What Two Kids Do While Mommy is Sick with the Flu

My dh is away on business...in Vegas and I am sick with something similar to the flu; body aches, chills, head cold you name it. So while I am sick and needing to lie down every three hours or so what do two children 6 and 3 get into while Mommy is resting?

Princess Poodle is in her underwear, a pink cape she made from leftover shiny pink material, and a pink crown. Triple H is in his Spiderman underwear which is on backwards and inside out and is using the black remote control as some type of laser device. At present they are both wrestling on their mattresses which I put on the ground for them to camp out last night. What a site! I guess I could blame the insanity on their diet the last two days which has consisted of delivered pizza, icecream, pb and J, and Fruit Loops...aha it must be the Fruit Loops.

I now know why Mommies should not ever be sick! Here's praying I'll be back to full strength very soon. Until then I will use the little energy I have to smile at my two Fruit Loops!
Thanks for stopping by and remember to smile at the little bits of insanity; sometimes they are the most precious.

Update: Today is Sunday and I'm feeling just horrible. I finally gave in and sent the kids to Gramma and Grandaddy's so I can stay in the bed. I don't even want to think about how far behind and off track school has gotten the last two weeks. Aghhh..and I was hoping to have a lighter load in the Spring. Oh well....it will have to be intense during March and April to catch up. Off to bed and to watch the pretty dresses at the Academy Awards...I need something mind numbing.

Nature Journal Update

I purchased My Nature Journal for both of the kids to use next year. This book is split into sections such as The Seashore, The Woodlands, The Pond etc.; each section contains some great info that I can read and talk about while on our nature outings. It also has some fun activities like bird bingo that the kids and I can play while observing nature. There are blank pages for pictures, sketches, thoughts, etc for the kids to use as they like. However, I am saving this Journal until next school year.We plan to visit Aunt JoJo this summer who lives in Charleston and my plan is to start with the Seashore section while on our visit.
However, I wanted to start our nature adventures now and therefore purchased some spiral sketch books that are a good hand-held size for the kids. We are already making great use of these and both Princess Poodle and Triple H use these to show their Papa and talk about their adventures and what they have seen. I must say they are both very proud of the nature journals. Here are a few pics of their recent entries. I'm still not exactly sure what Princess Poodle was trying to say in her journal. I believe it was related to the two geese that stayed side by side the entire time. We later read that Canda Geese mate for life and stay close to their pairbond. There are also pages from Princess Poodles experience with the lunar eclipse. Triple H completed his duck/geese page with a drawing he did all on his own. I was very proud of my three year old boy staying focused long enough to draw the goose.

Our Night with the Lunar Eclipse

A Day with the Geese

Homeschooling on a Sick Day

Today was Monday..the day we really try to get alot of the nitty gritty work done for the week. I like to accomplish a lot on a Monday to help us get a good start to the week and to give us some space to ease up as the week goes on and unexpected things occur. Well today both kids are sick...ear infections, wheezing, coughing, goopy eyes....just plain yucky! So how to school on a day like today when the kids are sick but with no fevers and therefore wanting to do something? Well due to Princess Poodles goopy eyes I knew writing and reading were out of the question so I chunked the lesson plans and ended up having an amazing day.

Princess Poodle is studying Georgia O'Keefe in her art class. So we printed off some pictures she painted and tried to recreate one of her works. Here's how they turned out. The first two are Princess Poodle's and the last one belongs to Triple H.





We also went on our first nature walk intended for school. We went to a local lake to feed the ducks and see what signs of Spring we could find. The kids had a blast feeding the Canda Geese and ducks. We observed the geese and took notice of their habits and surroundings. We didn't tote our journals with us on this outing but will definately paste some pictures in them as soon as we can. Here's a look at some of the feathery friends we made.







So a sick day of homeschooling turned out to be a great day of learning and exploring. I believe that I make homeschooling fun and enjoy history projects and holiday crafts. But I do believe that today was so enjoyable because of two things; there was more soul in the day and more natural interaction between the kids and myself. So I continue to search for a balance between structure and soul, between the nitty gritty and nature, between learning and living, between getting it and growing together...

Putting together the Puzzle

I am slowly beginning to put next school year together..mostly still in my head and heart but some books are starting to arrive. Planning for this year seemed so easy. Next years focus is more like a puzzle piece. God is giving direction a little at a time, I am moving forward with committing to a choice a little at a time, piece by piece the puzzle is coming together. This year I'd call us "Getting our Feet Wet" ...I think next years title might be; Growing with our heads and hearts or Homeschooling with My Head and Heart, or ...oh I don't know. Not all the pieces have been discovered or revealed just yet but it is coming together.

More to come later on what each new piece is.

Thanks for stopping by.

Who Am I?

With so many homeschoolers that I know both in person and through homeschool blogs, questioning where they are, how they teach, what they teach, if they can teach,..I have been spending some time looking in as to why and how and what I want for my kids. I am a learner and I excelled in school. I am a dreamer but have some type A personality traits. I put alot of pressure on myself to do well in school. It paid off with college scholarships and summa cum laudes but I also missed out on some of the joys of growing up. Its easy for me to want my kids to excel academically... its a goal and a trap in one. But I also want to cuddle with them and make learning fun and exciting and something that isn't frightful. I also want them to have a sense of duty and responsibility. A strong work ethic..no laziness here. How to accomplish this all. I was drawn to classical and I am drawn to other philosophies as well. I have never been one to follow a crowd. I walk on grass instead of the sidewalk. I didn't drink or have sex when nearly everyone else did. I have never minded being different...and in todays time having traditional values is being different. So when I got curriculums like Sing Spell REad and Write or Story of The World...it has been very easy for me to make them my own. Do what I like ...skip what I don't..know when to slow down or speed up. So I'm not in a curriculum crisis...just in a thinking place. Who am I ? What kind of Mom, teacher am I? What changes do I need to make? What paths do I need to take or jump off of?

When do I walk on the sidewalk and when do I walk on the grass?