Playing Cowboy

Jack O'Heart's latest passion is for cowboys. I love that we can do these "boys" units together, and he really likes to learn. For the cowboys unit, I've been reading aloud Ralph Moody's book, The Home Ranch. Although the boy drifts in and out of listening, while coloring pictures from the Dover "History of the Cowboy" coloring book, I think he's been mostly getting it.

Along with the book and coloring pages, we've been doing some activities out of Kicking Up Some Cowboy Fun! book. Mostly I like the book. It is full of interesting tidbits of information, and lots and lots of different things to do, from crafts to activities, to just thinking about things.The main drawback? It is completely disorganized, and there is no index. Argh! How frustrating to find just what you're looking for!

Today's activities were learning about the chuck wagon. Here is our chuck wagon. As you can see, Jack O'Hearts is our cookie!
The box at the back holds the food and cooking supplies. In the front is the bedroll, first aid, and clothing for the other cowboys (cowgirls.)
Three and four are enjoying their nice light, plastic meal of plastic play food. Yum-o!
Unrolling the bedroll - actually a blanket that I've had since I was a very little girl. It's a little threadbare, and stitched in a few places, but I don't feel bad playing with it out in the lawn!

Sewing Stuff

I've been sewing some stuff for my littlest daughter, fondly known as "the fourth daughter." These dresses are made using a pattern I purchased from Lil Blue Boo - The Sienna Dress.


The best part about the pattern is that the dresses are made from old t-shirts! What a way to recycle.



The Popeye one is pretty cute! Although she doesn't know who Popeye is, and keeps asking "Who's this guy?" Three tells her that his name is Adidas. Hmmmm.......


This last one is totally random, but I like the way it ended up. My next experiment is tie-dying some to see how that looks.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #2

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #2

Hire not just for the job at hand. Try to determine the candidate’s potential career track and how he will develop.

-
Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny.
D. Vader

ht. Nolo Promiterre

"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" has got to be a kids' worst question. Right up there with "What are you doing to the dog with that Sharpie?"

The problem with what do you want to do when you grow up is that kids don't have a clue what they want to be when they grow up. They look at the future, and the figure they could really be the next president, Pulitzer prize winner, astronaut, or in my case, ballerina. Its just not a fair question.

On the other hand, looking at your kids strengths can help them choose a more likely end result (or for that matter, intermediate result, we all have the same end result.) then it becomes a little easier to plot a path to get there. How will your child develop? Is college in the future? Then it might be a good idea to see whether you child can begin accumulating credits through CLEP course tests, AP tests, and Dual credit enrollment with a local community college. Maybe a class or two here and there, but it will pay off in time and money on the other side.

On the other hand, maybe you child has a passion for music, art, or drama. That might be in the future, as it sure looks for a few of my kiddos. How can I help them to achieve the goals of music school? Obviously by taking the kid to lessons and encouraging (meaningful) practice.

Looking ahead doesn't mean fitting your kid into a mold they cannot break out of, just - looking ahead - and trying to see the steps to take before the kid actually takes them.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #1

I was poking around the Carnival of Homeschooling, and I stumbled across a blog, new to me: Nolo Promiterre, where the author discusses Darth Vader leadership tips. I thought they were wonderful, and great fodder for thought on leading our own homeschool.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #1 reads:

There ARE no good excuses. Even if a problem seems insurmountable, you address it, overcome it or find a way around it and continue on to your goal.

“Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses.”
D. Vader
(Nolo Promiterre)

Deuce, my second daughter, has mild dysgraphia, which in short, means she has a hard time writing things. At fifth grade, normally, you would expect a student to be able to write a short essay, story, poem, book report or other written work.

Ace has always been a writer, and when I compare Deuce's written work with Ace's at the same age, I wonder where I've gone wrong. There is, however, no reason not to learn the subject matter, or to write well when it is necessary.

I have no good excuse here: First and foremost, I need to stop comparing them. These are girls with different strengths and interests. Sure Deuce is no natural born writer, but then neither are many wonderful authors.

Second, play to her strengths, and try to support her weaknesses. Deuce may not be a natural born writer, but she is phenomenally artistic. She draws with passion and detail. She builds and designs with flair and attention to detail. She also is gifted musically, and in mathematics. So for reading comprehension, do I have to have her write a book report, or can I have her interpret what she has read into something at which she can succeed, like an art project?

Third, typing is our friend here. She may have pain when asked to hold a pen and write legibly, but typing seems to be working out well for her. Deuce is almost as fast a keyboarder as I am, although she is slowed by poor spelling - and that is getting better daily, thanks to programs such as SpellingCity, the spell catcher on the computer, and daily exposure to words.

Fourth, daily practice with the pen. Here is a need to be sneaky. (If you're reading this, Deuce, I guess the jig is up!) Of course there is the handwriting book, but there are also the other things, like shopping lists (did I mention that Deuce loves to bake?), letters to relatives and friends, and her journal to name a few. These don't have to be formal, just worked in from time to time.

Little by little, the penmanship is improving, while all the while, I am giving her no excuse to not learn a subject or to read a book.

Tune into Deuce's blog here: My Place, My Space

DisneyWorld - Day One

Disney, Part 1: As you can tell, the flight was long, and the kids were TIRED when we arrived! We had to be at the airport at 7:00 or so - which meant getting up at 5:00 to eat, load the car and drive the hour or so to the airport.

What makes sitting on an airplane so dad-gum tiring, when all you are doing is sitting? Another mystery.






The weather in Orlando was certainly warmer than Illinois, though, and we were able to walk to Downtown Disney from our hotel. Downtown Disney is a nice place to wander around. There is plenty of Disney "flavor" to get the kids excited about going to the actual park, plus there are some decent restaurants there too.

Heading into Downtown Disney there is a great toy shop, with this neat giant Tinkertoy Sculpture. The kids are starting to perk up a bit.

Stopping for ice cream at the Ghiredelli Chocolate shop. Yum!

Double Yum!

Could anyone enjoy their ice-cream any more than this??

The Lego store in Downtown Disney is really neat. There are loads of models, big and small for people to see, and to be inspired by. My kids really liked the around the world models that were mounted on the outside of the store. This one is of Sydney, Australia.

Not in this picture: The gigantic Lego Sea Monster that was placed in the lagoon. It was really huge. I can't imagine how many green Legos it must have taken to create it.

"Mom - can I make this one?" Sure. Right. You just go right ahead.

We hung out for a while in Downtown Disney, but eventually made our way back to the hotel to rest up for the next day's adventure at The Magic Kingdom.

To be continued...

Making More Stuff

Here are some more things I've been making:This one is for my df Karen (out of her own beads.) Now I did add some of my own, but the beautiful blue ones came from her. (I would like everyone to disregard the ray-gun in the background. It was a gift to my son from my sister and it just won't go away. Note to D.J., this was the best dollar you ever could have spent. It is perfect for cowboys, robots and superheroes.)

I made this bracelet and earring combo too:

This one also for Karen. Like it?

Lastly, this one is a gift for my niece:
I really like how the stones and crystals contrast. The big grey ceramic hearts were a find too! You can't really tell from the picture, but I found some nice gunmetal toned findings for this one too. It is really sweet. I've been doing a lot of "test wearing" of it to make sure it isn't pokey. Riiight.

Not for the kids!

Okay, lets talk about grown-up stuff here, that is, some TV shows that I heart, but that are SO not for kids.

1. Coupling. Coupling was a series that was put out by the BBC for four seasons. You can get them on DVD. It was about the relationships that developed between a girl, a guy, his ex, her ex, his best friend and her best friend. It was not Friends. But it is very, very funny. Laugh out loud and roll on the floor funny. Worth watching after the kids are in bed. There's no excessive skin, so if they wander out to see what's so funny, you won't be embarrassed by the shot on the television when you put it on hold.

2. Torchwood. Torchwood is a spin off of Dr. Who (Yes, I am a geek) but there is actually very little interplay between the two series. Most of the show is actually relatively tame, but there is some guy-on-guy kissing from time to time, and naturally, the other type as well. The series is heavily sci-fi, but there is a lot of interesting interplay between the characters that makes it worth watching even if the plot seems a little... far fetched. Watch after the kids are in bed, but some episodes might be okay for the older kids to watch. Little nudity, but kissing (sometimes suggested more) between all genders, including alien (if you consider that a gender.)

3. TrueBlood. TrueBlood is an HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books written by Charlaine Harris. I've read the books, and didn't hold high hopes for the TV series to be as good. It is. I still question the casting of Anna Paquin as Sookie, mainly because in the book she's supposed to be prettier, but she is a solid actress, and sells the part, so this is only a minor quibble. The male actors are drool-worthy (pant, pant) especially Sam Trammell, who plays Sookie's boss, Sam. Watch when the kids are out of the house. Loads of nudity and everything that goes with it. Very R-rated.