The school of mom: January 2015

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Unexpected Surprise

This morning I woke up to an unexpected surprise. I walked into Avery's room after I rolled out of bed to find that she was up and ready for the day! Her bed was made, math homework finished, and all dressed. Sometimes I feel like a broken record..."have you made your bed yet?" "Are your teeth brushed?" It was refreshing and encouraging to see some initiative. The nice part about homeschooling is that most of the time we can pick the schedule for our day. I am however a stickler about making sure the kids are up and ready, do their chores and dressed. I never allow school time in pj's, unless we are under the weather. I notice a real lack of effort in learning when my girls are in their pj's. It's just a rule I have and it works for us.

I know that from personal experience I feel better and more motivated when I am dressed and take the time to prepare for my day. I'm a firm believer that we get what we give and it's nice to see Avery start to recognize that as well. I was amused when she said, with her calendar in hand..."I have a very busy day today mom! I have school this morning, I walk the dog at 1:00, math this afternoon and then dance class at 4:15. I thought I better get going since it's going to be a busy day." Oh...the day in the life of a 9 year old. This girl is going places and I adore her!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Baking with math

Today is Martin Luther King day and while we decided to take the day off from our regular routine to remember a great man, I did have the girls work on their math lesson...(I know I'm a mean mom but it's good for them). Avery's lesson focused on fractions and learning how to follow a recipe. I never knew that math could be so much fun. Avery had a solid understanding of fractions by the time we were finished, and she enjoyed the process getting there. I am amazed at how much my girls are learning and how well they are understanding the concepts presented to them. Personally, I have always enjoyed math. When I was her age I enjoyed following a process to find out an answer. Math however can sometimes be boring and difficult to understand if it isn't presented well. I never had a lesson like this when I was in school. I can't imagine trying to pull this off with 25 plus students in a class. It just isn't possible. This is one of the benefits of learning one on one. I have been so impressed with Saxon math. It has done wonders for my children. Their understanding of math concepts, logic, reasoning and problem saving skills have improved by leaps and bounds.

Here are a few pictures of Avery and her finished product. She chose to make a heart cake by using a square and round cake pan. I thought the finished product turned out great!

3rd grade Math is fun!

If I lived in a snow globe...

We worked on our winter art project last week for our bulletin board. I found this on Teachers Pay Teachers and my girls loved it. The writing promt had the girls imagine what they would do if the lived in a snow globe. Avery collects snow globes so this was right up her alley. Their creative responses we entertaining.

Here is the link to find this art project:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-I-lived-in-a-Snow-Globe-FUN-EASY-WINTER-CRAFT-1575840

Happy winter!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Art curriculum

You know you are getting old... AND a homeschooling mom when you get excited about receiving an old school Kodak slide projector for Christmas.

I have decided to use Learning to Look art history program once a week with my girls for out art curriculum. It was written in 1992 and the manual came with a bunch of artwork on old slides and I need a projector to show the slides.

I know I could go and have the slides printed, but there is something about keeping things authentic. I can see how people gravitate to antiques and things that were made with quality long ago. It seems in this day we want everything now, so we are willing to sacrifice the quality of waiting for something that is made right and lasting.

I am not much of an artist, I can't draw a stick figure to save my life, but I am looking forward to diving in and learning along with my girls...oh and using my "new" old slide projector.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy 2015

There is something wonderful about starting a new year. Yesterday was new years eve and I was busy running errands, along with everyone else in the city. I was out and about when I decided to stop by and see my sister Crystal. She had just closed the day before on buying her first home. I wanted to see where she would be calling home so I spent the afternoon helping her move a few things over to her house. It is an adorable house with incredible character and history behind it. It's the kind of house that you walk into and you just have a good feeling there. It is a special place and my sister is the right person for this house. As we were there and she told me about her miraculous experience purchasing her house, I was reminded that miracles happen and that consistent prayer is powerful. I have see miracles in my life and listening to my sister's story about the miracles that have transpired for her was the PERFECT way to start my new year. This year 2015 I have some goals:

-Be consistent in doing the little things that matter-

-Feel my prayers more deeply-

-Dream big and have faith to act-

-Look for the miracles daily-

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014 has flown by...but some fun memories remain. Here are a few of the highlights of our Christmas:

We have homemade soup in bread bowls, followed by Christmas Eve PJ's

We enjoyed having Shon's parents visit during Christmas. Our girls look forward to the horsey rides given by Grandpa Fish.

Santa delivered! Avery received a sewing machine, Taylor an American Girl doll and Addison "a baby doll that poos a pees."

We have a tradition where we open our stockings first. The girls can go down and look at the tree but can't touch what is underneath. We woke up at 4:15 am folks! It was a long day and I was reminded that I'm not 18 anymore!

We went to visit my parents and Avery took her sewing machine. She and my mom made a heart pillow before we came home. It was so fun for her. I need to get my sewing machine out so that we can do some projects together.

We have had a very mild winter so far this year so we were very surprised to wake up and find a white Christmas. It made it feel even more special.

New Family Tradition: This year I had a very close friend pass away. She was my sweet neighbor that I had become close friends with and she lost her battle to heart disease early in 2014. A few months following her passing, her husband gave me her Christmas china and said that she wanted me to have it. This meant so much to me and I decided instead of making nachos and hot wings for Christmas, (which is Shon's favorite meal) we would have a nice Turkey dinner and celebrate with the china. It was a great way to remember a great friend. It brought me back to the true meaning of Christmas. I am so grateful for the Savior and his life and death, which make it possible for me to see my friend Denise again. I know that death is not the end. Merry Christmas 2014!

Children's Hospital Service Project

A few months ago I began to think about a service we could give during the holiday. The idea came to me to tie blankets for the children's hospital. I never thought about the deep meaning this would have for me.

-Tying the blankets-

While we were tying blankets I was reminded that 27 years ago, I was in a hospital bed during Christmas with a broken femur. I was 9 years old, afraid and homesick for my family. I still remember the sweet candy striper that came to my hospital bed and gave me a candy cane and coloring book on Christmas Eve. The candy and book are long gone but the impact of a simple, kind gesture lives in me. We never know the impact we will have on another person, but if we are prayerful and listen, The Lord will guide us to do good. We went to the children's hospital on Christmas eve to deliver the blankets. It was a great reminder to me about the true meaning for Christmas. I was grateful that my children had this opportunity to serve and I look forward to doing more again next year. Looks like we have a new family tradition.

-Delivering the blankets-

Scenes from the Nutcracker

These are a few pictures of some of our extracurricular activities. I am blessed to be able to share my love of dance with my children and some of our friends. We just recently had a recital "Scenes from the Nutcracker." We had such a wonderful time and my students all did a great job. I couldn't be prouder. Here are a few pictures of our classes and some from the recital!