Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

Spring has sprung...

Pool Time!

One of the highlights of our travels is always (ALWAYS!) the swimming pool. The girls think they have gills and are part fish. So, I captured a few shots of the girls playing in the pool at our hotel in New England.

In the intersest of full disclosure, I do not ever post about our travels while we are traveling. It's a safety concern of ours. So, my posts about trips are always done after-the-fact. The photos are several days old.

Where did she go?

Where did my baby go? Yeah, I realize she grew into a toddler. But, the toddler is missing, too. Preschooler? Nope, gone too.



Who is this?

Goofy

I have come to the conclusion that my family has a goofy gene.



It must be on the paternal side, since both of the girls seem to have the expression of this gene.



Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Princess B Turns 12

Last Saturday was Princess B's birthday. She turned 12. My goodness, how time flies.

We made a trip to New England to spend her birthday weekend with her.



We celebrated her birthday dinner at Bugaboo Creek. We enjoy eating there when we are in New England. We gave her the choice of several restaurants for her birthday dinner, and this was the one she chose.

After our meal, a team including our server came out with a huge-mongous stuffed moose head and a personal birthday cake. They sang to her and the moose kissed her on head a few times. She said the moose bit her. LOL! It was pretty funny!

The night before, we took her to the Lego store and let her pick out her birthday present. It turned out that the item she chose was out of stock. So, we ended up ordering the kit and it was delivered to her today. She also filled one of the large pick-a-brick tubs with specialty pieces she wanted to add to her growing collection of Legos.

I think she was happy with her birthday presents and dinner.

#FF and ^TB

Twitter.

I'm starting to enjoy it.

However, I don't understand some of the terms I see used.  What do #FF and ^TB mean?  I did some digging and I think they stand for "Follow Friday" and "Track Back".  But, is Follow Friday just a list of the people you follow on Twitter?  If so, isn't it just a repeat of what is in the side bar?  And, what is a Track Back?  I don't get that one at all.

I appreciate any explanation you fellow-tweeters can provide.

Thanks!

The Doggie

Look at this beautiful dog.  She's a Pit Bull-Chocolate Lab mix.  Her owners brought her out for a little social visit.  Princess E fell in love with her immediately. 

There was a lady there who was holding a little stuffed dog that belonged to her daughter.  The stuffed dog would move it's head and legs, and made little squeaky noises.  The dog wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

By the time they finished playing, there was one happy little girl and one tuckered out doggie.

Bass Pro Shops

We made a trip recently to Bass Pro Shops.

They were making wooden sailboats as a kid craft. 

These are some of the fishies in the marine tank in the on-site restaurant.  We always have to stop and visit the fishies.

Downtime

This past weekend, we took a trip to New England. Princess B's 12th birthday was Saturday, and we went to spend the weekend with her.

Most of the weekend, we had limited internet access. Our hotel had security settings that blocked a whole lot of domains for "questionable content". Now, I am certain I don't visit sites with questionable content, so this came as a bit of a surprise to us. Then again, I think the internet provider had a rather conservative view of questionable content.
For example, both CNN and Fox News were flagged, as was Facebook, Twitter, and all Blogger sites. Interesting.

Anyway, we arrived home late Monday night and I spent yesterday getting back into the swing of school, doing laundry and taking care of business. So, my posts are a bit behind.

I do have plenty to share, so stay tuned....

Childress Vineyards

Our hotel was on the grounds of the Childress Vineyards. 




We decided to take a tour before we left town.



They hold parties and receptions among the wine barrels.  I bet this would be beautiful in the evenings with all the candles lit.



This is the wine cave.  It was dark, so my photos aren't expecially bright. 



Princess E was busy trying to capture her own images of the barrels.



This place will surely be beautiful in a few weeks when the vines begin to grow.  We hope to return during high season.  The tour is well worth the time.

Wordless Wednesdays

Lexington Style Barbeque

Lexington, NC is known as the "BBQ Capital of the World"...with good reason. 


We made the rounds during our weekend in Lexington.







My only complaint is that since we were in town only three days, we could visit only three BBQ joints.  But, we did bring a few pounds home with us.  Yum!

Sweet Friends Sharing Happiness

In the last week, two of my bloggy friends have tagged me for this blog party.  Thanks Liz and Sam!  That's just too cool!

Now, I just think this is a really neat idea.  It's kind of like the Simple Pleasures meme I was trying to start.  That didn't go anywhere, so I'm leaving it for now.  Maybe I'll try again later. 

Anyway, the rules for this are pretty straighforward.  Easy Peasy.  So, even if I don't tag you, feel free to grab the button and play along.  (I don't know where the button originated.  Please feel free to share and I will give proper credit.)

Here are the instructions:

1. Copy the image and display it on your blog.
2. List 10 Things that make you HAPPY! :D
3. Try to do at least one of them today.
4. Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day.


  1. Having no dirty dishes in the sink
  2. Finishing the last load of laundry and having it all put away - This almost never happens.  It's just life.  But, when it does, it's a real treat.
  3. The smell of my house after I use lemon oil on my floors
  4. Chocolate – preferably 70% dark, and preferably imported
  5. Reading a good book
  6. Afternoon naps
  7. Uplifting music
  8. Meeting bloggy friends IRL and getting to know them online
  9. Watching my cat curled up in his little bed, purring
10. Watching my daughter sleep

Let's see, the first two are doable today.  I've already done the last two. 

Now, I get to tag 10 others to share this sweet theme.

  1.  SIF from Single Infertile Female
  2.  Lisa from Roerdink Ramblings
  3.  Mindy from Because I Said So
  4.  Debra from Our Imperfect Life
  5.  Gille from Endo and the Single Girl
  6.  Robin from Lolidots
  7.  Eureka from Eureka Exposed
  8.  Pam from Troop Petrie
  9.  Jody from Be Creative With Jody B
10.  Carol Anne from Lula Lola

Visiting the Cemetery

While on our trip back to King J’s hometown, we made a couple of visits to the cemetery where his beloved Grandma is buried.  She passed away about two weeks before his oldest daughter (Princess B) was born.  One of her middle names was given to her in memory of her Great-Grandmother.  Neither Princess E nor I had the opportunity to meet her.  We enjoy hearing his tales of her life.  Princess E seems to realize she missed the opportunity to meet this special lady.

I put together a small floral arrangement for her grave.  He thought she would like the peonies.  We drove by her old house, and ate his birthday dinner at the restaurant they frequented when he would come for a visit after he was grown and living in another state.

Lexington, NC

During our recent visit to Lexington, NC, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.  There are piggies all over town; but this one in the lobby of the hotel was too cute not to mention.  He was the local "Bellhog" and his job was to greet all the visitors.


I bet this guy's name is Wilbur and Charlotte is nearby spinning her web.  What do you think she would write in her web?

Just for goofiness, I took a photo of myself in the elevator.  The walls and ceiling were shiny and reflective.

King J's Birthday Cake

My husband's birthday was last weekend. He turned "39 plus 1", as he likes to say. He was adamant about not having any form of celebration, and asked to return to the city where he was born to celebrate his big day. I'll post more on that later.

Anyway, before we left, our neighbors came by and brought him this cake.  That was so sweet! Their little boy is Princess E's friend and he picked out this cake for King J. He also picked out a few balloons that are still brightening our living room. One of them was an Over-The-Hill balloon. Too funny!

Tag, You're It!

Sam recently picked me for “Tag, You’re It”, and I’m just getting around to participating. We were out of town for a few days and I’m slowly reading through all the posts I missed while I was gone. Thanks, Sam, for including me!

So, here’s the deal. To make this work, I’m supposed to tell where I think my life will be in 10 years and then tag 10 other people to play along.

Just what DO I think my life will be like in 10 years?

My hubby and I will have been married right at 20 years, since this is our 10th year. Our daughter will be 18 and my step-daughter will be 22. I’ll be 51 years old. By that time, we should have completed our quest to visit all 50 states and will be focusing more on international travel. Since Princess E has asked for several years to visit Israel, we have told her we will consider taking her when she graduates from college. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she should be in her second year of college at that point, so we will likely be in the planning phase for that trip (hello AAA). I expect to have returned full-time to my career as an accountant; but perhaps I will have established myself as a professional photographer. Will we go back to the rescue squad? I can’t say for sure; but I’d like to think so. We’ll certainly be a little more active in our church. Maybe I’ll even join the choir. We’ll probably still live in the same house. I hope we aren’t still driving the same cars. LOL!

Now, I get to tag 10 people. Here goes…

Liz from Loving Mom 2 Boys
Kameron from A Wrinkle In Time
Sara from Domestically Challenged
Katie from My Story Is Not Over
Drea from Peanut Butter Jelly Days
Heather from Musings On The Move
Kara from Daddy’s Girls!
Muliebrity from Muliebrity Smith
Teresa from Grammy Girlfriend
and…
Willow from A Cargo of Joy

Tag, You're It...

Simple Pleasures

Come play along and share your simple pleasures.  They needn't be fancy, just something that gives you a moment or two of happiness.

Go ahead, post your simple pleasure on your blog and add it to MckLinky below.

Here's mine!

I get up extra early each morning so that I have a few minutes with my husband before he leaves for work.  Rather than waking to an alarm clock, he rubs my back/arm and talks to me until I wake.  The first words I hear most mornings are along the lines of "Hey, Sweetheart" or "Good Morning, Elizabeth".  I cannot think of a sweeter way to wake up! 

Won't you join in?

Homeschool Curriculum, Part 2

In my last homeschool post, I started sharing how we came to select our curriculum.  In this post, I'll share our main printed curriculum pieces.

Eventually, I decided to use The Core Knowledge Series, edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. The series is broken down by grade level, so the edition we are using this year is What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know. It is the foundation upon which we have built our curriculum. It is not intended to be a complete course of study, but a guide. Each text is written for the student to read, and is the starting point for further exploration. It does not represent a Christian worldview; but explaining our beliefs within the context of this book has not presented any difficulties.

We are using the Scholastic Success With 4th Grade Workbook for practicing reading, writing, charting, math and mapping skills. The worksheets are interesting, somewhat challenging, and help reinforce the concepts being taught.

For Math, we have chosen the Saxon Math curriculum. The private school she previously attended uses Saxon Math. She has done well with it, so we decided to continue using it. However, we hit a snag back in the fall.

Princess E skipped the 2nd grade. By the end of 1st grade, it was clear she was not being challenged enough in the classroom. This thought was also supported by her scores on standardized tests. She had an excellent teacher for first grade (JK and 3rd grade, too). The school approached us about placing her directly in the third grade classroom. After considerable thought and prayer, and after consulting with several teachers, we agreed she should be promoted to third grade. That worked well for her and she continued to thrive in that environment. It was challenging for her, but rarely to the point of frustration.

This past fall, we realized one area where she needed some extra help. While she had mastered the concepts of math that were expected of a student entering the fourth grade, it was clear she needed more practice with them. So, in the fall, we set aside the Saxon Math temporarily and used the Scholastic workbook for extra practice of basic math facts. It was worth it! Now, with a lot of extra practice, mental math is coming to her easily. In about two weeks, we will start back with Saxon Math. I don’t expect her to complete the fourth grade math book by the end of the traditional school year.  We will, however, continue to work on math throughout the summer. She is only 8, so I am not concerned if next year she needs to work on fourth grade math while the rest of her subjects are based on fifth grade materials.

Interestingly enough, Princess E has a much easier time with division than multiplication. We found the same when she was learning addition and subtraction. She found addition frustrating, but had no difficulty with subtraction. For the longest time, she would have to think, really concentrate, to find the sum of 7 X 6; yet, at the same time, if I asked her for the answer to 42 / 6, she could answer 7 instantly.  If any teachers who read this have any idea why this might be, I’d love to know.  (Hey, Sara, can you offer any insight on this one?)


We have tried to keep Science as hands-on as possible. We are using the series of science experiments by Janice Van Cleave, as well as reading biographies of scientists.


Originally, I created my own spelling lists for the weeks. For the first couple of months, we worked on learning the 50 states. She could already recite them from memory, the result of a song learned on a 3400 mile driving trip. I wanted her to be able to spell them. Eventually, I realized my idea was not the right method for her. After Christmas, we added Spelling Skills from Harcourt Family Learning.

Later, I’ll share some of the other materials we use in our little “one house school room”.

Happy 40th Birthday, King J!!

I Love You!!

Simple Pleasures - New Meme

I'd like to start a new theme...Simple Pleasures...but I've never started one before.  I think it would be uplifting to share some of the little things in life that bring a moment or two of joy.  Please post one of your simple pleasures on your blog, then link back to your post here.  Let's spread some warm fuzzies!
Here's mine:

Coffee. Freshly made. Bold. Smooth. Hot.

Each morning, I fill my husband’s thermos for him to take to work. There’s always enough coffee for me to have a cup or two myself. When the coffee is freshly brewed and steaming hot, it is almost like a mini-holiday. I like to add just a little bit of sugar to my first cup of the day, although I usually drink my coffee black. The flavor of the hot, sweet liquid blending with the aromatic steam makes my brain happy for just a few minutes.

So, there you go. Do you have any simple pleasures that make your day better?  Please share!

Homeschool Curriculum, Part 1

Recently, I was asked about our homeschool curriculum choices. Actually, just about every time I meet another homeschooler, the conversation steers toward the topic at some point. Its interesting learning what other families use and sharing ideas.

I thought I’d cover our choices. If you aren’t a homeschooling family, you may want to skip this post.

I’ll start with my usual disclaimer. This is what works for our family. It is not “the best” or “the only” way to homeschool. Every family has to find the best arrangement for them. The number of children, their ages, and everyone’s learning/teaching styles all play a role in this decision.

I had to figure out what it was I needed to teach, and then figure out what tools I was going to use to accomplish that. I started researching what it was she needed to learn as a fourth grader. I found several examples of a “course of study” from a broad range of sources, both Christian and secular. Surprisingly enough, they were all quite similar. Furthermore, I looked into our state’s guidelines for learning, related to NCLB. Teaching to the test isn’t part of our plan, but it is helpful to have a general idea of those standards. I created a master list of the course of study and the applicable state standard. At this point, I knew what she needed to learn.

Worldbook

Trivium

Education World

Next, I had to find the resources to teach those concepts. We attended a couple of homeschool conferences, sought the opinions of other homeschooling families in the area, talked with curriculum publishers, and flipped through an incredible assortment of textbooks.

In my next homeschool post, I’ll begin sharing our choices of printed materials.

This Week's Bible Memory Verse

As part of our homeschooling, we choose to include Bible study and memory verses.  Each week, I will post the memory verse for that week.

This week's verse is:

1 John 2:3

If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we truly know God.

It's time...

It's time for me to get back on track with blogging.  I've not been able to keep up these last several weeks months.  Since we are a homeschooling family, that has to be my highest priority.  By the time we are done each day, my brain is too fried to plan a post. 

That hasn't stopped me from chatting it up with my bloggy buds on Blog Frog, but those are conversations. 
Well, maybe it's just that I've been talking too much!  Ha!