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Jan. 29, 2007 - Busy, Busy

I'm finally getting around to getting pictures from last weeks showcase and fieldtrip up.  Of course, I didn't get the camera out until the very end of the fieldtrip (usual) but got at least one of the 'talkback' session with the young actors.

The showcase was a alot of fun and the displays were all so good!  It is really interesting to see what others have been doing so far this year.  Two of the boys did displays, which turned out nice even though we lost alot of time being sick.  Our oldest son played a piano duet with a friend.

                                                                                                       

  Angels We Have Heard on High -                                                                                really nice arrangement                                                                                             

7 yo son - Ancient Egypt

10 yo son - Tobacco and Smoking

The fieldtrip on Friday was to a local theater for a play called 'William's Window'.  It was an introduction to Shakespeare for children.  All of the children who acted in it are homeschooled, except one who just started at a private school for High School.  It was a cute play and I think it had the desired effect of making Shakespeare interesting enough to children that they now want to read the plays to hear the rrrrrrrrest of the story. (to quote Paul Harvey :)  )

 

This week we are having a missionary family from Malawi, Africa over for pizza Friday night - Hospitality American style :)  They have 11 children, 10 of which will be coming, so our kids are really excited.  Then Friday and Saturday Steve and Terri Maxwell (Of Manager's of Their Homes fame) are coming to speak for a mini-conference at a local church.  I'm looking really forward to that too!  We start back guitar lessons this week as well as piano, so I guess things are back to 'normal'.  The schedule is filling up but I'd rather be busy than sick any day!

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Dec. 20, 2006 - Cookies, Cookies, everywhere and not a glass of milk to drink

I spent all day baking cookies. Peppermint cookies, GG's sugar cookies (best on the planet), coffee bon bons (2nd best on the planet), almond butter cookies - Yum -O!  But alas, I'm a nursing mom whose little one seems to be allergic to milk!!!  I had to content myself with coffee because rice milk and sugar cookies are quite disgusting.

We had half-mast school today and then everyone 'did that which was right in their own eyes..'  Tomorrow I will be more creative and less busy so that we do not have the messes and quarrels of today.  My 2yo fell in our little pond - again.  It's very shallow, only knee deep on him, but enough to get very wet.  He had two 'accidents' and then one other clothes change just because, which amounts to four outfits he got dirty today. And I wonder why we have so much laundry?

Tomorrow night we are hoping to go downtown and 'follow the trolley".  I'll explain.  Our downtown area 'decks all the halls ' of the historic district and they run trolleys around on a tour too see the lights.  Every so often they have characters at different houses that come up to the trolley and talk to the people, sing, etc. Pensacola has tons of little back and side streets that you'll miss if you don't know they're there. It costs $10 p/person to ride.  Yeah right. 

Sooo.. being a homeschool family - Pennypinchers and proud of it, and being married to a blessedly frugal spouse, we got creative.  We pulled up to the trolley loading area, waited and then followed the next one on the tour!  We rolled down the windows and listened to the singing.  It was great!  What was funny was that because of our large van, some of the characters thought we were just another tour group, so they'd wave and sing.  By then end of the tour there were at least two other cars behind us doing the same thing.   This year we'll take snacks.

Tomorrow I think I'll post a picture and the recipe for GG's cookies. ( I missed Blogger Schools assignment on that.) 

Going to bed with visions of dairy-free sugar plums dancing in my head~

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Nov. 8, 2006 - Vacation going great!!

Well, day two of our 'at-home' vacation is over and YEAH I figured out how to get pictures on here!  This is no small feat for yours truly.  And I suppose I should give most of the credit to my 12yos, who is still rolling on the floor after walking me through the whole process.

 

We spent all day downtown visiting the museums.  The kids favorite is the Hands on Discovery Frontier at the state museum.  They get to dress up in all the clothes and run around with muskets!  They have a Creole cottage, an indian area, a ship - it's great!  I personally liked the Historic Village Tour. 

 

 

           

 

 

 

           

 

       

 

Then we went to an area along the beach that has walking trails and walked until dark.

 

   

 

A steak dinner rounded out day one-yum.  Today, two of the kids had piano and then we went out for brunch. After that we came home and rode bikes, played games, whatever.  It was nice and relaxing.  Not sure yet what tomorrow will hold.  We have PE, but Dad is going and is leading games this week.

 

Coming up Friday is our Homeschool League Campout!  I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures after that.  (this is fun.  sshhh, don't tell my computer I said that.  I don't want it to think that I enjoy it.  It might start getting cocky)

 

Appreciating Technology,

Cindy

 

 

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Nov. 7, 2006 - Vacation has started!

To save money this year on our "family vacation that isn't to Grandma's" we decided to stay home and do all the things around town that we haven't done before.  #1 - Sleep in.  With a nursing infant that means after the 5:30 AM feeding, I'll go back to bed  :)  #2 - Late breakfast (we usually eat 7AM)  #3 - Vote on the way downtown!!!  #4 - Going to all the museums downtown, Florida History, Pensacola Historical, Civil War, and Historic Village Tour.  #5 - Eat out!  This is a particular fave b/c with 8 people in the family you don't eat out much! 

 

We only got our 'foundational' subjects in today.  I watched a friends 4 children for a few hours while she went to a meeting for me.  I oversee a 'program' that we have with our local Public School - Office of School Choice.  Parents who have pulled their children out of Public schools for discpline and truancy issues and decide to homeschool have 30 days to put together a small portfolio of work to show that they are in fact schooling.  When they come in to the office to be reviewed we have two homeschooling parents who attend along with the School officials.  They are there to give a Homeschooler's opinion on the quality/quantity of work being done.  We really want to try to help and encourage families if they are struggling with their child's education.

 

It is very eye opening though, to work with a Public School System in this way.  Because of the nature of the situations that these families are coming from it is easy to understand why so many Public School offiicials have a negative view of homeschooling.  They see the 'non-compliant's', the truants and the children whose parents simply don't want the teacher bugging them about their child anymore so they pull them out of school and then do nothing. Unfortunately, many of them never even show up for their reviews which adds to the negative image. 

 

It has also helped us to gain a new perspective on the role the School System plays.  I no longer fear getting a threatening letter from the County.  We have learned that like so many other government offices, the people are very over-loaded with work and things do fall through the cracks.  Most times a cool-headed phone call will clear it up.

 

No, I'm not saying I support the Public School System.  I think it has failed greatly in many ways, for many reasons.  (not the least of which being the exclusive teaching of humanistic philosophy and religion)  But  my desire to protect and promote Homeschoolers in a positive light outweighs the fears I have of the Institutions.  I think we must put ourselves out there occasionally as examples of the 'Wonderful Fruits of Homeschooling'. 

 

Well,  I hope everyone gets out and votes tomorrow if you haven't already.  To keep our rights and freedoms, like Homeschooling, we must be aware and be involved. 

 

It's late!!!  But that's ok - I get to sleep in  :)  I'm going to try and figure out how to get a picture on here so you can see our 'Fieldtrip week' here at home.  ( If you think I'm idiot for that last comment, read my post 'Low-tech mama' then you'll understand)

 

Until tomorrow~

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