Transitioning....

is the name of the game around here as of late and therefore it may be a bit quieter than usual on this blogosphere! There are lots of changes, academic, family and otherwise that need to be addressed and so we will see you in a bit!!!


If you are looking for anything in particular be sure to search for it! Lots of past posts have been being checked lately - especially for resources! If you can't find what you are looking for feel free to email me - gckhomeschool at gmail.com - and I can point you in the right direction!

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Wonderful Readers -
I have gotten quite a few emails and YES WE ARE STILL HOME SCHOOLING! KM will not be going back to PS - EVER if I have my way!
There will just be some new features and things on the site so keep checking back!
Take Care,
Gina

Sometimes ----

-----I wonder if we made the right choice. On those days were I feel like I have repeated myself a gazillion and 1 times, the lessons just seem to take forever, the phone hasn't stopped ringing, the science experiment didn't work, the email just keeps pinging, all the smoke detectors are going off, the Littles are crying, the washer is buzzing and I can't remember the last time I have eaten.

Then I look at my daughter and see how much she has grown, matured and expanded her horizons over the last two years. Things are never perfect. It can be hard, exhausting, seem relentless at times, but those times are generally out numbered by the giggles, the "ah-ha" moments, the museum trips, the walks in the woods, and all the other times that wouldn't exist if I had made any other decision on that day two years ago.

Our family is about as perfect as every other family I know. I try to stay as positive as I can on this little blog of mine, so that on those days of questioning I can take a look and see all that we have accomplished and gained.

Things go wrong, but as with everything else in this world, when a mistake is made we try to learn from it the best that we can and move on. I know that I don't make the right decision every time, but I also know that I make decisions with the best intentions and with what is best for my family at the forefront of my mind.

So despite the assumptions of some of the emails that I have been getting lately - just to clarify - Homeschooling is not easy, I am not a saint, and our world is NOT perfect!

Robots - Part 1

KM has been into building things - all different kinds of things for a while now - so she got a lot of building things for the holidays. Her 3 favorites so far seem to be the robots though. This first one she made last week and has been trying to come up with different things for it to try to do - here are some pics -



and a quick clip of it running -

Will keep you posted on any of the experiments that she comes up with for it!

Getting ready...

for the opera! Our local support group had an incredible event this week. The kids who will be attending a BLO production of Barber of Seville in a few months, got the incredible opportunity to have a preview showing with two fantastic performers! Here is a video clip of some of the spectacular show ~ check your volume and be careful if you have headphones on as it is quite loud at some points ~

Blogger is not allowing me to post the other clips right now, but I will keep trying and post later if it allows me!

Meet the Masters - Homer

Homer did not inspire KM very much at all. She did complete the worksheets, but just really was not feeling the shading project that was assigned for this artist - she says she NEEDS color!

I don't blame her! So she will be passing on this one, though we may try our hand at block printing - another technique that they described in the unit. Hopefully the next unit will go over a bit better!

Physics Fridays - Gears Part 1

KM is continue with her Physics Workshop through our Winter Session and she continues to enjoy it a lot. She started the unit on gears this week and here is the first contraption...

Doodle Dice - Review

KM loves any kind of game! Card games, board games, Wii Games, etc.... whatever it is wants to play! So I saw Doodle Dice when I was randomly browsing through Rainbow Resource before the Holidays and thought - "Hey that looks kinda cool!" BOY WAS I RIGHT!

SEE WHAT YOUR DICE CAN DOODLE!™

Create a ‘doodle’ with a few rolls of the DOODLE DICE™. There's a different doodle pictured on each card in the deck. When you build a doodle that matches one of the cards , you take that card. Block an opponent's turn or take one of their cards away. Collect one card of each color and you win! It's the fun challenging way for everyone in your family to a be a ‘doodle artist’!

This game is so much fun. We spent hours playing it the day we opened it and then on New Year's Eve the adults and the kids were arguing over who was going to get to play it first!

The coolest thing about this game is the different chance factors that go along with the strategy! The rules are fairly easy to remember and it is just FUN. It is fast paced, so that no one loses interest and you never know what is going to happen next.

Here are some pics -

KM liked that as a bonus she got to practice her Spanish!

Homemade Holiday Gifts

KM worked very hard this year making lots of holiday gifts. I couldn't post pictures before hand because it would have ruined some suprises, but now that we have visited our last family stop I had to show off her craftiness.

At our co-op holiday party the kids made these great ornaments with plain glass ornaments and acrylic paint. KM immediately wanted to make them for all her grandparents and aunts. We all had fun doing this one.

KM has tried her hand at cross stitch before, but never really had the stamina to finish it.

She worked on this for quite some time and was very happy with the results:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Modge Podge! KM does now too! We got some plain glass bowls from the dollar store, added some Modge Podge and tissue paper and here are the results -

I had to play with the lighting and such and these pics really don't do them justice, but I think you get the idea. It gives them almost a stain glass like look. They can be used for centerpieces, fruit bowls, candle holders or whatever. You can also do this on other glass surfaces or to cover up something else. KM has now been stockpiling things that she wants to decoupage for gifts!

Snow, Snow, and MORE

SNOW!!!

Not that I am complaining, as CJ profits from the snow, but I haven't seen it snow like this in YEARS!!!

I am not sure who is loving it more CJ, the kids or....
the dogs! Dixie runs around like crazy digging her face in the snow! She will spend hours chasing after snowballs and LOVES to get the rub down when she comes in!He may not look very happy, but Rex actually has to be bribed back into the house once it starts snowing.

We have had snow on the ground since Dec.6th! Very unusual for our neck of the suburbs!

It must be nice...

to be a cat!

To just laze around and sleep all day!

It sounded so nice to her, that KM thought she would try it for the day!

2010!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year -
filled with kindness!!!

I have been thinking a lot about what I want for our family this year and the one word that comes to mind is kindness. I want us to be kinder to one another as well as to ourselves. Not that we are mean or nasty to each other, but sometimes we take for granted the things that are done. Just because someone is responsible for a chore or duty, doesn't mean that they don't like to be thanked or acknowledged for their efforts in making our lives run a little bit smoother.

In an effort to be kinder to ourselves, I am going to try to be more mindful of taking real DOWN TIME! We all need to have to time to recharge and re-energize by doing things that make us feel happy and fulfilled. I am going to try to set aside time each day to do something that we truly enjoy. No matter what it is - whether that is artwork, craft, watching a movie, reading a book, or playing a video game - that time is important!

My true hope that is if we are kind to one another and kind to ourselves, we will all be a little less stressed! Which in the end will make for our a happier family who then can be kinder to others as well!