Category: Blogging

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal Week 1

Recently I saw a blog post from a Homeschool mom that I follow. Sam from The Kelley Eight was excited to start a journaling program. I have always wanted to journal but just felt overwhelmed with starting from scratch.

The cool thing about this journal program is that it has questions for you, that you answer. This is so much easier for me, whew!

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Here we go, Week #1

In my life this week…

Working my regular part-time, working on websites for others, homeschool, grocery shopping tonight, lots of organizing.

In our homeschool this week…

Math, math, math for the 1st grader, word problems and learning about feeding your body for science. Water experiment will be done with Daddy on Saturday. My 2 year old is doing centers, matching colors, shapes, baby animals to their mama’s he is doing so well!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

The past several weeks have been jammed packed this week we took it easy. The boys did get to go on a field trip with their Aunt to their Butterfly Pavilion. They held a tarantula, saw turtles, snakes and butterflies.

My 1st grader also attending his weekly clubs meeting.

My favorite thing this week was…

Observing my 1st grader “get it” when it comes to double-digit vertical math. He was struggling then I saw the light bulb go off right in front of me, it was awesome to see!

What’s working/not working for us…

Sitting side-by-side my 1st grader definitely works for us, even better when the 2 little ones are actually out of the room. Not working – having the little ones around.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

I am starting to like the more organic approach and not so regimented. I am realizing it does not have to look exactly like “school”. Less focus on checking off items… more focus on learning, the fundamentals yes, but really learning.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Oliver, my 4 year old said “Mom, look I can count in Spanish with my eyes closed!”. He was so excited!

ONE more I am adding. My 4 year old loves to dress himself and I love his creativity and boldness. So each week I will show Oliver’s wardrobe choice of the week:

February 25, 2011
Content Kids Means I Can Actually Shop

My Fashionisto Oliver with the new cart

If you have small children or have had small children I know you can sympathize with me when it comes to grocery shopping. A battle, that quite frankly, I refuse to fight alone. Usually I run in by myself or I enlist my husband for help with the3 boys.

Usually it comes down to the boys wanting to buy everything under the sun or they want to run around, bother each other, you name it. The end result is me rushing through the store not gettting everything I want.

Well King Soopers, my local Kroger, has offered a fantastic solution! A very smart solution too, now Moms can take their time and spend more money. It’s a win-win!

The carts they now offer are really cool! My favorite feature? It’s hard to choose. They have locking doors (from the outside), a video screen for the kids to watch kids cartoons, big, high baskets, and a drink holder for a nice, yummy Starbucks.

There is a console for parents too. Hopefully, in the future they will let you scan your shopper card and see what virtual coupons you have loaded, maybe save items for next time, and a list of products we buy vs. what is on sale.

Kids love them, in fact so much that I have seen a few kids throw a tantrum when it is time to get out of them. Thankfully, my kids were ok with leaving when it was time to go, whew!

Thanks King Soopers!

February 24, 2011
A Great Ladies Night Out!

Recently, thanks to Living Social I had a fantastic afternoon out with my Mom and Sister. I must say that since Groupon started it all, we have been able to do things we would never do.

This deal was for a painting class that includes a glass of wine, so it is called Painting and Sipping. Sounded fun. I have always wanted to paint on canvas but would never, ever go buy all the supplies. We have plenty of poster paint, finger paint and water colors but nothing fancy.

This was a great opportunity to get my hands dirty so to speak.

I sent the link to my Mom and she was in, she also bought one for my sister to join us. You can go to their website and look at a calendar and see the subject that is to be taught that day. Some are flowers, Van Gogh, Water Sunsets, French Rivera, Snowflakes, Dandelions, Sisters, and some others.

We went to a session they call “Standing Tall”… Here is the artists picture:

Sipping and Painting

The studio is located in LoHi (Lower Highlands) close to the restaurant Lola. We walked into a great space with rustic wood floors, high ceilings and artists stations set up everywhere.

Once everyone has put paint on a plate and had a seat, the artist goes up and starts instruction. She then walks around and helps you individually and returns to the front for the next step.

We all enjoyed it very much. It was really fun and relaxing.

Here are the final products (one note I must mention, our paint dried before we could blend so the reult with a bright flash looks like a striped background. To the naked eye the stripes are not that dramatic,*steps off of soapbox*):

my painting

My Moms Painting

My Sister's Painting

The do look lovely in our homes, what a great treasure packed with memories of a fun date with my Mom and Sis … Thanks Ladies!!

I highly recommend trying a painting class, just one session is fun! If you love it sign up for more.

We went to Sipping and Painting in Denver.

February 21, 2011
Rethinking the Coat Closet

Being a homeschooler and living in a small space can be frustrating at times. I pretty much turned my living room into a school room, then over time, a couch and love seat were brought in. I needed space but wasn’t sure what else could be done.

Recently while cruising a blog hop I found this blog and wow I am soooo thankful I did, so thankful for the inspiration. She had all of her storage bins in her coat closet. I went to work right away!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Coat Closet Storage

PlayDoh, Crafts, Books, Games and Puzzles

Markers, Crayons, Chalk, Office Supplies

Oops I guess I forgot to take “Before” pictures of the closet and “After” pictures of the Living Room. :O)

February 3, 2011
Snowy Days

One thing I love about Colorado is the balanced seasons. I like the snow but could not live somewhere that was snowy and cold all the time.

It was -11 degrees earlier this morning. Too cold for my taste.

But snow is amazing, beautiful and fun to play with.

Brr, "let's go find the escape pod"

The other great thing about Colorado is that sometimes you can experience different seasons all in the same week. I was looking through some recent pictures and remembered it was sunny and 65 degrees the other day.

Downtown in January

February 1, 2011
A Delicious Gift from God
What’s not to love about avocados? They might be the most delicious super-food in the world.

Healthy snacks that my kids like are sometimes hard to come up with. One thing that has proved to be a favorite is avocados. Avocados, like many fruits and vegetables, amaze me. That you can walk up to a tree, pick a fruit, cut it open and enjoy it fascinates me. Avocados are creamy, light, and delicious.

Cut Avocado

The possibilities are almost endless. Some ways we like to use them:
- Guacamole – mashed with garlic salt, chili powder, splash of lemon and salt
- Sliced on sandwiches and burgers
- Diced and served with eggs, sliced tomatoes and toast
- Served with chips or crackers
- Eaten with a spoon
Unfortunately they are expensive but sometimes we can find them for $1.00. I picked some up and we enjoyed them the good old fashioned way.

Diced in the skin, you can get the seed out with a solid tap into with your knife

diced avocado boat

Enjoying a boat

What’s your favorite avocado dish?
February 1, 2011
Reflecting Back and Looking Forward: Family Vacations

What other word can bring a smile across your face faster than the word Vacation? Awwee just saying it conjures up such warm, happy feelings.

As a child we always took a family trip in the Summer. Most of the time it was driving to Las Vegas and then on to Los Angeles and San Diego. I loved that road trip and came to love those cities. Even traveled back to them several times as an adult.

Other times we took trips around Colorado and New Mexico. Traveling around Colorado was always a treat since we mostly stayed in the great Rocky Mountains. Estes Park was always on our list of Summer destinations. The Stanley Hotel, from the movie The Shining, was so grand looking to me as a child. In Estes (as the locals call it) we would also frequent the bumper boats, go carts and the huge slides. Talking about all this takes me right back there.

Traveling south to New Mexico to visit Taos and Sante Fe both those towns left a great impression on my young mind. Such neat places with shops and galleries, so much to admire and look at. We would go further south down into Mexico and go shopping too. What rich memories fill my mind; traveling through the markets with my parents, who were hunting down treasures to sell at their store. The sites, sounds and people from another culture were like candy to me, so much excitement, activity, I loved it.

Mexican Market

As an adult I traveled extensively to Mexico. I have always had a heart for that country. I have felt that way most of life. Reflecting on that I think it may have started when I traveled there with family.

The travel bug bit me but I also had a full time job. I was jealous of friends I knew who were spending their 20’s backpacking and rafting through Central America. I had to stay satisfied with short trips and 1 extensive stay in Guadalajara. I will forever dream of “backpacking” around.

Fast forward: 2011, 3 kids, no vacation in more years than I can remember. Which is ok we do take day trips around Colorado, which I still love to do. However, like most other families we dream of the “Cruise” vacation, or a Disney Vacation, Legoland, NYC, you get the picture.

But when I sat down and really thought about where I would want to go to spend quality time with my family…. the answer came so quickly… which surprised me.

I have never been to this place but have heard from people who have. They say it is like being in a fairy tale book, trees taller and bigger than you can dream up, trees you can drive through, the lushest greenest vegetation you have ever laid eyes on….

Do you know where? Redwood National Forest, Oregon, Washington State, a driving tour up the NW Coast. Starting in Northern California then ending up in Victoria, BC would be so cool.

Oregon

That is my goal, to take my husband and 3 boys and runaway for a couple of weeks. A nice drive up the coast, staying in cabins along the way. I think it would be amazing and breathtaking. What a perfect way to introduce my kids to traveling.

Here is to starting that Vacation Savings Account we have always talked about!

What U.S. Destination do you want to see with your family this Summer?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

January 26, 2011
Sweet & Tart Meyer Lemons are in Season!

Strolling through Whole Foods is a treat because the produce and cheese departments are beautiful!

Recently while walking around admiring it all, I came across a bag of Meyer Lemons. I was excited to see them because I had recently heard about them on Top Chef. I have always been interested in the difference between Meyer lemons and other lemons. Come to find out they are not as acidic and they are sweet and tart, yum.

I found this blog that talks about them and suggestions on how to use them. I will be trying the pasta dish, it sounds so good!

For now, I enjoyed taking pictures of the pretty lemons. Hope you like!

Now it’s time to make some fresh lemonade!

January 23, 2011
A Blessing in Disguise

I guess one thing about blessings in disguise, you don’t always see them right away.

Last summer and fall my husband was unemployed, looking for work. I had the opportunity to increase my hours at work and my husband became the primary caregiver during the day.

At the time I never truly stopped to think about what an awesome situation God presented us with, a time for a Dad to bond with his boys. I was steeped in work and admittedly, worried.

I am thinking about it now and thanking God for that time. I found pictures on the computer of their adventures together. What a time they had!

Denver Art Museum

Museums, parks, mountains, rivers, library, downtown, you name it, they did it! I want to share some pictures and remind you that when you are going thru tough times God is always providing a ray of sunshine. Blessings in disguise. :O)

Sam checking out the water

Preston

water balloons

summer fun in the water

kiddie train tracks

A Visit to the Farmers Market

at the pond

Downtown Denver

Fun at the Mall

on the trail

Also so very thankful for a camera and a husband who wanted to make sure I didn’t miss a thing.

January 20, 2011
Sweetpea Beauty Giveaway CD+Poster – WINNER ANNOUNCED

**UPDATE – JANUARY 17th – WINNER ANNOUNCED.**

Thanks to all who participated, using Random.org, Comment #2 /Robin has won!

I have never held a giveaway and have wanted to because it is so much fun to give stuff away. I follow several blogs that host giveaways, what a great idea.

We love Veggie Tales so for my first giveaway I will give away a Veggie Tales CD and a movie poster. It is from the Sweetpea Beauty movie – Songs for Girls and I will also include a movie poster from the movie.

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite veggie tales movie

2. Follow me on Twitter – @thefamilyo

3. Follow me on Facebook

4. Retweet or Share the giveaway on Facebook

You can receive 1 entry per item above. Leave a comment below for each item you complete.

The giveaway is open to US residents only. This giveaway will end on Monday, January 17th. The winners will be chosen by random.org and notified by email shorty after the end of the giveaway. The winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new winner is chosen.

:O)

**thanks to couponingfor4 for ideas on holding a giveaway!**

January 10, 2011