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cooking (25) crafts (10) Fitness (1) gardening (3) Home Organization (10) kids (68) school (9) sewing (28)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Bugs!



Yesterday, the kids and I had lunch at Pizza Hut with some of our homeschool friends, so that the kids could redeem their Book-It rewards for October. Jack reads at least 5 minutes a day. Both he and Audrey love books so much, that I usually find them sitting in a pile of books, reading by themselves. After lunch, we headed over to the gym for a Bugmobile presentation. A lot of you ask how many families homeschool. This is a "few" of the families in our group :o)



It was funny to watch and listen to the kids, they participated wonderfully and had a lot of fun. His presentation was about arachnids. He brought a rose haired tarantula, a hissing cochroach, a scorpion, and two other arachnids.

After the presentation, the kids got to come up and touch some of the spiders and ask questions. It was a fun day for everyone!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Busyness Part 2



That other post was getting long, so I decided to split it in two. Here is where we've been for the last 3 days.
On Friday, the kids and I went on a field trip to Oak Alley Plantation. It was really nice, and Jack got to learn a little Louisiana history. Later that evening, Jack went to Boo at the Zoo with his friend Spencer. He had a lot of fun because he got to wear his costume, play games, and get candy. Hopefully Cristi (Spencer's mom) will send me some pictures electronically so that I can upload them.
On Saturday, we went to Lowes for a Build and Grow workshop. Jack made a flapping bat. Then the four of us went to Sesame Street Live. We were in the second row, and both kids loved it!


On Sunday, we all went to a Halloween picnic with our friends from the playgroup. Once again, Jack got to wear his costume (Audrey wouldn't wear hers). Since it was warm and the kids were playing, he only wore part of the costume. Audrey had fun playing with the boys in the sand. She looked like a little man with a beard and mustache. I guess that was her costume.

Today was life back to normal. Bryan went to work, the kids and I went to story time at the library, and then we did school. Both kids really like story time. They get to play with other kids, pick out some new books, listen to stories, sing, and do a craft. Audrey even wanted to do the craft this week, but of course I had to do it for her.

Jack's reading improves so much every day, it is amazing to watch. He is reading some difficult words with ease. If anyone is familiar with kids books, he is reading the level two books now. Sometimes it is annoying that he can read. He reads every street sign when we drive, telling us we can't enter when he sees a "Do Not Enter" sign and so forth. His math skills are improving. He is working on addition and subtraction and can count to 100 by ones and tens.

Why, yes, we are still alive

I am so far behind on blogging, that I am not sure where to start. Needless to say, we have been busy. I have been crafting, giving Bryan honey-do lists, and finding all sorts of places to take the family.

A month or so ago, Jack picked out a pattern and fabric for his costume, which he calls a ninja. I made it and it turned out great! I also made reversible trick-or-treat bags for the kids. I am also using the bags for our trips to the library and church.

Then, I made a book sling for Jack's books. (I will upload a picture of that later) He is so obsessed with books, that he ends up with tons of books in his bed, so hopefully he will put the books in the book sling now instead of sleeping on them.


My most recent project is a quilt for the new baby. I created the pattern myself and backed it with chenille. It is so soft--I need to make one for us to use now. Next, I will be making a diaper bag. I can never find one that I really like, so I am going to create one that hopefully has everything that I need.
I have also kept Bryan busy. The color of our bathroom was driving me crazy. It was a flat finish, slightly dull yellow/orange. I also didn't really like the huge 8ft by 4ft plate glass mirror. Besides, if we were going to paint, we might as well do the whole project! I budgeted $500 for the project, for paint, mirrors and new light fixtures. After our trip to Lowes, we spent $300. We unscrewed the mirror only to find out it had been glued to the wall. Long story short, I ended up calling a local glass shop and found out that it was going to be a dangerous job. No thank you. So we hired them to come out and remove it for $150. Fine-still within my budget. When they came to the house, they found out that Bryan's in the military and they did the job for FREE!!!! What wonderful people! The job is nearly complete. We just need to remove the tape and put up some accessories.

Ok, off the start my diaper bag!!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Belated Update


It has been a busy week here. First, we found out that we are having a boy. Bryan is very excited; as is Jack. We will be naming him Ayden James. Second, my family is doing good. Joe had his first chemo treatment last week, and he took it well. I guess he is sore/achy, but he didn't get sick. Oh, and my parents also got the results from the bone and brain scan- no cancer in either his bones or brain. Praise the Lord!!!!

I have spent the last four days sewing. (I will upload pictures soon.) One day, I made the kids really cute trick or treat bags. The next three days, I made Jack's costume. It came out really cute, I can't believe it took me so long to make it. It has quite a few accessories that all had to be interfaced and lined. Best of all, Jack loves it!!! I took one of the bags to church to carry all of our stuff and one of the moms told me she really liked the bag. So I offered to make her bags for her two girls. So that is what I did today. Part of me is tired of sewing, but part of me just wants to keep going. It is so much fun to see what I can make!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Family Update

The kids and I returned from Pennsylvania on Saturday. We had a very nice visit (sorry for those of you that we didn't see, but we stayed cooped up with the family). My parents were very grateful that we visited--it was good for all concerned. Jack quickly fell back into his role of Grandpa's little buddy, pretty much leeching onto him from sunrise to sunset. Once Audrey warmed up to everyone, she was happy to be the ham she is. Joe really looks good. He has lost about 20 pounds, but still looks healthy. He was supposed to start chemo last Wednesday, but his white blood cell count was too high (must be fighting an infection) so they will try again next week. Please pray that all goes well- he really needs to start the chemo as soon as possible. Mom is also doing good. She got a cold (probably from the stress and lack of sleep) but quickly recovered. Thank you all for your prayers, we really appreciate it.

Oh, and on another note, my parents cat passed away Friday evening. The kids and I weren't there, as our flight left BWI early Saturday. Mom was pretty upset about it. They have had the cat for 14 years and he was a good cat, who was content to sit on your lap and just be loved. So here is the crazy story. Mom had to run up to my grandmother's house for something. As she pulled to the end of the driveway, she saw the kitty in the road :-( She immediately started crying, jumped out of the car, ran into the middle of the road (this is a pretty busy 2 lane highway on a dangerous curve), picked up the still warm cat and turned around to see the car rolling down the street. She said her legs went to jello and she collapsed in the street, holding the warm cat, bawling her eyes out, and watched her car go over the bank and somehow miss hitting two trees. As she is telling me this story, I was crying one second, laughing the next, and crying again. I guess it's for the better, as they have to travel so much between Florida and PA, which the cat didn't like. And now my husband will soon be able to visit without have allergy madness. I think the cat died for Joe, and somehow the cat has taken the cancer with him to kitty heaven.