Wasn't Christmas break a few weeks ago?

or....the case of the missing calendar...

It seems I don't know how to keep track of time anymore. We've taken too many days off once again. I don't really regret it. The kids have had so much fun. As soon as we moved back into the RV they were off on the bikes checking in with their friends and meeting new ones.

So the days have slipped away from me as I've watched them settle on the "lawn" and put together robots and challenge each other to build the best egg protector, then dropping their egg contraptions from the tip-top of the ladder. I've lost track of time while watching them zoom down the street on their bikes, racing their friends to see who can get back to the park first. And I've emptied the cupboards more than once feeding hungry boys and girls just back from a friendly game of backyard football, or a rousing round of basketball.

But even the balmiest of days must draw to a close. The next few days we will begin the process of organized learning once again.

Space Shuttle Endeavor liftoff!

Last night was the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Because the kids were having a sleepover at our house we were unable to drive over to Titusville to watch the launch from across the bay. Instead we popped out the door, all 4 kids in tow, and watched it ascend through the night sky from the yard across from our condo.

We've been studying the American Space Program this last week or so, and the kids were excited to see this launch, because they actually understood what was going on.

It was somewhat cloudy last night, which affected how the light from the engines was distorted. We didn't get the huge glow we did when we watched a different night launch a couple years ago. This time is was subdued, but still breathtaking to watch.

Here the shuttle has just passed by the moon (from my point of view)


Here you can really see the vapor trail. During the day it would be a stream of white cloudy smoke. But at night it's a whole other experience.


Here the shuttle is now out of view in the large clouds in the top left of the frame. But look at that trail! It's so beautiful with the silvery moon partially hidden in dark clouds. I love this picture :D


We were unable to hear the massive boom that comes with a launch because the wind was moving away from us going north. The kids were dissapointed they didn't get to hear the explosion. And I was too. :P Even without the boom, it was still a sight to see!

National Doughnut Day!

Yesterday was National Doughnut Day. And super-mom/teacher thought "What a great project for the afternoon."

Photographic proof of my insanity:

J mixing the dry ingredients.

K mixing the wet ingredients.

Rolling and cutting of said doughnuts.

Did you find the hidden mickey?

The frying of the doughnuts. eeww...

The sugaring and the powdering. K set up an assembly line. She'd move fresh doughnuts to the appropriate bowls and "encourage" J to move quickly!

Happy Doughnut Day! :P

Life after "Fall Break"

Originally it was only a week, just enough time off for our vacation to St. Louis and then on to Michigan for a bit. But when we got home we were all just too tired. The kids wanted to open the boxes they brought home and I just wanted to sleep. So Fall Break became a 2 week vacation, culminating in the celebration of Halloween and Daylight Savings Time ending. What a way to go out. Extra sugar and extra sleep!

Now I'm forcing myself to get back into the thick of things. I have lots of plan rattling around in my brainbox. But I fear I may need a can opener to get them out!

With more holiday coming right around the corner, we're also preparing for more travel. This makes me nervous about keeping us on task for school. Yesterday was our "first day of school" since break. (We don't do Mondays - Dad's day off) It was a rocky start, but then K, thankfully, jumped right in. J, bless him, dragged his feet as long as he could...isn't that what little boys do? He's just too cute to scold sometimes, with those big blue eyes and lopsided smile...

So, before the day gets away from me, I should sign off and get going. Today is National Doughnut Day, so I think for Home Ec we'll make some homemade doughnuts. :D That should make 'em smile. And give me more dishes to wash :(

Kiddie Blogs!

The kids now have blogs in place. I'm hoping this will help them to hone those writing skills at the same time they are chronicling their lives and sharing experiences with family and friends. :D Isn't that why we all do this? :P

K: thedolphinrider-kpb.blogspot
J: flyingninjamonkeys-jmb.blogspot

Please follow along. And leave lots of comments to help encourage their continued blogging!

Math success!

K learned about ratios and proportions this week. It was an exciting time for me to finally see a "light" flip on. She's getting it! She is doing so well with her math! Hurray for girls loving math! Next week we begin solving for unknown numbers! eek! :D

J is finally beginning to understand fractions a little better. We've been going over how fractions work and how they can be manipulated this week. Of all the worksheets I gave him this week he answered only a couple problems incorrectly! Way to go J!

So this week went well. We're settling into a daily routine. Each week I add a little bit more to the assignment lists. We're not up to full speed yet, but it won't be long.

We've been reading poetry every day for the last two weeks. I have found some of the most wonderful books! I was so inspired by one that I had to make a scrapbook layout!

We're just getting into our art and music now. In fact, I have to go to the library as soon as I'm done posting! We're studying classical music and it's composers. I'm hoping to have a keyboard in a couple weeks so the kids can begin learning an instrument. In art, we've been reviewing the color wheel, color mixing, and learning about color values. I haven't chosen an artist to study yet, I'm still thinking about where I want to start.

As far as our other subjects, we're moving right along. They are both moving quickly through their science. K is doing well with her english, but J is struggling just a bit. It doesn't bother me, because a lot of people still struggle with using "good" or "well" in a sentence correctly. :P

It's been a good week. Hopefully, this next week will run as smoothly as I add in some more lessons :D

2 weeks

We now have 2 weeks under our collective belts. However, we're only doing half our work. The SOS I ordered came in late so I got us started with what workbooks I had to hand. I did go pick up new math books. J stayed with 6th grade math to do some review work and K moved up to 8th grade math :D

The plan is to start adding in some more lessons next week. I'm working on art and music lessons and I'm trying to put together a government course. Not having much luck with that.

It's also going to get interesting when baseball kicks in. Monday is our first game. And then it's non-stop til Dec 4!