31 days of posting!!

Today is the thirty-first day of posting. Sorry for boring ya for thirty-one days straight.

The calendar on my phone for October and then November. Thankfully much of this is swimming and maybe a couple of reminders here and there. But all those scheduled days used to frighten me bit I'm getting to be okay with triangles now.

A friend emailed me this picture. Who knows, maybe he will show up at my house after Thanksgiving. My favorite month starts tomorrow! 

We finally had a little snow, no accumulation but snow none the less. We need snow to insulate our little world. 

Benjamin took a picture of the wood pile.

Judith at swimming. I usually cannot see much of her swimming because she is on the far side of the pool.

See how empty the pool was tonight? There are usually two swim team groups swimming and two swim lesson classes and adult lap swim. The pool is usually packed but today was Halloween, guess that's important to some people.

Judith swimming in the far right lane.

October 30

Today was a survival day. I only did the basics and I took a nap. I usually do not nap but I was tired.

This was taken at 6:38 pm on the way to church. 

Good thing Benjamin neededbto do a quick project before bedtime. 

He drew,

and cut this out. Not sure what it is or why.

This is just a cute one, he asked for his picture to be taken.

Day 29, yahoo 29!

I feel as though I am constantly trying to keep us better organized. There are certain books we use regularly with Trailguide so often that they dissappear on a regular basis. Then it hit me, instead of books going on the bookshelf why not have a Trailguide basket to see if that helps. Oh, I hope this helps.

We woke up with a dusting of snow but by 11:00 am the little white strip at the far edge of the garden was all that was left. Tonight on the way home from swimming we had rain turning to freezing rain. Fun, fun. 

The three oldest Blessings have a four week speech class on Monday afternoons so Monday is crockpot day for the next few weeks. The first week was moose stew (beef stew). I had knitting night last night so I didn't get stew. I had mine for lunch today.

Tuesday is science day for the girls. Here is part of their mess. They are enjoying science class.

I made Philly cheese steak sloppy Joes and homemade potato chips for dinner, then we were off to the pool for swimming. And, I now have two projects on needles so I am enjoying swimming.

Monday, Day 28

I took more than two pictures today.  

Monday began slowly but well.

Benjamin got on a school roll today.

George hung out while we worked.    

Love the concentrating mouth.

Talking and working.

He finished two books that we have been working through.

I read Katie and the Big Snow

Benjamin is looking for George's shirt in the dryer.

Then he decided to help transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Sunday

I made a cozy for my pint and a half mason jar. Isn't it such a cute little sweater?

Benjamin, Elisabeth and I made pumpkin cake today. Judith made the frostong. Yum-O.

Why? Why do others feel the need compartmentalize every young person by their own "ideas" of how or what kids should be doing. Our family chooses to be intentional about children being children. I despise the concept of age compartmentalizing certain activities as "well, they've outgrown that". There is not an age limit on most things. 

I read many classic children's literature books as an adult because I either wasn't exposed to them or didn't care to read them it doesn't make me immature. It makes me educated and knowledgeable about something I was curious about. Adults play with Legos or there probably wouldn't be Legoland. Just sayin'. Enough of a soapbox but well, force your kids to grow up too fast but I don't think you will enjoy the outcome. Responsibility and hard work, yes. All that other junk, no thank you.

Saturday

Saturday started well enough, we had a big breakfast as everyone was home this morning. After breakfast, I decided to take advantage of the slowness of Saturday to walk on the treadmill. I watch movies while I walk ad it helps me walk longer. Today I walked for an hour, which adds up to 2.5 miles.
After the walk I made some rolls for Sunday and hamburger bun dough for dinner and bread. Somewhere during rise cycles I managed to clear off the desk and sweep and mop the dining room floor.
And then I crashed after dinner. Not sure why except I did not eat between breakfast and dinner. I am not so much tired but sleepy, which is the opposite from every other day for me.

Shaking my head

I only took two pictures today.
The treadmill and a rare purchase of a carbonated beverage.
Happy Friday!

Unit Presentations

We finished our first unit of Trailguide to Learning Paths of Progress

Overlook my eating husband, he got home late tonight. 

Elisabeth was telling about wedges, specifically zippers.

She shared about music notes and her recorder. She also prepared a power point about the physical science we have studied.

Judith played her recorder and prepared a power point covering various content from the

unit.

Levi prepared a power point about Samuel Morse and the telegraph.

He also demonstrated an inclined plane.

Judith created these clay figures and she and Elisabeth prepared a little room for them with art and a light bulb.

Broken Glass

Have you ever noticed that when glass breaks it shatters into large pieces, medium sized pieces, small pieces and then little teeny, tiny slivers? And the glass just goes everywhere? You think you carefully clean up every last sliver and hours or even days later you still find glass.
Tonight a large sized mason jar fell and shattered. Not a quart size but the bigger jar, maybe a two quart? I cannot recall the exact size, but it was a big jar. My first thought was, "ugh, why now?" I had just walked in the door after swimming and was making Judith a smoothie. I didn't blow up, which is a major thing for me. I did remind my crew that glass should not go on top of the fridge.
Back to the glass, as I was cleaning up the glass I realized that my words can be like that glass. Words can cut, you can't clean all the words up, the little slivers can get under the skin and they hurt.
Minding my words is something I need to work on so despite the fact that I lost a large mason jar and had to clean up glass, I am thankful that the glass broke tonight.

A Break in the Week

Daddy and Levi took a middle of the week duck hunting day. The rest of us enjoyed a morning off from school. 

I made English muffins for the first time today.

I used a recipe from food network by Alton Brown. Very easy.

No kneading required.

Combine ingredients and let rise for thirty minutes.

Five minutes each side on the griddle 

And done. Rings are suggested but not required and none to be found here.

Tomorrow is unit project presentations so the girls spent the afternoon working on projects.

Tuesday

Today's breakfast:

Steel cut oats and toast, yes that is toast in my oats

The days are shorter and the lighting is horrible in the dining room in the morning.

Selfie by Benjamin with George

A multiplication tip: use notebook paper turned on the side and use the lines to help keep everything in the proper column. Works very well. Elisabeth was doing some review work and she still uses this tip to keep numbers in place. It works, it helps.

Centrifugal force? I think that is what she was demonstrating