Roller Skating & a Rodeo Field Trip (& Lots more...)

Our fish tank is finally coming together.

We apparently shocked the fish when we 

put all of them in the tank

at the same time

we lost 3 the first 24 hours.

Unfortunately they were all J's fish.

We let each of the older 3 kids

pick out a fish.

And since they were schooling fish,

we supposedly had to get 3 each.

The neon tetras are the ones 

that didn't make it.

We got "hardier" replacements.

And everyone seems to be happy.

R got 3 IDENTICAL fish

but swears he can

tell them apart...

so he named them.

(its a long way from Uncle Jack's but its a start!)

We were invited to a birthday

party on Saturday.

A roller skating party...

not the best idea with 4 little ones.

But everyone

did

FANTASTIC!!!

We got skates on the older boys

and let them skate around on the carpet.

R finally got up the nerve to make it out on the rink.

We are tough in this house and MADE him

go around the rink 

(holding on)

one time.

PRAISING him

and getting overly

EXCITED

when he completed it.

He waited,

then decided to try it again.

Then that was IT!

He turned into a little speed demon after that.

But keeping his balance with those flailing

arms was a SIGHT!

We finally made J got out 

and go around the rink once

too.

He was more apprehensive but

he responds really well to the 

excitement and praise too.

So he stayed out there but hugged the wall

almost the entire time.

He finally started getting brave when it 

was about time to go.

A...

oh my mercy!

I had no idea about skating for her.

Honestly, hadn't even planned on her skating.

They had the little plastic "starter" skates

that fit over your regular shoes...

guess what shoes she happened

to be wearing that day!

She kept trying to make her way out 

on the rink,

but neither daddy nor I were

brave (or dumb) 

enough to get ourselves

skates.

So we did our best to keep her off of the rink.

I finally caved and let her get on.

I walked around the outside of the rink

within arms reach.

Every time she bit it

I looked over the rail and said

"Where'd you go?"

With a big smile on my face...

she popped right and kept right on going.

They all LOVED it!

Needless to say,

both boys were

literally black and blue

and had knots on their

knees and elbows 

though.

:(

Little T was even patient enough to

let his big sister put the skates on

him!!

He made it onto his feet briefly,

but I didn't let it get too far

since he is new to this whole

walking thing as it is.

School is going well.

We have incorporated

history and religion

into our studies so far this week.

Tomorrow we will look at our 

lima beans...

I peeked 

and noticed that one is sprouting...

more on that in a later post though.

We have decided to try out 

our green thumb on aquatic plants...

so the boys planted some aquatic bulbs 

in the aquarium...

we will keep you posted on those as well.

I also have an art project planned.

Will fill you in when and if that works out. HA!

This week we also went

on our first

homeschool field trip!!!

I have always loved participating in the kids

schools and was room mom when they were 

in public school 

and did my best to stay involved!

I loved doing the field trips 

and ALWAYS wanted to be there

but with the littler ones at home...

I couldn't.

I can't express what it meant to me to 

take all of my kids on this field trip.

It was wonderful!!  

The kids were great and we had a great time!

We went on a trip to the San Antonio Rodeo!!!

It was basically just a tour 

of some of the exhibits at the rodeo.

It is a lot like the State Fair 

that I have gone to for as long 

as I can remember back home.

But smaller!

Apparently all the exhibits and rides are

built around the rodeo and stock show.

So the main draws are those items...

with the exhibits and rides 

being almost an after thought.

I would love to go back

and see the 

REAL RODEO 

though.

Might as well...

already brought out a little

of my inner redneck since

we have been here 

at the Monster Jam!

We had about 45 people I think go with us.

The craziest part...

there were only 8 families!

A checking out the chickens...

J Checking out the pigs...

Then we all had to stop and pose as a cow!

I have volunteered to be

the field trip coordinator

for our group

and attempt to plan about

one field trip a month.

Wish me luck!!

 Here are some other random pictures

from this week with one straggler thrown in there...

Enjoy!

No explanation needed or available for this first set:

 I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the set of skates on this kid!

My mercy - that is a serious skater!  

Look at those wheels!

 "Fook Mommy - my bawberry has a hiney, hahahah!"

Oh good gracious...

Guess who got to feed himself yogurt for the first time...

I think he did well, 

kinda.

Today - 

Mommy:  "A, if you don't take a nap you cannot go to dance class"

This was a first... 

Impressive coloring job by my newly turned 3 year old!

She got this picture from dance class...

we got to go since she took a nap.

Then tonight I discovered that there are camera settings

on my phone...

hopefully I can take better pictures now.

Here is one under the new settings.

And final random picture of the day...

To ring in the new year

we decided to purchase a piece of 

exercise equipment. 

We finally had room for one.

It arrived unassembled...

in an AWESOME box!

And we all know the 

deal with kids and boxes...

We still have this silly box...

wonder when we are going to get to 

throw it away!

Some School Stuff

We have really started falling into a little bit of a rhythm

since we got our new supplies.

Everyone seems to enjoy having structure,

mommy too!

We have been using the "menu plan"
contrary to the previous post.
(The meal tonight was NOT a redo)

It definitely makes my day a little easier.

The kids have enjoyed their new books.
And are blowing through their books too!

L got a Kindle for her birthday so that keeps her busy (sort of)

while we are working on school work.

And T just wanders aimlessly,

playing with whatever happens to be out at the time.

Today we did our first Science lesson

our of the CHC Behold & See 1

and took it a couple steps further...

The lesson was to open a few re-hydrated

large lima beans and look for the little 

starter plants. 

They really enjoyed peeling the skins off, 

then breaking them apart and examining the insides.

Not all beans had a little plant in them, but most did.

Then we discussed the differences in the dried beans
and the re-hydrated ones.

The size, texture, ease of peeling
and opening.

And we learned that the bean is the food

for the baby plant...

so, we decided to grow some bean plants.

The boys brought some seeds home from co-op 

a few weeks ago and they 

attempted to plant them in 

sand toys with dirt from the backyard.

I just let them.

But decided that we should try to do some

inside.

We did 2 batches:

one of dried beans

and

one of re-hydrated beans.

We put them in clear containers

with a wet paper towel 

so that we can monitor their growth.

Here is Day 1:

 I am looking forward to watching them grow and watching the kids watch them grow!

This teaching thing is neat
especially
watching MY kids ENJOY learning!!

After we finished our lesson, we had a few re-hydrated beans left over.

I caught J, later that afternoon, sitting on the floor peeling 

the leftover limas.

Then there were a few leftover dried ones,

he asked to put them in water...

go ahead J.

Then this morning, he peeled those and 

explained to his little sister

what he was looking for 

and then showed

her what 

the little plants looked like

and which part of the plant were the leaves

and which part was the stem.

Makes a momma proud!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful

Valentine's Day.

Well, I threw our "menu plan" out the window...

(That didn't take long!)

and opted for something a little different last night.

I decided we needed to do something special.

Started out with just a special dessert.

Then it morphed into a special dinner.

Then that morphed into a  

quiet (kinda) dinner for 2

after we fed the kids.

I went to the store to get steaks and lobster tails.

And the fixins for a small cheesecake.

Got enough for everyone.

Then as we walked from the grocery store

to the UPS store (to ship something),

we passed a local 

"Take and Bake Pizza Place"

They had a picture advertising a 

heart shaped pizza for $7...

hmmm...that is interesting.

So on the way back from the UPS store, 

we stopped in.

And wound up with their 

Sweetheart Special.

(disclaimer - the following pictures are mainly for my 

dad - I thought he would get a kick out of them, 

so just enjoy!)

Un-baked Heart Shaped Pepperoni Pizza

\

Baked Heart Shaped Pepperoni Pizza

Un-baked S'mores Dessert Pizza

Final product:

And I got this bright idea to feed the kids first

then put a movie on

and daddy and I could actually enjoy a (semi) quiet

dinner.

I think the S'mores pizza was a hit based on the 

resulting s'mores pizza faces...

and chocolate teeth!

(and as you know from previous posts - 

the quality and focus of pictures are hit or miss

so do your best to kinda enjoy)

Once we got the kids situated we moved on to...

The adult menu:

Parmesan Crusted NY Strip

Broiled Lobster Tails

Salad with Blue Cheese & Cranberries

Baked Potato

and

Individual Key Lime Cheesecakes

with Strawberry Sauce

and

Pink Champagne

Turned out PERFECT!

All of it.

The lobster tails were the BEST I have ever had

(I can't tell you the last time I had lobster, but these were AMAZING!)

The cheesecakes were a combination of recipes.

I used the ingredients from one and used 1/3 of the recipe

(math came in handy here)

and the cooking instructions from another recipe

and 

IT WORKED!

Definitely will be done again.

Pre-baked cheese-cup-cakes

Final product:

The kids were great, 

except for the occasional uninvited guest appearances

by the baby/bird/lap monkey.

The kids got a combined present of a fish tank.

And their goal is to have one like their Uncle Jack.

BIG goal, but gotta start somewhere.

Here is what they are aiming for:  

 Every one worked together to get the aquarium up and running.

(Is this where the cord goes?)

(J & L rinsing the rocks for the tank)

More rock rinsing...didn't know we could fit this 

many people in that little bathroom!!

Or that rinsing rocks could be a 

spectator sport!

The full, yet uninhabited, aquarium.

We will keep you posted on the fish as we acquire and name them. 

FINALLY!!!

Guess what this stack is!?!?!?

Finally.

I spent a bit of time Sunday night going through the books

and making some plans.

The good news is with Abeka

they have the different subjects

broken up into the same number

of lessons in each grade.

So:

2nd grade Math - 170 lessons

2nd grade Language - 170 lessons

2nd grade Phonics - 170 lessons

That is GREAT!

Unless you start one subject earlier.

We started Math before 

we started the rest.

So we will not be following the 

1 lesson per day plan.  

But none of this is going as 

"planned" so far...

so why start now??

Hopefully we can keep this 

quick pace going.

I am also organizing another part of our life.

Dinner!

We have kinda been stuck in a rut.

I was turned on to 

TheScramble.com

Unfortunately, I am not sure

I could follow the weekly recommendations.

I have some kinda picky eaters in this house

(and I might or might not be one of them -

depending on what is put in front of me)

But I got a lot of GREAT ideas from their archives.

I took a lot of time gathering recipes,

then picking about 10 to cook over the next 2 weeks.

Then creating a shopping list.

Then the 6 of us went grocery shopping.

MERCY!

Tonight we had 

Fiesta Chicken & Rice

with

Mexican Roasted Green Beans

It was a keeper!!

(it is not as plain as it looks - promise)

I can't wait to try the other ones on the menu for

the next 2 weeks.

- Coconut Ginger Chicken w/Sesame Broccoli

- Black Bean Burgers w/ Cilantro Lime Corn

- Panko Crusted Pork Chops w/blue cheese & cranberry salad

-Korean skirt steak (not sure of the side)

- Quickie Asian Beef & Veggie StirFry

- Risotto with Sausage & Mushrooms w/ roasted cauliflower

-Spinach, Bacon & Bean Quesadillas 

- Mumbai Meatballs with Yogurt dip & salad

After we did our lessons this morning,

we went to a Valentine's Party with

fellow homeschoolers.

There were about 50 kids there.

And we did a Valentine's Exchange.

Each of the kids took Valentines to 

give out...(except Tony)

So, yes, that is 150 Valentines!

Ay!!

Saturday night we assembled 

and addressed

150 Valentines

as a family!

But we got it done.

I also volunteered to bake cookies

for the party.

I got the place and bake kind,

but 8 dozen cookies

is 

8 dozen cookies.

Thankfully, 

none of them came home.

One of the great things was seeing 

how all of the families 

totally chipped in.

The set up and clean up ran

like a well oiled machine!!

It was nice seeing the boys step in

and help out too,
without me having to ask.

Just a gentle reminder

that we are doing something right.

We had such a good time at the party...

that it spilled over to one of the local parks.

Everyone had a good time there too.

Little T made a girl friend!

And because of the weather lately...

everyone was COVERED in mud.

Oh well.

Curriculum

I have FINALLY made some decisions

on our curriculum.

Yes, technically, the year

is half over

and yes,

we are getting a late start.

BUT

better late than never!

We dove into our Abeka Math books a few weeks ago.

I started them in their current grades

because they weren't ready to move up.

So R is busting through

about 3 lessons a day.

There are 4 lessons then a test.

So he is taking a test 

about every other day.

(Instead of once a week as this program recommends)

He also gets to take "speed drills".

He looks forward to those so much

those are his motivation to get through

multiple lessons a day

so he can take these drills.

J is working in K math from Abeka.

He is getting through multiple pages a day too.

We are just going to keep going at this speed

til we get to some stuff that is more challenging.

We have chosen Abeka for 

Language

Spelling & Poetry 2 & 3

Letters & Sounds -2

Letters & Sounds - K 

Science - Discovering God's World

History - Our America

Reader Set for J

We are also going to use 

Confessions of a Homeschooler's 

Road Trip USA

Then we are using:

Catholic Heritage Curricula for:

More Science:  Behold & See 1 & 2

More Readers: for R & J

Languages of God A - Language Arts

Didn't realize I had gotten 2 Language Arts books for R.

HA - oops.

We will look through both and save

 one for J when he is ready for it.

So big relief there!

All the books should be here Friday.

Which is great.

It will give me the weekend 

to look through them and make some decisions

about which ones we are starting with

and when we are doing 

our "specials".

The "core" subjects will be done every day.

Math

Language Arts

Spelling

Reading

Writing

Science

History

Art 

will be done once a week.

We have decided that the amazing land we found last week...

will have to wait a little longer. 

We have kept busy with the normal household stuff.

I do get these moments when I realize

these BIG decisions we have made lately...

have been good ones.  

And although these decisions have not been 

easy to make

nor

easy to implement

sometimes I 

have these moments

where I am thankful

that we JUST DID IT!

We sat down and watched a few episodes of

Lizard Lick Towing last night

which is based in our home "county"

and it honestly 

made me miss home even more!

I loved listening to them talk

brought a smile to my face

and a little of that good ole southern drawl back too.

Then when we got up from the couch

to walk upstairs, 

I honestly had to snap back to reality and

realize that we were not in

our house in NC.

(We aren't in Kansas - er, NC - anymore Toto!)

We are starting to discuss our trips back to NC.

I am SO excited!

And we are making a list of must sees/eats...

Kanki

New 2 story Chick-Fil-A at Cameron Village

Sushi Thai

Hmmm...actually all of those are must eats!

HA!

We are going to be participating in a 

Valentine's Party & Exchange

with one of our homeschool groups.

The exciting & overwhelming part...

there are about 50 kids participating!

OY!

That means we have to figure out a way to do

150 Valentine's this weekend.

But happy for the opportunity. 

I am looking forward to it!

Well since I originally wrote this an additional 

12 Valentines have been added to our list.

Bringing the grand total of required Valentine's 

for next week to

162!

Double oy!

Look for pictures next week!

I will try to get back into the picture taking mode and post soon!