />
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Generally, we would watch the lesson video on the first day. The next day, we’d read the story either from the Bible or the Bible Storybook. The third day, we’d watch the lesson video again and do a journal page. I made a journal page for each lesson – the lesson title, scripture reference, the “Big Picture” question and answer, and the unit memory verse. His task was to draw a picture about the lesson. (Since we were in the Old Testament much of this year, there were lots of stick men holding swords and shields. Just the way he likes it.)<br />
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We did lots of other things in between, but that’s the biggest part of what we did this year. Reading, writing, and math…the rest will follow! Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-84039755461357553172014-05-15T18:33:00.001-05:002014-05-15T18:33:14.708-05:00Lately<p>We’ve been busy bees lately. Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to.</p> <p>We dyed Easter eggs.  (Yes, it’s been that long since my last post.)</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2519fgAu26Y/U3UGoLe0ZcI/AAAAAAAAN_A/EWW5OwPwON8/s1600-h/_DSC0280%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0280" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0280" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dt1YpbFrBUs/U3UGpK70tXI/AAAAAAAAN_E/wM-emyvjRtQ/_DSC0280_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>I made a “smoked”  brisket in the crock pot for Easter, using Rudy’s Rub Husband brought back from a business trip to Texas. Because that’s what you bring home from Texas, and this is what you do with it.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-g_LLMVpK9uc/U3UGp5Dr_2I/AAAAAAAAN_M/xUAb-_IqSI4/s1600-h/_DSC0308%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0308" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0308" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IngDJvGOWU4/U3UGr_-au2I/AAAAAAAAN_U/coWgT6xbEyc/_DSC0308_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>We discovered that Caedmon is allergic to wasp stings, and joined the EpiPen club.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v5cv8XojcC0/U3UGszCWaRI/AAAAAAAAN_c/6arINN3zGyQ/s1600-h/IMG_4548%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4548" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4548" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CFUFNnzoR74/U3UGtkjqErI/AAAAAAAAN_k/M73f89Y8StY/IMG_4548_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We ran a couple of drive-thru errands one day, and took Oz with us. He enjoyed the trip.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Mo-S4pm7F48/U3VLwZxAG2I/AAAAAAAAN_0/nK_ULtkRalQ/s1600-h/IMG_4545%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4545" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4545" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Vkhsx23ybEU/U3VLxYqPgmI/AAAAAAAAN_4/WvZbH7ujraY/IMG_4545_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We got our garden started.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SiX_kBaQQYU/U3VLyF0m4OI/AAAAAAAAOAE/M8I8mV4mak8/s1600-h/IMG_4537%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4537" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4537" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KncEW5EvxKs/U3VLysyKJAI/AAAAAAAAOAI/pNQr72nL0o4/IMG_4537_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We spent some time getting our “safe place” ready for spring storms. We haven’t had to sit in there yet, but Honor has her spot all picked out.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-k9JtzNZ758c/U3VLzW5ZMyI/AAAAAAAAOAU/3EdQjQWD1Wk/s1600-h/IMG_4553%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4553" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4553" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-HcGnKWxRyoA/U3VL0F4PX-I/AAAAAAAAOAc/4pQPFWQCLjg/IMG_4553_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="287" height="376" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon’s homeschool enrichment class had Field Day, and he brought home these awesome ribbons.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zcnOATBUo9E/U3VL0rjnRvI/AAAAAAAAOAk/nY5Un-UcwVI/s1600-h/IMG_4563%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4563" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4563" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-M3E3b8onoFM/U3VL1m8iptI/AAAAAAAAOAo/_b5mFdp0Pfg/IMG_4563_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Our homeschool group visited a diary farm. We went on a hay ride, got to meet a dairy cow, pet her, see how cows are milked, and pet a new calf. We also ate some of their freshly made ice cream and played on the playground. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-251-LqLBwms/U3VL2GAxOjI/AAAAAAAAOA0/HmzCa25qaS0/s1600-h/IMG_4564%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4564" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4564" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qQFTMPqWSZ4/U3VL3McSf1I/AAAAAAAAOA4/gmEg3JiiP-E/IMG_4564_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon’s end of the year ceremony with his sweet teacher, Mrs. J. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0E2QnHcB9SM/U3VL6oTe1WI/AAAAAAAAOBE/7CZ7S-X026c/s1600-h/IMG_4585%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4585" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4585" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-soqJX3z0VPw/U3VOjeO_paI/AAAAAAAAOBM/XaJfRK1J4d4/IMG_4585_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon received the “Detailed Historian Award” from Mrs. J. It was appropriate that when we got back in the car, this was sitting on the front seat.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Rlo-ICPMccI/U3VOkoYinlI/AAAAAAAAOBQ/KBkmvEzaWjo/s1600-h/IMG_4588%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4588" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4588" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1SG2o2d0Lbs/U3VOlvHtVfI/AAAAAAAAOBY/Jx8rHXRvBRw/IMG_4588_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="287" height="376" /></a></p> <p>We bring home a bag full of books just like this every time we go to the library.</p> <p>Honor got some new goggles.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-u1bPOyXUToY/U3VOmbFsUpI/AAAAAAAAOBg/NAy_eei62QE/s1600-h/IMG_4589%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4589" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4589" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qBb2CwzS2II/U3VOnjXCp-I/AAAAAAAAOBo/ij7I17xiS1g/IMG_4589_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We went to pick strawberries. (She’s teaching the kids how to find the “grown up” berries.)</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NT9dRzQ6sS8/U3VOoubhTdI/AAAAAAAAOB0/zLZ2Jwnjs1M/s1600-h/IMG_4594%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4594" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4594" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rX79U5Jdj9I/U3VOpa9ViLI/AAAAAAAAOB8/4PxFyFdCig8/IMG_4594_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>The pool opened the day we went to pick berries, so we <em>had</em> to go! (Caedmon got a new mask & snorkel!)</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JSNRbAl37RY/U3VOqU6GLCI/AAAAAAAAOCE/5AlmEt1apmA/s1600-h/IMG_4597%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4597" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4597" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uyOnlrLRbcA/U3VOrK0POqI/AAAAAAAAOCM/4XwHQHrAXK4/IMG_4597_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>And then that afternoon, I made strawberry jam.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-njqUfygzUxI/U3VOrzEElgI/AAAAAAAAOCU/plA-nPM1o-M/s1600-h/IMG_4598%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4598" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4598" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fyWra_JZg6w/U3VOsq3t1YI/AAAAAAAAOCY/I33k7aXvIJc/IMG_4598_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>It didn’t quite set up, but it tastes so good, I don’t really care.</p> <p>We had errands to run while Honor was at MDO one day, so Caedmon got to do math while we took a break at Starbucks. He’s quickly learning that “school” can be anywhere…and he kind of likes the idea.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-H6FA6eM-qGk/U3VOtkBq3yI/AAAAAAAAOCk/1OUFygELt5s/s1600-h/IMG_4599%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4599" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4599" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YlwMWndXvSU/U3VOucAGD2I/AAAAAAAAOCo/9C2XjP-fP_M/IMG_4599_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Today is Honor’s last MDO for the school year. It’s about to officially be <em>summer</em> at our house, y’all! I don’t know when we’re going to find time to relax!</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-22452589189709352212014-04-25T20:17:00.001-05:002014-04-25T20:17:45.905-05:00Honor Turns 3!<p>We recently celebrated a certain little girl’s third birthday. It was so much fun! </p> <p>This celebration was long in the making. I knew Honor would love having a princess theme, so I began collecting things months ago. And I knew we wanted to give her dress-up stuff for her birthday, so I started gathering those things right after Christmas. It was so worth it!</p> <p>Honor’s birthday was on a Friday. She woke up to birthday decorations on her door, and in the kitchen.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pzOG_cQTKH0/U1sI4z39A5I/AAAAAAAAN6o/hzqdlEK0TEU/s1600-h/_DSC0026%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0026" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0026" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-x3vwl1MgU2o/U1sI5qmgYPI/AAAAAAAAN6w/JiAMKNazGbU/_DSC0026_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>We had a homeschool egg hunt that afternoon that we didn’t want to miss. Since that would knock out naps, I knew we needed to do our birthday celebration on Saturday. So, Saturday morning, we picked up balloons. Someone was excited about her birthday outfit <em>and</em> princess balloons.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dhsaaNC5r1c/U1sI6ajxI5I/AAAAAAAAN64/oJ7Fg4sB8Nc/s1600-h/_DSC0084%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0084" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0084" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bU8UX8pGTr8/U1sI6w2fk_I/AAAAAAAAN7A/4Bi7m18aXr4/_DSC0084_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="257" height="376" /></a></p> <p>When I’d asked what kind of cake she wanted, Honor’s only response was, “A purple cake!” So, a purple cake she would have.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fzUS-zmu9T4/U1sI7u0j_cI/AAAAAAAAN7I/5Wva8XcGqAw/s1600-h/_DSC0077%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0077" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0077" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xLqkcvO7MoY/U1sI8d0JFVI/AAAAAAAAN7Q/ZbjYXPVrT78/_DSC0077_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>I dressed it up with a crown, and she thought it was awesome!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fRHpAK2tjEY/U1sI9HTCOPI/AAAAAAAAN7Y/LcEO1kKdu-o/s1600-h/_DSC0104%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0104" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0104" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-C9SJFkFXV3o/U1sI9gbg3jI/AAAAAAAAN7g/AnEIl43cXK8/_DSC0104_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MovDFi-jj2E/U1sI-KjrKPI/AAAAAAAAN7o/iOJhdctdvCA/s1600-h/_DSC0112%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0112" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0112" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ItCahYiq3K0/U1sI-5u-oNI/AAAAAAAAN7w/GKq7LVr9zkM/_DSC0112_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>She was even more excited when she found out it was purple on the inside, too. And pink ice cream? We were drowning in the pastels, and it was pretty awesome.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EwtD_yK2KF0/U1sI_X8VVyI/AAAAAAAAN74/kk8Z7t7CcIg/s1600-h/_DSC0119%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0119" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0119" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-L1qlCIjM7l0/U1sI_wb1-AI/AAAAAAAAN8A/q3CUhCZVoYs/_DSC0119_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>Finally, it was time for presents. Instead of party hats, I’d gotten a “dress up” hat for Caedmon and Honor. She insisted on wearing hers while she opened presents.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KWkhlLe_AMg/U1sJApPY6zI/AAAAAAAAN8I/xDkgLEO76Iw/s1600-h/_DSC0127%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0127" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0127" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zt7HRXcjsLo/U1sJBCpV3BI/AAAAAAAAN8Q/v2XAemI01Eo/_DSC0127_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>She was <em>so </em>excited about her dress up accessories!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4XjtRmloZ-0/U1sJB9Ul5wI/AAAAAAAAN8Y/fHZpONkag8Y/s1600-h/_DSC0138%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0138" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0138" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HB353032ffQ/U1sJCb66E3I/AAAAAAAAN8g/Ck755qDcPBU/_DSC0138_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="257" height="376" /></a></p> <p>Cini and Papa Duke sent princess “action figures” (I still have a hard time calling them dolls).</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5-SMEPX_hg0/U1sJC-Vq82I/AAAAAAAAN8o/Ng70rQaGlXI/s1600-h/_DSC0179%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0179" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0179" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JBcGRKTxks0/U1sJDkaaqQI/AAAAAAAAN8w/cJbac4R07BE/_DSC0179_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>She loved Mimi and Papa’s princess card (photobomb by Oz, of course).</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lgz7tU3R2gc/U1sJEb-f5ZI/AAAAAAAAN84/VZaHqfFj710/s1600-h/_DSC0188%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0188" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0188" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-33flgl80hYM/U1sJFfUQqmI/AAAAAAAAN9A/5iTlYewa1ag/_DSC0188_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>And right away, she insisted on putting on the Sofia dress and accessories Nana and Poppy sent. So much fun!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-96J7IYazuaA/U1sJF1V8JOI/AAAAAAAAN9I/ngHHt--q9T0/s1600-h/_DSC0204%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0204" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0204" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NBoCXU6dso0/U1sJGYpqwII/AAAAAAAAN9Q/l7b36h-RWWI/_DSC0204_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="257" height="376" /></a></p> <p>She kept waving her scepter around and saying, “Magic wand, do your thing!” I’m not really sure what that “thing” is, but she waved it at us all. I’m pretty sure it didn’t work.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5dwzursG2GI/U1sJHHXlvaI/AAAAAAAAN9Y/FYCuoneN9gs/s1600-h/_DSC0221%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0221" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0221" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mz1epIxYzsU/U1sJHr3jGDI/AAAAAAAAN9g/bvS0978nfSQ/_DSC0221_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon enjoyed his fedora during the party.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xOOUA5uV394/U1sJIJRgk1I/AAAAAAAAN9o/eCy8oVTThmM/s1600-h/_DSC0226%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0226" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0226" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wKcBhZ-zBSg/U1sJI0xvPjI/AAAAAAAAN9w/OhJ8qzH8GhM/_DSC0226_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>The rest of the afternoon was spent trying on all her new dress-up clothes and accessories (multiple wardrobe changes!), and playing with her princesses. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QQObk9ZsRas/U1sJJtjpedI/AAAAAAAAN94/-PwzRBsNniI/s1600-h/_DSC0239%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0239" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0239" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ozy8CGUhhFI/U1sJKCl-z_I/AAAAAAAAN-A/ovGzhQ2i4Cs/_DSC0239_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>Caedmon was busy, too. He got his very own rolling desk chair.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nxW2l0f303Y/U1sJK04KrpI/AAAAAAAAN-I/f3aGUVMe6ro/s1600-h/_DSC0235%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0235" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0235" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-unF8NVGdgnw/U1sJLT06iEI/AAAAAAAAN-Q/IpBpZSb4EU0/_DSC0235_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <blockquote> <p>And learned to ride without training wheels.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mv9OPQSfdsU/U1sJMBs5vgI/AAAAAAAAN-Y/AXpw-bC0HZY/s1600-h/_DSC0245%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0245" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0245" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TZUFzA4NCvA/U1sJMgcIUyI/AAAAAAAAN-g/Zj3_EPAqyTc/_DSC0245_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="257" /></a></p> <p>It was busy, but we had a super fun day celebrating our sweet three year old!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_5lZAp6E364/U1sJNSOP8rI/AAAAAAAAN-o/ww9SjHe3aAI/s1600-h/_DSC0200%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="_DSC0200" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0200" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ecLJ7xCL8Ew/U1sJNzJ2GBI/AAAAAAAAN-w/Oi3XSkq_BG4/_DSC0200_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="283" height="414" /></a></p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-69754481877505924992014-04-09T09:10:00.000-05:002014-04-09T09:10:00.238-05:00Big Concepts, Deep Thoughts<p>Part of our reading each week involves Caedmon choosing a book we brought home from the library for me to read aloud. (We bring home about 20, so there’s never a shortage of options.) He then does a “book report.” I made a form, and it gives us a place to list the title, author, (illustrator, if applicable), and a note about the book.  He tells me what he would like to remember about the book, and I write it down. At the bottom of the page is a place for him to draw a picture about the story. It’s not fancy, but it has been a great thing for us. We’ve read a lot of books this year, and it’s a great way to not only keep track of them, but to help Caedmon learn how to transfer what he hears/learns to the page.</p> <p>Caedmon is in love with battle. Of all kinds. I know some find it disconcerting that a 6 year-old is completely obsessed with weapons, war, and battle strategy. But God made boys to be interested in battle. Boys grow up to be our warriors. So, we are allowing Caedmon to pursue this in what we feel is an appropriate way. Lately, that’s included finding the war section in juvenile non-fiction at the library and bringing home as many books as I’ll let him have.</p> <p>War is a tough thing to talk about with anybody, but especially a 6 year-old. And it’s even more difficult when your 6 year-old is a deep thinker. He’s not into dates and facts. He wants to know <em>why</em> and <em>how</em> and <em>because</em>. Realities are harsh things, and the other day, I found myself explaining not just the reality of war, but of another difficult topic.</p> <p>We read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Tuskegee-Airmen-African-American-American/dp/1567665500/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1396637207&sr=8-9&keywords=the+tuskegee+airmen%2C+childrens+book" target="_blank">“The Tuskegee Airmen: African-American Pilots of World War II.”</a> And I quickly found myself trying to adequately and appropriately explain segregation and discrimination (the book doesn’t give much background on the topic). Yes, Caedmon was asking questions about it, but I also wanted him to grasp just how <em>big</em> a deal it was for these men to become fighter pilots, and how much they sacrificed in order to do so. And even how much they dealt with as they were fighting for and alongside men who didn’t necessarily believe in them. And when they came home to America, they were not considered the war heroes they should’ve been. I’m not sure all of that “stuck,” but Caedmon was super impressed that not one bomber was shot down while be escorted by the Red Tails (the 332nd Fighter Group’s nickname), and that no other escort group’s record was as good.  </p> <p>Yes, it was kind of a hard discussion to have. Lots of questions were asked, and I answered to the best of my ability, which is less than perfect. But this is one reason that I’m so thankful we homeschool. As Caedmon is learning about war and history, we can also talk about how we were all made by God. A God who doesn’t make mistakes, and doesn’t make people with different colored skin, hair, eyes, or size by accident. We all look different, and He made us just the way we are <em>on purpose. </em>And no, I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t see that. People make mistakes and they sometimes think and act in a way that’s not right. And it doesn’t excuse their actions or make them ok, but God still loves us, and He loves them. </p> <p>Those little conversations have been sneaking in more and more lately. Bigger concepts. Deeper thoughts. Conversations that are made sweet by having them in the moment, with the heart, instead of after-the-fact with the head (if at all).</p> <p>Homeschooling can be hard. I’m the first one to admit that. But moments like these make the hard and so much more worth every second.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-26059508728179920492014-04-04T11:35:00.001-05:002014-04-04T11:35:56.492-05:00Tales from Upstairs<p>Now that we live in a two-story house, I often send the kids up to their rooms and/or the playroom/guest room to play. (They’re not unsupervised, they’re just audio supervised.) Some of the things that I hear (and sometimes have to respond to) are interesting, or let’s be honest, just plain ridiculous. This is a chronicle of a few of those times.</p> <p align="center">*****</p> <p>Sending Caedmon up to watch a movie on the guest bed for his rest time, I warned: “Don’t get up until I come to get you.” </p> <p>“But what if my movie is over before rest time is over?”</p> <p>“If you fast forward through all the slow parts and watch all the good parts of your movie before time is up, then have to go back and watch the slow parts again, that’s not my problem.”</p> <p>(The lesson hasn’t been learned, by the way.)</p> <p align="center">*****</p> <p align="left">The kids were upstairs in their respective bedrooms for roomtime. (Roomtime is when they play alone in their rooms for a little while each day. It’s a wonderful practice.) Caedmon was told he must pick up his room before he was allowed to get other toys out to play. As this was not the news he wanted to hear, he proceeded to pitch an epic fit – behind his closed door. Before I could get upstairs to put a stop to the tantrum, I heard Honor yelling across the hall, “Caedmon! Stop your fit crying! You’re ok!” </p> <p align="left">It’s good to know the fullness of my gift of mercy is being passed down.</p> <p align="center">*****</p> <p align="left">While playing together upstairs:</p> <p align="left">Caedmon: Honor, my LEGOs are in the playroom, and I don’t want you to mess them up. So, I <em>guess</em> we can go in your room and have a tea party. *deep sigh*</p> <p align="left">Honor: YES!</p> <p align="center">*****</p> <p>(A different day than above)</p> <p>Caedmon: Honor, do you want to have a tea party?</p> <p>Honor: YES!</p> <p>Caedmon: Ok, but will you let me shoot all your stuffed animals with my Nerf gun if I have a tea party with you?</p> <p>Honor: No, that’s not fair!</p> <p>Caedmon: PLEASE?!</p> <p>Honor: Ok, you can shoot them.</p> <p>There’s a heavy price to pay for a decent tea party around here.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-36535532851519046302014-03-24T11:31:00.001-05:002014-03-24T11:31:09.074-05:00What We’ve Been Up To<p>We’re still dealing with the ups and downs of home warranty repairs. Yes, still. But we’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hey, at least all my walls and ceilings are the same color now. Which is a bigger deal than it should be.</p> <p>So what else have we been up to? </p> <p>1. Nana came for a visit. She’s back from Ireland and came to hang out with us for a couple of weeks. We enjoyed spending time with her and the kids loved having some extra attention – and an extra grown-up to read books to them.</p> <p>2. Starting our garden. Yes, it’s barely spring…at least, I think it is. The weather can’t quite decide. But instead of buying all plants this year, the kids and I thought we’d try growing some things from seeds. So just in case you were to check out the ledge of my bathroom window (one of our only south-facing windows), you’d find a tomato plant, some cucumber plants, and a couple of green bean plants. I promise. They’re legit vegetables. Or fruit, depending on how you land on the tomato issue. We’ve had some failures, too. The jalapeno plans do NOT want to sprout. Neither do the bell peppers. </p> <p>3. School. Kindergarten is still going well. I think we’re both about ready for a break though, so we will officially be on spring break for part of this week. I’ve discovered it’s more difficult to start back (both practically and in attitude) when we have a long break. So a three-day break may be just perfect for us.</p> <p>4. More school. I’ve already begun to plan for 1st grade next year. Pause for a second while I take a deep breath. It’s a bit overwhelming to me, realizing that we basically double our course load next year. It’s a shame we don’t come into this world knowing how to spell, you know?</p> <p>5. Frozen. We’ve drunk the kool-aid, folks. At least, Honor has. We’ve watched it daily since we got it. And I know everyone talks about “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “Let it Go,” but my favorite song is the one Olaf sings about summer. And I won’t even go into the plot holes. How did Kristoff not realize Anna was the girl he’d seen the trolls heal as a kid? Or did he? And if he did, why didn’t he tell her? And how did the girls know all of the “princessy” things if there was no one (limited staff, remember?) to teach them? And don’t even get me started on the fact that if Elsa and Anna’s parents had ever actually <em>watched</em> a Disney movie, they would know better than to try to hide Elsa’s magic. That only leads to…bad things. But I did like the movie. And I pink puffy heart Olaf. How can you not?</p> <p>6. We’ve discussed the fact that Disney needs to, nay, MUST make a spin-off for Sven and Olaf. You know, if they care about me at all.</p> <p>7. Cleaning. Now that most of the dusty repair work is done in the house, it’s time for some deep cleaning. I don’t typically “spring clean,” because I prefer to follow a schedule to deep-clean the house year-round. But since I’ve basically just kept my head above water since right after Christmas, knowing that the repairs would cause a huge mess, the house is in dire need. I tackled the master bath & bedroom on Sunday. The kids get to help this week, too. Won’t they be so surprised?</p> <p>8. I have a couple of artsy projects I’ve been waiting to hang, too. They’ll be going up this week. The house is still a long way from being decorated, but it’s a start.</p> <p>9. Just heard from upstairs: “I think Honor hates me today!” What? All she did was tackle him. He tried to blow snot on her. I think it was justified. The kids love each other as much as ever. </p> <p>10. The blog is still suffering. And I’m still sorry. I’m much more active these days on <a href="https://twitter.com/superchikk" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. 140 characters at a time is much more my speed these days.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-56659109363905875112014-03-07T15:30:00.001-06:002014-03-07T15:30:26.592-06:00Construction Zone<p>Part of the craziness going on at our house the past several weeks has been <em>because</em> of our house. We’ve hit our one-year mark with our builder (which means we’ve been in our house a year! Yay!), and that means it’s time for warranty repairs on several minor things.</p> <p>Well, it’s all minor until it disrupts your life.</p> <p>We had our original home inspector come back out and do another inspection. I am so thankful we did. He found several things (especially on the exterior) that we might not have seen, and gave me some confidence in some other things that I had already seen and wondered if they should be addressed. </p> <p>So, our builder sent their warranty guy out, and we got rolling on the list. For the past month, we’ve had contractors in and out. One day, I had four contractors here at the same time. Another day, three different flooring crews were here, followed by the plumber. It’s been a little crazy. Not to mention the two who have had to come back to fix what they broke while trying to do their repairs in the first place. </p> <p>We’re still waiting on a couple of things, but here’s an idea of what’s been going on at our house the past few weeks.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U3HNBWakuu0/Uxo6Y8cZCxI/AAAAAAAAN5s/3NX8Ro4cVfY/s1600-h/IMG_4320%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4320" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4320" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-R-IWgPy1sV0/Uxo6ZQf1hLI/AAAAAAAAN50/oyEfqvygvGY/IMG_4320_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="287" height="376" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZEOARi2hMIw/Uxo6ZzoVxrI/AAAAAAAAN58/7Y568mwjVc4/s1600-h/IMG_4324%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4324" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4324" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TwuDRWAvYt4/Uxo6aioC85I/AAAAAAAAN6E/zMH9IIXoMOw/IMG_4324_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B2IHtPFgalM/Uxo6bBjrLwI/AAAAAAAAN6M/jVZTKHcM8s0/s1600-h/IMG_4325%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4325" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4325" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i-ErMTM65PA/Uxo6b62spmI/AAAAAAAAN6U/T38QOFr136M/IMG_4325_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful all of these things are covered under warranty, and that our builder has (at least, so far) fixed everything we’ve turned in for service. It’s just kind of a pain. And it solidifies the feeling that I never want to renovate a house while I live in it. These repairs have been plenty.</p> <p>I have worked on a few projects and have been waiting to hang them until all the work was done. Hopefully I can get them up and show them to you soon. After, that is, I do some deep cleaning. One thing about having repairs done is that it makes a big mess!</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-54484466165650731212014-02-13T17:11:00.001-06:002014-02-13T17:11:39.626-06:00This Good, Crazy Life<p>I love my life. I love being a wife and mom. I am so grateful to be able to stay home with our kids. And I’m glad we have made the decision to educate our kids at home. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to work from home and contribute financially to our family (and exercise my pre-kid, working brain). But it’s hard, y’all. </p> <p>There are days I feel productive, things get done, and the kids even wear something besides pajamas. At home. We get our school work done, and even manage to play a game as a family without meltdowns. </p> <p>Other days, well, Honor pours her own cereal (all over the table…and the floor), then dumps a dozen eggs into my grocery cart (bright side – she only busted two of them), and while I’m cooking dinner, throws a chair down the stairs, gashing the wood floor. (Yes, that all happened in the same day. For real.) </p> <p>I don’t expect life to be easy. And things worth doing usually aren’t. But the past few months have been a real challenge. As soon as I feel like things are under control just a little bit, it all comes unraveled. I miss blogging regularly and the outlet it provides, but honestly, by the time I get a chance to sit down to write, I’m completely spent. My body is tired and my brain can’t form a complete thought, much less put one to paper (or keyboard). I don’t know how many posts I’ve started and couldn’t finish. <a href="https://twitter.com/superchikk/" target="_blank">Twitter</a> seems much more my speed these days, not because I don’t like the blog, but because I don’t seem to be able to think in much more than 140 characters at a time. And that’s not my favorite. When things are crazy, something has to give, and it’s usually the blog. </p> <p>I’m not complaining. Or at least, I’m not trying to. I wouldn’t trade my people or life for anything. I might, however, pay big bucks for a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep. And a kid who <em>just poops in the potty already</em>. </p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-73105010494853792852014-01-30T15:33:00.001-06:002014-01-30T15:33:41.406-06:00Pizza, Penguins & Fishes<p>We took a fun trip this past weekend. Husband had a work trip in a nearby city, and we decided to crash his hotel room! He was working when we arrived, so the kids & I enjoyed some pizza. Also? Mad props to the guy at Mellow Mushroom for bringing the pizza out to the car for me so I didn’t have to park in a paid lot & drag the kids across a busy downtown street in single-digit temps.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bcr28-biFfM/UurE-5vH6oI/AAAAAAAAN2k/7Qn8wNDvXXc/s1600-h/IMG_41366.jpg"><img title="IMG_4136" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4136" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XEDcM4Dg_Z4/UurFAVM_p4I/AAAAAAAAN2o/emWw5D2sJ0I/IMG_4136_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the aquarium. The first thing we saw were the penguins. The kids <em>loved</em> them. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YqZ9EahoAI4/UurFBLy239I/AAAAAAAAN20/30Vt-u8BVHc/s1600-h/IMG_41445.jpg"><img title="IMG_4144" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4144" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ElggX3ZCUiI/UurFB3GrgII/AAAAAAAAN24/sC-1NB-fG58/IMG_4144_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>And they loved the kids. These guys rival Oz with their photo bomb skillz.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-a-teYW2h0C4/UurFCd9J5NI/AAAAAAAAN3E/xGWymnPZ21Q/s1600-h/IMG_41425.jpg"><img title="IMG_4142" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4142" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oAxjydoSIFo/UurFDFYCrnI/AAAAAAAAN3I/NGc7oaXgrK4/IMG_4142_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Shark cage? Maybe I need one of these at home.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J3KoE6tFspw/UurFDiCkfBI/AAAAAAAAN3U/YM664R_tuq4/s1600-h/IMG_41486.jpg"><img title="IMG_4148" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4148" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-M3s724pZyhw/UurFEHWKiqI/AAAAAAAAN3Y/HUJk53Pc6Bo/IMG_4148_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="287" height="376" /></a></p> <p>And one of the sharks that go with it…</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DMTDZMhAd94/UurFEScdGyI/AAAAAAAAN3k/KXsUKWQdbek/s1600-h/IMG_41495.jpg"><img title="IMG_4149" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4149" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MS3vofv6yD4/UurFExbPZCI/AAAAAAAAN3o/Ues_RAVqXFQ/IMG_4149_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We got to see the divers in the big tank.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IFQMBIIdVZ0/UurFFVinRxI/AAAAAAAAN30/Fvd_zaxxYvg/s1600-h/IMG_41596.jpg"><img title="IMG_4159" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4159" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-01jg0Qw_8uU/UurFF2HJM1I/AAAAAAAAN34/MxWwQySfOeU/IMG_4159_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>The jellyfish were beautiful.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ScqnpTA-st4/UurFGQJjk-I/AAAAAAAAN4E/EipkqIKdMbQ/s1600-h/IMG_41615.jpg"><img title="IMG_4161" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4161" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Z58-nrZ5ZfU/UurFGx-jqFI/AAAAAAAAN4I/G7AY8q0y0Mw/IMG_4161_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We went back to the big tank and hung out for a while. The kids loved this little dome where they could lay and watch everything swim by.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i084_vM6Dqk/UurFHeSxKrI/AAAAAAAAN4U/-_cNcUoBhOI/s1600-h/IMG_41726.jpg"><img title="IMG_4172" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4172" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oGzUYLp1boc/UurFH1E0tMI/AAAAAAAAN4c/-CC8nOb75Yk/IMG_4172_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>They had a “touch tank,” where we could touch several different kinds of rays, a horseshoe crab, and even a shark. The kids were a bit timid at first, but once they got the hang of it, they loved it! I have tried for two days to embed a video right here, so play along and imagine it’s here. And if you really want to see a super short video of Honor <em>almost</em> touching a shark, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE8x4fzlBw8" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>We had lunch with Husband and then went for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s…the kids had never been before. Judging by Caedmon’s face, I think they enjoyed it.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vVEWsEy9j4o/UurFIT76M4I/AAAAAAAAN4k/-0buLnNVs4Q/s1600-h/IMG_41775.jpg"><img title="IMG_4177" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4177" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TYXlcwGDb5o/UurFJED18WI/AAAAAAAAN4o/1qBYcrACtuo/IMG_4177_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>Then, it was back to the aquarium for the fresh water critters…which somehow included a flying squirrel and this possum. The kids went nuts over these guys (no pun intended), and actually got to pet the flying squirrel.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4TKGIY0gxRQ/UurFJ93NHxI/AAAAAAAAN40/70EGxnCo6Og/s1600-h/IMG_41795.jpg"><img title="IMG_4179" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4179" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-N-HUo3TI3kU/UurFKuFlEuI/AAAAAAAAN44/8lscL4YrIPI/IMG_4179_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>We saw some <em>giant</em> fish in their big freshwater tanks – almost as big as the sharks in the ocean tank. But the kids thought the diver was pretty cool again. He was friendly and posed for pictures through the glass with several different people.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-g-lO2aKu9Vo/UurFLGhA9LI/AAAAAAAAN5E/QKRQAR4NZQ8/s1600-h/IMG_41885.jpg"><img title="IMG_4188" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4188" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cpwI5uvK8BQ/UurFLqVIszI/AAAAAAAAN5I/UBzKzPPUdJ8/IMG_4188_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>The aquarium was lots of fun, and we were worn out by the end of the day. Which you would think would mean that the kids would actually fall asleep. But you would be wrong. I think it was 10pm before Honor finally gave up and went to sleep. And Caedmon got to experience the gloriousness of <em>The Mighty Ducks</em> for the first time, watched from his own hotel bed. At which point he declared his deep, burning desire to play hockey. (I don’t even need to tell you how much that is <em>not</em> going to happen.)</p> <p>The next morning, we ate breakfast, then loaded up and headed home. But not before stopping at the Lodge Factory Store. Momma got some goodies!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-sOZ0ZWm6Whc/UurFMfD0PUI/AAAAAAAAN5U/WgdqOH0iDQE/s1600-h/IMG_41947.jpg"><img title="IMG_4194" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4194" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qatuIk2V_ZE/UurFM1ahdEI/AAAAAAAAN5Y/jIKLKczqwtc/IMG_4194_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="287" /></a></p> <p>I love cooking with my cast iron stuff so, so much. And I got some great deals on “factory seconds,” which means they have a little dimple or a spot somewhere. So do I, and that doesn’t keep me from being awesome. So these will do just fine, especially at half of retail (or less). (The white spot on the skillet above is paper.) I used the Dutch Oven for dinner on Monday night. I couldn’t wait any longer!</p> <p>That was a fun little get away. Now it’s time to get back to reality. It’s been pretty crazy the past few weeks – for good reasons – but it’s time to get back to the real world!</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-78611536838611868212014-01-08T13:04:00.001-06:002014-01-08T13:04:44.942-06:00I Couldn’t Make it Up if I Tried<p>We’re settling back in from a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed spending Christmas Eve & Day at home, then left the day after Christmas and drove home to Arkansas to spend several days. We enjoyed every minute with our friends and family. Except for the ManCold that came home with Husband.</p> <p>You’re familiar with the ManCold, right? It’s the same cold that women get, except that it attacks the male of the species. It’s much, much worse. Well, that, and they refuse to heed the advice that got you through the same crud a month previous when you still had to spend 2 days cooking Thanksgiving dinner and go hunting for a Christmas tree. Not that I’m bitter. Or lack mercy.</p> <p>The main problem with our most recent bout of the ManCold is that Husband and I see things differently. Surprise, surprise. (The <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2010/01/to-may-to-to-mah-to.html" target="_blank">Great Syrup Debate of 2010</a> continues to this day. And need I remind you of the <a href="http://superchikk.blogspot.com/2012/05/because-pre-marital-counseling-doesnt.html" target="_blank">“jelly jar” incident</a>?) While in recent years I’ve begun to treat illnesses with a more natural approach, Husband prefers his remedies to come in blister packs or containing Red #5. (Honestly, I used to think the same thing, but have since discovered that stuff isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He’s just not as on-board quite yet.) As I couldn’t convince him that my way <strike>was the right way</strike> would help him feel better sooner, he continued on with his self-treatment. I tried to help him feel better and keep my mouth shut at the same time. I wasn’t very good at it. (I also lack sympathy.) </p> <p>Then Monday rolled around, and he left for work. Honestly, I was happy to be sort-of back to our routine. The weather was frigid and I’d already done my grocery run, so I was looking forward to getting back to school with Caedmon and getting things under control at home. We were rolling with the chores and I was feeling that things, well, they were going to get done.</p> <p>And then? Husband texted and told me his car was telling him the brake fluid was low. Not normally a big deal, but with single-digit temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, I was afraid that his car had busted a hose or started leaking somewhere. And no brake fluid = no brakes. So it made me really nervous, especially knowing that he would have to drive a while to get home. So we decided he’d re-fill it before he drove home and <em>be really careful </em>and we’d arrange to drop it off at the mechanic’s on his way. It needed an oil change and to have that pesky on again/off again check engine light looked at anyway.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Honor decided to wet her pants. And when I say “wet her pants,” I really mean that she peed all over the place. As in, through her pants and onto the rug in her bedroom. She hasn’t done that in ages. I got her changed, threw the rug into the washer, and tried to get back to a few things before her roomtime was over. Just a few minutes later, she called out, “Mom! I pee on my legs!” Which is Honor for, “I stood here and just peed, and I might or might not be standing in a puddle right now.” So, again with the clean-up and wardrobe change and a conversation about where pee pee belongs. </p> <p>(If this is grossing you out, either stop reading or get over it. Because it gets better.)</p> <p>Husband called, and told me his boss was sending him home. I couldn’t really blame him. And Husband did feel awful. But that left us with having to plan to get the car to the shop to have it checked out on his way home <em>now</em> instead of later. No big deal – I’d just throw the kids in the car and we’d meet him there.</p> <p>And just about that time, Honor yelled, “Mommy, I need to go poop!” Which, translated, means, “I already pooped in my pants, I’m just pretending I actually tried to go to the potty.” This has been a huge struggle for us, and it’s getting a teensy bit better. But that didn’t help me <em>right then</em>, and now we’re in a time crunch.</p> <p>I grabbed Honor and took her into the bathroom to get her cleaned up. And, unfortunately, this was not one of those neat little packages that could be handled swiftly. While not truly awful, it still required some scrubbing and a partial bath. I got her cleaned up and dressed. She went to her room to get her shoes, and piped up, “Mom, I got poo poo on my carpet.” </p> <p>What was that?</p> <p>She showed me. And she had, in fact, gotten poop on the carpet. How, I do not know. Why, I don’t even want to know. Luckily, after having pets for so many years, I know how to quickly and effectively clean poop out of carpet. Who says having a puppy doesn’t train you for parenting? I got that taken care of, knowing that Husband was going to end up waiting for us to pick him up at the mechanic’s, but it couldn’t be helped.</p> <p>That’s when I discovered there was poop in her hair. <em>HER HAIR</em>.</p> <p>I had just given her a partial bath. It was just a tiny little spot on the ends, and I was not about to put her in the tub again with Husband waiting for us. So I grabbed a wet wipe and went to scrubbing. With her hair finally poop-free and smelling like a freshly diapered baby’s rear, I threw both kids in the car (Caedmon was still wearing pajamas and slippers. Let’s be honest – that was the best that was going to happen at that point.), and we headed to pick Husband up.</p> <p>He was, indeed, waiting for us. And on my way there, the “low tire pressure” light came on in my car. Of course, because why not? I swung in, picked Husband up, and we stopped on the way home in single-digit temperatures to air up my tires. It was as fun as it sounds.</p> <p>The rest of the afternoon was a blur. It consisted of Husband finally relenting to my “voodoo” remedies and napping between nearly coughing up his lungs, the kids acting like wild little hooligans, and Honor deciding that naps are for babies. The mechanic was able to get Husband’s car finished and we picked it up as he was closing at 5pm. The brakes were fine, but that little check-engine light was the source of about $200 in repairs.</p> <p>I think we had several people’s Monday going on over here.</p> <p>But we survived it, even if we did have to end the day with watching Auburn get beat in the National Championship. (Yes, we are Razorbacks. But we cheer for the SEC in bowl games, especially the National Championship. And we know and love Gus and Kristi.) Yes, I wanted to pull my hair out. Or at least go sit in the corner by myself for a while (I’d even just settle for getting to go to the bathroom alone). But I’m thankful for my family, that I get to stay home with these little pooping people, and that we have a warm home and (decently) reliable cars. Also our health. I’m glad to report that Husband is feeling much better and the ManCold seems to be on its way out. The children are even still alive and well. And Honor managed to poop <em>in the potty</em> today. On purpose. It’s shaping up to be a good day.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12942282.post-87786776328061120132013-12-20T17:43:00.001-06:002013-12-20T17:43:19.629-06:00I really am still alive. Sort of.<p>Oh, hi. Yeah, I’m still breathing. Basically, this past month has been kicking my tail. </p> <p>There’ve been several times during the past month I’ve wanted to blog, but I just didn’t have the time, energy, or brain power left to form the sentences. I fear I lost out on a few good ranting opportunities, and some people on Facebook may have borne the brunt of that. I’d apologize, but I’m not really sorry. Oh well, there will be other chances. After all, this world is not getting any less stupid. And, um, 2014 Olympics, y’all. They’re coming.</p> <p>Remember when we started potty training Honor back in, um, September? Yeah. We’re still in potty training hell, basically. Oh, she stays dry quite well - even overnight - unless she decides she just doesn’t want to go to the potty. Which happened four times before lunch just the other day – for no apparent reason. And don’t even talk to me about #2. Or bedtime. Let’s just say that listening to a 2 year-old scream, “I need to go pee pee!” every 10 minutes from 7:30-10pm every night just blesses your heart. And don’t even think she’s sleeping through the night after that. Because she’s not. Which means neither are we.</p> <p>In the midst of all of this, Caedmon has been testing boundaries. At one point, I had to remove every toy from his room and he had to earn them back by having a good attitude and not whining for three days. That was fun. Each age has had its challenges, but this is a whole new level. Tattling, instigating, whining, plain old blatant disobedience, and “piling on”. I mean, if I’m in the middle of cleaning up poop, per se, why in the world would you think it’s a good time to ask me a deep, existential question? Or if Honor is getting in trouble, what possesses you to jump in and say, “Yeah. You know you weren’t supposed to do that.” Seriously? No. Also? I discovered the other night that he’s getting a 6 year-old molar. Which is just weird. I mean, I knew it was coming, but…weird.</p> <p>But with the bossing that goes on between the two of them, I’d love to hear, just once, Caedmon say, “You’re not the boss of me.” We’ve been learning some tough lessons on personal responsibility lately and why <em>you</em> are responsible for your actions, even if your 2 year-old sister told you to do it.</p> <p>Parenting is hard, yo. </p> <p>I never thought I’d be so ready for Christmas vacation. Today was our last day of schooling for the year. I’m ready for a break. </p> <p>In other news, we’re ready for Christmas around this place. Gifts are under the tree, and Caedmon is <em>loving</em> counting down the days until 1) Christmas, and 2) the days until he gets to open (some) presents (which is one day less). Husband and I are ready…I think. Last year, we spent several hours putting a LEGO fire station together late into the night. This year, it will be more of the ride-on variety of toys that will be assembled on Christmas Eve. For both kids. They are going to lose their minds. Provided we don’t lose ours first in the assembly process. </p> <p>I know Christmas is always fun and magical, but I am especially excited this year, because I think it might be the first time Honor “gets” it. And she’s going to absolutely <em>love </em>her gifts. I never thought it would be so much fun to pick out girly things when I myself am not into all the frilly girly things. But it is.</p> <p>And most importantly, our kids are more and more understanding the true meaning of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth. Because that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.</p> Superchikkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677663681761490238noreply@blogger.com4