2 ER Trips, Yummy Blueberries and Muddy Shoes.

In my life this week...

Owl broke out in a strange rash so I took him to the ER which usually means I am going to sit there for 3 hours before being seen but that night we were lucky there was no wait at all we walked right in and was seen by a Ped within 5 minutes.  On the way in Owl noticed the moon and asked me where the other half was he was very concerned that it was broken because it was not big and round like it was the last time he saw it. It was so cute!He quickly diagnosed Owl with hand mouth and foot virus and said that for whatever reason they have seen more cases this year and more severe cases than any other year. So we literally left after just 15 minutes, Yay!. Now just to cross my fingers that my other kids do not catch it. Owl has it the worst on his boy parts and I cringe ever time he goes pee because it looks like it would hurt so bad but it doesnt seem to bother him. it seems like everytime I look at him more spots show up and more scab over.

Earlier in the week I was seen at the ER as well, doing something stupid of course. I have been riding my bike every evening after the kids are in bed. A favorite place I like to ride is through a cemetary near my house. The gates are closed but I found a place near a side street that the gate is missing so I sneak in there! Oh yes, tresspassing! It's a lovley place to ride a bike it is very pretty with lots of trees, a lake and many very beautiful old graves from the 1800's. I really do love cemetaries so full of history. I'll take some pictures and opst them next week. Anyhow there is a hidden service path that has a nice hill. I was just picking up speed down the hill while standing up when I decided to change the song on my ipod. Thats when I saw a branch  right in front of me on the road, I hit it then went flying over the top and slide down hill on concrete about 5 more feet. To top it all off I landed on a huge pile of carpenter ants carrying eggs, they were all over me for quite some time because I was to hurt to move. I am very brusied up I have at least a dozen bruises the size of apples and ripped open my elbow which I cracked to notches out of my ulna. I am healing well though and back to bike riding just taking it a little easy for a bit while I am healing.

Lesson learned: Do not ride a bike 1 handed standing up while accelerting downhill changing the song on your ipod!

Shopping list this week: Buy a helmet what could have happened scares me (alone in a cemetary at night without a way for an EMT to find me!)

I spent quite a bit of time working on field trips, classes and co op planning for next school year. I am trying to have it all done and organized by  the first week of Aug  for the  school whole year.

We went Blueberry picking on Monday and got about 15 lbs of bluberries before my kids didnt want to pick anymore. I think we will go back next week and pick some more.

Duck taking his time to looking for the biggest and most plump berries.

 The kids were very excited to see that the goats on the farm had babies.

In our Homeschool week...

We went out to paint some works of art like Monet at a local garden. The kids worked hard to  make similar brush strokes like Monet did. Here they are doing waterlillies (a favorite subject of Monet)

Falcon and Robin working on their paintings, Duck and Owl were busy throwing leaves and sticks in the water and watching the ripples.

Falcon is still chugging along through his studies he is almost through reading Michael Vey which was a suggestion by my friend Aby.At the gardens this week Falcon caught this awesome picture. Its a bit out of focus but if you look closely you can see the worm hanging out of the Robin's mouth.

Robin has been reading like crazy and is reading  through the Magic Tree House books as of this week she has read through books 1-5 She loves answering the questions on the website when the story is over. Her comprehension is not that great yet but we will work on that. Robin and I have just started working on her new Brownie books A World of Girls we are almost through with the book and all the activites that go along with it. A great book we came across that fits well  with our around the world theme was Isabella Girl On The Go a  great story about a girl with a BIG imagination that visits favorite landmarks arcoss the globe.

Owl has been practing his writing on one of those wipe off type books.

Duck is still working on counting, he likes to skip numbers still.

A lesson my children taught ME this week....

Shoes are not ment to stay on your feet to keep them clean and dry.....

they are ment to be taken off and used to store mud and water and transport it from place to place. I guess I have being doing all the wrong things with my shoes!

I am reading...

This is defintaly not my style of book but it has recieved so much fuss that I just had to see what it was all about. I am only in about 5 pages so far.

This was yet another book not typical of my tastes but my favorite librarian siad that it was such a good book that she couldnt put it down so I am giving it a try. I am about 1/4 into the book so far and its not bad but its not one of those books that I go out of my way to read.

Whats cooking this week...

Not much actually cooking  but lots of salads, and raw fruits and veggies.

A little note...spell check wasn't working in blogger this week so I am sure you will find plenty of mistakes. I was to lazy busy to copy and paste it into word to check it.

Goodbye Mom.

Finally back in the swing of things after a  3 week break.

During our break we took a family trip to Wrightsville Beach NC.  .I moved here when I was 20 and this  was the first place my mom ever saw the ocean at 48 years old. I was so glad to share that moment with her. She said it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen later that week I took her to the beach at night during a full moon and it was so magical to see the water light up so brightly under a big bright full moon, it is such a breath taking view.

It was my mothers dying wish for her ashes to be placed in the water during a full moon at that exact spot that we were so many years ago. So the trip was a bit bitter sweet as I was going to place my mom in her final resting place.  She died of  pancreatic cancer 4 years ago and  this was the first summer I wasn't pregnant or nursing and was able to make the 17 hour trip with out a screaming baby unhappy to be stuck in a seat that long. It was a beautiful night  Falcon and I went down to the beach alone while the little ones slept in our resort with Papa bird. Falcon poured her ashes slowly in the water under the light of the full moon and when all the ashes were in a HUGE wave came after such small calm waves. I really felt like my mother was there with me at that moment saying thank you. I feel such a relief that she is resting where she wanted to be.

Falcon dumping my mothers ashes in the ocean. It was a beautiful night.

The next few days I took great joy in watching all of my children play at the beach and collect shells I felt as if my mother was there with us, and happy to see the children playing with such joy.

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A week after I was back I happened to be at Walmart and was looking for  collage frame to put pictures of the beach in to add to our ocean themed living room and I came across this frame.

I almost cried! This was my mothers favorite quote

I haven't added beach pictures to it yet, but what more perfect way could I display our beach trip than to  put in a frame with my mothers favorite quote since this was the day we placed her ashes in the water at her favorite place in the world.

Okay back to homeschooling.

Art studies: Monet

Robin studying a Monet painting

Math: Robin working on Calvert grade 1 Falcon almost at the end of TT Pre Algebra

Science: Botany

History: The Silk Road

We  are almost back to our routine of schooling. We take daily nature walk with our neighbor who also has 4 home schooled kids. Check out what we found on our walk this week. A beautiful Cicada. It was still alive but was injured and couldn't seem to fly. Robin flipped out when the cicada started flapping its wing madly while she was holding it.

We worked on some stained glass projects at our museum and looked at the new glass exhibit. It was just some thick clear plastic framed with painters tape that they painted on with a white glue acrylic paint mixture. I love how they turned out.

Wonder Woman,Frogs & Photography

In our homeschool week...

Well we are on a 2 week break right now so there has been very little formal education but learning always happens in our house. Robin started reading chapter books all of her own this week and has been staying up late in her bed sneaking in some reading. I am proud of her for reading chapter books that I haven't stopped her and have just let her read until she falls asleep.

She has read through at least 6 Wonder Woman Chapter books in the last week. I LOVED Wonder Woman as a kid so I was super excited that she likes her too!

Our tadpoles finally turned in to tiny frogs the kids were so excited. So were all the neighborhood kids who have been watching them closely as well.

In My life this week...

I got back into photography and did an old friends pictures it was the first time I ever photographed a male. In the past I usually did modeling portfolio stuff for woman. Here are a few of my favorites that I took.

A full color shot

Sepia

B&W

The Sepia toned one is not my favorite but it seemed to be the most popular on his FB page. I am not happy with the shadows and such in the picture. This are all raw un edited except for the tone change I don't have the photo editing software I used to have but I will in the next few weeks so I can do some fun stuff to his pictures.

Whats cooking...

Well not a whole lot, we bought a masticating juicer so we have been doing a lot of juicing. Next week we will be starting week 1 of a 3 week juice fast to detox our bodies. I am going to be one hungry girl !