1099s complete!

Likely no one (well, no one who isn't an accountant or bookkeeper) will be nearly as excited as I am about this - but my 1099s are done and mailed! Hallelujah!

We also finished our unit on money today! We have a field trip scheduled to the U.S. Mint and it looks like we are going to be able to sneak it in between snowstorms. It will be a drive for us, but I'm excited about this trip because I have never been, and Punkin seems excited too. She said today that maybe they will give us a couple of dollars to bring home. I explained that likely would not happen, but I don't think she is convinced.

If you haven't checked out Noah's site yet, today would be a great day. There are some breathtaking pictures of him and his mommy on his last day on earth. They will move you to tears, but his parents amazing faith in God's plan is beautiful to witness, and very convicting in the best possible way.

Ahh - To be rich.

Overheard while Punkin and SnugBug were playing with coins as we study "money":

P: "This is more that a dollar. We have lots of money - we can buy anything we want."
S: "Yeah"
P: "Like toys!"
S: "And cars!"
P: "We could buy a WHOLE PIZZA!"
S: "Yeah - at Chuck E. Cheeses!"
Both cheering loudly.

Our kids in their element

Here's SnugBug doing what he loves best - driving CARS! Considering he was barely 2 1/2 in Oct when this was taken - he's a pretty good driver. I wish a picture could convey his glee.


And here is Punkin doing her thing - up front in front of everyone and loving it. In November, her class at her enrichment program did a presentation about the solar system. Punkin gave a little speech about the importance of the asteriod belt. She did a fabulous job - you could hear her and understand what she was saying. Mom was so proud! :)

Scheduling challenges

I think the hardest part of homeschooling (and life maybe?) is learning what to say no to! I once worked for a wise man who said that the greatest challenge of the Christian life is not learning what is bad - the bible tends to be clear about those things, but learning what is best. There are so many good choices!

I have an opportunity to be part of a really fascinating idea for a small group for bible study and spiritual growth. I would really like to participate! But - here is my question - if we have a commitment every Monday morning, gymnastics mid-morning on Tuesdays that cannot be changed until SnugBug decides that being potty trained would be a fun idea, and Punkin's enrichment program on Friday - will we find enough time in our schedule for school time??

Making a volcano

Even though we did this in August (as evidenced by the lack of snow on the ground in these pictures!), it was one of my favorite projects, so I thought I would experiment with adding pictures and tell you about it! :)

Weaver is a unit study, and one of our units was about volcanos. Punkin really got into it, and we spent several days building one. We started with a water bottle in the middle, and duct taped it down so it would stand up straight. Then we paper-mached it - surprisingly, Punkin didn't like that part. She said it was too messy! (Um.. where did my child go? Actually, she was right -it was pretty messy!) So, I let her cut the newspaper strips and boss me around about which pieces to put where. If you know her, you know she was very good at this. :)

I helped with the painting, but she did a lot of it herself. Can't you tell - she's so proud! ;) The green is all her - she said it needed trees, but only up to a certain point because above that the trees don't grow. Not sure when I learned that, but I know it wasn't at age 5! My excuse is I'm a Southern girl, and there are no "tree lines" there.

After we spent 3 days building it, we made it explode with baking soda, vinegar & red food coloring. Pretty, huh?

We made it "explode" twice, and both kids were thrilled both times.

Now, if I can just figure out what to do with it now..... :)

I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile now - mostly for family and friends who are far away. I hope this will be a great way to stay in touch and share pictures of our homeschool projects (assuming I can figure out how!), funny conversations I overhear from the kids, and other fun things we are up to! Please leave comments to let me know you were here!