Friday, May 31, 2013

Buckle Down or Blow It Off?

It's that time of year again. We're losing momentum. The weather is getting nice. Parks are fun again and friends are gardening. It's getting very difficult to keep our heads in the books.
 
So I pose the question ..... Buckle Down or Blow It Off?
 
Should we get done what's left of our school year. Some math, Latin and History.
Or should we start the summer early.
Please vote in the poll on the right.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

#368

Reason #368 that homeschooling is great.
Middle of the week sleepovers

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Packing It In

We spent the first couple of hours of our day packing and sorting boxes at the Food Bank.
The boys have both helped with their Cub/Beaver groups before gathering food but this was the first time they were able to see what happens to that food before it gets to the people who need it.
I hope the size of the operation made an impression on them.
The idea that it takes a warehouse of food and people every day to feed the hungry in just our city.
Then in classic hypocritical-middle-class style we went to lunch and the Children's Festival.
Our A has a secret love of dance so I purchased tickets to a performance showcasing the evolution of dance from the 70's to the 90's. The clothes, music and dance were great fun.
We were told not to use our cameras but Grnny snuck a couple pics.

MIA

Whoops. Seems M had an appointment in our area and thought he'd stop in for a look-see.
Seems his teacher and his students had flown the coop.
In our defence ... it wasn't raining. And given our weather lately that's about all I need for an excuse to ditch the morning books and head out in the sunshine.
By the way this is where we were. Though we won't be participating with our homeschool co-op garden due to the move we wanted to see how things were coming along.
'A' had the chance to plant some pumpkins and E had the chance to ..... what was he doing anyway?
Oh yea, he was using a magnifying glass to try and start things on fire.
So let's call this field trip, Growing and Glowing?

Monday, May 27, 2013

A Better Day

I love how our tree and the one from our neighbour's yard meet overhead in the summer.
The boys have had an incredible year with their Cub/Beaver group.

They've both made some fabulous friends.
This was A's last year as a Beaver and tonight was the last meeting of the year.
 They're still working hard on their projects. A started adding all of the blood and battle today. 

E will be handing in his assignment this Friday. When it's all complete I'll post the written portion as well. I'm very proud of what he's accomplished.

Speaking of proud .... M installed our new dishwasher this weekend.
Out of curiousity we tested the sound level...about 41decibels. That will be quite a difference!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Slump

Shortly after we were married M introduced me to the word, 'posting slump'. I'm not sure if it's a real word or just something he made up but I'll give the definition as it was defined to me.
A posting slump occurs when you have received your posting message and find yourself disengaged in what's happening at work because you're ready to move on but it's not yet time.
 
For me it has a different meaning. I take the meaning of the word slump a little more literally.
 
intr.v. slumped, slump·ing, slumps
1. To fall or sink heavily; collapse
2. To droop, as in sitting or standing; slouch.
3. a. To decline suddenly; fall off. b. To perform poorly or inadequately.
4. a. To sink or settle, as into mud or slush. b. To slide down or spread out thickly, as mud or fresh concrete.
n.
1. The act or an instance of slumping.
2. A drooping or slouching posture.
3. A sudden falling off or decline.
4. An extended period of poor performance, especially in a sport or competitive activity. 
 
I am in a posting slump.
 
On a lighter note the weather was nice enough to get some yard work done.
 I popped into the house at one point to check on the kids and giggled when I saw some of the family pets were out to play.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Race

Pre-race warm up activity?   Check
Pre-race lunch?   Check
Matching running sneakers?   Check
Race shirts and bibs?   Check
2km of fun and run?   Check

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday

Despite the grey day we went to the garden store after school.
All the kids were super excited about picking something for the front yard.
Very interesting to see the decision making process play out for each of them.
And as soon as it stops raining ... we'll plant them.
We are in our last unit study of the year. I wanted to do Shakespeare ... there was talk of doing Medieval History ... but in the end they decided that LEGO was the study they really wanted to do.
I have some ideas for how this is going to work and we'll see if any of them actually happen. I'm letting them have more control on this one.
First activity-100 LEGOS. They chose 100 lego pieces from their collection. (See above.)
We have packaged them up with two documents. (See below.)
 Can you imagine all the different creations we'll get out of the same 100 pieces?!?!?!

See this giant creature? Quite the specimen. Thanks to an observant neighbour we were able to catch this guy in the act of trying to break into our shed.
But haha!! M had fixed the broken panel yesterday so there was no access.
And then E pulled out our hockey game noise makers and scared him away.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Two Wheels

Did you feel the earth rumble this morning?
It might have been that earthquake the news was talking about. Or maybe, it was these guys out for a ride.
The four cousins.
This is just a gratuitous shot of my incredibly handsome kid.
Also this incredibly handsome kid of mine.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Swing!

The boys have been waiting all week to get back on the field ... they are loving baseball.
Run Run!! Rounding third base ... and he made it home.
The whole time he runs .... he's smiling.
Just in the nick of time.
By the look on their faces I'm not sure I want to know what they were talking about out there.

Update Dec2020

My Guy A My Guy E School Rooms at Home Deck the Halls It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas