Happy Birthday, AJ!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Our Learning supplies arrived today!
Yeah!
I placed a large order of home school supplies with rainbow resource http://rainbowresource.com/index.php, and I am impressed! Their site is HUGE and easy to navigate, and the shipping was fast.
History
This is a book of history written in stories to read to children, then I bought the activity/lesson plan book to go along with it to learn further in chosen areas. We will do more Pa history too, with library books and field trips.
http://tinyurl.com/5uyvmp
http://tinyurl.com/6yqq5z
Phonics/reading for Brayden
(I need to find out what happened to book 2)
This is a great series, its called Explode The Code, here's a link to the first book:
http://tinyurl.com/6pzghx
Handwriting for Rylan, we have several other Kumon books we use already.
More handwriting, mainly for Rylan, but Brayden loves to practice, even though he already has beautiful handwriting like Bryan!
http://tinyurl.com/5sfhhx
http://tinyurl.com/5c5jre
Science
Its actually 2 different curriculums, I couldn't decide which one, and they seem to compliment each other nicely.
http://tinyurl.com/5ha6zq
http://tinyurl.com/6cxord
http://tinyurl.com/5qbbwt
Starting phonics/basic reading for Rylan
These are the pre-K to K version of the Explode the Code books
So, there you have it! We do still use the websites mentioned in another home school post. Several other store bought workbooks and print outs as well.
I placed a large order of home school supplies with rainbow resource http://rainbowresource.com/index.php, and I am impressed! Their site is HUGE and easy to navigate, and the shipping was fast.
History
This is a book of history written in stories to read to children, then I bought the activity/lesson plan book to go along with it to learn further in chosen areas. We will do more Pa history too, with library books and field trips.
http://tinyurl.com/5uyvmp
http://tinyurl.com/6yqq5z
Phonics/reading for Brayden
(I need to find out what happened to book 2)
This is a great series, its called Explode The Code, here's a link to the first book:
http://tinyurl.com/6pzghx
Handwriting for Rylan, we have several other Kumon books we use already.
More handwriting, mainly for Rylan, but Brayden loves to practice, even though he already has beautiful handwriting like Bryan!
http://tinyurl.com/5sfhhx
http://tinyurl.com/5c5jre
Science
Its actually 2 different curriculums, I couldn't decide which one, and they seem to compliment each other nicely.
http://tinyurl.com/5ha6zq
http://tinyurl.com/6cxord
http://tinyurl.com/5qbbwt
Starting phonics/basic reading for Rylan
These are the pre-K to K version of the Explode the Code books
So, there you have it! We do still use the websites mentioned in another home school post. Several other store bought workbooks and print outs as well.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monarch Butterfly Monitoring Project
This morning, the kids and I attended the training for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve.
For more information on the project, go here:
http://mlmp.org/
We sat through an interesting presentation, got materials, saw some "live samples" then went off to the trails to collect data.
For more information on the project, go here:
http://mlmp.org/
We sat through an interesting presentation, got materials, saw some "live samples" then went off to the trails to collect data.
Brayden looking at a stage one larva
Stage one
Stage 2
Stage 2
Brayden helping to measure out the plot to be recorded
Milkweed!
Milkweed!
Family Date Night
Last night Bryan and I took the kids to dinner at Olive Garden, then to the Palace Theater to see Golden Dragon Acrobats.
Dinner was good, the kids were great, very well behaved and LOVED the salad and bread sticks. Loved them so much, they didn't have much room for dinner ;) We timed it perfectly, getting a parking spot near the Palace, and finding our seats in time for the start of the show.
The first clip is similar to what we saw with the chair stacking. The one we saw was much higher (about 4 stories) and a man, The second clip is a basic overview, but what we saw last night was MUCH better!
Golden Dragon Acrobats was AMAZING. Our seats were perfect. I bought them online the exact minute they went on sale to be sure the kids had a good view. The kids were focused on the stage the entire time, except to look at Mom and Dad's expressions.
Bryan and I were nervous during the more dangerous stunts. We even thought about taking them out of the theater during the chair stacking/hand balancing. I felt like I was going to puke, and both of us had sweaty palms, ready to cover the kid's eyes in case they fell. All of our hearts were pounding. Later, Brayden said he didn't like that part because it was "too freaky". I agree. I'd pay to NOT see that again.
When we got home, Bryan and I went upstairs to change clothes, and when we came back downstairs minutes later, the kids were asleep- Rylan on the floor, Brayden hanging off the couch!
Dinner was good, the kids were great, very well behaved and LOVED the salad and bread sticks. Loved them so much, they didn't have much room for dinner ;) We timed it perfectly, getting a parking spot near the Palace, and finding our seats in time for the start of the show.
The first clip is similar to what we saw with the chair stacking. The one we saw was much higher (about 4 stories) and a man, The second clip is a basic overview, but what we saw last night was MUCH better!
Golden Dragon Acrobats was AMAZING. Our seats were perfect. I bought them online the exact minute they went on sale to be sure the kids had a good view. The kids were focused on the stage the entire time, except to look at Mom and Dad's expressions.
Bryan and I were nervous during the more dangerous stunts. We even thought about taking them out of the theater during the chair stacking/hand balancing. I felt like I was going to puke, and both of us had sweaty palms, ready to cover the kid's eyes in case they fell. All of our hearts were pounding. Later, Brayden said he didn't like that part because it was "too freaky". I agree. I'd pay to NOT see that again.
When we got home, Bryan and I went upstairs to change clothes, and when we came back downstairs minutes later, the kids were asleep- Rylan on the floor, Brayden hanging off the couch!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Good Sportsmanship
:)
We had our end of season baseball pool party today, despite 90% chance of thunderstorms.
About 1/2 way through the party, the announced the awards ceremony.
The first award, the announcer explained, was a great honor, the most important award. its called Good Sportsmanship, its only awarded to one player from each team. The recipient is a person who is kind, listens to his coach, doesn't throw the bat, never argues with the umpires, and supports his teammates.
Brayden was awarded the Good Sportsmanship trophy in his team of 18 kids.
He was so excited to go accept the trophy from the announcer! But, he was a little confused as to why it was only him who received it. As he explained, "Christian was good and followed all the rules, too.....so did Tyler, why didn't they get trophy's too?" Bryan explained what a special honor it was, and how we are proud of him for being a good sport. Brayden replied, "Dad, I only did what you taught me." Awwwwww. What a great kid, and what a great Dad he has!!!
Rylan was sad he didn't get a trophy, and we all explained to him that he wasn't even on Brayden's team (spring league). Bray felt bad for Rylan, but he cheered up swimming and jumping off the big diving board. Daddy was proud to see him be brave and jump off with the bigs kids (including me, I was the only "cool mom" to use the diving board.
While posting pics, here's Bray's new smile :)
We had our end of season baseball pool party today, despite 90% chance of thunderstorms.
About 1/2 way through the party, the announced the awards ceremony.
The first award, the announcer explained, was a great honor, the most important award. its called Good Sportsmanship, its only awarded to one player from each team. The recipient is a person who is kind, listens to his coach, doesn't throw the bat, never argues with the umpires, and supports his teammates.
Brayden was awarded the Good Sportsmanship trophy in his team of 18 kids.
He was so excited to go accept the trophy from the announcer! But, he was a little confused as to why it was only him who received it. As he explained, "Christian was good and followed all the rules, too.....so did Tyler, why didn't they get trophy's too?" Bryan explained what a special honor it was, and how we are proud of him for being a good sport. Brayden replied, "Dad, I only did what you taught me." Awwwwww. What a great kid, and what a great Dad he has!!!
Rylan was sad he didn't get a trophy, and we all explained to him that he wasn't even on Brayden's team (spring league). Bray felt bad for Rylan, but he cheered up swimming and jumping off the big diving board. Daddy was proud to see him be brave and jump off with the bigs kids (including me, I was the only "cool mom" to use the diving board.
While posting pics, here's Bray's new smile :)
My Work
I teach group exercise classes, Pilates and X Bike.
X Bike is like spinning, but more extreme, and the handlebars move and you can adjust the handlebar resistance as well.
Here's my group fitness room:
X Bike is like spinning, but more extreme, and the handlebars move and you can adjust the handlebar resistance as well.
Here's my group fitness room:
Rylan's First T-Ball game!
(For you non-locals, yes, its actually HEMPfield township we live in )
Rylan taking off to second
Bray waiting for a hit home
Ry waiting for a hit home
Ry running home, looking for Bray's approval
They both did great! Had lots of fun, too!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
picnics, chore charts, art festival
We've been busy since returning from our camping trip.
We had our annual 4th of July picnic/family reunion at Uncle Jim and Aunt Pat's house again this year. Cousin Jennifer flew out from Missouri, so it was nice to see her again. The kids had fun playing catch and croquet, and of course eating dessert. Bryan took the kids to the neighbor's picnic while I did more unpacking and cleaning up from vacation.
The next day my friend Jessica (since 2nd grade) and her 8 year old daughter, Aubree came to visit. We went to the Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes. This is the first time I had been to the festival without kids in 5 years, and it was wonderful! Its was also my first time going out with a friend for the day since having kids, too! It felt SO GOOD to get out and just be me for awhile. Having Jess there was a blast too, I desperately needed some girl time. I hope I can get more days like that in the future. It was a nice recharge. (THANK YOU, BRYAN!!!!)
My goal was to find some beautiful pottery coffee mugs for tea. I found some!
Plus, they were super cheap, especially compared to the other pottery vendors. I like the green cup in particular. I wish they had more, I'd have bought a set.
I bought the kids their own hiking sticks. They are very unique, hand carved and a whistle carved into them!
On Sunday morning, Jess, Aubree, Brayden and I went to the flea market while Bryan and Rylan slept. We had fun there, too. Much better prices ;) Brayden was excited to find a Ninja Turtle for him and Rylan.
Yesterday began the game season of summer T ball. The kids did great, even though Brayden was upset about having to use the T.
During our camp trip, I read the book, "Accountable Kids", and when we got home, we implemented the system I bought in a co-op last month. Here's the site: http://www.accountablekids.com/
So far so good. We had been previously using a similar ticket system I developed. All kids love tickets, right? This one is different in that its a bit more strict, and more time management. I tweaked it a bit to suit us and our parenting style, and I think it'll be a success.
Brayden is very "into it" so far. For the past few days, he's had all his morning chores done and working on bonus jobs before Rylan has even woken up! Brayden has lost no tickets for bad behavior as of yet, and Rylan has only lost one this morning for yelling at Brayden.
I think Brayden is realizing how much I do for them now that he is taking on more responsibility around the house. He asked me to make dinner at 4:30 today, and this is what I found when I came into the kitchen:
We had our annual 4th of July picnic/family reunion at Uncle Jim and Aunt Pat's house again this year. Cousin Jennifer flew out from Missouri, so it was nice to see her again. The kids had fun playing catch and croquet, and of course eating dessert. Bryan took the kids to the neighbor's picnic while I did more unpacking and cleaning up from vacation.
The next day my friend Jessica (since 2nd grade) and her 8 year old daughter, Aubree came to visit. We went to the Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes. This is the first time I had been to the festival without kids in 5 years, and it was wonderful! Its was also my first time going out with a friend for the day since having kids, too! It felt SO GOOD to get out and just be me for awhile. Having Jess there was a blast too, I desperately needed some girl time. I hope I can get more days like that in the future. It was a nice recharge. (THANK YOU, BRYAN!!!!)
My goal was to find some beautiful pottery coffee mugs for tea. I found some!
Plus, they were super cheap, especially compared to the other pottery vendors. I like the green cup in particular. I wish they had more, I'd have bought a set.I bought the kids their own hiking sticks. They are very unique, hand carved and a whistle carved into them!
On Sunday morning, Jess, Aubree, Brayden and I went to the flea market while Bryan and Rylan slept. We had fun there, too. Much better prices ;) Brayden was excited to find a Ninja Turtle for him and Rylan.
Yesterday began the game season of summer T ball. The kids did great, even though Brayden was upset about having to use the T.
During our camp trip, I read the book, "Accountable Kids", and when we got home, we implemented the system I bought in a co-op last month. Here's the site: http://www.accountablekids.com/
So far so good. We had been previously using a similar ticket system I developed. All kids love tickets, right? This one is different in that its a bit more strict, and more time management. I tweaked it a bit to suit us and our parenting style, and I think it'll be a success.
Brayden is very "into it" so far. For the past few days, he's had all his morning chores done and working on bonus jobs before Rylan has even woken up! Brayden has lost no tickets for bad behavior as of yet, and Rylan has only lost one this morning for yelling at Brayden.
I think Brayden is realizing how much I do for them now that he is taking on more responsibility around the house. He asked me to make dinner at 4:30 today, and this is what I found when I came into the kitchen:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
