Classical Education Our Way

Book Review!

2010-03-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Oh do I recommend this book! I still don't know how exactly to describe it other than.....it gives much to think about. And I am not even done reading it. What I like most about it is the information on its pages is accessible. The writer's style is clear and to the point. Just about all stats can be manipulated but I don't get that sense here. I agree with his thoughts on education. His analysis on what makes an athlete great are intriguing at best. It has given me lots to think about. 10 thousand hours here we come! If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts. I had to wait two months to get a copy from the library, but now I think I will buy it. Papa Peep has to read this!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year folks! I hope this year brings you and your loved ones good health, much peace, and true joy.

We enter a new decade and with everything new we see new possibilities. Some of us think about getting in shape; some about reading those books we've been meaning to get to; some about the great job that alludes us. The new possibilities are endless. Well, I say set your goals and work for them!! If you reach them, pat yourself on the back. If you don't, change them so you can, but don't give up on them.

Before a new school year begins, I always write down my goals for the peeps; what I will help them improve/learn/achieve. Usually around this time of year I check my list to make sure we are on track. Sometimes I realize we have achieved them without much effort. I write new ones. Sometimes we are totally off track. I readjust.

This school year I had them write down their own goals but not share them with me. I sealed each one and we will open them at the end of the school year. So far I can say we are on track as far as my goals for them go. What they set for themselves is beyond me. I do need to remind them to check their progress. I can't wait to discover and explore them.

Here is to a year full of possibilities!!!

Tessellations!

2009-12-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

No idea what those were until we hit geometry! I don't remember ever doing those in my geometry class and I have to say I am glad I didn't meet these guys sooner. I am just not artsy at all! I am literal. I am not very imaginative. I need live demonstrations. Sometimes I can follow written instructions but I need specific instructions on exactly what to do to get X. With tessellations all we kept finding was do this and this and see what you see. I see a big blob with wavy lines. They saw dolphins, and lizards, and horses. Not I! So why did I rack my brain over this. Middle Peep is taking a great online Math class and this was his assignment worth a test grade......a WHOLE test grade! This sort of stuff freaks me out.

In order to explain it to him, I had to understand it. You see...he is like his mama. He took one look at all those sites....do this and then this and see what you see...and he saw...a blob with wavy lines! I can not tell you how many times we Bing(?ed?) tessellations. (OK...we Googled too but that didn't help any either.) Well I finally left him to it and offered no suggestions other than perhaps he should alternate the colors...one solid and polka dotted, etc.

This is what he did!

A close up!

In a different direction...

Mama is proud of you!!!!

Now we await the grade.....

Edited to add......he received a 93%. WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!

Welcome New School Year!

2009-09-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have written this post several times but none made any sense. To put it simply, I have NEVER started the year this unprepared!

I've been homeschooling or we have been home learning since Oldest Peep was 3. This was not my choice but many have heard me tell the story of our start. A just-turned-3-year-old insisted every day for a month straight that I must teach her to read. When I saw that she was serious, I had to do some quick research because I had no idea where to start. I wasn't a teacher. I had no training but here she was insisting EVERY DAY!!!!! I, fortunately for all of us, stumbled across The Well Trained Mind. I was sold instantly. We started formal lessons when she was around 5. She again insisted on planners and schedule. (I know...she's weird that way....first born thing I think!) Every year after that I would go to homeschooling conferences, buy books, order books, read the WTM boards faithfully, buy back to school supplies, and eventually sit down to plan out the year.

This year.................................

I am still trying to decide on some subjects. Other subjects (like Latin) the peeps have taken the reigns and I have no idea how to reinvolve (is that a word....it is tonight!) myself. Some things we are doing on the fly with no plan (music and art). Some planned things we haven't even started (History) because unplanned things keep coming up ( like this course on Justice by a Harvard Professor). We have two different science classes at home (Chemistry with Baby Peep and Conceptual Physics with the other 2 peeps) and 2 different science classes outside the home. The subjects giving me no headaches are being done online...... Classical Writing Diogenes: Maxim and Chreia (Oldest Peep) and Jacob's Geometry (Middle Peep). What a relief these have been! I don't have Oldest Peep in a puddle of tears because I suggested she rewrite a particular sentence in her story and I don't have to convince Middle Peep why writing just an answer to a problem is insufficient work at this level in math (not to mention teaching proofs to an 11 year old brain!)

So while I feel completely unprepared and I feel like a juggler on the first day of training camp, the peeps are actually producing work. They are learning. They are curious. They are progressing.

I guess the rest of the lesson plans can wait just a little longer. I have just this one sock to finish and this hat to knit up real quick and these new starts to plant and while I am at it, I might as well paint this wall because all this white is making me crazy, and.........

Well how has your school year started off? As planned?

Washington Renaissance Fair

2009-08-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

How fun!!!!

We found out about the Washington Renaissance Fair last week so on Sunday we decided to check it out. The last time we went to one of these was several years ago when we still lived in GA.

As soon as we parked the car, I felt like we had teleported to another time. It is always amazing to me to see how serious some people take this event. We saw all sorts of costumes. The part my kids enjoyed the most was the entertainers that walked about the place. When we first entered we saw a group of pirates hassling people in the pub. There was another pirate in the street walking around with a plank on a rope. We didn't really understand that. we really enjoyed seeing the Queen walking about from show to show with the Royal Court. Sadly, there was no King with her. And the food! Well, let's just say we all looked forward to walking around eating our huge turkey leg (not pictured). Enjoy the few pictures I was able to get.

Garden!

2009-08-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

The garden is busy with activity!

The only herb we managed to grow was cilantro and that took us several tries to get going.

Tomatoes!!!

Finally here!!!!!

Cherry tomatoes!

We have had tomatoes forever but they just were not ripening.

Yesterday I noticed that they are on their way!!!!

Here the Roma Tomatoes are still very green!

But forming well!

Next we move on to the cucumbers.

This summer we are growing two kinds of cucumbers.

Regular cukes!!!

And lemon cucumbers!

This is the cucumber plant. Look at all those flowers.

I have seen several bees busy pollinating so I hope we get many more cucumbers!

Onto the pole beans!

We have already harvested many!

We have 5 bean plants but this is the only one which has vined and also the only one that hasn't produced any beans. the others are small and bushy but have given us lots of beans.

Weird, huh!

Peppers!!!

When I got these 2 plants all the natives doubted me. They pooh poohed my peppers. Well, guess who has peppers now! :-)

Strawberries!

We just got 2 new strawberry plants. They are the everbearing variety! We can't wait!

These are the June bearing ones. The leaves have been doing well and we got a big crop in June but since then the leaves have been turning red. Anyone know why????? Please tell me it is normal!

Watermelon!!!!

Yes you read correctly! Watermelon in Western Washington!

Like the peppers I raised lots of eyebrows with my choice, but I think they are doing rather well. Let's hope the warmth doesn't run out before they actually grow.

And since the weather did turn colder I got some broccoli plants. We have three and we will see how they do. These are a first for us.

So there you have it. A look around my garden.

How is your garden doing?

Spring Rolls

2009-08-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several times for this recipe. It is very simple once you have all the ingredients and a perfect meal on a summer evening when you don't want to eat anything warm.

First gather rice paper for spring rolls. I have found this in the Asian section of my local supermarket. You will also easily find these at any Asian market.

This is the only MUST have for these. All other ingredients are what I use but you can add practically anything you want in them.

I add:

Green Leaf Lettuce

rinse and let dry

Turkey Kielbasa

cut into strips

and then cook

Bean thread

Put water to boil

Turn off and add threads

Cover and let sit in hot water until soft

You do not boil water with these in them. The hot water will soften and cook them. After they are soft I rinse them to cool them off but leave some water in the pot or they will be difficult to work with.

Eggs

omelet style which I cut into strips (not pictured)

Here is where you can add other things. My mom makes them with shrimp instead of kielbasa. You could use strips of pork or chicken or beef or tofu. Imagine strips of albacore/ahi tuna or salmon. You can add cilantro if you like it.

I usually add bean sprouts, but I had none on hand today.

A local Pho place makes them with Thai Lemon Basil.

The possibilities are endless. You get to pick the ingredients.

Now I prepare all my filler ingredients beforehand. Everything is ready and in bowls on the island waiting for assembly. I put them in front of me from left to right in the order I need them. This would have made a great picture but I just now realized I didn't take one. Oh well! I am sure you get the "picture".

Now you must have a container big enough to fit the rice paper flat. I use this round and flat container.

I fill it with about 1/2 an inch of water and then heat it in the microwave.

Once it is hot but not too hot to put my fingers in, I drop a rice paper sheet in the hot water.

In about 20 seconds it becomes very soft.

You will have to heat the water after every 4 or 5 sheets. Remember, the warmer the water the faster the rice paper softens.

Carefully take it out and lay it flat on your working surface.

Here starts the assembly!

Place about half of a green leaf lettuce on top in the middle.

Next place some bean threads.

Add your other ingredients.

Begin Rolling!

Fold the left and right sides over.

Then the side closet to you.

Finally, roll the entire thing over

until you have a cigar shape roll.

Repeat a billion times because I promise you they will eat them as fast as you can make them.

I had to threaten them just so I could get a picture of a full serving dish.

OH! And don't forget your favorite dipping sauce.

In your house it could be hot sauce!

Buen provecho!

College Fair!

2009-08-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday the whole family (YES ALL 5 OF US) went to a college fair. First off we did not know how long it would take and the idea of leaving Middle Peep home with Baby Peep did not appeal to Papa and I. They have stayed home before but this was a bit far away (usually I am no more than 5-10 minutes away) and we did not know how long we would be away so into the minivan we all went. Fortunately, there was a place they could hang out at while we went from booth to booth.

I discovered a book that talks about small liberal arts colleges and while I was still reading it (and loving it), someone on my homeschool email list shared about a college fair the organization was hosting. Since I didn't know if they would be coming back to this area and I was really enjoying learning about the schools in the book, I marked the calendar and shared with Papa Peep and Oldest Peep the date.

When we arrived, we filled out a registration card. On one side it asked our name and address and what year she would be graduating. On the other side were all the colleges in attendance and we were free to check off the ones we wanted to contact us further. They had a small 30 minute information session where they introduced their organization....Colleges That Change Lives....and made us feel comfortable and relaxed about the whole process. There were over 200 people in attendance and you could tell all were anxious to get to the booths. When they opened the hall, just about everyone ran over to talk to recruiters. Oldest Peep and I hung back and tried to figure out who would be our first stop. Papa stayed back with the boys to settle them into a game on his iphone. We stopped at Agnes Scott College as we remembered them from our time in Atlanta. As soon as the recruiter said, "All girls....." she lost Oldest Peep. From there we went to The Evergreen State College.....no swim team....keep moving. We wondered some more and then settled on Kalamazoo College. Swim Team? Check! Study abroad program? Check! Languages Department? Check! So far so good! We talked to the recruiter (who did not believe I was her mom) and he really sold the school to us. We were both very impressed with what he had to share with us. From there we went to a few others she enjoyed hearing about. What we.....really she.....most learned from this is that she can stand in front of a complete stranger and share with them what she thinks she might want to study, the importance of an active and competitive swim team, and her desire to see the world and interact with it in its languages. We also learned that she needs to work on eye contact and speaking up, but I say not bad for a first time!

To be honest, I did not really prepare her beforehand. We took her without really telling her what a college fair was all about. She was nervous once she realized what it entailed since she is always pretty shy around strangers.

Job well done sweetie! And don't worry, we will have plenty of chances for you to practice over the next few years!!!

2009-08-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sara at Source: Sara for this find. To be honest I have never heard of Lupe Fiasco but I live in my own bubble. Apparently Papa Peep thinks I am not hip. I disagree!

So where have I been????

2009-08-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

Driving!!!

I wish it was for pleasure to so some exotic location. No! It has been for sport's practice. The boy peeps were both involved in basketball in the winter, while the girl peep continues swimming. This "spring" season the boy peeps were both involved with baseball and basketball. This, but baseball especially has taken over our lives. There were practices just about every day for someone and/or a game. Madness!!! But I think it all paid off.

Swimming went well this year. Oldest Peep has really enjoyed her new coach after much trial and error with other teams. This coach really understands what motivates her and exactly when to push and when to back off. He has been a positive experience in her life. To top the year off, she earned a spot in her team's relay team for 13-14 girls at the Championship meet and although her shoulder is giving her troubles (rotator cuff issues) she swam well. Her teammates were very happy to have her since we discovered the injury just days before the big event. Her PT dr gave her the go ahead for the two swims and we were all relieved when they were over. For the next month she will focus on strengthening it so she can have another great swim year. The new season starts in September and after only having the last 2 weeks off she is already anxious to get back in the pool.

Sports for Middle Peep went well for him this year. He has really made huge strides in basketball. He has been fortunate enough to have the same wonderful coach for the past 2 years. Sadly this coming year will be the last year he can be on his team. Coach is moving away and Middle Peep is aging up. (Where does the time go??? A question for another post.) Middle Peep has finally become comfortable in the role of point guard and earning double digit numbers for rebounds and assists in most games. He is also shooting the ball more and trusting his instincts. Baseball was a BIG WIN this year. We lucked out again here as he was drafted by the BEST coach in our league (in my opinion). We hope to be as lucky next season. His baseball team only had 2 loses in the regular season to win the division championship and then went on to be completely undefeated in the Tournament of Champions earning their team two trophies and an ice cream party from coach. The coach promised the kids ice cream if anyone hit a home run. Well, middle peep, at bat in the first inning of the last game, hit a 3-run home run. The final score was 10-8 for the win!!!! Go ANGELS!!!

Baby peep had a great sport season as well. His basketball skills improved greatly. He has managed to not push it so hard against the ground causing it to bounce everywhere. He now is smooth and in control. He is also working on a great jump shot. The hoop in the back yard is in constant use between the two boys! Baseball season was a bit tough for baby peep as he was on a team with complete newbies. It took the team several games to figure out how to win together but they did in the end. Baby peep in the meantime learned how to motivate his team and be patient in the outfield. He still much prefers the infield....1st base or short stop but has learned the value of a good outfielder. He is currently working on his pitching as he would like to be a pitcher as well.

As for school wise...well....things are moving....slowly....but moving. I think it has taken us all a long time to adjust to our new seasons here. Also with all our sports activities, getting everything done has been a challenge. I hope to start our days earlier (UGH!) so that we can accommodate everything. With Oldest Peep approaching high school, middle peep put pacing me, and baby peep starting 3rd grade, I need to stay on target! I will save the 2009-2010 school update for tomorrow. For now, thanks to all who have emailed asking me to update. You have been my motivation. I will try to put the blog back on the schedule!

For now enjoy these pictures of our year since the elections!

Always something (or someone) to laugh at!!!

Love Love Love!

Can you feel the love?

Mt. Rainer from above...one our way to L.A.

MamaLee's Birthday Bash in L.A.!!!

There is a teenager in the house!!!!

Are there really all those kids in my house?

Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood!

Baby Peep is always in front of the camera!

Go Baby Girl!

Ichiro is the man!!!!!!

Go Griffey Jr.!

Advice from the coach!

STAR FISH at the Tide Pools!

Ready in the outfield!

HOME RUN!!!!!!

TEAM CELEBRATION!

It's a New Day!!!

2009-01-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

I went asleep last night

Tired from the fight

I've been fighting for tomorrow

All my life

Yea I woke up this morning

Feeling brand new

'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming

Has finally came true

It's a new day

It's been a long time coming

Up the mountain kept runnin'

Souls of freedom kept hummin'

Channeling Harriet Tubman

Kennedy, Lincoln, and King

We gotta maninvest in that dream

It feels like we're swimming upstream

It feels like we're stuck inbetween

A rock and a hard place,

We've been through the heartaches

And lived through the darkest days

If you and I made it this far,

Well then hey, we can make it all the way

And they said no we can't

And we said yes we can

Remember it's you and me together

I woke up this morning

Feeling alright

I've been fightin' for tomorrow

All my life

Yea, I woke up this morning

Feeling brand new

Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming

Has finally came true

It's a new day

(it's a new day)

It's a new day

(it's a new day)

It's a new day

It's a new day!

It's been a long time waitin'

Waiting for this moment

It's been a long time praying

Praying for this moment

We hope for this moment

And now that we own it

For life Ima hold it

And I won’t let it go

It's for fathers, our brothers,

Our friends who fought for freedom

Our sisters, our mothers,

Who died for us to be in this moment

Stop and cherish this moment

Stop and cherish this time

It's time for unity

For us and we

That's you and me together

I woke up this morning

Feeling brand new

'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming

Have finally came true

Yea, I woke up this morning

Feeling alright

'Cause we weren't fighting for nothing

And the soldiers weren't fighting

For nothing

No, Martin wasn't dreaming for nothing

And Lincoln didn't change it for nothing

And children weren't crying for nothing

It's a new day

A new day

It's a new day

It's a new day!

2009-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

2 DAY MEAT????

Humitas

2009-01-08T00:36:00.000-08:00

So what is in here???

One of my favorite things about different cultures is the food! I am an eater!!!! Papa Peep eats to live and I live to eat!!!! Being snowed in for Christmas was rough on my waistline especially since my mom was here.

We made all sorts of treats and I will share the one we made in the above photo.

Humitas as described in Wikipedia is a dish from pre-Hispanic times. They are common in many countries in South America with each creating its unique version. The ones that I will show are the Ecuadorian version, sweet of course!

First find corn with the husks still on. Be sure the individual corn kernels are not juicy. Believe it or not, the harder the kernal the better.

Cut the ends off each corn.

Carefully remove the husks as you will need these later. Try to get them as whole as possible.

The ugly and harder outer ones will serves as string to tie the humitas. I will show you how to do this later.

The softer inner ones will serve to house the masa.

Once you have undressed the corn then, using a sharp knife cut the kernels from the cob carefully. I did not get a picture of this as my cooks moved too fast for me but I snagged this off the net.

Eventually you will have a bowl full of kernels.

Using a food processor turn the kernels into masa.

I know my food processor is puny! Stop laughing now!

If the masa is too runny, you will need to add some corn flour (also known as harina) to thicken it.

Fortunately we got good corn and we did not need to add this step.

Now add some salt and sugar to taste.

I know you need measurements, but I just don't cook with measurements and my mom much less so. We cook by taste. Since we are not adding eggs, feel free to taste the masa. It won't hurt you!

Mix well!!!!

Meanwhile someone should be washing the husks!!

Now we are ready to begin!

Chose a husk and right in the center add a large spoonful of masa.

This is where the variations come in. Us Ecuadorians like to add .....you guessed it......CHEESE!!!!

The closest kind of cheese to what we would use natively is Queso Freso (love Wiki!!!!). Again no picture I took, but here are a few varieties I found online.

The Ranchero is what I can find locally, but there are many brands.

Now the packaging!!!

You can fold over the middle. You may need another husk to cover the top. It really depends on how big each husk was and how carefully you removed them. Make sure there are no holes or your masa will fall out before it cooks.

Remember those tough husks we were keeping separate??? Get them out and pull strips from the leaves. You can make them about 1/2 inch strips.

Get the ends together and tie them. Depending on how you tie the humitas you may need 3 strips tied together or just 2.

Tie each end.........

Fold the ends over and tie each bundle.......

Or recently my mother has seen them served this way......

Same as before with the masa in the husks, but instead of typing them with strips of corn husks....

Aluminum to the rescue. I prefer them being tied but if you plan on freezing them, I find the foil protects them quite well. OH YES!!!! Make a ton and FREEZE them. They make a yummy breakfast!!!!

Steam for about 45 minutes!!!!

We made about 30 humitas out of 10 ears of corn.......

Well, not counting the ones I ate before we counted them!

Enjoy!!!!

Buen Provecho!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

What am I cooking?

Name this animal!!

2009-01-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

Being the city girl that I am, I am no use to my children identifying these tracks. We tried a google search but nothing seem to fit. Can you help us???

Shoveling snow ain't easy....

2008-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

and if you have the wrong equipment, darn near impossible I would say!

That is a pretty narrow garden shovel.

Yes!!! That is a garden rake you see. No! Do not adjust your screens. He is shoveling snow with a garden rake. How you ask???

Like that!

and that!

We like our snow to line up in neat little rows

before we drive over it!

Let's take a look again!!!

Narrow garden shovel

Garden rake!

Who knew????

This is what a snow shovel will do for you!

You can actually see the sidewalk!

This is what a narrow garden shovel and a garden rake will do

NOTHING!!!!!!!

At least they gave up with this one.....

Yes!!! That is a leaf rake you see. No! Don't adjust your screens.

The joys of the internet!!!!

2008-12-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Technology is a wonderful thing!!! I was able to spend Christmas and will be spending New Years with my mother. I have been able to teach her a bit more on how to get around on her computer. She is feeling a bit more confident as is her husband. He was finally able to use IM and speak to his mother and father whom he has not seen in a number of years via web cam.

It was a wonderful gift on Christmas morning. He also met a few neices and nephews whom he has only seen in pictures before. It was wonderful to be a part of that family reunion.

And not to be outdone (wink), my mom had her own reunion with our family in Ecuador (granted it has only been a few months since we last saw them).

psst!! That is not your screen that needs cleaning, but mine!!!

Gotta love technology!!!

House Bound

2008-12-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

and no way of getting out!!!

Under those circumstances we did what any normal family would do.......

WE PLAYED ROCK BAND 2!!!!!!

We played Lips!

We got into character with the Transformers!

We played board games!

We surfed the net!!!!

We napped!!!!

And we watched more and more and more snow cover every inch of our neighborhood!

Candy canes and Legos a plenty!!!

We watched a lot of movies!!!

just to name a few....

We even danced when we saw the rain this morning!!!!

We also ate enough to feed a small country for a few years but we won't talk about that.......

How do you spend your time when you are home bound???

As of Sunday 5:30PM

2008-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

Of course it snowed more since then.....

Send Help Quick!!!

2008-12-21T00:43:00.000-08:00

The snow has overtaken us!!!

There use to be 4 rows of blocks here!!!

SNOW!!!

2008-12-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

We got snow last night!

And it is still coming down this morning.

My strawberry plants are somewhere in that far corner. Will they survive? The spinach is under there too along with some carrots and onions!!!!

The kids have declared a snow day (even though I haven't). Just you wait until they come back inside!!!

Where is he going????

Last night, as Papa turned down our street to come up our little hill, he saw cars stuck in the middle of the road. I went out to inspect and sure enough a bunch of neighbors were pulled over to the side of the road because they couldn't make it up (at least 8). One was stuck smack dab in the middle. Another family and the Peeps helped them out by pushing them to the side. It was hard work. Luckily Papa's car is all wheel drive and was able to handle the snow/ice mix.

Enjoying the snow! Oh, to be a kid again and not feel the bitter cold and icy wetness......

What use to be the front yard!

The little peeps are out there with friends playing in the snow. I love that I don't have to be out there with them. I can see them right from my window and my warm desk.

So what are you doing today??? We are staying home!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

My two favorite things at the moment.....

Christmas!

2008-12-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

I fought it!

I really tried!

But in the end they won!

We got a real tree!

Last Christmas as I vacuumed every day the many, many needles that fall off a real tree every minute of the day, I begged for it to be the last real tree Christmas. I know some of you are gasping and some of you are cheering. I fall into the ~~fake~~ artifical tree camp. It was cute the first year but after that the novelty wore off. The vacuuming, the watering, the disposal..... I had enough.

So we went in search of an artifical tree. WOW! I did not get the memo that artifical trees are way, way, way over priced!!!! And the ones that look real and are pre-lit....well, all I can say is....my children wish to attend college some day. And although I have no intention of paying for any of it, I would like to send them a few pennies now and then so they can eat. Back to the real tree lots we go.......

But Christmas Eve....I am prowling for artifical tree sales!!!!!

Instead we splurged on a few new ornaments. Here is a glimpse.......

The ornament above was actually my sister who got them in Munich.

We also splurged on these LED lights. I will be bargin shopping for more of these as well come Christmas Eve.

And Papa really wanted to show us his favorite ornaments so here he goes........

Happy Holidays to all!!!

The toes belong to.....

2008-12-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

this bundle of joy!!!

10 minutes old and already has daddy wrapped around her finger!

And those toes?? I was able to capture them when she was just 2 hours old!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Can you guess how old these toes were at the time the picture was taken?

I will post the answer along with more pictures late Wednesday.

A Miracle

2008-12-09T21:22:00.002-08:00

I have been very lucky in my life.

I did not grow up rich but I did have everything my mother could offer me. I did not attend the best schools but I did go to schools that cared. I was not the smartest kid in class but school was generally easy and fun for me. In high school I entered an after school program that really helped guide the direction of my life. I was introduce to a world outside of my community. I was given chances I otherwise would not have had. These opportunities led to other adventures. Those led me to the man I am married to and the father of my peeps. The choices we had to make led to the path we are on now.

I mention all this because until last week I did not realize how lucky I was in the birth I had with my peeps in particular with Oldest Peep, as she started the trend.

I had no choice but to pick the ob/gyn across the street from the hospital who had the best midwife in the region on staff. I did not know this at the time. I basically looked at a list and picked randomly. She was the only woman on the list but I had no idea what a nurse midwife was. When I went in to see her I liked her right away. She was very reassuring and comforting. She patiently answered all my scared, new-mom-to-be questions. I stuck with her. One day she handed me the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and challenged me to read it before my next appointment. I latched on to the idea after the first chapter! Later, she handed me a Dr. Sears book and I was fully attached.

I look back now and am just amazed at how lucky I was to find the right person.

What made me appreciate all this? Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, I was able to attend to my sister in law while she delivered her second baby naturally after having a csection with her first child. It took a lot of work on her part. She was very tense but even more she was dedicated to not enduring the horrors of her first birth. Doctor after doctor told her she could not do it. Friend after friend told her to just schedule the csection. But she would not. She did not!!! She read and she researched. She searched high and low until she found someone who would give it a try with her. She visited every OB/Gyn office in the State(or at least that is how it felt) until she found one person who understood her desire, her need for a vbac. Her determination showed me how strong a woman can be to endure. Her will taught me that the mind is a very powerful thing.

I was very lucky to have birthed my 3 peeps with no intervention, no drugs, no complications. Her experience showed me just how lucky I was and how sad that we are not all that lucky.

Attending to her during labor and the birth was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I have always been on the other end of the birth process and honestly I think the mind tries to forget all the pain afterwards so you can just focus on the miracle of the baby. Every woman should attend a birth so that you can see exactly the power of our body, the strength of our gender! The miracle is more than the baby. The miracle is in what the body knows to do, what the mind endures, what the soul produces, what our strength performs. The prize for being a woman is that bundle of love we have birthed, that baby that is perfect in every way and that will love us forever.

I am still in awe when I think about it.

PS! My intention is not to make a different choice seem wrong in any way. I am simply amazed at what I experienced. That's all it is folks......

7 year old boy Narration

2008-11-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

More swimming!

2008-11-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

Oldest peep swam the 500 yard freestyle this past weekend. That is 20 laps of 25 yards. She was very nervous and did not think she would make it all the way to the end. Her coach assured her that she swims way more than that at every practice.

She stayed pretty steady the whole way until the last 25. She realized she still had some power left in her legs and she kicked hard!

She came in 2nd place with a time of 7:01. She is swimming this same event this coming weekend and she hopes to improve that time now that she knows her arms won't fall off.

Recipe Time!

2008-11-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

The closest commonly known food to this are arepas....Columbian corn cakes. In Ecuador we call them Tortitas de Maiz. While arepas are made with white corn, tortitas de maiz are made with yellow corn. They are typically served as a breakfast food but my family enjoys them at any time of the day.

For your ingredients you will need some things that are not typically in your pantry (unless you are Latin):

Harina de maiz amarillo precocinada (Fine yellow cornmeal precooked)

These are two that I have seen often but there are others. As long as it is a fine precooked cornmeal it should work just fine.

Cheese- the closest I have found to what we need is a Mexican queso fresco. This is just one example.

Sugar - I use Turbinado or Demerara sugar. I suppose regular white sugar will work too. I am not sure how honey or agave would work. if you try those, I'd love to hear about it.

Salt - I use sea salt...any salt will work.

Final ingredient.....WATER....lukewarm water.

Start with a medium sized bowl.

Add about 1 cup of harina de maiz

and about two tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. This is really relative to taste. If you have a sweet tooth add a little more. If not such a sweet tooth, add a little less. If you want something more savory, you could leave out the sugar all together. Before the final step you can taste the masa to see if it is balanced correctly.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Then slowly add about a cup of warm water. I use water as hot as I can stand it without burning myself. It is not necessary but with the cold here it is one way to warm up my hands. Luke warm is perfectly fine.

Mix in the water.

Add a little at a time (1/2 cup at a time) until the masa is completely wet.

It should look like this when it is fully wet. There should be nothing left in the bowl and it should not be sticking to your hands either. Remember little water at a time.

Push it down in the center and add about 1-2 tablespoons more of water. This masa is very forgiving. If you add too much water just add more masa and it will be absorbed easily. If your masa is too dry add a little more water and problem fixed. The reason I add a little more water once the masa is ready is to knead it some more. The turbinado sugar will dissolve once worked a little more.

Now it looks smoother!

If you are like me, you will always forget to prepare the cheese ahead of time. So rinse off your hands and get the cheese out. How much cheese you need will depend on how much harina you use. Start off with a little and cut more as you need. Cut it into smallish cubes like this.

Pinch off a bit of the masa. The size will depend on how big you want them. I like mine about the size of my palm. I have small hands so you play around with what size works for you.

Push in the middle to form a bowl out of your ball.

Fill it with about 3 or 4 pieces of cheese.

Start folding over the sides so that it covers up the cheese cubes.

Use both hands to shape them like small roundish discs.

If you find that you did not pinch off enough masa to cover your cheese.....

Just pinch off a bit more and just cover the hole and then shape the same way as before.

About a cup of harina de maiz will make about 10-12 tortillas.

And if like me you end up with left over cheese, make more masa!

Or you might be lucky enough to have some little mouths ready to help with your problem!

On to the cooking!

I use a cast iron pan. I use enough oil to cover the bottom and a little more.

Place them all in the pan once the oil is plenty hot over medium heat.

Cover and wait about 4-5 minutes.

If the cheese is coming out of some of them, this is good. That cheese will get crunchy and the kids fight over who gets those.

Flip them over once they are browned on the bottom side.

Watch them because they can burn quickly. (Ask me how I know!)

These were to go, so I put them in a plastic container and gave them to a dear friend. I know he enjoyed them.

And now he and his mom can make their own!

If you have a hard time finding the harina, let me know and I will help you find some.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

Peep what I have been doing lately......

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

If only I had had a picnic lunch, a blanket, and a long book.......

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2008-11-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Where was I?

Taking pictures!

The Great Pumpkin Massacre of 2008!

2008-11-10T22:38:00.000-08:00

So what ever happened to those pumpkins we were growing? The ones that were not growing at first and then grew quickly, but stayed green forever. Did they ever turn orange???? Well, for the most part they did. And the Peeps enjoyed turning them into Jack-O-Laterns. Take a peek.

Of course, Baby Peep's had to be throwing up!

Middle Peep's had devious eyebrows!

Oldest Peep's had a grin from ear to ear!

We gave the one in the middle to a neighbor that came over to help carve. That was the first pumpkin she had ever carved. We had a blast with her.

These are the three pumpkins we had left, each representative of their unique personalities! Overall, a great experience for the peeps from seed to Jack-O-Latern.

Victory!!!!

2008-11-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

So what have I been feeling? There are so many emotions I don't know how to narrow them down.....

The whole world is expecting a lot from him. Some expect failure, but most expect exceptionalism, understanding, compassion, and honor. He has a heavy burden on his shoulders but I truly believe he is up for the challenge. There are so many placing so many hopes and dreams on him that I worry, but I am hopeful. If nothing else this process has taught me to trust in his judgement. I may not agree at times but if I listen I understand his reason. I feel pride in calling him My President. I feel joy at the thought of his two young daughters running around that big old house full of history adding their laughter to its halls. I read somewhere that they have him wrapped around their fingers. You can tell by the way he looks at them and Michelle that he just adores them. He will work hard to make this a better world if nothing else for them and their future. I am hopeful.

I am also a realist. I know the world will not embrace peace simply for him. I know there are bad people out there and I know that war, hunger, poverty and injustice will not end just because we appointed him our leader. But I rejoice in the fact that those fighting war, hungry, poverty and injustice around the world have a new alley in him. I am hopeful that his inclusive nature will command the respect of our enemies. I believe that a citizen of the world as he has been, he will be able to speak from his heart to theirs; that he understands their cause, but that they begin to hear ours.

He is a man that inspired millions to hope for the best in ourselves. I am proud to call him MY PRESIDENT.

The entire story is not yet told. It is only the beginning. I am anxious to ride Hope for the next 8 years.

LOST!!!!!!!

2008-11-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween Extravaganza!!!

2008-11-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

If you are scared easily, do not push play!!!!!

Music Day!!

2008-11-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living here!!!! I know I complain about the weather, but really other than that, this place is heaven!!!! We are having such a blast. The other day Oldest Peep said to me that this is home now. That is incredible!

Today, Papa Peep and I played host to our new friends in what they call Music Day. Basically a few of them get together and play their instruments. There is an electric guitar section, a ukulele section, an acostic guitar section, a banjo, a bass, a mandolin, and a harmonica! They have a selection of songs and they go at it. There are many beautiful voices in the group and they all play beautifully. They really great part is that they are all patient with each other and help each other sound nicely. Papa Peep joined them and he really had a great time.

Since I have no musical talent other than playing my Ipod, I happily provided food to sustain those hard working musicians. Overall it was a fabulous time. I hope to be able to play host soon again. I wish I had video but Oldest Peep left my camera at a friends house and the SLR was all I had to work with. Enjoy a peek into our afternoon.

So while I wait

2008-10-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

for Papa Peep to come home so we can go Halloween costume shopping, I will upload 2 more videos and a picture from this weekend's meet.

This one is Oldest Peep in the 100 BackStroke.

She is in lane 8. You can see her time at the end. She knocks her arm into the wall since she lost stroke count keeping track of her opponents next to her. Silly girl!

In the following video she got a gold time which means she qualifies for an invitational meet. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!

Here you can clearly see her slow reaction time. She is working on that!

The meet was great and we are all very happy for her success. She wanted at least one gold time and she got it in her favorite event. What more can you ask for?

The next meet is a long distance meet and she will have to swim 1000 meters or soemthing equally insane. She is taking today off to rest but tomorrow it is back to the training deck........

Should I or Should I not????

2008-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

That is the question!

A few weeks ago a fellow homeschooler posted on our local email list about a science fair seminar. I somehow managed to get away without children to hear the speaker. I was fascinated by everything they had to share with us. As I sat there, I envisioned my three little peeps bursting with joy when I shared what I had discovered. The fun they would have experimenting since that is what they are always asking me for but I never deliver.

Why don't I provide this you ask? Well, if we are being honest, I don't like the mess and I don't have the patience. I like things done a certain way and I have a hard time setting them free to explore on their own. It is difficult to see them doing it wrong and not scream out a warning. It is impossible for me to watch the mistake and then not want to take over. And did I mention I don't like the mess involved in experimentation.

So for me to get this excited about science fair projects was really .....well..... exciting!

Almost a month has gone by and we are no where near ready to start. No one can narrow down what they want to do and none of the peeps has any testable curiosities. Baby Peep wants to know how gravity works. Middle Peep wants to do something with Plate Tectonics, and Oldest Peep thinks this is stupid.

Should I? Should I not? If I do, how?

2008-10-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here we have middle peep swimming the 100 freestyle. She has been out of competition swimming for over a year. She looks good in the water!

For Swing Voters!

2008-10-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Somebody got a haricut!

BEFORE!

NOW!!!

We can see him again!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

What do I have in common with sunflowers?

We both get droopy when those rain clouds roll in!

And just so you can see that it finally did bloom....

I got an award!!!!! I got an award!!!!

2008-09-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

Tina at Jetihoja Academy gave me this blog award. I am still blushing (even though it has been a week since she gave it to me and I am just getting around to posting it)!

Now I have to pick 5 blogs to award with this honor. But first I would like to recognize what I love about your blog, Tina. Let's see.....

Your weekly reports are awesome! I love looking at what your kids did all week. It sets a bar for me.
Your lapbook enthusiasm! It actually has me starting up lapbooking again.
Your dedication to Atelier. Based mostly on your rave reviews of it, I purchased this and we could not be happier. I also plan on participating in Sketch Tuesday because of you.
Your kids are so stinking cute!
And you are so sweet IRL!

Onto my 5 picks.......drum roll please...........

Laura at Laura (and Calvin and Hobbes): China to Scottland
Jenny over at Bits of Grey Matter
Kathy at Calypsis
Maggie at Remember to Breathe
Geek Herder over at Oops, Wrong Planet

Why do I heart these bloggers? Because they are all really cool people outside of the blogging world. I respect their opinions and views on the various topics they blog about and on the dialogues we exchange. I enjoy their friendships as they are friends IRL; only one through email contact but only because she lives across the pond. I hope you enjoy their blogs as much as I do.

Writing With Ease Update

2008-09-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

I am so greatful for this book. It has finally given me direction in establishing an early writer. Oldest Peep would melt into a puddle of tears at any mention of writing. Not the physical act, but the creative aspect of it. Middle Peep would form scribbles he called letters but they really were indistinguishable. Enter Baby Peep! I was determined not to produce one or the other. This writing monster had to be conquered and I had to find a way. Enter WWE. It is like Susan Wise Bauer heard my pleas for a step by step manual. When I read the samples for Chapter 3 found here, I knew this was the program for us.

So far, we are 5 weeks into it and while Baby Peep doesn't love it, his work has improved in just that short time. His copy work is going faster and faster and he needs less of my attention for this part. I don't always have to sit right next to him and anticipate his errors and try to remind him to think it through. For example, he would constantly start sentences with lower case letters. Now 3 out of 4 times he is doing the capital letter on his own. He still forgets the ending punctuation but we are working on that. His letters have become one size and he is thinking through writing his letters like a lower case p and an a. He use to write the P on the line without the "tail" below the line and then the a the same height. He now consistently writes the p hanging down on the line and the a as big as the circle part of the p. If I rememebr I will look for examples and scan them (tomorrow as Papa Peep is asleep and that would surely wake him) so you can see it.

As for narrations, well, they are proving harder than I thought they would be. He is a great storyteller. I can start a story and he can take off, talking for hours. But if I ask him to retell me something I just finished reading is more difficult for him. I have to ask very broad questions and then slowly get smaller and smaller and smaller many times reading the specific paragraphs over and over. It is slow going but I do see improvement. Today from Alice in Wonderland he narrated a scene with me only have to read it twice. The narration was very short and the details were very slim but the general idea was all there. That is improvement.

To summarize, if you were thinking about starting Writing With Ease I vote yes. It has given our beginning writing instruction some direction and a plan to follow. Check out my workbook with a read aloud schedule and loosely coordinated FLL 2 here.

Will they be ready in time?

2008-09-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

We plan on not buying any Jack-O-Laterns this year. We have four growing. The longest one is turning yellow finally and the roundest is just starting to turn also. Do you think they will be ready in time?? We saw some in the grocery store for sale already. I started them in June!!! This has been a strange summer!!!!

Flowers

2008-09-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am not a flower person. At least I have never been in the past. Yes, they are pretty, but you buy them and they last about a week if you are lucky and then they die. Same with growing them. They only last for so long and then just die. I would much rather expend my energy into growing vegetables. You get something in the end and is it usable. I am nothing if not practical, just ask Papa Peep. Well, for some unknown reason by me lately I have been buying flowers. These are the latest ones I bought and photographed. By the time I thought to take pictures they were dying. The close ups make them look much better than the overall look. For your enjoyment......

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Another warning light came on today. Where is my man when I need him?

Chocolate Tuesday at our Homeschool Group Park Day.

The first Tuesday of the month, we homeschoolers bring chocolate to share with each other. I would love to see this instituted in every group. How about it fellow homeschoolers???

Obama Has a Plan To Manage Our Oil Reserve

2008-09-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Read the full article here. I don't know if I should copy the article here to encourage reading, but click the article link. It is necessary that we are informed about all the issues.

It is an opinion piece written by John Shages, deputy assistant secretary for petroleum reserves at the Department of Energy. I would say this is a very informed opinion.

Hispanic Heritage Month

2008-09-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Declaraciones de Barack sobre el Mes de la Herencia Hispana

EL DISCURSO DE BARACK:

Chicago, IL – El Senador Barack Obama se unió a millones de estadounidenses hoy para celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana, que se celebra del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, e hizo las siguientes declaraciones:

"Este mes, acompaño a todos los estadounidenses en la celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Es una ocasión para honrar los logros y sacrificios de los hispanos, desde su larga y digna tradición de servicio militar al liderazgo visionario de César Chávez, a las luchas actuales por la oportunidad y la prosperidad. Es una ocasión para reconocer a todos los hispanos que han ayudado a escribir la historia social, económica y cultural de los Estados Unidos de América.

"Después de lo mucho que hemos avanzado juntos, no podemos dar marcha atrás. Tenemos que seguir marchando hacia delante. Yo he caminado junto a la comunidad hispana en Chicago, he estado con ustedes en marchas para defender a los inmigrantes y lucharé por ustedes en la Casa Blanca. Este es el momento de crear empleos que paguen bien, reducir la tasa de abandono escolar y por fin aprobar el DREAM Act. Es hora de por fin aprobar una reforma migratoria integral, de proveerle cobertura médica económica, accesible y de alta calidad a los 15 millones de latinos que carecen de un seguro de salud, y de ponerle fin a la guerra en Irak. Es hora de asegurarnos de que los próximos cuatro años no sean como los últimos ocho.

"En estos momentos, en estas elecciones, tenemos que jurar de nuevo que siempre marcharemos hacia delante. Lo que siempre ha distinguido a la comunidad hispana – y lo que nos distingue como nación – es la convicción de que en los Estados Unidos se puede salir adelante si uno se lo propone. Este mes, y todos los meses, cumplimos esa promesa. En noviembre, tenemos que renovarla."

Barack's Statement on Hispanic Heritage Month

BARACK'S STATEMENT:

Chicago, IL – Senator Barack Obama joins millions of Americans in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th through October 15th. He issued the following statement:

"This month, I join all Americans in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. It's a time to honor the achievements and sacrifices of Hispanic Americans, from their long and proud tradition of military service to the visionary leadership of César Chavez to today's ongoing struggles for opportunity and prosperity. It's a time to recognize all Hispanic Americans who have helped write the social, economic, and cultural story of America.

"And after all the progress we have made together, we cannot turn back. We must march ahead. I've walked alongside the Hispanic community in Chicago, I've stood with you at immigration rallies, and I will fight for you in the White House. And now is the time for us to create good-paying jobs, reduce the student dropout rate, and finally enact the DREAM Act. It's time to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform, provide 15 million uninsured Latinos with affordable, high-quality health care, and end the war in Iraq. It's time to make sure the next four years don't look just like the last eight.

"At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to always march ahead. What has always distinguished the Hispanic community – and what distinguishes us as Americans – is our belief that in America, you can make it if you try. This month, and every month, we keep that promise. This November, we must renew it."

The Hypocricy!!!!

2008-09-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

stole this from the blog of a brilliant fellow homeschooler....The Genie Bottle.

I have been heard saying, "The best news comes from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report!!!"

New Schedule

2008-09-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

Starting on Monday this is the plan. Let's see if I cry this time.

I must also tell you all that I have never had a timed schedule before. This is something new for us as I am a fly by the seat of my pants type of person. Unfortunately, meeting our educational goals while balancing sports and socialization has required this type of schedule. We will see if this one works or if I go back to the drawing board.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

They have been this size all month. This is the strangest summer weather I have ever encountered.

We anxiously continue to wait............

Boy jobs and girl jobs!!!

2008-09-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Edited to add: Boy jobs and girl jobs may be different in your family. In mine, boys jobs are the jobs I don't want to do and girl jobs are the ones I like to do. These jobs will look different in your home than in mine. Don't take offense in my definitions.

I tell my husband all the time that there are boy jobs and girl jobs. I can not change a tire. He can not cook. I can not change the spark plugs. He can't grocery shop. I can not put air in the tires. He should not cook. You get the picture. Well, all of last week a light was on in my dashboard. The first time it came on I told Papa Peep to make it go away. It was making me nervous. He took the car to the gas station, had no quarters for the air machine, and brought it back home to me without telling me he had not filled the tires. The next day I took it out but as I drove on the highway the light went away. Tire pressure back to normal. The next day it was back to being low. I stopped at a lube shop and they kindly filled all the tires to the appropriate levels. The next day the light came on again! I ~~whined to~~ asked papa to make it go away. He did nothing. The next day I was driving to the zoo and the air was even lower than the previous day. Now I thought I must have a leak. I went to the gas station and begged the agent to help me since I didn't even know where to put the quarters. Well, he checked the pressure, filled them with air and this is what I got once on the road.

I checked the screen because the car was literally lopsided. At low speeds it was hard to tell but at high speeds we all felt like we were lower on the driver side. Middle peep just kept on laughing and luaghing all the way to the zoo. I was late already so I just kept driving slowly and hoped for the best.

On the way home, I could stand it no longer and went to a tire business and was ready to buy 4 new tires if that is what I needed to do. Fortunately the attedent was kind and did not laugh at my insanity. He checked all the tires and found one with a screw in it. He patched and filled it to the right level. I am back to normal now......I hope.

What lesson did I learn? I don't like the boy jobs.

Back to the drawing board

2008-09-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

I forgot about a new class I signed the peeps up for and the volunteering once a week Oldest Peep is doing so I have to go back to the drawing board on that timed schedule. I feel like such a dope! After Oldest Peep understood that the time was just a guideline so relaxed she has been doing very well. We actually finish most days before lunch. Baby Peep still slips through the cracks at times but that has more to do with his slippery nature than the schedule.

Speaking of slippery.....here is what we found hanging out by the lettuce....keep moving slugger....nothing to eat here.

Garden!!! Garden!!!

2008-09-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

I did not think I could get the hang of this garden thing this year. I put seeds in the ground and hoped for the best. After I started I got some books and did some reading about the PNW soil. Now we are starting a small fall garden while the rest of our summer veggies finish growing up. So far so good.

Here are the tomatoes

The cucumbers........

The Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins are HUGE!

It's bigger than my hand. (I know! I know! Not hard since my hands are very little.)

We have 5 pumpkins and quite a few flowers trying to make it to pumpkin stage. I planted 3 vines. Next year I will only plant 2 and give those vines the room they need. They are not crowded just yet but they could use more room.

Since our one carrot was not the size we hoped for we are trying again. This time I grabbed the big shovel, loosened the soil and got all the rocks we could find out. Next I bought soil, manure, and compost, mixed it all up and made a garden bed in the loosened soil area. This area gets sun from about 10am until sundown which is about 8pm these days. I dread the shorter days. A week after we planted we got baby seedlings.

Lettuce

Spinach

More Carrots

Oh and I got an aloe plant and a Venus Flytrap Plant. I am afraid the aloe is already looking sickly and the venus is enjoying the gnats and fruit flies that love to live in my pantry during the summer months.....dang bananas! I will post pictures of the Venus Flytrap soon. It is pretty cool to watch in action.

Into our grove

2008-09-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

We started school back up a few weeks ago. I have known for a while what we would use but of course the peeps had a different idea. We have already switched math, history and science. I will update the side bars some time this week but for now we found a grove to get it all done. Yesterday however, Oldest Peep was in tears most of the morning and could not tell me why. I finally got her to relax enough to talk to me about it. Well turns out that she was stressing about the times on the side. I put them there to give me an idea of when we can have lunch and when we will be done for the day and when Baby Peep could take his breaks. They are not set in stone. They will not be beaten if it takes 45 minutes to get done with math instead of 30. The reason I have a homework spot is that sometimes they do fool around instead of stay on task. When I see this happen and they are behind time wise then I will tell them they will have to finish in the homework hour. I have message boards to read, and laundry to sort, books to read, and a piano to learn to play. I can't sit in the school room all day waiting for them to be done.

Well, once I explained that the times were guidelines not set in stone she was able to relax and finish her work for the day. The funny thing about the whole thing is that she was ahead of the time schedule. There really was no reason to worry. Besides we finished with enough time for her to weed the garden with me, inspect what we have growing (Garden update coming soon!), watch 2 episodes of Little House on the Praire (we are reading Little House in the Big Woods and they were curious), make cookies (they did not turn out well) play some piano, and play outside with her friends for at least an hour! All this way before dinner!

Kung Fu Showdown! Part 2

2008-09-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

So now that the forms competition was over, he had the weapons competition to think about. There was quite a bit of time between the two so he practiced to prepare....settle the nerves a bit.

This lady was helping him a long. She attends his school and even though they would be competing she gave him some tips. There are just the nicest people out here!

Here Oldest Peep wants in on the action. Although Papa and I would love for her to continue her study of Kung Fu she doesn't want to. She enjoys it but is totally more swimming focused than anything else.

Since he was only a yellow belt there was really only one weapon for him to perform. I would like to point out that he was the lowest ranked belt competing here. I wondered how he would do against those ranked much higher.

Here begins his routine.

He also took 4th in this event. Later his teacher told him he would have done better if he would have just taken off his socks. He has a complex about his feet. Maybe next time......

We are so proud of you Papa!!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!

2008-08-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Great American Landmark in Marietta, GA

Kung Fu Showdown!

2008-08-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of moving out West and living in the same city as Papa Peep works in, is that he gets to do cool stuff for himself. He pretty much lived in an airport or airplane before our move. Because he loves his family so much, he never really did things for himself when he was home. He just wanted to spend as much time with his family as he could while he could. Things like playing basketball, taking guitar lessons or learning kung fu were put on the back burner so he could attend swim meets, baseball games, soccer games, and chess tournaments.

Well, no more!

He recently began taking Kung Fu lessons. He is very excoted to be learning this skill. He comes home eager to show us what he has been taught. Below you see him and the boy peeps hashing out his latest learned form. (I am sure there is a name for it but he is XBoxing right now and I don't want to go all the way downstairs to ask.)

(We had just had dinner and the kitchen is a mess so don't look too closely.)

Since he enjoys it so much, he spends as much time as he can practicing and perfecting his forms. This past weekend his school attended the first tournament in this area for this particular martial arts. Papa Peep entered 2 competitions. One was a forms competition and the other was a weapons competition. Today we will address the forms competition.

Here he is at the very beginning of the routine. He has presented himself to the judges and asked permission to perform his routine. (SHHH...he was very nervous and did not know what to expect.)

Intense! He is centering his qi....

The lighting was terrible in this place and I did not want to use my flash in case I distracted him. Can I say here that about 80 or so white, yellow, and orange belts competed in forms.....80 people!

Look at those lightning fast hands!

So he was the 20 something person to perform a routine that quite a few people performed. I must say, he was intense. He was focused. He was powerful. And unbiasly speaking, he was perfect!!!!

They chose 4 people to move to the finals and Papa Peep was the 1st person they called out!!!

We were so happy and excited. The kids were his biggest cheerleaders. They nearly tackled him when the announcement was over. It was wonderful to watch them get so excited for their daddy.

While performing in the finals he lost his balance and stumbled just the slightest bit. The competition was fierce. He ended the morning with a 4th Place trophy. We are very proud of him!!!!

To be continued.........The weapons portion........

Gipsy Kings!!!!!!!!

2008-08-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, Papa Peep surprised me with concert tickets to see the Gipsy Kings. To be totally honest, I was not too happy. I really need a new pocket camera. I really wanted a new pocket camera. I got concert tickets. But what was really upsetting was that it was at an outdoor venue. Since moving here, I have been cold. I can count on one finger the times I have been warm since our move. Once that sun goes down, it gets really chilly. I sleep with socks on and undercovers. How could I enjoy an outdoor concert when I am going to be cold and possibly wet because after all I live in a wet city. I tried to think positively as I am generally a positive person. Well I was dreading it. I gave Papa Peep a hard time. I begged him to return the tickets and he tried albeit not hard enough but he did tried.

The concert was tonight and althought I was cold (but at least not wet) we had a good time. I can't say great. We had wonderful seats. He got tickets for a roped off section right in front stage with chairs. We were right in the center in the 4th row, but after 4 or so songs people starting coming up from the back and standing in front of our front row seats. OMG!!!! I was so angry. I couldn't see anything and even if I stood I could not see. So I did what any 4'10" girl would do. I pouted and thought about leaving but then I just stood on my chair and I was still shorter than the guy in the second row. But that is ok because now I could see the stage and the fingers of one of the kings playing one of my favorite tunes. Thank you papa peep for insisting we go.

BUT I STILL WANT MY CAMERA!!!!!!

SHHHH!!!! This was taken with Papas cell phone. No cameras were allowed.

It is ok as Photoshop (Thanks to M) was able to clean it up a bit.

The GK facing us was my favorite. His fingers magically played the tunes perfectly!

2nd Grade Langugae Arts Schedule

2008-08-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here we have Baby Peep's Language Arts Schedule. I have included his read alouds, grammar (FLL), and WWE copywork and narration exercises all in one quick glance page for me. I thought about spelling but that got too complicated and I already had finished my version of the WWE workbook when I thought about it. We are using All About Spelling so I don't think it will be necessary. The FLL lessons start at 72 because we are not done with !st grade FLL just yet. The form is one off of Donna Young's website. This is the direct link to the form.

I hand wrote these and the scanning is terrible but photoshop helped me darken them up a bit. I hope they are helpful to someone in some way.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's a girl!!!!!!!!!

Quick Garden Update 3

2008-08-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend was HOT!!!!!! And for a garden a hot sun is wonderful!

Pumpkins!!!!

More pumpkins!

There is an actual carrot under there!!! The harvest date is August 30th according to our count.

CUCUMBERS!!!!

BIG BOYS!!!!!

We can not wait to harvest and start the fall garden! So far my plan from earlier in the summer still stands.

Great Worm Migration of 2008

2008-08-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

Since moving out to the PNW we have met some of the nicest people on the whole planet! Our new homeschool group has been so wonderful to us. One of the dad's was having a birthday and they needed a sitter. We of course accepted the mission and it turned into a sleepover. The peeps had a blst with their new friends. When I awoke the next morning I heard one of them yell down from the top of the stairs, "I'm up here!" When I asked what they were up to, he reponded, "I don't know. Oldest Peep said to come upstairs in our sleeping bags for the Worm Migration."

WHAT?????

Below you can witness the migration!

The great thing is they are just as crazy as my peeps so they get along marvelously!

Garden Update!

2008-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have really enjoyed caring for my garden. This was more of a test garden since I did not start it until June 12th and I really did not know what I was doing. My last garden was in 2002. I did a lot of research for the Georgia soil. I did none for this garden. I walked into a store, bought some seeds the kids picked out, and threw them into the ground. At some point I bought some fertilizer. The tomatoes never came up so I bought some plants. I saw strawberry plants and added those in. Most things are just starting to grow now that it has finally warmed up.

Oldest Peep wanted the tomatoes. We have two varieties.

Cherry Tomatoes

Big Boys

The Big Boys have not grown well. About a week ago I was ready to pull them up and start a fall garden. We are just finally getting some fruit. At one point I was definitely now watering enough and then I was watering too much. These last few days I think I am back to not watering enough. The leaves look a little parched.

The pumpkins were the first to start growing and they have essentially taken over that part of the garden. I had no idea they got that big. I have been reading this site to learn as much as I can quickly. Each peephas his own plant and is suppose to care for it. I have mosly tended them.

The 6 sunflowers are mine. They are tall enough to be recognized as sunflowers. It is fun to see how they change position throughout the day. In our yard the sun comes up on the left and travels across to the right. The sunflowers start the day facing to the left and end the day facing the right. It is a lot of fun to watch.

Carrots are Middle Peep's

Unfortunately, we planted 10 but only one has grown. It is doing well and by last count we should be able to pull it up around the end of August. Middle Peep is looking forward to eating his one carrot. We will grow more for the fall. I have a plan all set.

The cucumbers are Baby Peeps.

I was for sure pulling these up this weekend but on Thursday we woke up to find flowers and vines. How could I yank them now? So they stayed and they are (I use this word alot) FINALLY growing.

Last but not least.......the strawberries. I know nothing about growing these. I saw them at the store and got them. I planted them in a fairly sunny spot and crossed my fingers. I hear the first year they don't produce much fruit. So far that has held true as we have gotten about 5 strawberries between the two plants. This week I noticed that they are growing some vine looking things....runners perhaps? There is so much to learn. I really need to google this.

One Room Schoolhouse

2008-08-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Recently we went to a one room schoolhouse. It was so cute and reminded me of the many episodes of Little House on the Praire I watched growing up.

Here are some of the books used when this was a functioning school house.

It was cool to see an original McGuffey Ecletic Reader. Baby Peep found it especially ~~tortureous~~ endearing.

The boy peeps tried their hand at writing on real slate. Middle Peep did not care for it at all.

Both boy peeps liked this spelling device. Papa Peep spelled out where he wanted to go.

GAME STOP

My response..........

Did she have to teach to the test!?! I think not!!

Hogwash!!!!

2008-08-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

So today we find out that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the movie whose trailer has already been released, the one whose trailer is on this very page just a few posts below, the movie which this family has anxiously been awaiting for months and months, the movie whose released date was circled on our calendar with lots of stars and happy faces............

has been delayed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the sorry excuse they are giving!

Warners president Alan Horn said in a statement that part of the reason for
the shift was the writers strike, which left the studio in a bit of a dearth of
tentpoles.
"Like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of
the writers strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films --
changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of
opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of," he said.

HOGWASH!!!!!!!!!!

I am sooooooooooooo upset!

Read article here if you want. I am off to look for some ice cream.

Planning!!!!

2008-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

I am knee deep in planning. I am finally feeling the pressure to get going on this. Baseball has ended and summer swim team (more on that later) is over this Friday. I see the light at the end of all this driving. I tried today to just lay around and not do much but reading the WTM boards always fires me up. Many have already begun the school year. The nice weather we are having makes it even harder to think about schooling. But I must be disciplined if I expect to geth through this year.

Here is what we are planning on accomplishing:

Baby Peep

History - finish ( HA! more like start) SOTW 1 and maybe get to SOTW 2 along with Ancient History Portfolio Junior. We have used the parts that correspond with the SOTW chapter we have read and he has really enjoyed the more hands on stuff. He is my crafty child and I am so. not. crafty. But we must adapt!!!

Math - almost done with Singapore Math 1B. Complete 2A and maybe 2B

Science - ????????

Grammar - First Language Lessons 2. We have a few more lessons to complete 1 and then can begin 2.

Writing - Writing with Ease with my own workbook. I looked over a friend's copy of the WWE workbook and I did not like it. The text is perfect and I used the instruction in that to giude my own creation. Their workbook used a different book every week for narration and copywork. Baby peep and I want to read the books he uses for copywork and I could not handle a-book-a-week schedule. I created my own workbook integrating our grammar, read aloud, and writing goals. It should be fun.

Phonics/ Reading Instruction - McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader is what we are sticking too. We have tried several things and I wish he would enjoy Phonics Pathways but he is mostly overwhelmed despite my best efforts. Reading for this child has been a true struggle. Not that he is not able, he just has no desire. Unfortunately for him I am not comfortable waiting until he wishes to learn. He has made HUGE progress this past year but is still not where I would like him. He knows my goals for this year and has agreed to try to meet them. He knows it will entail alot of hard work but he is always up for a challenge. Because of his personality, I have to bargin and introduce goals as if these were his ideas and not mine.

Spelling - Last year I ignored this mostly but this year I must address it. I can not wait to find myself with a poor speller. It is a mistake I made once and will not repeat. He does seem to be a more natural speller but I am not willing to take my chances. I have looked over the All About Spelling materials once more and believe I can get through Level one and Two with him. I still have to plan it out somewhat and get myself familiar with this system. Everyone on WTM boards that uses it says it doesn't take more than 10 minutes but for us it was taking way longer. I need to study it again. I did get the magnets for the letter tiles so I hope this helps.

Art - Atelier Art. I finally took a long look at this at the curriculum fair and I had to get it. Baby Peep is the artist but they have all really enjoyed the two lessons we have done. I can't wait to make this a weekly thing. We have invited friends to do it with us and we are excited to start.

Latin - I am still undecided about Latin in general with this child. He is still not fluently reading so I think Ineed to focus on that but he has been asking when he will start Latin. Now that I have a program I LOVE to use when they get to about 9 or 10 I need to decide if I should start now or wait another year and do Minimus at age 8 or do Song School Latin at 7, then Minimus at 8 with Latin Prep at 9.

Decisions....decisions....decisions.....
Middle Peep and Oldest Peep to come........

Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

Olympic Fever is raging at the Peep household!!!!

I loved everything about the opening ceremonies. I, of course, had high hopes when I heard who was organizing the ceremonies. Zhang Yimou is one of my absolute favorite film directors. My favorite movies by him are Hero, House of Flying Daggers, To Live, Raise the Red Latern and Curse of the Golden Flower to name a few. If you have not seen his work before, run thee to the movie store. His movies are visually stunning. His attention to color is breath taking.

True to his life's work, he awed the world over in the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremonies. In particular the planning to even the smallest detail is remarkable in my opinion. If you missed them, you may be able to view them at the NBC site. They are running an incredible amount of coverage online as well as on all their channels.

Not only do we get a great opening ceremony, but almost right away we get to see one of our favorite sports......swimming! We are huge Michael Phelps fans, and tomorrow evening we will be watching one of his many races. He will ultimately compete in 8 events: 200m free, 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4x100m free relay, 4x200m free relay, 4x100m medley relay. That is a heck of alot of swimming that will be done fast. Don't blink or you may miss it!

Birthday fun!!!

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

When it was time for Middle Peep's 10th Birthday Celebration Bash, he had a hard time deciding. His actual birthday was when we went camping but not all of his friends were going camping so he did not want to have a celebration then. The kids that did go camping were so very sweet and organized a celebration for him. They planned it, they decorated, and they gifted him with a very nice and super sweet birthday party surprise.

He still wanted a party because after all, you only turn "two whole hands" once! This past Saturday we celebrated at a very neat place. This place may look familiar if you visited the Classical Ed Our Way blog back in December. Anyone recall the jet packs??? Middle Peep has begged to return here every day since that one day. Well, how could I say no (even though I still have jet pack remanants left at my house and how I wish I did not). Below you will find some birthday fun!

A very kind friend offered Middle Peep a Pokeman Ball Cake!!

Sports all the time around these parts!

2008-08-05T23:40:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge for a better view

So we went camping.....

2008-08-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

and if you know me at all, you know this is not my thing! I do not like camping. I do not like organizing for it. I do not like packing for it. I really, really do not like all the cooking over an open fire ~~crap~~ stuff and especially the sleeping on the floor. I do not like rain! Really, Really, Really DO NOT LIKE RAIN! I do not like being cold and uncomfortable when I have a perfectly warm and oh so comfy bed at home! And this trip I did discover one more thing I dislike. ALL the laundry you do when you return home!

Before we set out on this adventure, while discussing with my fellow campers the whole camping situation, someone said they might bring their crock pot to keep some cider warm for the kids. Well, this got me thinking! I could bring my crock pot with a pork shoulder for one of the meals. Someone else suggested we go into town one morning for warm pasteries. These are my kind of people! I thought I could just bring my toaster oven for warm biscuits at breakfast time! I can proudly say that I did cook the pork shoulder over the fire "pit". I set the crock pot over the pit grill and plugged it right in. By dinner time I had the whole area smelling yummy! I should have gotten pictures of it but with all the fun and cooking I completely forgot! Anyway, below are some shots of our adventure.

For those who live in this area and were NOT on the trip try to guess where we are camping! So far my readers have guessed Mt. Shasta, and the beach with our tide pool adventures. What say you readers of this site?

My final clue......

So why have we been MIA

2008-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Basically no school is getting done despite my best efforts. We have done math perhaps 3 or 4 times in the last three weeks. We are living our days in the car between dr appointments, baseball games every night, swim practice and swim meets. While driving it is impossible to take pictures! I do have some baseball,s wimming, and camping.....YES....CAMPING pictures to share later this week. For now, we have a Baby Peep funny to share with you all.

Me: Guys, you have to pick a song to sing. Musical friend wants to hear your singing voices.
Oldest Peep: I am NOT singing. eyes rolling far into her head
Middle Peep: Do we really have to? What kind of song?
Baby Peep: I want to sing too!

Me: Come on guys. You all have very nice voices and if musical friend gets a group together you are going! Like it or not. So start liking it!

(We have had this conversation over and over and I am at my wits end on how to get them excited.)

Oldest Peep: I can't sing and I don't want to sing in front of people. It is scary.
Middle Peep: I am shy. What kind of song do you want us to pick?
Baby Peep: I want to sing!

Oldest Peep: I am scared.
Middle Peep: It is scary. I could sing a Blake Lewis song.
Baby Peep: Yeah, mom! I am stage frightening like oldest peep. (No, they don't call each other peeps.)

We just laughed and laughed and laughed. If you know Baby Peep you realize just how frightening it WOULD be for him to be on stage. He meant to say he has stage fright like Oldest Peep. Exactly the reason I will ~~drag~~ push them gently to join this group. When looking at what each peep said in the car you clearly see their personalities. Oldest peep always quick to say no and stay there until I blow my top so to speak. Middle Peep will share his fears but will aim to please. Baby peep always wants in the fun...no matter what the idea.

We can't wait!

2008-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Writing With Ease

2008-07-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

I finally received my copy on Wednesday. I finished reading it yesterday. Now there is not much to read since it is mostly a week by week guide. I did skim the pages for year two,three and four but really only spent time in the introduction and then year one. I opted not to purchase the workbook and am up to week 15 in planning our own based on the guidelines in WWE. It lays it all out simply and clearly. We will also use the books he is doing copy work from as our read alouds. Now I don't have to plan another list! I am all about efficient. The only thing that worries me is that the workbooks have integrated grammar from FFL. We are almost onto FFL2. I will have to figure it out. This of course is for Baby Peep. I still plan on switching him over to Classical Writing in 4th grade. I can't wait to see how that works out.