Salt and Light Academy

Two

2011-10-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

How can it be.....

My sweet baby is now 2 years old......

Oh Lord, I beg, Please help me to never forget these days....

How To Make Whole wheat English Muffins

2011-10-17T20:38:00.001-04:00

We love English Muffins. They are tasty and easy to make from scratch. We make ours with freshly ground hard white wheat, but, you can use whole wheat flour from the store or half all purpose and half whole wheat. Just don't be afraid to try them. They are just too good to miss out on.
The recipe I first started with came from recipetips. I have made a few changes to meet our family's eating needs.
WHOLE WHEAT ENGLISH MUFFINS
Ingredients
3 cups freshly ground hard white wheat
1 tsp salt (we use Redmond's real salt)
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup of milk (you might need a little more to reach the right dough consistency)
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg
cornmeal as needed

Directions

After we grind the flour needed for the recipe, we then mixed all the ingredients together in a large bowl to make a soft and sticky dough. At this point I pour the dough into the bread machine and let it do all the hard work of kneading it. If you don't have a bread machine you can follow the instructions given here.

Once the machine is done kneading, remove the dough and put it in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it doubles in size (1 - 1 1/2 hours). Once the dough has risen you then take it out of the bowl and put it on your work surface.(if the dough is sticking to your hands try oiling your hands a little) Gently roll and pat the dough out to about 1/2 - 1 inch thickness. Use a round biscuit cutter to cut your dough into rounds. Cover the muffins with a towel and let them rise for 30 minutes.

Heat your griddle on med-low and carefully transfer your muffins to the griddle.

When the underside is nice and brown , flip them and cook the other side.

The outside should be brown and crusty and the inside should be soft and hot, but not gooey or gummy.

Split them open with a fork and slap them with some real butter. My kids cannot resist fresh English Muffins hot from the oven. Baby Boy likes his with a little honey or homemade jam.

I hope you will try this recipe and make some whole wheat English Muffins from scratch. Your tummy will thank you for it.

Until next time, bye

TOP 5 WAYS WE SAVE ON FOOD

2011-10-09T12:10:00.000-04:00

We are always trying to find new ways to save money on food. These are just 5 ways that we have found that really works for us.

WATCH FOR SALES AND USE COUPONS

We buy things when they are on sale and use coupons as much as possible. Around here we have Publix Supermarkets. They have great “buy one get one” sales each week.

We try to stock up on products during those times and match those sales up with coupons to save even more money. Some things that we are always on the lookout for are butter, cheese, frozen veggies, paper goods and dry pasta.

BUY IN BULK

We buy as much of our raw materials as possible in bulk. Things we buy in bulk are things that we know we use a lot of. Buying in bulk helps us to get quality goods at reasonable prices. Things such as oils, rice, beans, sugar, seasonings and spices, yeast, whole grains, wheat and so much more.

We are not members of any of the populer buying clubs such as Cosco, BJ and Sams. We have found that we can save money without being members of those types of clubs. Besides, they don’t have the products that we use and buy the most, such as Organic unrefined coconut oil, Palm shortening, organic oats and whole wheat berries. We are able to get a lot of our "raw" materials from places like tropical traditions , bread beckers co-op , and amerorganic .

MENU PLANNING

Menu planning is very important at our house. We only have 4 different menus that I rotate every 3 months. The menus are pretty simple and straight forward.

I Plan breakfasts, lunchs and dinners for a whole year, one season at a time. Most of the meals are prepared and frozen ahead of time each month. At the end of each month we go grocery shopping and start all over again, baking prepping and cooking for the next months meals.

GROW YOUR OWN

We grow most of our organic fruits and vegetables at home in our garden. Living in the sunshine state we are able to grow a full garden year round. We grow everything from herbs to watermelons in our small backyard garden. At harvest time we eat what we can and preserve the rest by freezing or canning.

We started gardening 8 years ago and each year we expand ou efforts to grow even more of our own food. We also barter and trade garden goods with other gardeners in our community. Gardening allows us to feed our family safe organic foods without the high prices.

MAKE IT YOURSELF

We make a lot of meals we eat from scratch. I love to cook and bake and so does everyone in our house. Food preparation is very much a family affair. We come together to make big batches of food to"feed the freezer" each month. We make everything from cookies to yogurt from scratch.

My guys eat a lot. And I love to feed them good wholesome foods that not only taste wonderful but is also good for them. Papa is also very good in the kitchen. When it comes to sweets and treats nobody makes them better than my sweetheart. There are always some yummy cookies in the freezer, and special occasions are made that much more special with Papa in charge of deserts.

I hope that this has somehow helped you or at least give you a great idea of where to start.

It's All Natural

2011-10-05T01:51:00.001-04:00

I got my first relaxer at the tender age of 13. I begged my dad to let me get a "perm". I told him that all the girls in school wore their hair straight, and I was the only one left. He gave in and when I turned 13 he surprised me by taking me to the mall to get my ears pierced and my hair relaxed. I was so happy. I loved how soft and straight my hair looked. I loved the length and I could not wait to start school that year.

Fast forward 20 years later and it is my own daughters complaining to me about how long it takes for me to style their hair and how much it hurts. They want to have straight hair like their mommy and they want to know how old they have to be before they too can have straight hair. I knew that I had to do something. I love their curly hair and I never intended to relax those lovely locks.

I started to do some research about caring for their natural hair. I wanted to learn how to style their hair without causing them any more discomfort. I wanted them to fall in love with their curls. That is when I stumbled onto http://www.curlynikki.com/. and youtube. We spent hours at a time watching women style their gorgeous natural hair. They taught us how to properly care for our precious strands. In no time at all the girls started to fall in love with their curls and started asking me why my hair had no curls. I wanted to see my curls again. I wanted to learn to love my hair the way God made it, the way it grew out of my scalp. That's when I decided that I was going to go for it. I wanted to go natural.

Well 16 months later I must tell you all. I LOVE MY HAIR, I REALLY REALLY DO.
On September 18, 2011 I said goodbye to the last strand of relaxed hair and said hello to my lovely curls.

Now the true journey can begin.

I will be sharing a lot more about caring and styling our natural hair. We have learned a lot this past year.
Until Later, bye

I'm Back

2011-10-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

I miss blogging. So to get back into it I am thinking about starting a couple of series. We have been going through a lot of changes around here. Everything from revamping how and what we eat to a mini home makeover. I can't wait to share all what's been going on around here. I also have to update some things about our homeschool. I have a great post coming about homeschooling on a really tight budget. and how to use the Internet in your homeschool.
Well I have a lot to write so I better get started.
Until later, bye

Technical Difficulties

2011-08-27T22:49:00.000-04:00

We will be back tomorrow to try and load more videos. See ya soon.

He Knows My Name

2011-08-27T15:48:00.001-04:00

Next up are some songs that my kids love singing and dancing to. The first one is "I am not frogotten". The 2nd one is "He's wild"

Psalm 139: 16-18 NLT

2011-08-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

We will start everything off with a memory verse the kids learned this summer at VBS. The extra kiddo is my nephew, he spent the summer with us and we miss him very much around here.

My Apology

2011-08-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry. We are having issues with loading videos. Blogger is giving us a hard time. We will be back as soon as we can get the problems worked out. Please be patient. Until then please check out the videos from our last talent show. Just click on Music on the side bar. Enjoy and we will be back soon.

You Are Invited

2011-08-26T00:21:00.001-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you are cordially invited to this years Salt And Light Academy Talent Show. The kids have been working real hard all summer and they can't wait to share their talents with you.

WHEN: Saturday, August 27, 2011
WHERE: right here, where else would it be?
TIME: All day long
Featuring the very talented Little Man, Little Mama, Baby Girl and Baby Boy. With a special appearance from Ms N.(the dog).

Don't miss out on all the fun, see you there.

A New Homeschooling Year Begins 2011-2012

2011-08-10T23:02:00.001-04:00

Wow, I cannot believe it is that time already. The summer just seemed to fly by. Our new school year started this past Monday August 1st. The kids could not be more pleased. They kept pushing me to start the schooling again. They have all these ideas of what they want to learn this new school year. Little Man wants to learn to type, Little mama cannot wait to start learning cursive and Baby Girl was starting to miss doing math with me at the computer. My kids are something else. I had to give them a "start date" so that they would back off a little. So this was it. They love being back on a routine, but, I really needed the break.

Life with 4 kiddos and a dog is very busy and it's about to get a lot busier real soon. We have a lot of things plan for this school year. I can't wait to share all of it with you guys. But until then here are some pick from our 1st week of school.

Eleven Years

2011-08-06T00:02:00.001-04:00

This Past Friday My Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. I can't believe that it's only been 11 years. I can't remember what life was like before him.
I Love this man so much that it hurts sometimes. I thank God for him every single day. He is the best Papa and Husband in the world. I am so proud to be his bride.

A Look Back 2010 - 2011 (Part 3)

2011-06-10T22:01:00.000-04:00

This is a summery of what we did this past school year for reading, spelling and handwriting.

Little Man (4th grade)
Cursive Success (Handwriting Without Tears)
Spelling Connection 3rd grade Unit 1-36 and 4th grade Unit 1-16

Little Mama (3rd grade)
Progressive Phonics Intermediate Phonics Books 1-14
Printing Power (Handwriting Without Tears)
Spelling Connection 2nd grade Unit 1-36 and 3rd grade Unit 1-18

Baby Girl (kindergarten)
School Zone K-1 Reading Readiness (from Walmart)
Sight Words Lapbook
My Printing Book (Handwriting Without Tears)
Progressive Phonics beginner Phonics books 1-5

So far I've used Progressive Phonics (http://www.progressivephonics.com/) with all the kids.. I love this program and it works very well. We never did any of the worksheets. All we do is read the stories. I read my parts and the kids read theirs. It's that easy. The stories are short and very funny. The older kids enjoy them so much that they beg to sit and listen while Baby girl now reads the same stories that they read when they were younger and just beginners. Not only is this program fun and easy it's also free.

This year we tried something new for spelling. Spelling Connection (http://www.zaner-bloser.com/spellingconnections/practice-pages.html) is a free spelling program complete with printable worksheets. All I did was download and print the workbooks and the kids did the rest. They thought that the worksheet were fun because it was full of crossword puzzles games and codes. They loved working on it and didn't complain at all about how much work it was. At the end of each week I would inter some of their spelling words in to the spelling city website and they would just play games and quiz themselves. I love using websites like spelling city (http://www.spellingcity.com/) to help the kids memorize spelling words the fast, fun and easy way.
We plan on continuing to us all the same free resources for next school year.

For handwriting we have always used Handwriting Without Tears and it is still working for us. The workbooks are fun and very easy for the kids to work on independently. Even Baby Girl is excelling with this handwriting curriculum. The workbooks are reasonably priced and they last the whole school year. ( http://www.hwtears.com/)

We love books. We love all kinds of books from mystery to cookbooks we love them all. There is never a shortage of things to read at our home. This year we used the Sonlight book list as a guide to what books we checked out from the library. I love doing this because we discovered some awesome books that we really would not have discovered if it wasn't for Sonlight. The whole family can't hardly wait to see what amazing treasures there is for us to read next school year.

What about you? What all did you get done this past school year?

A Look Back At 2010-2011 (Part 2)

2011-06-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

This is a summary of what we accomplished this past year for Math.

Little Man (4th grade)
Time Tales Multiplication and Division
Math U See Gamma lessons 21 - 30
Math U See Delta lessons 1 - 18
Division Lapbook

Little Mama (3rd grade)
Time Tales Multiplication
Math U See Beta lessons 11 - 30
Math U See Gamma lessons 1 - 23
Multiplication Lapbook

Baby Girl (kindergarten)
Math U See Alpha lessons 1 - 13
Addition Lapbook
School Zone K-1 Transition Math (from Walmart)

Math U See is still our math curriculum of choice. This year was a real challenging year for math. I've always supplemented the kids math work with real life math, games and lapbooks but this year we had to go even further than that. When it came down to multiplication and division facts my 2 older ones were having a real tough time committing them to memory. We tried all the tricks I could think of, but nothing was working. Little Man was starting to say things like "I don't like math". I was at my wits end when I found what looked like the perfect thing while on You Tube one night. (again I love you tube) It was a program called "Times Tales" I went to their website and ordered it that same night. I was so excited to see what the kids thought about it. Well guess what, It worked. Little Man was able to memorize his multiplication and division facts in just under a week. He only worked on it for about 30 minutes a day. That was all it took. I am so grateful for Times Tales and I highly recommend it to any one whose child needs extra help learning their multiplication and division facts.
Once the kids were able to recall their facts the rest of the math went very smoothly. Math U See is great for explaining math concepts and teaching the kids how to do math and giving a strong math base. However Math U See really sucked for us when it came to fact memorization.
We will continue with Math U See for now, but we are already searching for another Math program for the upper years. ( I'm looking into Teaching Textbooks)

I'll be back later to share about reading, spelling and handwriting.

A Look Back At 2010-2011 Homeschool Year

2011-06-08T22:16:00.000-04:00

Wow It's finally here. We have made it through yet another school year.

Little Man finished up the 4Th grade, Little Mama Completed 3rd grade and Baby Girl successfully wrapped up a very easy year of kindergarten. I am one happy Mama right about now.
Well This is a summery of what we got accomplished this past school year.

BIBLE
As a family, we set out to study the book of Genesis and boy did we love doing that. We started of the school year learning more about the Bible itself ( who were the authors, how many books did it have, and other such facts).
Each child completed a Bible lapbook containing all the things they learned about the Bible.
The kids learned the names of all the books of the Bible (both old and new Testaments) using a rap we found on You Tube (I love You Tube)
They finished their Armor Of God lapbook that they started last summer.
We did an in depth study of the book of Genesis.
We took a closer look at the story of creation and really paid attention to God's example of resting on the seventh day.
We followed Adam and Eve's Family tree all the way through the book of Genesis.
We learned about the languages being split up and God's Promises to Abraham.
We followed Joseph's life and learned a lot about forgiveness.
We started an Old Testament timeline as well as a Bible notebook.
We enjoyed our study so much that we couldn't just stop at Genesis, we are now working our way through the book Exodus and beyond.

SCIENCE AND HISTORY
We learned so much about history and science from the Bible. Our Bible timeline helped us to keep track of the many events and people that we were reading about. So many questions were answered and we all learned a lot.
The older kids completed a study on the solar System along with a lapbook.
We learned about plant reproduction and Gods constant provision.
We did a mini study on grains and the important role they played in Bible Times.
We learned about keeping the Sabbath and have added a lot of new celebrations to our days and months. ( Biblical feast and celebrations)
We got a lot of insights on how people in the old testament lived their everyday lives.
We learned about what roles science and engineering ( simple machines) played in the Old Testament.

We have grown so much this year. The best part is that we did it together as a Family. We used our family Bible, the Answers in Genesis Website, and The Answers Book for Kids volume 1-4. The kids had a blast and we can't wait to see what the next school year will bring.

I'll be back later to share more about what we did all year.

Let's Play Catch Up (Little Man's Edition)

2011-05-01T14:02:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe it, my first born will be 10 years old in less than 2 months. How did this happen? Where did all the time go?

Little Man is growing up so fast. He has become so responsible and dependable. He is so even tempered and mellow, most of the time. He loves to ride his bike, draw, play, build stuff and read. His imagination has no bounds and I love that. He is constantly creating new things, like a ship out of legos or weapons from scraps of junk he finds around the house.

He is my little warrior. Defender of all things good and just. He dreams of one day being an Animal Cop, Pianist, Composer, Builder, Artist and Author. He is such a big boy, yet in so many ways still my little baby. He loves to hangout with his Papa, play computer games and do all kinds of big kid activities

I love this little guy so much.

Let's Play Catch Up (Little Mama's Edition)

2011-04-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

My Daddy always used to tell me that little girls are special, and I can confirm to you that this is very much the truth. My life has changed so much as a result of having my little girls. I desire to be me more girly and soft. I started to notice things that were particularly feminine and ladylike. I'm more comfortable in my role as a women now more than ever. I love having girls.

Little Mama turned 8 years old this past December. She is so special to me. I love watching her grow and blossom into a sweet young women. She was my Velcro baby. Everywhere I went she was always with me, holding on to a piece of my clothing. I can't believe she is 8 already.
She was my surprise pregnancy, I found out that I was pregnant with her only 10 months after giving birth to her big brother. I didn't expect that, I didn't even think you could get pregnant so soon while still nursing a little one . I didn't think I could handle 2 babies at once, but there she was. She came into the world, into my heart and nothing has been the same ever since.

She is such the Little Mama. I can count on her to be my helper no matter what I'm doing. She loves to cook and knit and do just about anything else I'm doing. She never gets too tired of helping out. She is a strong girl, very grounded in her ideas and full of life. She is so much like me that it scares me sometimes.

Her smile says it all. She is very special. She greets each day with such excitement and joy. She laughs at herself and can make me smile on contact. She is gentle and loving and oh so kind and soft. I know one day she will be the best mommy to some very lucky babies and I just hope I can be there to see it.

Little girls are indeed very special and I am so grateful to be the mommy of not 1 but 2 lovely little girls.

Let's Play Catch Up ( Baby Girl's Edition)

2011-04-18T22:51:00.001-04:00

Baby Girl is finally 5 years old now. She is growing up so fast. She is so proud to be 5 years old and is already planing for her next birthday. She has already lost 2 baby teeth and has about 3 more waiting to come out. She loves to swing up high and ride her bike. Now that she is 5 years old she can go bike riding for longer distances just like the bigger kids. We love this little girl so much. She is so loving and caring. She's always ready and willing to help out no matter what the job is. She is always singing and dancing around. She is such a sweetheart and I can almost envision what a wonderful young woman she will become some day.

Baby Girl is no baby anymore. She is definitely a very responsible big girl. She is funny and warm hearted. She is bossy and assertive. She is such a strong and wonderful child. She has a way of touching the hearts of everyone she meets. People just fall in love with her.

I am so blessed to be her mommy.

Let's play Catch up (Baby Boy's Edition)

2011-04-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

Baby boy is now a running, jumping, climbing, talking and busy little boy. He is currently about 18 months old, has 8 teeth with at least 5 more threatening to pop out at any minute now. He loves to play hard and rough. He is such a joy to watch. He is so smart he blows my mind everyday. He loves to garden and help me cook. He loves to sing and dance. He can be very bossy and pushy at times but he is starting to learn what gentleness is. He is so loving and affectionate and adorable, We can't get enough of him. His favorite things to do now are all the big kid activities such as riding his tricycle, swinging on the big swing and going up and down the slide all by himself.

He is such the charmer. At 22 pounds he is finally getting too big for the girls to carry him around all the time, but they still try. They are always hugging and kissing him. He is as much their baby as he is Papa's and mine.

We are sooo proud to have this little guy in our life.

Let's Play Catch Up (Mama and Papa Edition)

2011-04-10T23:30:00.001-04:00

Wow, How time flies when you are having fun. I have not posted anything in a long time. The Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles are threatening to riot so I must get back on the ball. Lets start with some cute pictures and updates. The Kids are all doing well. They are just amazing. I can't even begin to explain what fun and pure joy it is to be their mommy. Here they are lined up like little stair-cases. I love this picture. It really shows how much they have all grown these past months. More of these kinds of adorable pictures to come, I promise.

Here We Grow Again

2011-02-13T08:10:00.004-05:00

I know it's been a long time since I last posted. A lot has been going on around here. But the most exciting thing is that we are no longer a family of 6, we are now a family of 7. Yes, that's right we welcomed our newest member last week. She is so cute and funny. We didn't plan on her coming so early but she's here and we can't imagine life without her .

She is so little. The kids are in puppy heaven and my house is quickly becoming a puppy's playground.
The cuteness is almost to much at times. I just had to share her with you guys.

How We Spent Our Christmas Break

2010-12-31T00:23:00.002-05:00

Things have been really quite around here lately. We are all doing great. We have been enjoying the cold weather and taking some time out to catch up on some fun family times. Hope that all of you guys are doing well too.

And From our Family to Yours

HAPPY NEW YEAR

A Few Of My Favorite Things (Baby Girl's edition)

2010-11-23T23:43:00.000-05:00

Hello, I'm Baby Girl, and it's my turn to tell you about some of my favorite things.
One of my favorite things is Willow Smith's You tube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKLymvwD2U&ob=av2e . I like to sing it and whip my hair along with Willow.

Next thing that I love to do is singing and dancing. I am a really good singer and dancer. My favorite song to sing right now is Our God. Here is a short video of me singing my favorite song. I hope you like it.

The last thing I will like to share is my Garden. I love to go outside and help Mama with the garden. I like to weed and water and pull carrots out to eat. My favorite veggies to grow are carrots, sweet peas and pickles. My Daddy planted me a whole bed of carrots this year. I will take good care of them so that they can grow big and yummy.

Thank you for reading about my favorite things. Please share with me what some of your favorite things are.

I'm done for now,

Baby Girl

A Few Of My Favorite Things (Little Mama's edition)

2010-11-22T00:11:00.000-05:00

Well hello everybody, I'm Little Mama and I'm here to share with you some of my favorite things.

The first thing I want to share is my favorite You Tube video, Dad life www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2_9H0jzXRM&feature=related I love the music and the funny dads dancing. My dad likes it too, He even sings along sometimes. I hope you check it out, I know you'll like it.

Another one of my favorite things is swinging on the swings. I like to go real fast and high. I can go higher than all my siblings. I go so high sometimes I can see the top of all the houses. It is so much fun.

Finally, I would like to tell you about my all time favorite thing to do. I love cooking. I love to help chop, mix, stir and anything else my mom needs me to do. I know how to stay safe and not get burn. I love to taste and help my mom add more seasonings. I even like washing the dishes for her after we are all done. My favorite thing to cook is Shepherd Pie and baking bread.

Thank you for reading my post about my favorite things. Please leave a comment telling me about some of your favorite things. I would love to read about it.

bye,

Little Mama

Is It Really Just Hair?

2010-11-17T20:40:00.003-05:00

Mommy, will I have straight hair like you when I grow up? That is the question that Little Mama asked me one day as she watch me brush my hair. What was I suppose to tell her?
I started off by explaining to her that my hair is only straight because of a relaxer and of course she wanted to know what a relaxer was and when she would be able to get a relaxer put in her hair? I never really thought about ever putting a relaxer in my girls hair. I wanted them to never want something like that. I wanted them to love their hair the way it was, natural and curly. But that was not what my girls wanted. They wanted hair that was long and straight and easy to comb just like their mama.

That was last May 2010. After hearing Little Mama's thoughts on what beautiful hair was, I felt very conflicted and started to really think about why I continued to get my hair relaxed and what my true feelings were about beauty. Being the research junkie that I am I started looking for information on natural hair and how to grow and take care of it. I wanted to know if it was really possible to have long, healthy natural hair. I read books like this www.amazon.com/Its-All-Good-Hair-Childrens/dp/0060934875 . I watched Chris Rock's Movie Good Hair and went on web sites like http://www.curlynikki.com/ , mochamom-cherishmydaughter.blogspot.com , bglhonline.com and thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com . I searched You Tube and learned as much as

I could about growing, styling and caring for our type of kinky, curly and coily hair.
By July 2010 I was ready for the challenge. I didn't want to cut all my hair off and start from scratch so I decided to transition slowly instead. That means, that I will be growing my hair out and trimming off the relaxed ends little by little as my natural hair begins to grow. This process will probably take any where between 1- 3 years. So far I'm loving it. I haven't had my hair relaxed since May 2010. It's been 6 months.
My girls are so excited and happy for me. We all have learned a lot this past 6 months and we are all learning to love our hair and appreciate it's beauty. I can't believe that it's taken me almost 20 years to do this.

Well that's all for now, until later bye.

A Few Of My Favorite Things (Little Man's edition)

2010-11-10T15:28:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone this is Little Man here to share with you some of my favorite thing.
To start with I am loving the Magic School Bus books and videos. If you have never heard of this series be sure to check them out over at
www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus and on qubo T.V. network.

Next up is one of my favorite You Tube videos www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4 . I love the way this guy did this video. My dad says the song is all about the different movies that John Williams made, but the only thing I know about John Williams is that he help create the Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Star Wars characters. I've tried to keep up with the video but it is too hard.

Lastly I would like to tell you about my favorite Magazine. It is called Lego Club. My mom ordered it on line for me from www.legoclub.com. It was free. It comes every 2 months and is full of fun things to read and do.

Thank you for reading about some of my favorite things lately. I would love to know what some of your favorite things are. Please leave a comment and tell me all about it. My mom will help me check it out.
That's all for now,
Little Man

Random Thoughts

2010-11-07T11:16:00.001-05:00

I love this weather, Last night it was finally cold enough to use the thick covers......

It's been so amazingly busy around here lately. I wish there was more hours in the day.......

I must get back to a good sleeping pattern. I'm a night owl and can easily be up until 2:oo AM every night of the week.......

Mornings are so slow for me. Most mornings around here start at 10. Maybe if I went to sleep at a decent time then I could wake up earlier and get more done.... What a concept...............

I need to start making Holiday plans, Advent is quickly approaching......................

Baby Boy celebrated his 1st Birthday last month, I still can't believe that we have had him a whole year already. How times fly...........................

We have made a lot of progress in the hair department lately. The girls are no longer afraid of getting their hairs done and we have all been learning a lot about our hairs and how to best care and style it. They now love to get their hair done and are using words live curly, soft, long and moist to describe their hair................

Speaking of hair I have been transitioning from my relaxed hair back to my natural texture for almost 7 months now. It's been been fun for the girls to see and I've had to answer a lot of questions about why I relaxed my hair in the first place instead of wearing it curly and natural. I'm learning a lot about myself................

I love my girls, they can be a handful most of the time but they are so real and unashamed of who they are and how God made them. I love that even though they are so young they are very confident in their own skin ....... I had to learn those lessons for myself a long time ago and I always worried about how I would teach my daughters to love and see themselves as the princesses that God created them to be. I can see now that I didn't have to worry about such things. My confidence in myself has helped them to be confident in themselves...........

Our family is very musical, we love to sing and dance and create music. There is always someone singing and humming in the background or putting on a show. Music helps us feel more alive. One of the songs that everyone is loving right now is Willow Smith's Whip My Hair. It is so fitting for our home. I will share with you now a video of the kiddos rocking out, I hope you get a kick out of it too......

I'm Back

2010-10-29T21:10:00.007-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time. I have been one very busy mom. I will be posting some new things pretty soon. For now how about some pics of cute babies to satisfy the aunties and grandparents.

Fourth Grade

2010-09-09T01:39:00.000-04:00

Our little Man is in the fourth grade now. Wow, how time has fly. Last school year was very challenging and busy for him so I know this year will be an equally busy year.

This is what fourth grade will look like for Little Man:

MATH - We have been using Math U See from the beginning and it works for us. I love the way this program teaches math. Last year Little Man learned all his multiplication facts and started doing multiple digit multiplication in the "Gamma" workbook. This year our goal is for him to finish up Gamma and begin learning about division and working through the "Delta" workbook. He is well on his way towards finishing up with the "Gamma" workbook with only 6 more lessons to go. http://www.mathusee.com/ We supplement his math worksheets with lot of hands on math experiences as well as fun multiplication games from http://www.fun4thebrain.com/

SPELLING - This is a very new subject for us. We are taking things very slowly and using http://www.spellingcity.com/ . Little Man loves playing the games. He has been cruising through the AVKO list of words.

HANDWRITING - Learning Cursive has been such a wonderful experience for Little Man. He has great penmanship. This school year he will be working his way through the "Cursive Success" book from http://www.hwtears.com/ He also has been working on keeping a journal/notebook. He loves to write and draw. Lately he has been creating what he says will be a short story. I love watching him as he works quietly on his short story. I just know that it will be great and I can't wait to read it.

MUSIC - Little Man has been playing the piano for almost 2 years now. In that time he has managed to work his way through 6 instruction books. His Piano teacher is very impressed with him and so are we. This summer he composed his first 2 pieces of music. We are working on posting them up real soon. Not only is he very talented and wonderful at playing the piano, he really loves it and wants to continue playing. What more can I ask for?

Hair Love

2010-09-08T04:43:00.001-04:00

My girls love everything that has to do with hair. Except pulling and brushing. They love looking at website searching for their next hairdo. They love to go shopping for hair accessories and products. They've been asking me for some time now if I would blog about their hair so here it is.

This according to them is their current favorite style. Little Mama call it "Half Twist"

Third Grade

2010-08-23T00:55:00.001-04:00

Our Little Mama has started the 3rd grade. I can't believe how much she has grown up this past year. This school year will be a very busy time for her. She is at that middle ground between lower elementary and upper elementary.

This is what 3rd grade will look like for Little Mama :

Reading - Last year was a really big year for Little mama when it comes to reading. Her confidence level shot up and so did her ability to decode words. She is now reading so well, she shocked us all with how fast she progressed. This school year she will be working her way through progressive phonics "intermediate" books 8-15. She wants to start on the "advanced" books before the end of the school year, but, we'll have to wait and see how things go first. http://www.progressivephonics.com/
She is constantly reading. Her new favorite book to read is her brother's "Adventure Bible".

Handwriting - Little Mama loves to write. This year she has been writing a story that she made up about a young girl named Sarah and all the adventures that she experiences. I love watching her creativity come alive through writing. She will be working on "Printing Power" from Handwriting Without Tears. http://www.hwtears.com/ . She will also be doing copy work from the Bible.

Spelling - This is a new subject for us this year. Little mama will be working on Dolce Sight words on spelling City. http://www.spellingcity.com/

Math - Math U See is still our Math program of choice. Little Mama is doing great with it. This year she will be working towards finishing up "beta" and hopefully start "Gamma". http://www.mathusee.com/ Math is a little bit of a struggle for her. She is not very confident when it comes to doing her math work. That is quickly starting to change thanks to http://www.fun4thebrain.com/ . There she can work on her math facts while playing fun and challenging games. It is so much fun for her. Playing the math games has helped her learn her math facts without her even realizing it. We could not be happier.

Our Little girl is growing up. I love her willingness to try new things and her ability to laugh at herself. She is so much like me. We have so much fun together. She is such a hard worker, she makes us all really proud.

Kindergarten

2010-08-20T23:52:00.006-04:00

Our Baby Girl has started Kindergarten this year. It is such an exciting time for her. She has been waiting to officially start homeschooling for so long. This is a big step for her.

She is barely 4 1/2 years old but there is nothing that can stop her from schooling like the"big kids" this school year. She wants it all, and I am doing my best to comply to her demands but seriously, she's 4.

Baby Girl will join the "big kids" for subjects such as Bible, History and Science. I will be doing my best to include age appropriate materials for her to work on when things get a little too complicated. Other than that she will do what ever it is that she feels like being a part of (after all she's only 4).

As for the other subjects, this is what "kindergarten" will look like for Baby Girl this homeschool year:

Reading - Since Baby girl already knows her Letters, their sounds and how to blend letters and sounds together, we will just continue on this path. She will be working towards completing books 1-5 in the progressive phonics reading program. http://www.progressivephonics.com/ She will also work her way through a K-1 workbook from Walmart.

Handwriting - Last year Baby Girl completed the kindergarten handwriting book from Handwriting without tears and she did a great job on it too. She has excellent hand control and it shows in her penmanship. This year she will be working her way through their 1st grade "My Printing" book. http://www.hwtears.com/

Math - Despite the fact that Baby Girl can count to 100 and knows all her colors, shapes and can even add simple numbers, I am NOT ready to start her on "Math U See" yet. Much to her disappointment I've decided to have her work her way through several math workbooks from Walmart instead. She is not very happy with my choice, but it will keep her busy til after the holidays, when I will reevaluate the situation and consider weather to start her on Math U See "alpha". http://www.mathusee.com/

We also are going to be starting up again with our Music classes next month and Baby girl will be joining the "big kids" for Dance classes which are also starting up again this September. As you can see she will be very busy this school year. We are very proud of her strong work ethics and determination. I just wish she would slow down a little. She is growing up way too fast for me. She is still my Baby girl, even though she is in kindergarten now.

A New Homeschool Year 2010-2011

2010-08-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

A new school year has begun and we have been pretty busy around here. This school year will be our 5th year of homeschooling. We now have a 4th and 3rd grader and a kindergartner.

Over the next couple of days I will be sharing with you some of the things that we have planned for this school year as well as what each kid will be doing. For now let's start with what we always start with and that is the Bible.

BIBLE
As a family we will be working our way through the bible starting at Genesis. We will be paying close attention to the time line as well as as the important people that we meet along the way. By the end of the school year we should have a pretty detailed timeline of the old testament and a list of "who's who in the bible". We plan on keeping track of everything in our "Bible notebook". Along the way we hope to pick up a little of the Hebrew language starting with the Hebrew aleph bet and some old testament names and phrases. The bible will also serve as our jumping board for both history and science.

Look Who's Walking

2010-08-03T00:30:00.002-04:00

Baby Boy is on the move. Watch out world, here he comes.

My BIg Guys

2010-07-11T00:46:00.001-04:00

My two boys are so handsome, I am so blessed to be their mommy.

A Case Of The Uh Oohs

2010-07-09T23:45:00.004-04:00

Baby Boy has become somewhat of a parrot now a days. He loves to repeat what everyone is saying. His favorite one is uh-ooh.

Another School Year Completed

2010-07-02T23:45:00.003-04:00

Our homeschool year ended in May and we have been on "break " ever since. To celebrated the end of another school year we had a "Promotion Ceremony". Each Family presented their kids with certificates. Here are some pictures of our kids with there Certificates of Completion.

Little Man Turns 9

2010-06-30T06:18:00.001-04:00

Earlier this month we celebrated Little Man's birthday. I can't believe that he is already 9 years old. I feel so old.

For his birthday we met up with some friends at the park to ride bikes. The kids had a ball.

Little Man is growing up right before our eyes. Each day we get a glimpse of the man that he will one day be. He is the child that made me a mom and I can't tell you How blessed I 've been because of him.

Little man we love you so much, Happy Birthday baby.

Good Clean Fun

2010-06-29T18:07:00.001-04:00

It's been pretty hot around here lately and finding things to do outdoors with all the kids is getting harder and harder.

One thing I know all the kids enjoy doing is playing at The Sprinkler Park. Even Baby Boy likes to join in on all the fun.
How about you, what do you do for fun during these long hot days of summer?

8 Months Old

2010-06-27T23:39:00.001-04:00

Baby Boy is 8 months old already. Where has the time gone? A lot of things has changed since are last set of updates.

For starters Baby Boy is in constant motion. He started at 7 months old doing the army crawl and then progressed on to what we like to call the spider crawl.

After perfecting his spider crawl he quickly moved on to pulling himself up and using whatever he can get his hands on to help him cruise around the house.
He is now a pro at crawling and getting around. He even manages to crawl using one leg just like the other kiddos did when they were younger. He is definitely one of us.

Beside being in constant motion he has also started talking up a storm. Now a days he says words like more, hi, bye, auttie (aunty), no, momma and papa. He is always trying to repeat what ever he hears us saying.

He still loves to play games and sing songs, his new favorite song is "The wheels on the bus"

We are still enjoying our breastfeeding relationship and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He loves to give kisses and hang out with his siblings.

I will try to catch him on video doing his thing later. Until then I will do my best to try and post more often.

We Are Still Here

2010-06-27T11:27:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a long time but we are still here. Everyone is doing great and I do plan on giving updates really soon. Until then check out these cute pics of the kiddos at play.

Fish For Dinner

2010-04-24T00:20:00.000-04:00

This is the video we took of the fishes moving in our kitchen sink. The kids really liked playing around with them. In the end we ate them for dinner the next day. They were delicious.

What A Mighty Good Man

2010-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

A few nights ago our neighbor went fishing and shared his catch with us. The fishes were so fresh they were still moving. I am so grateful for the fresh fish but I was just too tired to clean and prep fish. That is where my sweet hubby comes in. He not only cleaned the fishes for me but he also seasoned and prep them to be cooked the next day.

I love my man so very, very much. He is a mighty, mighty good man and I thank God for him everyday.

As Promised, Here They Are

2010-04-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

This first one is of Little Mama's group. She is on the far right of the stage.

This next video is of Little Man's group. He starts them off with a little sign language and then joins them later on for the group finale.

I hoped you enjoyed watching our little one's perform as much as we have. They had so much fun and worked so hard to learn their parts.

6 Months Old

2010-04-14T10:47:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe that 6 months has already past since our precious baby boy was born. Our lives have changed so much since then. Where has the time gone?

Baby Boy is such a charmer. He knows how to get his way with everyone in this house. The girls cannot get enough of him. They love and kiss on him all day. They are constantly telling him how much they love him and how they waited so long for him. Little Man is really enjoying his baby brother. He loves to do things for him. He is so good at carrying the baby and is our go to guy when I need someone to go and get the baby and bring him to me. (He is going to be a great dad some day)

As for Baby Boy what can I say, he is growing up right before our eyes. At 6 months old he

babbles all the time even occasionally saying words like maaa and dadadada
constantly chewing at his fingers and toes.
able to reach for objects and hold on to and chew on them, he is also transferring objects between hands
opens mouth wide for food and enjoys eating and trying new foods
Can play a good game of peek a boo and hide and seek
Can drink from a straw
bears weight on legs and enjoys bouncing very much
loves his jumperoo
enjoys splashing water during bath times
Still nurses all the time and will let me know when it is that time by pulling on my clothes and saying Maaaaaa
Loves to be tickled by Papa
Can sit almost without support, hold a bottle and drink from a cup with help.
Knows his name

I almost can't believe that it's been 6 months. He is growing up so fast, pretty soon he will be crawling. I am sooooo blessed to be his mommy.

Happy half year birthday Baby Boy, we are so glad you are ours.

What We've Been Up To

2010-04-12T11:34:00.001-04:00

We have been really busy around these parts lately. With Piano lessons, music classes, dance classes, homeschooling, karate, a new baby and life, I have not had much time left to blog at all. I miss blogging very much and I hope to get back into it again.

Everyone is doing well. Papa has been working really hard as always providing for our little family. The kids are all trucking along with their school work and growing like weeds before my very eyes. My Mom is doing well and should be coming back to the States later this week.
As for me, I am doing my best at trying to stay sane. I've registered and began taking some fun classes at the local community school twice a week. I am taking belly dancing and Pilate/aerobics. I love being able to take time off during the week and going out of the house, to do something fun that is just for me. I have found that a little bit of exercise works wonders for my attitude as well as my sanity.

A few weeks ago the older kids performed for Palm Sunday. I really enjoy watching my kids perform. This was not Little Mama's 1st time performing a dance on stage but it was Little Man's 1st time. They both did very well and I could not be prouder. I will try to post the video later on but for now check out how cute they look.

PEEK A BOO

2010-03-16T00:35:00.003-04:00

Baby Boy is 5 months old now and he is so much fun to play with. He is growing up so fast. His latest favorite thing to do beside nursing is playing peek a boo. He is really good at it too.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Roll Over Baby

2010-02-27T00:14:00.003-05:00

WHY I'M M.I.A.

2010-02-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

She's O.K.

2010-01-19T13:23:00.002-05:00

My mom was finally able to call me last night. We only spoke for 2 minutes but she sounded very good. Her home was damaged but everyone made it out . The whole family including my 1 year old nephew is sleeping outside in the yard because they are too scared to go back in the house for sleep. They have some food for now but they don't expect it to last much longer. They have yet to see any rescue/aid helpers arrive to their area.
Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. They need so much right now, Please pray.

Happy New Year

2010-01-13T08:24:00.003-05:00

It's 2010. We are doing well and I hope you guys are well too. The babies are all doing fine and everything is same old same old.

Baby boy is growing so fast. I can't believe he is already 3 months old.

He has such a lively personality. He is not shy at all and boy is he charming.

On a more serious note, our family desperately needs your prayers for the people of Haiti. I have lots of family still on the island including my mom. I have not heard from her yet and I am trying very hard not to worry. So many are dead/hurt and there is still so much we do not know. My heart is so heavy. Please pray, pray, pray...

Flash Backs

2009-12-08T23:30:00.001-05:00

Having a new baby in the house again has really been a thrill. We are all enjoying these days with Baby boy. Time goes by so quickly... one minute they are sweet smelling, sleeping angels in your arms and the next thing you know they are about to turn 7 years old in a couple of weeks and want your help planning their big birthday party.
I've been a little emotional lately, not sad but very content and even a little unworthy of all that God has blessed me with.
My babies are growing up so fast........
To help me feel better and to reminisce about those good ole days I will be posting some pics and video of the kids when they were younger. I hope you enjoy watching these as much as I do.
P.S. It's OK if you find yourself getting a little emotional too, Everyone needs a good laugh sometimes.

baby girl when she was truly the baby

little man, I love seeing this kid smile

Lil Mama, so cute Lil Man, so handsome

I'll be back to post some more later, Gotta go, baby boy is waking up.....

TWO WEEKS

2009-10-27T13:08:00.004-04:00

Two weeks ago our family grew from 5 to 6. We didn't know it yet but our newest member was being born only a couple hundred miles away. Three days later we would get the call and make the drive out to meet him.

After years of praying and months of waiting. God has giving us an answer. Our family will never be the same.

Baby boy is such a good baby. It is really hard to remember what life was like before him. He is so loved. His siblings all adore him. The girls especially loves to help care for him. He fits right in.

I can't believe that he is already 2 weeks old. He is getting bigger every day. He doesn't cry much and he loves to nurse.

I love to smell him and watch him sleep. I take great pleasure nursing him to sleep and wearing him around.

I wish time could just freeze.......

He Is Here

2009-10-18T19:07:00.003-04:00

Our baby boy was born last Tuesday Oct 13.
He weigh 5 ibs 6 oz

I'll be back soon to tell you all about him, but i can't type really well with one hand.

Bye

Still Here

2009-10-02T08:50:00.001-04:00

I haven't gone anywhere. I'm still here, just very busy.
Only a couple of weeks left till our Possible Birth Mom's Due date.
Lots to do till then. I'll keep you all updated.
Bye

Making Baby Preparations

2009-09-21T14:39:00.003-04:00

There is something absolutely exciting about preparing for a new baby. There has been a lot of excitement around here this past couple of weeks.
Our baby is due in less then 4 weeks and we are just
getting around to packing our traveling bags. I would like some advise about
what to pack for the baby as well as the rest of us.
Everyone is going along for pick up . all 5 of us, so we have to pack for 3
kids, 2 adults and 1 new born.
So far For the baby I have packed
a hand full of diapers,
some wipes,
2 receiving blankets,
3 burp clothes
1 hooded towel
3 wash cloths
2 pairs of socks
3 hats
2 sleepers
1 going home outfit
5 onsies
2 little pants
nursing pillow
2 slings
car seat and
couple bottles of frozen breast milk
We will only be away from home for 2 days.
Will this be enough for those 2 days
or do I need to pack more?
I am only half way done with packing for everyone else.
It's been a while since we've brought a new born home from the hospital. I'm really not sure if I'm bringing to much or not enough.
What do you think?

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

2009-09-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

As promised, I am back to give you guys a little more info about our journey towards adoption.
I've always been drawn to adoption ever since I adopted my first cabbage patch doll at the age of 13. But, it was after the dramatic birth of my youngest that I really started to think about possibly adopting a child for real.
All of my kids were born via C-section. With any c-section there is a small chance that a women can experience a uterine rupture or a tear on her uterus with her next pregnancy. Well, I am one of those women that experienced that. During my labor with Baby Girl my uterus wall started to tear or seperate. I was rushed to the hospital where they performed an emergency c-section and safely delivered my sweet baby girl. The realization that I came so close to losing my life and possible the life of my baby was so real. Later on, the doctor and my midwife spoke honestly to my hubby and I and explained to us the possible dangers that exist if we were to try to have any more children. We were very sadden by the news but we also knew that God was in control and that If He wanted our family to keep growing, He would make a way.
Fast forward to the summer of last year. I started talking with Papa about how sad I was feeling that we would not be able to have another baby. I shared with him this desire that I feel to have another little one. We started to talk more and more about it and how to best go about it. It was around that time that our pastor began to share with the church his heart for orphans and foster care. We also had some real good friends of ours that just finished their paperwork to become "foster to adopt" parents. We decided to look further into foster care and see if it would work out for our family.
January 2009 came and we were still trying to work out the details to get things rolling to become foster parents. We spoke to many different agencies and they all were telling us that they didn't think that fostering would be a good match for our family. We were starting to feel very discouraged. We then decided to forget about it all and focus on something else.
Spring arrived and with it came a new outlook on things. Papa and I decided to look into domestic, private adoption and felt lead to a very special local agency. We contacted the agency and began the process of filling out paper work which lasted a little over 3 months.
Now we are done with all the paper work, home visits and have been matched.
We don't really know how things will play out next, all we do know is that God has a plan for us and it's all good.
So That's whats been going on around here all summer. What do you think? Did you see this coming, or was it a surprise to you too?

I HAVE BIG NEWS

2009-09-08T17:51:00.002-04:00

I know that I have been hinting at this all summer. I've been waiting for just the right moment.
This news is so big that I can no longer hide it any more.
Our family has been really busy this year. There is so much to do around here that the work just never seems to end. You would think that we would be too busy to even think of this but, God has a way of putting things into your heart that even the most busiest of schedules cannot ignore.

Have you guessed it, Do you know what it is?
WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!
Yup it's true we are expecting baby #4 sometime next month.
What, you didn't know that I was pregnant? I don't look pregos to you?
well relax you didn't miss anything, I'm not pregnant, WE ARE ADOPTING.
Don't worry, I know it's a bit of a shock. How about I just let it sink in for a while.
I'll be back later to explain more.

B.F.Fs

2009-09-03T10:31:00.003-04:00

My kids love to write. this summer they started writing letters to some very special friend of ours that we don't get to see very often. It's been a great experience for us. I remember doing the same things when I was young. Those were the days when everyone seemed to have a special "pen pal".

We really miss you guys and can't wait to see you all again. Keep those letters coming and give your mom a special hug from me.

My Two Girls

2009-08-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

I enjoy being the mom of girls. There is just something very precious and special about having little girls.

Our girls are so "girlie" They love to sing and dance and play dress up.

Little Mama especially likes to dress up in her ballerina clothes.

And Baby Girl is really good at twirling in circles.

They are so precious

My little princesses.

May they always be this sweet and adorable.

A Day In The Park

2009-08-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

We spend a lot of time outdoors. The kids love to go to different parks and playgrounds.

They like to explore new play structors.

I really enjoy being able to spend so much time with them doing fun things.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

2009-08-25T11:15:00.004-04:00

As you all know I've been gone from blog land all summer. I bet some of you have been wondering what we were up to? Well let me tell you about all the fun things that went on around here.
First, the kids all took swim lessons this summer. They had a very cool and patient swim teacher, Ms. D. She was able to teach them all kinds of cool things in the water. The kids loved her and hated to see the classes end. We miss her so much and we can't wait for next summer when we will have more swim classes with our wonderful Ms. D.

Little Man Swimming to the wall

Little Mama learning to float on her back

Little Man really loved his time in the water

Baby girl learning to turn and float on her back.

Little man practicing proper dive techniques

Baby Girl swimming to Ms. D

Baby Girl showing off her strong kicks

We spent a lot of time in the pool this summer. It seems like if we weren't in the pool we were either at the beach playing in the sand or at the park having a blast.

I love it that we get to spend so much time together. I love watching them learn new things and explore.

How about you?

What Have you all been up to all summer?

I'M BACK......

2009-08-19T15:38:00.002-04:00

I know, It's been so long. I can explain and I will.......
Give me another chance. I promise to be a better blogger.
What do you say, Let's start all over again.
Thank you

OFF WITH HER HAIR

2009-06-04T16:35:00.005-04:00

There has been a lot of changes happening around here lately.
First of let me tell you that I've been wanting to get my hair cut for a really long time. (last time I got a haircut was after baby girl was born)
Well last Friday a good friend of mine came over and treated me to a hair cut. So without further Ado this is how it all went down.

This is the before shot. (can you see how badly damaged my ends were)

The before side shot. (I know it looks long but it is not all health hair)

Let the cutting begin

So far so good.

Shampoo, condition and set in rollers. After one hour under the dryer we were almost done.

This is the after shot. (I know it looks a little short)

Feels so lite and healthy.

Look at those ends

Yep, I needed this.

So what do you think? Do you like my new hair cut? When was the last time you got your hair cut?

I Miss My Mom

2009-05-27T15:45:00.003-04:00

My mom has been away for almost a month and I am really starting to miss her. She will be back in the states later this summer but it is just not the same.

The kids and I love her so much. They really enjoyed having her around and being able to see her and love up on her as often as they wished.

It is so strange to think that at one point I doubted this woman's love for me and weather or not we would ever have a normal mother daughter relationship. The Lord is so good, I am witnessing his faithfulness as he restores the years that the locust has eaten.

My mother and I are building a mother daughter relationship. Ours might not look like the norm but it is what it is. A child getting to know her mom and a mom doing her best to be the mom that her daughter needs her to be. It's not always perfect but it is growing and I am so grateful for the chance to do it again.

I miss you Mom and I can't wait to see you and hold you again come this August.

2009-05-10T10:21:00.002-04:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!

To all the mamas, soon to be mamas, and mamas in heart, Happy Mother's Day.
Enjoy your day, I know I am enjoying mine.

Garden Update Part 3

2009-05-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here we go again. It took me a week but we are at the end of our Garden tour for now. This time let us start with the next 4x4 bed. This bed was all planted in late January from seeds.

We have growing in this bed beets both Detroit Red and the long cylinder kind.
We also have 3 different kinds of carrots

and lots of colorful mixed lettuce

Moving on to the side of the house we have some experimental potatoes growing.

Here is a close up of those potato plants. They are getting ready to start flowering soon.

We have a bunch of pots and containers laying around ready to be used this fall. In this set of car tires we are growing my girls favorite little treat, ENGLISH PEAS. The girls love to eat these fresh, they are so sweet.

Here is a close up of our peas.

We also have super sugar snap peas growing out of a container.

Here is a close up of the sugar snap peas. I love, love, love these peas.

some other things we have growing out of containers are mixed lettuce

and different kinds of herbs.

This is dill getting ready to go to seed

this is green onions going to seeds

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed this tour of our garden. Now you are next. What's growing in your yard?

Garden Update Part 2

2009-04-24T09:39:00.001-04:00

Over in this corner is my beloved Mayer Lemon tree. My hubby got me this tree for valentine's Day. It already has lots of little lemons on it.

Can you see all the little lemons?

This one is the biggest.

This is the next raised bed in our Garden. It measures 4x4. Right now we have growing in this bed some cherry, orange banana and marglobe tomatoes. We planted these tomatoes last September from seeds and they haven't stop producing since then.

These are the cherry tomatoes

These are white wonders

We love being able to grow enough tomatoes to eat fresh, share, and to can.

Garden Update Part 1

2009-04-23T14:03:00.007-04:00

Let's start with this Beautiful rose. This is a flower from 1 of 5 outstanding roses growing in pots in our yard.

This is 1 of our raised beds. It measures 4x8 and is so far our biggest bed. (I'm hoping that Papa will build me 2 more beds this size for my birthday this summer.)

In that raised bed we have a lot growing, but let's start with the Garlic. These garlic plants were started from bulbs that my mom brought from Haiti . They have been in the ground since Feb. 4th and are doing great. I don't know if they will actually produce any garlic bulbs but I can't wait to find out.

Next to the garlics we have onions. Theses onions were started from sets that I purchased from Walmart and have been in the ground since Jan. 31st.

Next to the onions we are growing 2 varieties of beets . The beets were started from seeds on Jan.15 and transplanted a month later to their current spacings. This variety is Detroit Dark Red, Medium Top.

This variety is called Cylindra.

In this bed we are also growing Georgia Collards . They were started from seeds on Jan.15 and very yummy. We have 11 collard plants so far.

The next raised bed we have measures 4x4 and used to be our carrot bed. We grew and ate over 65 carrots this past winter.

Right now this bed is home to 3 varieties of potatoes. This is our 1st time getting potatoes to sprout for us. The potatoes were store bought fingerling, red and blue varieties. I can't wait to see if these produce anything.

In that same bed we have some bunching onions.

And lots of parsley

Well, that's it for Part one I will be back with part 2 real soon.

How's your garden going so far?

I'M BACK....

2009-04-21T13:23:00.002-04:00

I know that you all have been wondering where I've been all month. Well, what can I say. I've been busy, very busy.
Everything around here is going well. We are all healthy, (Thank you Lord).
The kids have been working hard on wrapping up the school year. We are almost done. Me on the other hand. I have been very busy catching up on house chores, babysitting other people's kids and playing in the garden.
Right now I am gathering some pictures together so I can share with all of you all the progress in the garden.
I promise to be back later with lots of pictures.
How is everyone doing?

I'm still here

2009-03-27T12:15:00.001-04:00

I'm still here, we are just so busy with life that I haven't had the time to be on the computer.
I hope to be back in the swing of things soon

Thank You For Coming

2009-03-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank everyone for coming to the very first SALT AND LIGHT ACADEMY piano concert. We loved sharing this time with you and we hope that you enjoyed listening and watching our little musicians perform. They enjoyed being able to share their music with all of you.
As you begin to gather up your belongings we would love to send you off with one very last song played by none other than our little 6 year old wonder, Little Mama.

Once again we would like to say a very big THANK YOU for all of you for stopping by. Please join us again sometime. We love you all.

Popcorn Anyone?

2009-03-07T13:35:00.002-05:00

Last but not least we would like to introduce you all to the one and only Little Man. Little man will be playing a piano solo by Claudette Hudelson titled Microwave Popcorn.

One More Time

2009-03-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Guys, let us once again welcome on stage the one and only Little Mama.

This time she will be performing a piece titled The Old Cotton Picker. So, sit back and enjoy the very soulful sounds of Little Mama on the piano doing what she knows best.

And Now I Present......

2009-03-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

At this time we would like to present the wonderful and very adorable Little Mama herself playing for the very first time a piece entitled BUGLES!.

Enjoy

Ladies and Gentlemen

2009-03-07T10:39:00.001-05:00

You are in for a treat. I would like to introduce you to the youngest child at Salt And Light Academy, Baby Girl.

Baby Girl is brand new on the piano. So far she only knows a couple of notes. But, don't let that fool you. Today she is here to play us her very first piece entitled THE TRAIN.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I GIVE YOU BABY GIRL.

Musical Prelude

2009-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome everyone to the very first SALT AND LIGHT ACADEMY PIANO CONCERT.
We are so glad to see you. Today is a very special day. We are so blessed to have with us three very special and talented young musicians. These musicians have all agreed to grace us with their musical tributes today and only today. This is a one day event. Never before has all three musicians played on the same stage. Folks this is a special occasion indeed. So as you take your seats we will start to warm up.

You Are Invited

2009-03-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

Your are cordially invited to the very first SALT AND LIGHT ACADEMY piano concert.
Place: Tomorrow March 7, 2009
Time: All Day Long
Featuring : The works of three very famous and talented stars, Little Man, Little Mama and Baby Girl

Don't miss all the fun. See you at the CONCERT

Mirror, This One Is For You

2009-03-04T17:26:00.004-05:00

MUSIC ON THE BRAIN
My kids are really into music. All of them started learning to play the piano about three months ago. They really love it and Little Man couldn't wait to play a song for you guys.

I am such a proud Mama. My babies are natural learner. I just love watching them grow and learn and do stuff that they really enjoy.

MIRROR this one is especially for you (Ann he's been wanting me to post this for her since you told us that your kids were also learning the piano)

Home-Made Star Fruit Jam

2009-02-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

One of my neighbors has a Star Fruit tree in her yard that produces the most sweet smelling fruits. She gifted us with two bags full of Star Fruits last month. Being the crazy person that I am I knew exactly what to do with them.
Make JAM of course.
Here is how I make Star Fruit Jam.

Wash your glass canning jars and lids in hot soapy water and prepare them for the canner.
Wash and prepare your fruit

3. Cut up your fruit and remove all seeds

4. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine your chopped starfruit,, lemon juice, pectin and stir until all of the pectin has dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. After 1 minute of boiling add the sugar to the pot all at once. Return to full boil and stir constantly for 4 minutes.

5. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4inch head space. Cover jars with cleaned lids and bands. Place jars in canner and bring to a boil and process for ten minutes.

Store your jars, give them as gifts and enjoy.

Star Fruit jam is so yummy. It looks like orange marmalade, has a citrusy smell and taste unbelievable. We now have jars of star fruit jam stored away to enjoy with some home-made biscuits, bread, on top of yogurt, oatmeal or even as a topping for ice cream.

A Look Ahead (February 2009)

2009-02-01T06:20:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? February is here already. I love the month of February.
January has come and gone and we have been really busy. Our school year is moving right on schedule and we are more than half way done. We've been working really hard on our character studies. Last month we did "Contentment" and we learned all about being happy with what we have. Our memory verse for last month was "1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain". We also are almost done with our shepherd study (Psalm 23). That study is one that we have been struggling to continue, But it now looks like we are making some progress.
This is what we have planned for school this month.

Our Character trait for the month is Tenderhearted
Tenderhearted means being strong enough to feel the joys and hurt of others.
Our memory verse is Ephesians 4:32 "and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you".

Reading- Progressive Phonics and Easy Readers
• Little Man – Book 11, Read out loud daily
• Little Mama – Book 6 as well as reviews of short vowel sounds, read out loud daily
• Baby Girl - review letters and start on blending 2 letters together
We will be reading and acting out Luke 7:11-17

Math - Math U See
• Little Man - Beta Lessons 21-24
• Little Mama - Alpha Work on reviewing addition facts 2 and 9
• Baby Girl – Number Review, color Review, shape Review

Handwriting and Copy work
• Little Man - Copy memory verse as well as daily dictations
• Little Mama - Review Upper and Lower Case Letter
• Create written notes and cards for friends and family as a way to show our love for them.
We will try to wrap up our Shepherd Study notebook

Science And Other Hands-on Activities
• In the kitchen with Mama
• Create cards for this month
• Finish off our Psalm 23 shepherd study
• Enjoy coming up with different ways to show each other some love.

We are starting to feel "the end of the year drag" already. I need to come up with a game plan and fast. The kids are all working very hard and I am so impressed. I've promised them something different this month and I have to deliver. So for now my question to you is How do you make learning fun without dragging around until June?

Can You Say Tomato?

2009-01-16T20:52:00.004-05:00

My garden is doing great. we are up to our ears in wonderful ripe home grown tomatoes every day. There are at least five different kinds of tomatoes growing in the garden so far.
We have two "White Wonder" tomatoes growing in a home made "self watering" container. These tomatoes can grow up to a pound and are very good sliced in a salad, made into salsa or even into a white tomato sauce.I am definately going to be growing them again this spring.

We have another heirloom tomato called "Marglobe". These are round, red and very delicious. Not too big yet not too small either.

Then we have a yellow tomato called "Golden Jubilee". This tomato is round and when ripe is an Orange-yellow color. It is very pretty and so good and mild tasting.

(it's the big one to your left)

(You can see it even better in this picture)

The little tomatoes in the background of the above photos are red cherries. Theses are a house favorite. We currently are growing about 7 plants of these. The kids love it in salads and my Grandma J eats them like candy. Papa likes to munch on them while we work in the garden. He calls them his energy boosters. They are so cute and fun to grow.The other yellow/orange tomato in the photo above is a very pretty and interesting tomato called (Orange Banana Tomato). This tomato is not only very pretty, but when sliced open it even resembles the inside of an orange. (I' ll try to take a picture of it's insides soon)
(The Orange Banana tomatoes are the two bigger ones)
Other than tomatoes, the garden is buzzing with activity. We have been eating and enjoying lots of mixed salad greens, sweet English peas, pigeon peas, and lots of fresh herbs. Soon the cucumbers and carrots will be ready to join in the party.
Do you garden? If so what's growing in your neck of the woods this time of year?

Home-made Yogurt

2009-01-10T06:23:00.000-05:00

We love to eat Yogurt. We can go through at least 3 quarts of yogurt a week.

One of the ways that we have been able to enjoy our Yogurt without going off budget every month is by making our own.

I do not have one of those fancy yogurt making machines but I do have a slow cooker and that is exactly what I use to make our yogurt. There are a lot of different ways to make yogurt. Some people use powdered milk as a thickener and some only use milk and a starter. I like my yogurt with a little hint of sweetness, so I do mine just a little bit different than most.

The ingredients:

Half a gallon of whole milk

1 cup of store bought plain yogurt

1 packet of plain gelatin

1 can of condense milk

Step 1. Pour half a gallon of milk into your slow cooker and turn it on low for 2 hours or until the milk is heated to 190 degrees F. ( I've been known to do this step on the stove top when I am in a hurry. Just heat the milk in a pot until it has reached temperature)

Step 2. Once your milk has reached temperature, turn off your slow cooker and let it sit for 1 and 1/2 hours or until your milk has cooled down to 110 degrees F
Step 3. Once your milk has reached temperature remove about 2 cups of it and to that add your store bought yogurt, your packet of gelatin, and your can of condense milk and mix very well.
Step 4. Pour your yogurt, condense milk, gelatin and warm milk mixture back into the slow cooker. (Unplug the slow cooker) Stir everything together until well mixed.
Step 5. Put the lid back on your slow cooker and cover it up with 2 heavy towels

Step 6. Let it rest covered for 8 hours. After 8 hours uncover your slow cooker and put your yogurt in storage containers of your choice and put them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or until they have cooled down and thickened up even more.
We like to eat our yogurt as is or with home-made granola or topped with home-made jam.

Do you make your own yogurt? Do you do it like we do or is yours a little different? I would love to hear all about it.
Until then I'm off to eat some more yogurt.

Little Mama Is 6 Years Old

2009-01-09T06:09:00.000-05:00

Little Mama celebrated her 6th birthday last month. I can't get over how quickly time has flown by. My baby is growing up so fast.

We had a birthday party for her and it was so much fun. The highlight of the night was the "treasure hunt". There were 6 hidden clues that they had to find in order to get to the "treasure". The hunt started in the house and it quickly proceeded to the front yard, then the back yard ,then around the house and back inside again where they were able to solve the last clue and discover the hidden "treasure".

The Loot

We all had so much fun that night.
I get a little emotional when I think about my little girl growing up. I would love to keep her this small forever. I love this little girl so much.

She is my 2nd born. I found out that I was pregnant with my 2nd when my 1st was only 10 months old. You can imagine the shock that I was in. At that time I was still exclusively nursing Little Man and I wasn't so sure that I would be able to handle 2 babies at once. But God knew what He was doing. Nine months later to my surprise I gave birth to a beautiful 9 pound 5 ounce little girl. She was so special. My 1st girl. Her birth helped me to realize that I really am capable of doing great things.
She was such a good baby. Her big brother had a hard time sharing me with her and she was so patient with him. I was able to nurse the both of them in the beginning and when Lil Man weaned off it was just me and her until she was 26 months old.

There is definitely something very special about the relationship between a mother a her 1st daughter. Little mama and I are very tight. We have so many things in common. Our relationship right now is what I wished I had with my own mother growing up. I am so blessed by her presence each day.

I pray that the Lord will continue to use her to show me his love and mercy. I pray that she will grow in her faith and become a wonderful women in Christ.

She is my mini me, my proof that I am favored by God. She is my first baby girl. And I just love her to pieces.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAMA

We love you very much

Let's Play Catch-Up

2009-01-08T21:29:00.005-05:00

Wow it's January already. I feel like time is just speeding by theses days. So much has happened in the past month or so. I have so many pictures to share with you all, so, lets begin with Christmas.

Christmas this time seemed really odd to me. We were so focused on finally being able to meet my Mom and the excitement of it all that everything else just got swept to the side. I feel in a way that I've missed the opportunity to really slow down and enjoy what Christmas is all about for us. Next year I will definitely do it differently.
We did have a lot of fun as a family last month. Papa spent almost the entire month of December home with us. I loved having him around more. The kids like having their Grandma Meme aroundand I like watching her love up on them.

My Mom

My Dad and my Grandma J came over for breakfast on Christmas morning. I love getting to spend extra time with our Grandma J. She is very special to us and we love her very much.

Isn't she cute? She will be 82 years old this month.

The kids had a great time opening their presents on Christmas morning. Everyone got some really cool stuff. Little Man got a new Lego building set. This boy loves playing with legos. Little mama got a Jewelry making kit, and baby girl got a "big kid" swing for the swing set. The kids also got a new C.D. player for their bedroom, some fun new games, some new clothes, and off course lots of new toys.

As you can see we really did have a lot of fun last month. I still have a lot more pictures to share, but for now I think I'll take a break.

2009-01-01T00:12:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

From our family to Yours....Have a great day

SHE'S HERE

2008-12-29T16:03:00.003-05:00

My mom arrived on U.S. soil last Friday 12/19/08. The reunion was very emotional and very much over due. I've missed her so much. I am really enjoying the time that we are spending together now. There is just so much to talk about and do.
The kids love having their grandma Meme around. This was the first time that my mom and the kids would see each other face to face. They are absolutely in love with her and she with them. Our house has been filled with unexpected laughter this past week and I could not have asked for anything more.
We have also been harvesting a lot from the garden. We've been enjoying our homegrown pigeon peas, tomatoes, ginger, English peas, herbs and lettuce mix.
I'll leave you now with some pictures of fresh pigeon peas from the yard.

Greetings

2008-12-25T06:09:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

From our family to your, Have a wonderful day.

Update on Mom's Visa

2008-12-10T20:10:00.002-05:00

GOD IS SO GOOD.
Mom's interview yesterday went very well. She has been approved for a visa to come to the States and she is to report back to the consulate on the 18th to pick up her visa and other paperwork. My hope and prayer is for a her to have a safe trip to Florida next week.

Thank you so much to all who helped us by joining in prayer with us. I so appreciate you faith and prayers.
I'll post a picture of my mom as soon as she gets here. I can't wait. We are all so excited.

Please Help Us Pray

2008-12-08T17:16:00.002-05:00

We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I have not seen my mom face to face since 1998. I miss her very much and I so wish that she could have been here to watch her grand babies grow and to be a part of our life. But, finally after 2 years of paper work the day has come for her to appear before the American embassy/consulate in Haiti for an interview that will hopefully, God willing, issue her a visa to come to the U.S.
I can't tell you how excited and nervous I am. Please help me and my family as we pray to the Lord, that my Mom's interview goes well. I am beside myself right now and I don't know what else to do other than praying. I pray that she arrives on time (her appointment is for 7:00Am), I pray that all the paper work is correct and that they will grant her a visa.

Thank you all so much....... and I will let you know tomorrow how everything turns out.

In The Kitchen With Mama Making Blueberry Jam

2008-12-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

I know what you might be thinking. (me make jam, what's wrong with the stuff they sell in the jars at the store?) Well the stuff in the store is not all bad, but making it yourself is even better.

There are a lot of advantages to making jam yourself.

you get to control how much sugar goes in it
you can buy the fruits when they are in season and on sale
it taste so much better than store bought

The ingredients needed to make your own blueberry jam are

Blueberries, sugar, pectin, lemon juice, and a little water

wash all your equipments properly

2. Measure out all your ingredients

3. wash your berries and put then in a large bowl

4. carefully mash your blueberries

5. put your berries in a pot and bring to a boil along with a little water, sugar, pectin and lemon juice

6. Stir constantly

7. once ready put you jam in the prepared containers and preserve in water bath

8. Taste and enjoy your creation

We had a lot of fun making jam in Mama's kitchen. I really hope that you will give it a try. I can promise you that once you've had home made jam you will never want anything else.

For more detail instructions you can visit http://www.pickyourown.org/blueberryjam.htm

A Look Ahead (December 2008)

2008-12-01T12:19:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? December is here already. This is my all time most favorite month of the year. We have a lot planned for this month so here it goes...
We are going to take a break on our character studies this month and instead wrap up our study on "The Good Shepherd, Psalm 23". Other than that we will celebrating Little Mama's Birthday, Christmas and a very special visit from my Mom.
This is what we have planned for school this month.

Reading- Progressive Phonics and Easy Readers
• Little Man – Book 11, Read out loud daily
• Little Mama – Book 6 as well as reviews of short vowel sounds, read out loud daily
• Baby Girl - review letters T,U,V (upper case)
Daily readings from the bible as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the Lord's Birth

Math - Math U See
• Little Man - Beta Lessons 15-17
• Little Mama - Alpha Lessons 12 and 13 , continue working on Addition lapbook from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/
• Baby Girl – Number Review, color Review, shape Review

Handwriting and Copy work
• Little Man - Copy memory verse as well as daily dictations
• Little Mama - Review Upper and Lower Case Letter
• Finish creating greeting cards for friends and family
We will wrap up our Shepherd Study notebook

Science And Other Hands-on Activities
• In the kitchen with Mama
• Create cards for this month
• Finish off our Psalm 23 shepherd study
• Enjoy having Grandma Meme home and getting to know her.

Well that's what we have planned for this month.
What are you doing and how is the school year going so far? Until next time bye...

2008-11-27T07:56:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From our family to yours

Money Lapbook

2008-11-22T07:14:00.000-05:00

We have completed our short study on money. We put together a very simple Lapbook designed mostly by Carisa over at http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/ as well as some print outs from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
This lapbook was very easy to do and a lot of fun too. Here are some pictures of the finished lapbook.

The front cover

The inside

The back

If you want to do this lapbook you can get it from here http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/Money.html

The Fall Garden

2008-11-20T09:54:00.000-05:00

I love gardening. I love getting my hands dirty and watching things grow. My kids love gardening too. The girls especially love to play in the dirt and plant seeds. My son's favorite part is harvesting.

We don't have a very large garden but it keeps growing bigger and bigger each season. This time of year is very busy. We have a lot of things growing in the garden. Let me take you on a short tour of all that we are growing this fall.
Lets start at our beloved mango tree. We planted this mango tree 2 1/2 years ago in honor of the birth of our daughter Baby Girl. The tree is already taller than I am.

Behind the mango tree is our pigeon pea bushes

Here is a close up of some peas.

Here are some cucumber seedlings growing in a stack of old car tires

Next up is the newest 4x4 bed filled with cold loving seedlings like sweet peas, carrots, lettuce, parsley and green onions

In this Rubbermaid self watering container we have a few butternut squash plants

and they have started to fruit

Next in another self watering container we have to white wonder tomato plants

And last but not least we have a 4x4 raised bed with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, beets and Basil

I love gardening. I love taking pictures of my veggies and sharing it. I also love looking at pictures of other people's garden. What are you growing in your yard?

Books, Books and More Books

2008-11-18T23:00:00.004-05:00

We love books, we really love books.

This is a house of bookworms. We have been having fun with Papa being home this month. We went to the library last week and got all these books.

Can you guess what we are going to be doing this week?

A Look Ahead (November 2008)

2008-10-31T11:22:00.003-04:00

Wow its November already. Soon the holidays will be upon us and I am so excited. We are currently still on track with schooling this year and that is rare for us.
This month is going to be a busy one. Lucky for us this is the time of year when we start to slow down and spend even more time doing activities as a family. Papa is spending much of this month off from work and we couldn't be happier. We all need a vacation. Lately we have been seeing less and less of Papa but that is going to change. He will only be working 8 days this month. Can you feel the excitement?
Much of our time will be spent enjoying each other and having fun.
We will still be schooling this month. Here is how the month of November will look like for us.

Character Trait Study for this month is Thankfulness
Thankfulness means being grateful and saying so

Memory Verse – 1Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”
We will re-read the story of Mary washing Jesus’ feet and memorize Psalm 100:4

Reading- Progressive Phonics and Easy Readers
• Little Man – Book 11, Read out loud daily
• Little Mama – Book 6 as well as reviews of short vowel sounds, read out loud daily
• Baby Girl - review letters T,U,V (upper case)

Math - Math U See
• Little Man - Beta Lessons 13-16
• Little Mama - Alpha Lessons 8 and 9 , continue working on Addition lapbook from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/
• Baby Girl – Number7,8,9, color orange and yellow, shape rectangle and heart

Handwriting and Copy work
• Little Man - Copy memory verse as well as daily dictations
• Little Mama - Review Upper and Lower Case Letter
• work on making greeting cards for next month
We will continue working on our Character Study notebook

Science And Other Hands-on Activities
• In the kitchen with Mama
• Create cards for next month
• Finish off our Psalm 23 shepherd study
• Enjoy having Papa home all month

Well that's what we have planned for this month.
What are you doing and how is the school year going so far? Until next time bye...

Lizards In The House

2008-10-25T07:59:00.000-04:00

I don't like small animals, bugs, snakes or most anything that creeps and crawls. However that doesn't stop my kids from bringing them into our house and begging to have them as a pet.

This is a perfect example.

My son found this little guy in the kitchen. He immediatley feel in love and wanted me to do no harm to his new friend. Little man got his wish and he was able to keep him until Papa got home. Then he and his papa took the little lizard outside and released it into the "wild".

Trip To The Children Science Museum

2008-10-24T07:46:00.000-04:00

Last month we took advantage of a free day at the museum. We had a ball. The kids really enjoyed the exhibit. My favorite was the dangerous snake exhibit. I am not a fan of snakes but I do like looking at them when they are behind thick glass.

This was a very frugal field trip for us. The admission into the museum was all free. We drove 40 miles which really was not that much for us and we packed our own lunch. The whole day cost us just $7.00 for a family of 5.