What's for lunch Tuesdays

Today we had;
1. Nachos with onions, gr. beef and cheese. The chips were Tostitoes Hint of Lime chips they were pretty good, very limey though! Made me want a Margarita!
2. Strawberries
3. Carrots
4. Koolaid- now I usually don't make this but the kids were bugging me to make it yesterday after mixed it with play doh to scent and color it! So that was an unusual fun treat and the kids got to use their curly straws they won from Chuckie Cheese for our Homeschool group Valentine party.

Our homemade play doh

Our new and fav toys - Montessori approach

OUr 3 favorite new toys,
1. Large nuts, bolts and washers I put a banana next to it so you could see the size. My 1,3 and 4 year old LOVE these. We plan to buy more and many differnt sizes.

2. Hand broom and dust pan. Boy do all 3 of my younger kids love cleaning up. Sometimes it's real dirt, sometimes it's paper they have ripped up and crumpled just to sweep. My 3 year old thought it was too funny to have his toes in the picture!

3. Next up is the single serve applesauce cups we wash out and save after we eat the. I must have a dozen or more and they love them. They nest them , stack them, make pretend foods in them, carry smaller toys around in them they are great, and FREE.





My kids will just not play with plastic light up toys that you push buttons on no matter what I buy, so no more! I am incorporating lots of Montessori type stuff into the toy room. Next up is a pretend washer made out of an old box (need to get a good box) then a basket with some clothes and a mini clothes lines and clothes pin to hand them on.

A new way of Homeschooling

I was just laying in bed trying to sleep........ Writing a blog in my head and I thought, you know I am going to get out of my bed and write this one down.Writing helps people be held accountable for their actions and I want to be held accountable.

So here goes my entry:

I am going to start a new way of homeschooling, about every year I re- evaluate what I am doing and make changes accordingly. This time I have decided that home schooling means being at HOME. Yes, a simple but difficult concept. We usually leave for an event or 2 a couple times a week and to do errands and when you mix in transition times and getting 4 kids in and out of the house the time really adds up. Sure we are finishing our schoolwork but we are all stressed! I am going to start spending more time at home with the kids and doing more fun, hands on, messy, sticky, fun stuff. We have been to rushed this year to really ENJOY schooling. I have caught myself saying "Are you done yet? Hurry up. We need to leave so wrap it up." I am going to stop saying that and let myself and my children relax take their time and then enjoy our afternoons playing games, doing messy art project and fun science
experiments.

My Day

The things I planned to do today:
Strip bed sheets off all 6 beds and wash them
Shovel driveway
Take the kids outside and sell Girl Scout cookies with my daughter
Bake carrot bread
Work on the wall murul with the kids
write in this blog
Continue potty training X
Make Chili for dinner
Shine pennies with vinegar and salt with the kids
manage to get through all 100% of each child's school work I had planned

What I actually got done today:
Well I did get just about everything off the list done except we spent so much time outside selling girl scout cookies and playing that we never got around to working of the murul. I didn't manage to get through the entire school list for the kids, but got most of the basics done. S's friend came over to play because schools were closed today due to the snow. So I figured playing is learning so he got out of 1/2 his school work today.

As always I feel as if I didn't get much done, but I really did I accomplished most the this list and more.....

I never feel like I have done enough each day and sometimes feel guilty for not doing more ...I am cursed with being an overachiever.

Library trips

Well I was lucky enough to head to the library and have my husband watch the kids. I love the library, but when you take 10, 4, 3, and 1 yr. old children with you, it tends to get very stressful. As a homeschooling mom the library knows me well I usually have 75+ books checked out at a time HUGE piles of books at the hold center that I requested in and a lovely amount of overdue fines.

So I was enjoy really enjoying my peaceful library time and having so much fun browsing. I REALLY DO HAVE A BOOK PROBLEM! You could leave me in a book store or library ALL day and I would be perfectly content.

I found so many cool books just browsing that I starting thinking maybe I should try to just browse at the library once a month or so with out the kids.

I found Life-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia and A-MAZE-ing Zoo Adventure to just name two and a few other cool zoo books for my 4 yr old. So now I will just do a lesson plan around the cool books I found.

LIGHT BULB..... so maybe instead of following topics and trying to find fun books to compliment them maybe I need to do the reverse ......find good books then base lesson on those.

I have so many theme ideas to work from now

Well I must go now my 10 minutes to reminicese on my fun library day is over now as the kids are yelling and fighting and I must go referee

Oh Dear blog , it's been awhile

I compose blog messages in my head everyday but just never seem to find the time to add them now that my youngest is 18 months I have a few more minutes in the day.

Today was hectic. I don't really know why but it was. I wasn't feeling well and in a lot of pain (having an ovarian cysts rupture currently) but being a Mama doesn't stop when you are not well. I just had to suck it up and go on with my day. I wanted to go to Walmart to buy this Pink Label Russian Barbie for my daughter since we are studying Russia this month I thought it would be a fun barbie to add to her 2 barbie doll collection. While shopping my 3 year old had a full blown throw himself down on the floor run down the aisle tantrum.Oh it was fun! They clearanced out the barbie and it is sold out at all the Walmarts now and I can only find it on Amazon for 36 dollars! Noway am I paying that much.

After running several other errands and doing school work with the children I am very happy that I can sit here and enjoy a glass of wine and type.