What a GOOD day...

Friday was hands-down the smoothest homeschooling day we have had in a while! We started out nice and early, going out to work in a local creek with the Cotati Creek Critters organization. We met up with the leaders, their interns, and a few other homeschooling families around 9, with the threat of rain imminent... chances of rain were at 99%! However, the rain was nice enough to hold off while we planted willows, examined a couple of tree frogs, sloshed through mud, and picked up trash. Just as we were finishing up, the skies opened, and it poured. We had so much fun though, and all the kids were damp and rosy cheeked by the end!

So, squishy and wet but happy, we headed home for hot apple cider. Afte the kids changed, and watched a movie, we sat down at the kitchen table for some lesson time. I had gotten Elf an inexpensive math workbook to reinforce some weak areas, and he loves the simple approach (and bright colors) of it. So he happily sat down to multiplication and place value while I worked with Fairy on number families to ten. I had Elf do some copywork and a few definitions too, from Writing Tales, while Fairy worked on letter sounds. I made some letter cards for her on 3x5 cards, making the letters as large as they could be and still fit so that she can trace them with her finger. We also did some work with the "at" family of words. She seems to be making progress....

We didn't do much else because I had to take off for work, but with nearly 3 hours of field time in the morning, I felt the basics at home were plenty. And the best part? NO complaining. NO whining! It was lovely.

Ooops!

Somehow I missed a comment (a week or so back) on my blog, and as a result, I almost missed this! My first blog award, thank you Jana!


Anyhow, following the rules, here are 7 things about me, and links to blogs I really enjoy. For the blog links, I am going to cheat, and say: Just look at my sidebar of blogs I read. All are by great mamas with beautiful blogs!

So now, 7 Things About Me:

1. I am really good at trying to overload myself. I am in college 3/4 time, preparing for a wetlands docent training program, teaching myself Algebra II, working outside the home part-time, and educating my children. Phew! Oh, and writing/illustrating a children's book as my senior project.

2. I am torn between my classical homeschooling self and my unschooling self. For example, I worry some days that Fairy is not reading, and not only that, but I think she may have developmental delays in this area. Other days I am able to step back and tell myself she will learn it when she is ready. I try not to let any of this emotional bouncing back and forth get through to her though!

3. I have never had a Twinkie, nor do I plan to.

4. My biggest wish is that I could be a stay-at-home mom. Not possible right now, but maybe someday after M goes back to school this fall! BTW, in case you are curious, he's going to be doing a certificate in Natural Resource Management, and, maybe at the same time, hopefully work as a supervisor for a local conservation corps while working toward becoming a park ranger. Now that will be cool! Right now he is a warehouse manager, and that just isn't where he sees himself in the long haul.

5. I am a terrible housekeeper. I am very, very bad at actually folding laundry and putting it away. There are arts-&-crafts things all over my house, and books, and then some more books, and no matter how many dishes I do, there always seem to be more lurking about. I try to be organized, but I'm just not there yet.

6. I love old cartoons, like Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, etc. Thankfully my kids love them too. Right now, Elf is on a big "Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines" kick. The Perils of Penelope Pitstop are good too.

7. I have managed to avoid the whole birthday party rigamarole until now. Suddenly my children are demanding birthday parties, which reminds me... I need to get invitations out!