Project 365- Week 3

~Erica

15- Jonah's a muddy mess...The Webelos planted trees for their Conservation badge. 3 Webelos, 1 Den Chief (Arin), and 4 adults: we planted 100 seedlings in 2 hours.  A week later my shoulders still hurt. It was "This is not the career you want" Day (or another reason to stay out of jail when you grow up). We did manage to finish before the monsoon rains started.

16- Rush saw this t-shirt at Old Navy and said we had to get it for Jonah. This picture is for Cassidy from Family Camp.

17- The floor in front of the bookshelf in the office seems to be the catch-all. Everything that doesn't have a home seems to congregate here. I trip over the piles for a couple of weeks then it drives me crazy. This pile includes my Sunday basket, my rainboot box, and clothes for Tovah to grow into.

18- I have a hazelnut shrub that I have to follow for Botany. Every day or so I have to check it for signs of spring, I took this to show Ryan that I could see it from the house... I still have to walk (or drive) over there to check on it. There are some filberts (different from the native hazelnut) in the same area that are really old. There used to be houses, the train station, and a hotel along that part of the railroad.

19- We got the kids a new video camera, it's on the left next to my cell phone. The videos are just as good as our old 8mm Handicam and it cost A LOT less. We wanted to get them one a year ago for Christmas but missed all the great deals. We got this one from Amazon for less than we had planned on spending and it's actually a better camera.

21- Today Ahvri would have been 2 years old. I was doing fine until a friend texted me a picture of a primrose. I stopped and bought a couple and dropped one off with Rita. When I got home Ryan had stopped and got me 4 on his way home. Since Taryn was at Children's primroses have always been a reminder to me of God's promises and that spring is coming.

A New Pretty

~Erica

I love the sterling silver jewelry at The Vintage Pearl. Last fall I won a gift certificate from Domestically Speaking and I knew that I wanted a piece with all the kids' names on it. It came last week and I couldn't wait to wear it (no pictures, I didn't think about it yesterday when I was dressed up for church). I ordered it with an 18" chain and its a little too short so I thnk I'm going to order a second chain that's a bit longer, I think I'll put the 6 kids on the new chain and leave Taryn and Ahvri on the shorter chain, that way I can wear the double chain or just the longer chain.

Project 365- Week 2

8- 4 pairs of handknit socks drying on the back of my kitchen bench. Most of my socks can be washed and dried but a few pairs can't go in the dryer.

9- 2 pictures today, it might not be in the rules but I can make up my own rules.
      The first is a peaceful picture of the family room, when I get up in the morning and it looks like this my whole day seems less chaotic (I should remind myself of this more often and make sure the family room is picked up before I go to bed).
      The second picture is of the little bit of snow we got last Sunday, it started at 4 and by 5 we had a good inch. It was totally gone by Monday morning.

10-  Jonah and Rush grabbed the wrong black sweatshirts off the black carpeting. It doesn't seem too long ago that 3 of the boys all wore the same size shirts. That summer we just kept all the t-shirts and shorts in a trunk and they pulled one of each out to wear that day. If we had to go somewhere they had matching outfits to wear.

11- Tuesday night we were expecting inches of snow, we got a light dusting that was gone by morning. Now it's warm and rainy and we're on a flood watch. Tovah and I tried to take some pictures of individual flakes on black paper but it didn't work out too well. These flakes are on the hood of my van.

13- I get to school at about 7:15 each morning. It's been pitch black for weeks now. The other morning the greenhouse caught my eye- it was lit up against the black sky. I played around wiht my camera trying to take a photo in aperture mode but the best one I got was taken in full-auto mode. One of my goals for this project is to become more familiar with using my camera in manual modes.

How We Homeschool- Complying with 11 Subjects

Here in Washington we have to teach our children 11 subjects: reading, writing, spelling, language, math science, social studies, history, health, occupational education, and art and music appreciation. But before you freak out, the Legislature realizes that homeschooling is less structured and more experiential in nature (their words) and therefore the subjects can be taught how ever the parent choses- it's written into the law this way. Several years ago I sat down with several other moms and we created this list explaining how teaching the 11 subjects isn't a daunting task, most of it is taught by doing what you're doing every day. Now that my kids are older we do rely more on workbooks and traditional teaching and less on hands on and experiential learning.

Reading = reading but can also include books on tape, being read to, learning to follow directions (recipes, projects, etc.). Take advantage of the library’s summer reading program and Book-It for reading incentives. And don’t forget to read “real” books, not just reading curriculum- fairy tales, mysteries, poetry, biographies, books about places, cookbooks, magazines, etc. Field Trip ideas: library, Barnes & Noble (don’t forget to get your Teacher’s Discount Card), Scholastic Book Sale (a mom field trip)




Participating in a Redwall Feast- there was food, fellowship, music, Redwall trivia (Reading, Social Studies, Health, Art & Music Appreciation)


Writing = writing (fiction, non-fiction, poems, letters, reports, Bible verses, grocery lists, etc.) You do not need a specific curriculum to teach writing- have them copy or dictate to you until they have the skills to complete sentences and paragraphs. We use the book “Write, Now” for fun writing ideas. Field trips: Newspaper, radio station, Toastmasters

Language = grammar (nouns, verbs, punctuation, adjectives, prepositions, complete sentences, paragraphs, learning the parts of a letter, etc.) Schoolhouse Rock is awesome for teaching the parts of grammar. “Writer’s Inc.” is good resource for specifics on how to use them and for reference. Field Trips: See Writing

Spelling = spelling all those nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. correctly You don't have to use a separate spelling curriculum, but incorporate it into anything written at all (thank you notes, reports, displays, etc.) Field Trips: See Writing

Math = math. There are a lot of fun math resources out there, we’ve gotten books on counting Cheerios, M & M's, and jelly beans. There are books on learning fractions with pizzas and chocolate bars, the books about Sideways School are good math puzzles for your random thinkers (concrete children don’t get it). Learn fractions through cooking (and take care of occupational education and health at the same time). Find a copy of Family Math for fun activities for all math skills. Field trips: Bakery, any manufacturer who uses CAD, engineering firms, surveyors

Social studies = any study of cultures other than history (current events, learning about where your church's missionaries live, geography, etc.) Passport Club, Scouts, 4-H, Awana, etc. all expand your child’s horizons and count as Social Studies. Reading biographies & fiction about children in other places and times, missionary stories, etc. Field Trips: Cultural events (Seattle has a lot, also local colleges and universities), Fairs, International Fair, Hands On Museum, Children’s Museums, working farms, Westport Maritime Museum, Pikes Place Market, Olympia Farmers Market

Isaac wanted to bake Na'an, an Indian bread cooked over an open fire (Social Studies, Math, Health)

Packing Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child (Social Studies, Health, Math)

History = study of times past. All you need is a time line and books. Pick a period of history and go to the library to get books about people and places and events during that time, don’t forget fiction written during or about that time period. For fun you can place your ancestors in their time period and see what was going on around them, after all, genealogy is the study of your family’s history. For more formal study we have used Story of the World and A Child's History of the World to provide a backbone to our learning.
Field Trips: Museums (Lewis County Historical Museum, Veteran’s Museum, Vintage Motorcycle Museum, State History Museum), Living History (Pioneer Farm, Ft. Nisqually, Ft. Vancouver)

Museum of History and Industry, Seattle (History, Social Studies, Art & Music Appreciation). The same day we went to the Burke Museum on the University of Washington Campus and saw fossils, gemstones, animals, and photos of an Anarctic expedition

Science = learning about the world around you. This can be as formal or informal as you like. For years we didn't officially study science, but we watched lots of videos about animals and the planet and anything that caught our fancy at the library, we also picked up lots of books with pictures that caught our eye, my kids have always done exceptionally well on the science portion of the CAT test and I'm convinced its just because they were interested in lots of things. The past few years we have done some formal studies with Answers in Genesis' books and Boy Scout merit badges. Field Trips: Mt. St. Helens, Creation Museum, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Zoo, NW Trek, Science Museums, working farms, DeGoede’s Bulb Farm, Seminary Hill Nature Preserve, Ape Caves & Lava Canyon, Mima Mounds, aquarium

Staying up late to see the Lunar Eclipse

Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium- the shark tank is always a favorite stop

Building a worm bin- actually we built 2 and found that the one in the cardboard box did better than the wooden box.

Isaac likes to grow hot peppers (and yes, he does eat them).

Health = Learning good hygiene, nutrition, P.E, exercise, anything to do with taking care of yourself. Playing sports, Gym Time, playing in the backyard, meeting friends at the park, doctor and dentist appointments. Field Trips: Dairy Days, bakery, Fair, Doctor/ Dentist, Hospital, Seminary Hill hikes, farmers markets, dairies

Backpacking trip with the Troop

Archery with Grandpa

Homeschool soccer co-op

Occupational education = Any life skills that they learn (dusting, vacuuming, doing the dishes, cooking, booting up and playing games on the computer, typing, raking, baby or child care, building things at Home Depot or with Daddy, etc.) One day I was cutting quesadillas with scissors and one of the boys told me that I was doing it just like the ladies at Costco, that was occupational education in action! Any activities you do that introduce them to what they may want to be when they grow up. Field Trips: Any of the above

Fire Truck at Home Depot: Occupational Education twice- we met the firemen and built a project

Cooking Man Cakes after watching Man vs. Food (Math, Health, Occupational education)

Art & Music appreciation = This is not necessarily learning to read music or play music, but can include: listening to musical selections by different composers, learning about the lives of different composers, learning to distinguish the sounds of different instruments, writing music, singing in kids' choir, etc. Listen to the radio in the car and see how many instruments you can pick out...that's music appreciation! Visit a music store sometime and look at the different instruments. Better yet, ask for a demonstration! Art appreciation is the same idea as above but related to works of art. Field Trips: Rays Violin Shop (he not just sells stringed instruments but also manufactures violins and bows), ArtTrails, Art Jamboree, Glass blower (there are 2 in downtown Centralia now). Community theatre: Centralia College, Evergreen Playhouse, Tenino Young-At-Heart Theatre, W.F. West HS, Centralia HS, Adna HS all offer inexpensive tickets to family-friendly productions. Tuesday nights are free music at McMenamin’s for all ages, we’ve heard music of every variety there. If your child wants to participate, both Evergreen Playhouse and Tenino’s Young-At-Heart Theatre have annual productions for children to act in. Free concerts and art events abound in Lewis County (watch the loop or local bulletin boards for upcoming events)

Drive Thru Christmas Pageant

Hope this helps clear things up for you. No more stressing out over nothing, OK? :-)

Ni and a Shrubbery

~Erica

This week really tickled my funny bone, in Spanish we learned about indefinite and negative words, ni... ni is neither and nor. In Botany we discussed the difference between a bush and a shrub. All I could think about was Monty Python's Holy Grail....

Project 365- Week 1

Last year I didn't hear about Project 365 until about the 10th of January and in my perfectionism I just couldn't start late. This year I've already got too much on my plate but after stewing for a year about doing it last year I just had to go ahead and start. I missed one day- Wednesday the 5th but that's our craziest day of the week so I let myself off the hook.

1- Jonah's friend Reuben with one of those spring-loaded, rubber-sucker toys stuck to his forehead. It was bedtime and I HAD to get a picture if I was going to do the project. I thought I'd go in and get a sweet picture of Rush reading to the 2 boys...

2- We had dinner with Oliver and his parents and Fred & MaryLinda at Izzy's in Olympia. We had Crystal and Adam over for dinner early in January last year so this must mean it's a tradition. They moved to Medeira, CA last spring so this was a special visit.

3- My first Botany lab assignment was to find a Hazelnut plant. The darker branch is the native shrub and the bigger lighter amends are from our filbert shrubs (the difference between a bush and a shrub is that botanists call them shrubs, just thought you might like to know).

4- Ryan got his new gas grill. He and Rush assembled it in the dark and ice and sub-freezing temperatures so they could grill steaks for dinner. It has 4 burners, a lid, and a thermometer so he can try smoking in it. It also has a side burner so I can use my wok and make mongolian BBQ all summer (I'm not a die-hard griller). Rush is the Beaver in the family- he reads and follows instructions so he's always assigned to help Ryan (the Golden Retriever) when some assembly is required.

6- Tovah started Chess Club this week. She doesn't want to play in any tournaments, we'll see how long that lasts. Isaac is looking forward to going to State again.

7- I had to take a picture of Rush and email it to the school for his ASB card. He's all paid up and ready for baseball to start (as soon as I get his medical form signed and turned back in). He won't get a haircut until the night after his first practice (at least that's what he told Coach last month).

December Highlights

~Erica

I was hoping for a quiet December with plenty of time to complete projects and relax. I had three weeks off of school and we gave the kids 2 weeks.

My dad bought Isaac a 3/4 scale bass guitar for Christmas, birthday, etc. I overheard my dad explaining to him that it was his to use but not his so he couldn't sell it or trade it with his friends. Isaac's excited to learn how to play it.

We had Walk & Knock on the 4th. I don't have any pictures- I took my camera but never got it out of the case. Rush, Arin, and Jonah went out with drivers while Isaac and Tovah stayed at the Grange to sort food. Before all the routes were in Tovah and I had to leave to get her to rehearsal and Isaac and Arin were picked up by one of the scout leaders to go on Isaac's compass hike for 2nd Class Scout.

Tovah had a solo in the kids Christmas play Back to the Manger on the 5th. She's all Engle- no stage fright for her.

Ryan and I had finals the 6th and 7th. Tovah and Jonah started out the week with the stomach flu. I lost my first half week at home being sick with the kids- it was a nasty stomach bug. Friday night our youth group rented the theater to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Unfortunately our boys don't drive yet so they had to be escorted and accompanied to the movie, my dad and I went but Rush had to stay home because the stomach bug hit him about 4 hours before we left. Ryan took Rush, Jonah, and Tovah to the see the movie the next week. I'm not sure if I would consider it the best of the 3 but definitely in the top 2.

The kids put the tree up.

Ryan played Santa for a friend's preschool class. Jonah sat on his lap just to get a candy cane. All the boys wanted DS's and the girls wanted Blizzard Makers except one girl who wanted some penguin toy.

We drove through Fantasy Lights in Spanaway. The weather had been so bad that I didn't want to go to ZooLights in the rain and the nights that had good weather the crowds were bad. Afterwards we took the kids to Sonic in Puyallup. Rush and Cheyney had the Tex Mex Coney dogs and Vanilla Dr. Peppers, she took a picture with her phone but I didn't get any pictures of the food. It was fun but definitely a summer eatery so we can sit outside at the picnic tables.

My mom took us to the buffet at the casino for lunch one day. I had heard about Restaurants.com and knew that they had 50% off coupons available to the Lucky Eagle. I got an 80% off code and got the coupon for $3- It saved $48 off the total order! I didn't take any pictures and haven't been able to get copies of the ones Cheyney took. The kids like the buffet because they can eat whatever they like and get dessert.

It's interesting to see what they choose and what they go back for, I think they are incredibly picky but Ryan says they really aren't. They are getting more adventurous in their tastes- fish, shrimp, sheep cheese, goat cheese, hot peppers... I think Jonah eats quite a bit of lamb at the neighbors and doesn't realize it (and they aren't going to tell him.)

It was cloudy and misty but I did get a few pictures of the lunar eclipse. I went out every 10 minutes or so, when I went out the last time and the moon was totally gone it was the wierdest feeling. I can see why ancient peoples freaked out when the moon disappeared, I knew where it had gone and it was still a bit of a shock when it was not where it was when I saw it last.

John brought gifts over for the kids. He got Rush a shotgun to go duck hunting in January. He wanted to take him bear hunting this fall but had to cancel. Next year he, Nathan, and Rush will go.

Tovah got horses, grandma has her eye on them to add to Grand-daddy Wilbert's collection. The other boys got really good binoculars- they each got their own pair.

New fingernail polish from Cheyney and new nightgown from The Disney Store's BOGO free and free shipping sale that week.

We didn't celebrate Christmas until Monday when Ryan got off work so we spent the weekend in our jammies watching movies, playing XBox, and I scrap-booked. Sunday night Tovah and I went to Jillian's 9th Birthday party. Tovah brought home a huge bag of candy to share with the boys.

The kids got new jammies, books, videos, DS games, and XBox games.

Rita brought over Max and Squeaky but Max didn't work out. The kids are enjoying having a new cat, once Squeaky came out from under the stairs where she hid for 2 days. We went to Applebees for our Christmas dinner. Tuesday Ryan and the boys went to see Tron. We had a Family Game Night Tuesday night with friends. The boys did a good job inviting their friends but forgot to tell people it was for the whole family, we finally got an invite out on Facebook a few days before the party. We had a great time...

The big kids played XBox

The littler set found the Marbleworks and Legos in the boys' room

Downstairs there was Mexican Train dominos, Settlers of Cataan, In a Pickle, the new electronic Scrabble, and lots of food and laughter. We had 17 boys here, 8 girls, and 17 adults. Next year we'll do a better job of getting the word out ahead of time...

Tonight's New Year's Eve- Ryan's at work, I've got most of my Winter Break To Do List to finish, and the kids are watching the Dr. Who marathon on BBC. We have have one more day to stay in our jammies all day. Church on Sunday then school starts for everyone on Monday.