Scout Group

Today my girls starting a “scout group” together. They made themselves paper sashes and then decorated them with a variety of paper badges they had earned. The sashes were actually quite cute. And the girls were even cuter as they proudly wore them around the house.

I had to chuckle at some of the badges they’d each earned though. There were badges for turning 4, 5, 6, etc. There was a badge for getting their ears pierced. There was a badge for saying a vocabulary word that no one else in the room knew. There was a diaper changing badge, a service badge, and bake-and-eat cookies badge. They probably had 20 badges each and all were very creative. It made me smile as the girls listed all the badges they had earned.

Painted Sugar Cookies

One of my main desires for preschool is to simply have fun with my little ones each day. Our lesson plans always focus on a particular letter and theme, but they are largely based on crafts, activities, and baking projects that are based on that theme.

Today was “C is for Cookie.” We had our scripture study, daily lesson, singing time, stories, coloring, and a craft project. Then we painted sugar cookies together. It was a fun, engaging, unique project that the kids loved. Eating hand-painted sugar cookies was the perfect way to end preschool for the day!

Painting sugar cookies is easy. Just make your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Cut into circles or the desired shapes using cookie cutters. Mix egg yolk with food coloring, in separate bowls for each color. Use clean paint brushes or Q-tips to paint on the uncooked sugar cookies. Bake as the recipe instructs. Enjoy!

Purses and Muffins

I recently cut off a pair of Brenna’s hole-in-the-knee jeans to create some easy summer shorts for her. She was thrilled. Afterwards, I tossed the two left over legs in her direction and suggested that she add them to her sewing kit. (She loves to sew and create so a few scraps of fabric are treasures to her.) Then I decided that there certainly had to be something fun and easy that we could do with the jean legs together. I figured it would be pretty easy to make some sort of purse.

So today, after homeschool and chores had been finished, the girls and I sat down to create. I found another pair of holey jeans and cut the legs off so that we could have enough material for both girls.

We cut the hem off of one leg each and then stitched the bottoms closed. (I did the stitching on Maddie’s because she was afraid to and then I stitched Brenna’s as well because she was frustrated with her own.) We cut the edges to create a cute fray and then the girls went to town decorating their purses. Maddie asked me to sew a heart on hers and then she literally went paint-crazy with our fabric paints. Brenna cut butterflies and flowers from fabric, placed them where she wanted them, and then asked me hot-glue them to her purse. She outlined them with puff paint dots.

For the straps, we just snipped jeans into slender pieces, tied them together to form a long handle, and then tied the strip to tiny holes I’d cut in the sides of each purse.

We all had lots of fun. Maddie kept saying that she would remember this day forever and ever. Brenna kept thanking me for the fun project.

The boys wanted to do a project as well so Joshua, Braden, and I made delicious gluten-free raspberry muffins together. We made a very small loaf of bread with the leftover dough. Tasty! We enjoyed the muffins for dessert after dinner. And then, having eaten three bites of tuna for lunch and having skipped dinner entirely, I devoured the entire loaf of bread myself. Now I am too full.

Today…

Today…

We did homeschool. Our school year is rapidly drawing to a close. I am excited for the completion of this year because it’s always nice to look back over the year and see what’s been accomplished. I also can’t wait to start the new school year. We really found our homeschooling “groove” this past year and the balance of big kids, little kids, and babies gets easier every year. I am excited for Brenna and Joshua and the many new things they’ll learn this year as a 3rd grader (gasp!) and a 2nd grader. I am also thrilled for Maddie; as she transitions to 1st grade, she will get more school work and I know that will make her happy. Braden, in his final year before kindergarten, has an exciting pre-K schedule ahead of him. We’ve already started some of his new lessons and he’s eating up both the new knowledge and the extra one-on-one time. The littlest ones will have plenty to learn and join in on as well. I’m sure Asher will be a particularly eager learner this year.

We did chores. I gave our regular schedule a bit of a face-lift this week and it has really helped our days run more smoothly. Our routine is largely the same, but the presentation and re-wording has changed things a great deal. We had a major shift in our job chart system as well and I really like the new system we’re using. I am seeing my children become more goal-oriented and less reward-motivated. Jobs are being done quickly and with minimal reminding. My energy level is increasing lately and I am happy to be able to tackle laundry and dishes as normal, rather than pushing myself so hard to do things around the house. Combine all those factors, and housework is going very well these days.

We made cupcakes. What can I say? They just sounded good. We made two dozen chocolate cupcakes this afternoon all frosted in delicious chocolate frosting, and ended up with two little boys absolutely covered in chocolate. Good times! I ate two cupcakes myself, the kids enjoyed cupcakes for snack, we gave some away, and we had just enough left over for dessert.

We read books. When my first three kids were small, we read constantly. We didn’t have a lot of other things to do at the time so reading and playing at the park were high priorities. Now things are much, much busier and sitting down with a pile of books multiple times a day is not as easy as it used to be. Still, I try to read to the little ones every day before naptime and I try to read to all the kids every night before bed. The effort is well-rewarded. I love snuggling up with tiny children and reading books. There is nothing else that holds quite the same sweetness as a lap full of toddlers, children on each side, and a stack of good story books.

Asher took a nap. It was the first nap he’s taken since coming home from our trip. I’m glad he finally took one because he still needs one in the afternoon. His sleep schedule and patterns are pretty messed up- for both naps and bedtime- after our vacation so this was progress.

We played with MoonSand. While the youngest two took afternoon naps and Brenna played with friends, Joshua, Maddie, and Braden played with MoonSand. It was fun to watch them be so creative. My kids love this stuff and I must admit that it is really fun stuff to play with. It’s got a great texture, doesn’t dry out, is easy to build with, and (best of all) MoonSand is gluten-free. I also love how totally easy it is to clean up after the kids are done creating with MoonSand. We brush it all back into a container and sweep whatever is on the floor into the trash.

We ate an early dinner. Rick has been leaving for work earlier lately and we still try to eat together when he does. It was a simple meal of chili cheese hot dogs and corn and cupcakes for dessert. It was yummy… but now I have heartburn.

We cleaned up again. Is stuff like that ever done?

I tickled Jacob. That boy has the cutest giggle and he’s so fun to tickle! I also admired his brand new tooth that just popped through his gums on Tuesday! He sure is a cutie!

We had baths. I’d already given the boys “baths” in our kitchen sink earlier in the day (after making cupcakes), but they ended up sticky with chocolate after dessert so it was off to the tub. Asher was less than thrilled at first, but then joined in the splashing and squealing that was going on around him. I love the smell of freshly scrubbed children. Sometimes I even use Johnson’s & Johnson’s on my big kids just so they’ll smell like babies again.

We had scripture study. I so enjoy our nightly scripture study. It’s nice to come together to study and pray as a family. We also took the time to talk about our daily family goals and see how we did for today.

Brenna and Joshua folded the laundry that I washed today. I bribed them though. In exchange for folding, they got to stay up past bedtime and watch TV while they folded. I’d say it was a win-win situation for all of us because they got to stay up late and watch cartoons and now there are three loads worth of freshly washed, neatly folded laundry waiting to be put away in the morning.

We read stories again. While Brenna and Joshua folded laundry and Jacob slept in his crib, the rest of us read stories. It was snuggly and nice and the kids’ hair smelled like shampoo this time. Afterwards, I cuddled up with the kids in Braden’s bed for a while.

I sang for like an hour. I don’t really know how long I sang to the little ones as they fell asleep, but it felt like it was at least an hour. I started with just a few Primary songs, but Braden burst into sobs when I announced that I was going to sing just one more song. “I don’t want you to leave!” he sobbed. So I reassured him and tucked him back under his blankets and then I sang and sang and sang until Maddie, Braden, and Asher were all soundly asleep. I was running out of Primary songs and Hymns by the end.

I remembered to put my older kids to bed. It was about that time that I remembered that Brenna and Joshua were still awake. I found them lounging on the couches, wide awake in front of the TV, with all the laundry neatly folded. I thanked them for their hard work, kissed them good-night, and sent them off to bed.

I kissed Maddie goodnight. Of course I kissed all my kids, both the sleeping ones and the ones who were still awake. But when I kissed Maddie, I paused for an extra moment and got a little emotional. After all, this is the last time I’ll kiss Maddie goodnight while she’s still five. Tomorrow is her sixth birthday!! And here I go getting teary again as I type that. She is growing up so rapidly. She is such an incredible blessing in our lives! Happy birthday (tomorrow) Sweet Girl!

I chatted with my awesome sister-in-law on facebook. Just as I was settling into bed, my sister-in-law sent me a text that she was on facebook. I was excited to talk to her so I jumped out of bed and hurried to the homeschool computer downstairs. (I still can’t remember to use my laptop now that it’s finally fixed!) We had a very nice chat and I was glad to talk to her.

I updated my blog. Which is what I am currently doing.

I went to bed and slept all night long with NO interruptions. Okay, I know I haven’t actually gone to sleep yet, but I’m adding that in because a little positive thinking never hurt anyone! If Jacob will sleep, then I hopefully will too! Positive thoughts!

Summer Homeschool

I love homeschooling during the summer. Because the days are longer, the bedtimes are later, and the extracurricular activities are fewer, we run on a pretty relaxed homeschool schedule all summer. It’s honestly very nice. While I do love the structure of our fall and spring semesters, I also really enjoy the relaxed attitude of our summer semester.

We’ve been having a great time this summer. The kids have been fascinated by our earth science curriculum and the warm weather has given us plenty of chances to explore what we’ve learned about in the real world. We’ve been studying earth science since spring semester and just finished those lesson plans. During this final month of our summer schedule we are doing an introduction to life science. The kids have had a blast exploring this subject. My original lesson plan asked them to color and label diagrams of plant cells and animal cells. After those were finished, they were so fascinated that we put the rest of our day on hold and took the time to create 3D versions as well. Using string and beans and buttons and clay and all sorts of other crafty items, they built large-scale, labeled models of plant and animals cells and had a blast. It was a fun, impromptu project and it made me thankful for the freedom and creativity that homeschool allows. (Plus, I think those big, tricky words are even more solidly in their little heads after this project.)

We’re having a great time with creative writing and art as well. They love our creative writing exercises and have so much fun writing stories and poems. They love our many art lessons and projects, which are all taken from Artistic Pursuits. The kids recently made sense tables about summer, detailing the ways that each sense is effected by the summer months. It was fun to see the smells, sounds, sights, and so on that really stood out to them about summer. They each picked one item from their tables and used those to write adorable little poems about summer time. They were so tickled by this process and by the finished product!

Brenna put “barbeques” on her sense table as something that she could smell, and then wrote two poems about barbeques:
Ketchup, mustard,
Hot dog in a bun.
I love barbeques.
Summer sure is fun.

Hot dog, chili dog,
Corn dog on a stick.
I don’t know
Which one I’ll pick!

Joshua wrote down “fish” as something he tastes during the summer, and then based his poem on that:
I went fishing,
And caught a fish.
Daddy cooked him up,
And I ate him in a dish.

Seminary has been fun. We finished the New Testament together, along with the NT Scripture Mastery scriptures (discussing all, memorizing some). We are finishing the semester by reading and discussing stories from the Children’s Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett, and that has been very enjoyable.

Of course, we are chugging along in reading, writing, math, spelling, grammar, and language. The kids are nearly finished with their books for this year, and will be done by the end of the month. I am pleased with how well Brenna is doing in math and how confident she is now (because math has been an area of struggle for her in the past). I am amazed by Joshua’s mathematical abilities. He is already working on many 6th/7th grade concepts and I’m amazed by his level of understanding.

Both kids are enjoying lots of summer reading and their reading logs are quite full. Joshua is enjoying a series of books about a boy named Lucky Ladd and Brenna is loving the “Ramona” series by Beverly Cleary. Joshua is reading at a 5-6 grade reading level, while Brenna is at a 6-7 grade level. I’m constantly looking for new books to grab their attention and increase their love of reading. Loving to read myself, I am glad that my children love it as well.

My little ones are doing well. Maddie is still struggling with some concepts that I wish were better cemented by now. She knows how to read, she loves to read, she can read quite well… but even with all that, she still sometimes forgets her sounds or mixes them up. I can’t understand why it’s happening and it’s been hard for both of us. She’s been at this same point for a long time and I am still waiting for that big reading “ah-ha” moment from her. But her desire is strong and she is working hard. Math comes more easily to her and she loves it. She loves to learn and I am so proud of how hard she works.

Braden and Asher enjoy tagging along in our studies. They do projects and activities with the older three and they sit by Maddie during her reading and math lessons. We play a lot of games and do a lot of puzzles and fun learning activities. Their current schedule is a fun mixture of tagging along with the big kids, and learning fun with Mommy.

I am really enjoying our summer homeschool schedule. I’m also beginning to plan for the 2010-2011 school year and that is always exciting! We will be using cover sheets again (I love, love, love them). Maddie will start using cover sheets next year as well and I know she will enjoy that. She wants to be a “big kid.”

Every day I am so thankful for the chance I have to homeschool these precious little ones!

Note: This post isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of subjects, text books, and resources we’re using. I just wanted to jot down a few of the fun things that are happening as our summer semester draws to a close.

Sewing School

Brenna is always creating a school or a daycare or a restaurant or a hotel or an amusement park. She makes the cutest signs for her establishments and comes up with darling little slogans that have me sure she could have a promising career in advertising someday.

Her recent hotel boasted “clean, affordable rooms” as well as “tiny, tiny rooms for small dolls and stuffed animals.” Last week, when Brenna turned our family room into a theme park, she hung a large sign that read “Family Restroom, located this way” with a large arrow pointing towards our bathroom.

Today Brenna posted a sign for “Brenna’s Sewing School” and began offering sewing lessons at the kids’ little table. All around her sign, she’d taped buttons to the wall. But there was a disclaimer on the sign, which read, “Please don’t touch the buttons. They are for Display Only.”

My Chipettes

My kids are so into the Chipmunks lately. They love the movie (which we bought for Joshua’s family birthday party). They love all the songs and they know them all by heart. I did have to have the “appropriate songs to sing at church” talk with my 5-year-old when she burst into a chorus of Single Ladies after Sacrament Meeting (thankfully, not during).

Last weekend, the girls spent all day long practicing Chipmunk songs. They made posters advertising their upcoming show. They handed out personalized invitations with all the details of the show. They made tickets for everyone who marked the “yes box” on their invitation.

When we arrived in the family room, we found that the girls, Brittney and Eleanor, had made seating for the show by stacking all the couch cushions on one side of the room. We were presented with snack cups (Easter eggs filled with crunched up corn chips).

Brittney and Eleanor, dressed in dress up clothes, sang lots of songs for us. They actually did well and it was fun to watch. At the end of the show, they invited the entire audience to the stage to join in the final song. We all had a great time!

A Fort

I don’t like it when the kids build forts. A fort, under their construction, basically consists of draping every single blanket in our house over the back of the couch and throwing as many toys and pillows and random objects as possible onto the couch. Oh, and then whining that it’s “too overwhelming” to clean it up at the end of the day. That’s how my kids “build forts.”

So today, when I saw the kids gathering their fort building supplies, my first thought was “No way!” But after another moment of consideration, my next thought was “Why not?”

I followed them into the family room, placed my hands firmly on my hips, and said in a warning tone, “Kids…” They all looked up at me and I could tell they were waiting for me to tell them to clean up the mess they’d already made.

“If you’re going to build a fort, you really need bigger blankets,” I continued with a grin. “You guys hurry and fold the blankets you’ve already gotten out and I’ll get the stuff you need to make a really cool fort.” The kids all cheered.

Together we constructed a massive, room-sized fort, reminiscent of the ones that my brothers and I built together when we were little. The kids had a blast building it with me and were so excited about it. Braden crawled around while we built it, repeating over and over again, “This is awesome!”

The fort really did turn out neat. It spans the entire width and most of the length of our family room. It’s tall enough for the kids to easily sit upright in and crawl around. They love it!

It’s lunchtime now. We’re all still in pajamas and the kids are happily eating lunch inside their giant fort. We rigged it so that they can watch TV in there too, which they all think is super cool.

Some of my favorite memories with the kids are the times when I let go of the “this will be such a mess to clean up” thoughts and just revert back to my own childhood days. When we’re all acting like kids together, we seem to have the most fun. There is something truly magical about childhood and when I step out of my role as a mother and act like a carefree child again, I always feel that magic come back. It’s amazing how messes don’t look messy anymore or how I can play all day in the snow without feeling cold. It’s fun to feel like a kid again, but it’s even better because I get to be a kid with my own precious children. Experiencing that with my children and watching how they light up when we play, makes it all even sweeter. I cherish those times because I now that their childhoods are so fleeting, just as mine was. They won’t always be so little. They won’t always want to build forts with me on Saturday mornings. They won’t always give me such a great excuse to reconnect with the child inside myself. I’ll really miss these days when they’re gone.

I love being a kid with my kids! I love lazy, fort-building, pajama days!!

Cow-Kids

I have a pair of cute little “cow-kids” in my house. Maddie is a cowgirl, dressed in a red cowboy hat and red bandana, wearing Brenna’s black snow boots, and riding a stick pony. Braden is her dutiful little cowboy sidekick, following her around with a stick horse of his own. (And he must have lost his pants on the range somewhere because he’s not wearing any.) They are both carrying backpacks stuffed with necessities.

Madalyn has informed me that they are “having an adventure.” The two of them often “have an adventure” together. In this particular adventure, they are lost orphans. Their mom died and their dad is fighting in the war. They are wandering in the woods together, looking for a place to live.

When I asked if I could take a picture of these two cow-kids, Maddie thought for a moment and then conceded. “You can, only if we can live with you from now on,” she declared.

I’ll take that deal!

Fun Gallerey

My kids are little entrepeneurs. They are always creating some business or a new product or a clever way to make money. They’ve sold everything from toys in their rooms to little homemade puzzles and finger puppets. They’ve made stores and shops, advertisements and coupons. Their businesses do okay at home, but Mommy and Daddy are only willing to buy so much and their younger siblings don’t have money. Business really booms when we go out of town, where grandparents are happy to shell out dime after dime for artwork or give an entire dollar for services. The kids love it!

This past week Brenna and Joshua created a new attraction. They’ve made something very similar before, calling it “Fun Gallerey” both times. Fun Gallerey was an amusement park of sorts, with rides (piggyback rides by Josh, I was told), little toys that they’d both made and found, a gift shop, and a food court. They had a front desk where they placed an open/closed sign, a list of attractions, a price sheet, and a tip jar.

All that is pretty normal for when they creative an attraction or amusement park or carnival in our family room. But this time they really increased their around-the-house advertising. 

They made signs and hung them all over the house, advertising Fun Gallerey and enticing parents and kids to come. Each sign had a delightful, amusing little slogan. I copied them down, word for misspelled word…

“Asome parents take their kids to Fun Gallerey!”

“Pupets, Rides, Toys- Fun Gallerey has it ALL!”

“Cool kids come to Fun Gallerey! Parents 10 cents, Kids 5 cents.”

“Don’t worry, parents. No broken bones or spraned ankels here at Fun Gallerey!”

“Stop taking your kids to the zoo. Take them someplace really fun with Fun Gallerey!”

“Fun Gallerey! For more informachen visit us at www.fungallerey.org or call 1-800-623-5323.”

It was so amusing to walk through the house and find these signs. I found myself chuckling as a read each one because the slogans were just so clever. I think my children could have careers in advertising!