CORN FIELDS!

We got to do the first soccer game on Saturday morning and then drive to the Iowa City area. It's good to see corn fields! High lights for the weekend were riding bicycles in the culdesac at our uncle's house, enjoying all kinds of activities at the Iowa Children's museum benefit called "move it, dig it, do it" and visiting with maternal grandparents on Sunday for grandparents day. Thursday we get to visit with our paternal grandparents. It's good to get away and drive to the country every once in a while.

Wednesday Wiggles

We got the wiggles and giggles today. Can't help it. The breezes are cool and the windows are open. These three Gs are playing tag with their game hats pulled down over their eyes. Yes, they are crashing into each other and the laundry that I'm trying to finish. The oldest was outside for a few minutes to help with the recycling and got stung by a bee. No, he didn't die, but you'd think that was the most severe pain he'd ever knew in his life.

I'm also, between officiating independent work and laundry, trying to create a chore/work chart. The file from currclick created at Notebookingnook.com is full of just the right icons and tasks. These three children will someday need to keep track of their work as adults in an organized manner, but for now, the organization charts for school and chores will let us all know what is done and what is remaining to do.

BTW, maybe you could check out the article on msnbc about globe trotting kids. It's from an article in Forbes magazine. It would be wonderful to raise kids who lived in this world and knew how to navigate/deal with this world, but not of it.

We didn't get away for the weekend, but...

My goal was to get in the minivan and drive away from Chicagoland, but we didn't. Friday we ate Mexican that was ok. The menu was fish-based and there weren't many choices, but what we ate was not fish and very good. Our little Eeyore finished a goal card and was rewarded with his choice in the Lego section of Target. The little girl decided she would finish her goal card and get an Easy Bake oven. Well, Saturday we still didn't drive away, but did get to the lumber liquidator store for, yes, the dining and living room floors. The decision was easy, but the move was labored. It will get more difficult to finish the payment and pick up the 17 boxes of pre-finished handscraped wood floors, but exciting. I get to rip up carpet! The 30 year old carpet is going the way of all things!!!

We stopped by a packed IKEA only to disappoint the children and find an even more packed kid's play place. They had to shop with us. We quickly found the pot rack, paid and got out. They were rewarded to play with their neighborhood friends once we returned home. Sunday we got to church and then later I accompanied the family to the pool. It was a bit disappointing that I still didn't drive away from the city, but got to watch my kids play blissfully in the pool. Eeyore did a belly flop from the high board which taught him a world of wisdom instantly. The little Pooh girl is holding her breath for at least 7 seconds each time she goes under water to play. AND Big brother is constantly looking for more adventures (wonder where he gets that from?).

Monday we stopped by the 1/2 price book store sale and found a cd-rom chess game with Lego characters, a recorder for one, a castle book for another and I just enjoyed the romp even though we didn't drive away from the city. BTW, I'm praying about spending next June and July on a farm somewhere. Anyway, I got to witness something amazing after returning from Target with the little girl. She did finish her goal card and did request an easy bake oven. BUT, I got away with granting her request for baking mixes and promising her a toaster oven she can take away with her to her own home some day. So, she did make her own 1.25$ cookie last night in the grown up oven and enjoyed it very much. I've promised her the mixes from the baking aisle at the grocery that cost less per serving for her next baking adventure. Wow, she'll be grown up soon!

A new week, A fourth week Oh Best Beloved

We've added Explode the Code as well as Spelling Workout today. We did well to discuss ancient India and listen to a few of Kipling's "just so stories." The sun chapter from Apologia wasn't so overwhelming at all and we'll finish it tomorrow. Then we'll go on to Mercury for a day on Thursday. We'll also review Ceasar and move on to the fall of Rome and the birth of a Savior.

My students did so much cleaning last week due to the fact that I inherited a different, new-to-us vacuum. There was a basil bread recipe for enticing workers. I also found the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Elgin on Saturday. That was interesting indeed. We recovered over a quiet weekend from the previous when an Iowa aunt and uncle with cousins visited. We had explored Millenium Park with the Air and Water show on the shore of Lake Michigan at Navy Pier.

So, soccer is in full swing and piano lessons begin too. I've signed up the little girl for gymnastics and we look forward to an adventure over Labor Day Weekend. We'll have 20 days of school by then, so hoorah for diligent students!!!

Soccer Started!

Both boys enjoyed their soccer practice last night and I enjoyed them on the same team. There was not as much running on the first practice, but it was a beautiful evening in Chicagoland. My little Pooh went off merrily to an Indian Princess meeting with Daddy and returned late very bouncy trouncy.



We finished ancient China and the Olympics study, and now have done a few days of ancient India too. We've studied the definition of astronomy and some information about the Sun. I'm prepping for a study of Mercury next week and the continuing saga of Rome through the end of SOTW I soon. I'm anxious to move on to the life of Jesus and the prophets because of my Fall Bible study in Acts. I'll be even more ready to get to a study on Byzantium because of my background in Turkish studies.



BTW, I was at the library (God bless those librarians in the Children's section of our Village library) and read a wonderful children's story from the non-fiction section called The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War I. The artwork was wonderful and made me more interested in visiting Cannakkale some day on a trip to Turkey. I hadn't been there before because I don't usually visit sites of horrific destruction. I didn't have to see the Twin Tower site to know it happened and thousands died. I won't need to visit Auschwitz to know that millions died. I won't need to stand on Omaha Beach to know that freedom is paid by the lives lost. I certainly didn't go out of my way to find the site of death on the Aegean coast where so many died during WWI, but may now just to honor those who paid with their lives.

Olympic ceremony sketches

Almost without seams...

A few snags, but nobody got hurt (squirted with a water bottle though). We didn't sit at desks at all, but the kitchen table and library room floor. It was a reduced workload and we finished before lunch after doing Bible journey journal, prayer/pledge/ weather observations (stormy Mondays seem to be my first day of school destiny), described familiar curriculum materials and durations. We read a portion and narrated a fiction story that describes the Olympics to kids. We listened to a few stories of the world pertaining to ancient China and then finally accomplished a devotion draw/write from "Right Choices." We will be sitting in the green reading chairs soon. It was way too overwhelming to begin the first day of school without help from the Daddy (who flew for work to SFO) in the storm waking everyone for a super early breakfix. I didn't loose any of the materials I needed. We will watch an old version of Tom Sawyer before box pizza for dinner, but right now the students are building an imaginary legoland.
PRAISE GOD!