Feel the love!

[ShannonCC]

Another thread that shall remain nameless (y'all know :LOL) got me a bit down.

Everybody start chatting! And make it happy! Come on!

We're having a fun week. We went to a homeschool meeting yesterday where I got to hang out with Joan's dd. This is the second time I've gone and only spoken to Joan for about 5 minutes both times because her dd is really cool and I end up playing board games and chatting with her the whole time instead! (uh, I mean Joan is cool too of course, :LOL).

Tomorrow we're going to make blankets for Project Linus with some other homeschoolers. Anyone else here in HEARTS?

Right now the kids are at Grandma's and dh is at school (he teaches night school) so I'm alone and bored, can you tell? I had planned to go to the library (I going to the library without a 2 year old :LOL) but they closed because of the snow. You know, the snow that *was* quite deep but was cleared from the streets and sidewalks by this morning? Sigh.

Last month in HEM there was an article which briefly mentioned a counting game with money. So I asked dd if she wanted to play it today. We all loved it Even the 2 year old who of course didn't get the point and I had to keep reminding the 6 that it's ok if he plays it "his way" (the girl who is always playing by her rules seems to have a problem when others do it!).

Neopets! Anyone else's kids do this? Is this just a big shrine to corporate America or what? :LOL A friend of my dd's asked if she wanted to join and next thing I know she's obsessed. It's only been two days so I hope it will die down a bit. She's not interested in fighting her neopets or anything, she just thinks they're cute

Ok, that's it! Start your own chat, take one of my comments and go on a tangent, quote ABBA lyrics, whatever! I want some happy, "everyone loves everyone else and we all get along" chat. STAT!

[chfriend]

I realized how much I love the peace and harmony of this forum because of our recent threads. I've learned a tremenous amount from y'all and I'm very grateful.

I can post more later when my 4 year old is not nursing on my lap trying to type with her toes,

[shaywyn]

Originally Posted by ShannonCC

Neopets! Anyone else's kids do this? Is this just a big shrine to corporate America or what? :LOL A friend of my dd's asked if she wanted to join and next thing I know she's obsessed. It's only been two days so I hope it will die down a bit. She's not interested in fighting her neopets or anything, she just thinks they're cute

My dd loves Neopets (and pokemon and my little pony ) She's 6 and not quite reading yet but she plays lots of games on the website with little to no difficulty and has a couple of the creepy little critters here at the house. The talk to each other, it's really weird LOL! When she tries to buy things for her online neopets with her neopoints or wants to read instructions for more complicated games, she does enlist my help No fighting among her neopets, but she does battle those pokemon things, LOL! It goes in spurts, she will play on that website for 2 or 3 days at a time (not all day, LOL!) then rotate to other online games. She does that with all her computer activity, she plays mostly one thing for a few days, then moves on in a repeating cycle

We got snowed out of our homeschool group today, my choice, we could've still gone, but the snow was predicted to start blowing and it was just so much cozier here in the house, LOL!

I put on a huge crockpot full of pinto beans with garlic and onion, so the house has smelled really good all day and my dh was off today so we took both girls out sledding in the backyard. They had a blast! My 16 month old could not believe it and my 6 year was so happy that we all went out there! I usually stay in the house and make the hot cocoa while dh takes my older dd out sledding or she goes out to play in the snow alone. Bad mommy, I know, but dang it, I am way too old for all that cold!! LOL! :LOL

[Wilhemina]

Good idea, counting blessings:

- DH left for a business trip today , but the girls and I will join him in two days and share the free hotel room while we enjoy the city (beach resort - lots to do!)

- DD1 should have her pic. in the local paper. They sent a reporter to interview her since she had a poem published in a children's mag.

- DD2 has a new hilarious "joke." When she says she is hungry, but then turns down the snacks I suggest, she will combine random adjectives for her request. For example, "I want something orange, crunchy, warm, and shaped like a dinosaur." Or, "I want something black and squishy with pink swirled inside and a strawberry on top."

[SagMom]

Neopets fight? My younger two have a few of these guys--I never knew they were supposed to fight, and, apparently, neither do the kids. huh.

Next month, I'm going to leave dd home when we go to homeschool game day, so I can talk with my friend Shannon. (I know you like her better than me, Shannon!) :LOL

I have cabin-fever today. Ds celebrated his birthday by getting sick, poor kid. So we played lots of board games today, I did laundry (how exciting) and shoveled snow. Not exactly what we had planned, but since when does life go as planned, eh?

You already know we're involved with HEARTS, but did you know there was a blurb in this month's HEM about it?

[MamaMonica]

Hi everyone!

[cottonwood]

Oh, I am soooo jealous about the snow. We haven't had any at all this year! I think we need to move. :

Okay, here is a fun thing about my day. We just got the flower-shaped clothing rack from Magic Cabin, and it is so neat! I love having things around for the kids that I don't mind looking at (which is not the case for most commercial toys and kid things), in fact it actually compliments the decor in our house. And with the play clothes up where they can see them (rather than piled in a box) the kids are newly excited about playing with them. I am just really pleased with myself that I finally talked myself into the spending the money for it.

[ShannonCC]

Now this is more like it

Yeah, the neopets can battle each other. Or so my dd's seven year old friend says. He was so excited to have a friend to play neopets with online :LOL I had to break it to his mom that I really doubt Bridget will want to battle them. She just thinks they're cute. And if she *did* fight hers and it lost, oh the drama that would ensue. Yeah, let's not go there

That flower rack is cute! Now you have me thinking, :LOL I can have my dh make one of those. We have the play clothes piled in a box and so everything has to be pulled out every time because of course what they want is always at the very bottom. I need to cull it anyway and get rid of the stuff they don't actually use. But then, the toy box it's in is so fun for them to climb into and hide (you know . . . after they've stewn the stuff around the room and it's nice and empty).

Aw Joan hun, don't be sad, I can be your friend too :LOL

Ann Marie, uh, Wilhemina, uh, Ann Marie I think we saw it! We took out that Spider from the library and I told my dd that the girl on there was a homeschooler and I knew her mommy. I hope I got the right poem, :LOL

Is My Little Pony and online game site too? Both of my kids like those.

[luv my 2 sweeties]

(I going to the library without a 2 year old )

ME TOO! :LOL When I occasionally treat myself (with dh's help) to a mom's night out, I often go to the library *alone*. I can be there for an hour or more without saying a single word -- what a treat!

Even the 2 year old who of course didn't get the point and I had to keep reminding the 6 that it's ok if he plays it "his way" (the girl who is always playing by her rules seems to have a problem when others do it!).

Boy, are we going through this with our 4 1/2 year old and 2 1/2 y.o. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) to hear that it's still a problem at age 6. Though, by the time my dd is 6, ds will be 4 and perhaps better able to follow the rules of a game.

Your comment about the money game reminds me of something wonderful that happened last week. One of those wonderful unplanned moments that homeschooling moms live for! The kids were looking at pictures from around the USA in dd's Viewmaster, and came across Mt. Rushmore. (Knowing only that they were carvings of presidents, dd thought Thomas Jefferson was John Kerry! :LOL ) This lead to comparing the carved faces with the portraits on $1 and $10 bills and on pennies. Dd noted that the $10 bill was the same as 10 $1 bills. (We've been studying 10's and 1's in her math curriculum and by playing lots of Monopoly. ) So the conversation turned to values of money and at some point, dd decided she wanted to find the configuration of dimes, nickels and pennies that would be the same as 3 quarters. (Fairly advanced stuff for her.)

Armed with the information (supplied by me) that 1 quarter = "two-ten five" cents, she began to figure it out. Once she found 2 dimes and a nickel for the first quarter, she announced that we could put away the pennies. She quickly found 2 dimes and a nickel for the second quarter, but was then out of dimes. Hmmmm... I asked her what 2 nickels would equal, and it clicked for her -- 5 nickels for the last quarter. Together, we then counted our tens and ones to see that the total was "seven-ten five" cents. It was so exciting for me to watch, and totally fun for both of us. And to think it started with 2 y.o. ds bringing the Viewmaster to the lunch table. He was learning at the same time, BTW -- I was working fairly intently with dd, but he was counting the number of coins he had and noticing which ones were the same, which were different, etc.

What a great thread idea -- I hope lots more people add to it!

[UnschoolnMa]

Great thread idea!

We just moved into our new house on Monday and are still in that chaotic boxes everywhere "Holy crap where are the towels?" phase right now lol. We are just plain exhausted! The house is older (built sometime in the early 40's we believe) and is so cool! The heaters still have the original instructional advertisment on it from like 1950 from the looks of the lady in the picture lol.

Dd had a dentist appointment at 9 am. She had to have a cavity filled. Then we had a ton of friends over to see the new house which was wonderful but I am afraid I didn't get much done with all the visiting The kids have been so great through the moving process! Dd has been busy putting furniture together and hanging stuff, and Ds has been making beds and helping me get the kitchen organized little by little.

We have a garden area! It's not huge but it will do nicely. Daffodils are already everywhere, and there are two rosebushes. Very cool.

[Brisen]

Is HEM Home Educators Magazine? Is it a good buy? I'm not usually into magazines but the only one my mom ever bought was People, so that may be why

We had a good day today. I wasn't feeling well, it was a quiet day, but we managed to accomlish a fair amount. 5yo is helping me memorize a Robert Browning poem in our school time, and then we played crazy eights. 3yo always seems to win, even though he lays his cards out where his older brother can see them. Baby was cranky too, we did manage to play with trains and hang up laundry, and have our "quiet time." I let the boys play on the computer for a bit while the baby was really fussy. Things were crazy while I was making supper -- 3yo was overtired and hungry and begging to nurse, but I kept stalling because I didn't want him to fall asleep. I put the kids to sleep on my own because dh works shifts, and they all need me with them. If 3yo is really tired at bed time, I can nurse him during stories while 5yo amuses baby. The boys were just constantly bothering each other, pushing and shoving, grabbing toys, ugh! I tried having them help me, giving them ideas for games, but nothing was working. In the end 5yo was sitting on his own in a chair and 3yo was sitting at my feet just to keep them away form each other. I almost cracked up when my 5yo *very* firmly told me "Mom, you are beautiful on the outside, but you're just a big bully on the inside. A bully all the way through. Beautiful on the outside, but inside there's nothing but bully." Etc. Oh, the drama.... Btw, if anyone has any suggestions for helping these siblings get along, I'm all ears. Seems the only time they work or play nicely together happens when they are conspiring to get into the chocolate chips.

Oh wait, this was supposed to be a positive thread. Sorry. 3yo fell asleep while we were reading Farmer Boy, then baby fell asleep nursing while I sat with 5yo in the dark until he started snoring. I've had the house to myself for almost two hours... and I've cleaned up the kitchen, started some bread in the breadmaker, and been on the computer with a bedtime snack. I'm supposed to be organizing and planning my studying stuff. Everything I do takes sooooo long. (That's 3yo's new phrase. If I say his turn for something is next, or we will read stories after lunch, or we'll have a bath after dinner -- "but, it's gonna take sooooooo woooooong!")

[ShannonCC]

Originally Posted by luv my 2 sweeties

I'm disappointed (though not surprised) to hear that it's still a problem at age 6.

It's not so bad at 6 though. At least not as bad as it was at 4, that's for sure I just had to remind her a few times but she didn't throw a fit or anything (Though the 2 did because I wasn't thinking and exchanged his 5 pennies for a nickel - part of the point of the game! Ooooooo was he angry at me :LOL I gave him his pennies back of course )

And to think it started with 2 y.o. ds bringing the Viewmaster to the lunch table.

:LOL Just the other day I was thinking I should go out and get more Viewmaster slides (whatever they are called) because my 2 year old loves his one African Safari one so much It could turn into the Viewmaster Style of Homeschooling :LOL

for the fun time with money

UnschoolMa, congrats on the garden We are drowning in snow here, but I am just waiting to see something GROW!

Shannon, yes, Home Education Magazine. I really like it! It’s a fun read. I just renewed myself for 2 years. I’m actually letting Mothering lapse : because it just doesn’t fit my needs anymore.

Btw, if anyone has any suggestions for helping these siblings get along, I'm all ears. Seems the only time they work or play nicely together happens when they are conspiring to get into the chocolate chips.

Um, hide more chocolate chips for them to find? :LOL I’m sorry, I don’t have answers. Sometimes my kids just play so beautifully it almost makes me cry. And other times they drive me up a freakin’ wall :LOL And it’s usually within the same hour!

[eilonwy]

Would you mind telling us more about this money game? It sounds like a lot of fun...

My niece is really doing well in her studies, she's having the time of her life with it. She keeps asking me why I don't homeschool her sister, saying "If you don't do it, who will?"

We've been having fun with home made play dough lately. It's fabulous, and so cheap to make that I don't feel at all guilty when it gets left out and dries. I also know exactly what's in it, so I don't have to flip out when my daughter tries to eat it. :LOL

[guest^]

Okay! I'll spread the love!!!!!

You think a 6 yo is bad? My 8 yo still argues rules with little ds!!!

Dh and I laughed last night about he is going TO GET HER BACK when she starts to have sleep overs and ds hides bugs and garden snakes in the girls sleeping bags!!! :LOL

Today... I was in WOOHOO! LAND!! I bought about $100 of used books and CD's I want for the dc!! Used!! All a great deal!!

IN the meantime....dd and ds were making smoothies from dd's Easy Bake Oven...which includes a blender. I was the "taste-tester". I concluded that I much prefer "Brown Cow w/Cream on Top" w/cherry juice then with O.J.

DD received 12 books of The Pony Pals series used . She read two today, and begged us at dinner to let her get riding lessons.

DD wrote a letter to my Mom telling her about the planet Mars. Then she wrote a letter to my brother telling him that she would like nothing more than for him to not be an alcoholic! I read her letter to my dh and to my sis-both said she could not send it just now.

However, we are so proud of her to write such a profoundly touching letter.

My friends adopted baby is trying to get back on nipple feeding rather than IV feeds.

I was called bad names like: pizza face,butthead, bad mommy,stupid Mommy,
hubba-bubba chix,moldy cheese.....all because the dc are being weaned off of TV since we've all been sick. AND I STUCK TO MY CONVICTIONS!!! NO TV.

They played outside for 30 mins. and skated inside for 30 mins.

We had dinner by candlelight.

mp

ETA:>>>>>> Dd did *20* pages of her Singapore Math *today*! She got 5 wrong!!!! Singapore Rocks!!!

[Mom4tot]

Hi everyone

We have been watching the snow fall for days....it is so pretty Yesterday, the ids and I went to visit my sister and her new guinnea pigs. That was fun, we hadn't met guinnea pigs up close before :LOL

Today, Ellie is finishing a geography class and then we are headed to the library. I the library. Whne ds was smaller, I often took dd on the weekends or we all went on the weekend so dh could chase Ben. It's easier now. My kids play a lot. I am wondering if Playmobil, animal hospital and house make up a curriculum?? Here, they seem to

You guys are doing some neat things...I just recently joined Hearts. Our group has a yahoo group and we talk on the e list. I just offered to do an Easter Egg Hunt....we've done one the past 2 years, not one family signed up It is a nice activity...we go to the woods and hide the eggs in stations. Each child finds one egg and then we move to the next station. I am feeling bad about it, but I didn't mention it to the kids yet.

I love this time of year. It is cozy inside and we read a lot...kind of like hibernation Thanks for the thread, Shannon

[7kiddosmom]

What a FUN thread.

I am farily new here. My name is Kasey and I have 6 dc and one on the way. My oldest dd is almost 12, I have a dd almost 11, a dd 8, ds 5, dd 3 and ds will be one at the end of the month. We just started hs in January. I posted on the sticky why we decided to hs, if anyone is intrested.

My 10 yr old dd learned how to add/subtract with negative numbers. The lesson came up in ther math book, she read the lesson and only asked me a couple of times to clarify a few things and presto she got it!! WOW I am amazed when things I thought were difficult to learn come so easy for them and they *teach* themselves.

My MIL gave the 3 older girls lots of scrap material (my mil hand sews blankets) to sew together for blankets or doll clothes. What was neat was that there was scraps from the materials she used to make the kids' baby blankets with. My 3yr old noticed it right off and ran to get her blank-b to show that they were the same.

My 5yr old ds and my 8 yr old dd just started Tae Kwon Do last week and were practicing in the grocery store. People were staring and I was laughing. They weren't being loud just practicing their forms and punchs, in the air of course. I have noticed a big change in my ds since starting the lessons. Before he would cry for EVERY little bump, he was so sensitive. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it was getting to the annoying stage because I knew it really didn't hurt him it was all for show. Since starting his lessons he had decided that those little bumps and owies really don't hurt much. He will fall down, hop up and keep on going with out all the dramatics.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day yesterday, 63 degrees with a little breeze and the sun shining. I should have taken the kids to the park, but we didn't do any lessons last week because dh was home and they really needed to do something. My 11 yr old was asking for things to do.

My 11 month old had me laughing most of the day yesterday. He just started walking and was chasing my 3yr old around making "monster" noisies. They were both laughing until they almost fell.

I so love having my dc home with me now! It feels so good not to miss out on so much of their lives.

Kasey

[chalupamom]

As I type this, my son is reading me a Bob Book ("The 10 Kids") and my daughter is building some little block towers. Oh, wait! She just brought me a Bob Book ("The Red Hen") to read to her. Back in a sec.

O.K., back now. Yesterday was pretty slow around here b/c the baby was sick. My son still managed to ask for and complete four pages of his Singapore Math Earlybird 1B book - and found a mistake on page 65! So I checked the website and, sure enough, they've got a correction posted. He's also big into his phonics books right now (we use Explode the Code Book 1 and a book called Phonics First by Modern Curriculum Press) so we did a couple pages in those.

He asked to read a chapter from "Little House in the Big Woods" but I suggested we read "My House Has Stars" instead and save Little House for bedtime. He agreed and we also read a "Pig Pig" book we got from the library. After that he wanted to play his recorder a bit and asked to learn a new note. So I showed him "G" and how he now knows enough to play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" but he wasn't interested in that just yet.

He watched "There Goes A Helicopter" while I made lunch and, after his sister woke up, we ate and played Duplos for a while (we're big into building hospitals and playgrounds right now). After some outside play we made some brownies in the EZ Bake Oven. Then we worked a puzzle of the space shuttle while I cleaned up and started dinner.

[saphire]

Hi everyone, its so nice to see such good things. We unschool, I have a 5 yo and 3 yo dd. We recently moved to Olympia, so there are lots of things to do, but know what? We aren't running around doing all those things. We are staying home, in pj's, doing whatever. Its nice. I appreciate this forum, because I come in the morning and read the posts, and fortify myself with thoughts of other hs'ers. I am pretty new (this is our 2nd yr) and I try to learn from you all's experience. Thanks to all of you in this community!

[CAmomto1]

I am not sure if I've ever just chatted here, but I'll toss in my two cents, given how much I enjoy reading this forum.

We're in CA, so no snow for us, and in fact my garden is growing! DD planted some freesia bulbs a while back and they are blooming beautifully right now. I also have soe fruit starting to set on my strawberry plants and peas that are about 5 inches high. Neat! DD loves the gardens.

Our big excitement is that tomorrow we're going skiing. I can't wait! It will be DD's first time. I hope she has fun with it.

My fun the past couple of weeks has been going to the library solo for about 45 minutes while DD is in her Spanish class. Ahhh....solitude and the introvert.

[7kiddosmom]

CAmomto1 - I so wish I had a green thumb. I would love to have a garden!