Beach bound!

Well, almost. We leave on Thursday the 2nd, and will be returning on Sunday the 12th. Our spring vacay is always a blast and we are so grateful for our awesome friends who let us go with them and stay in the family vacation home. They are a homeschooling family as well, so you know we have fun AND squeeze in some learning, lol.

One year we went to a nature center (I actually think we went to this on two separate occasions), one year we went to Kennedy Space Center and one year we went to a new zoo. We have no idea what we will do this year, but we will decide that when we get down there, and we know we'll love it!

We also make it a point to see a new movie together. And it always works out that it's a Marvel movie, lol. Iron Man 2, The Avengers and this year Iron Man 3! :)

The hubs will mostly have off for the week. He has a few things that he has to do as far as editing goes, but no writing work for the week. I will do a little work in the mornings or at night (just to have a little income come in when we get back...oh the joys of being self-employed and not having paid time off...) and the boys will mostly have off of school.

Yep, only mostly.

I know. So evil. ;)

They will take a break from their core program, and really only work on spelling and reading. They can do some spelling on their SpellingCity iPad apps (yay!) and I will print off worksheets from some of the activities so they can have some non-gadgety time. The worksheets also double as handwriting practice so woot for multi-tasking.

Braeden is working on identifying contextual cues, and VSC has a WhichWord activity that can be played online or made into a printable. Bailey is working on sentence and paragraph writing practice. Again, that can be done online or in a worksheet. Isn't it nice when things are so easy?

They will also have reading time. Bailey is currently working through a series by Raymond Feist. Braeden is working on his Beast Quest series, but has also asked to look for something to read on HomeschoolLiterature.com. This is a site focusing on literature for homeschoolers...books about homeschoolers, books by homeschoolers, etc. We'll see what we come up with.

See, that's not that evil after all, is it?

Today is hair cut day. Bailey takes off his fro. Braeden gets his mohawk. The hubs gets a little less shaggy. And I get a trim and convince myself that I should dye my hair purple (to match my new glasses!) after vacay, so the chlorinated pool and the salt water don't strip it right out. :D

Have a great week! Next time I shout at you all, it'll be with the sun on my face and the sand in my toes!

Here's one my favorite shots from last year's trip. My boys, Tracy's boys and Jen's sweetheart. :)

It happens too fast!

The kiddos grow up waaaaaay too fast. Most days, I would swear to you there is no way I have a teenager. None. He's still a baby. Then there are moments like this:

That's the hubs tying a tie on Bailey for the first time, because Bailey is getting ready for his first formal. Gulp, sniff... 

Saturday night was the formal for the 7th-12th grade students that attend Master's Academy. While the older kids met and did their thing prior to the dance, the 7th and 8th graders and their parents met at Olive Garden for dinner before heading to the dance. I enjoyed the gathering, and all of the kids seemed to as well!

After dinner, Tracy and I dropped of Bailey and Q, peeked inside to see the decorations, got a quick (and cute!) group shot, then took off to do some shopping. Bailey was so excited and not the least bit nervous...which is better than where I was. ;)

Saturday was a big deal for Bailey, and it ended up being a wonderful evening for him and all of the other kids. On top of all that, yesterday Bailey finally joined Facebook. He has already had a Twitter account (to follow artists and celebs that he enjoys) and a Pinterest account (because he can repin a bazillion troll face memes, lol) for a while, but those didn't make me as antsy as FB. Not sure why. Anyway, we stayed firm on the "when you're old enough that we don't have to lie about your birthday to create an account, we'll talk" thing. He turned 13 back in August, so it was time I guess. 

Even though it sounds silly, the formal and the new FB page together just seem almost overwhelming to me. Maybe it's because we homeschool, that I am able to hang out in this denial period about how quickly they are growing up? I mean, before you know it I'm going to need to find an SAT writing tutor for Bailey and we will be starting homeschool middle school with Braeden. SLOW DOWN ALREADY. Please. :D

I know it's crazy...but in my feeble mind I went from a newborn to this, in what feels like a day...

My very cute little boy handsome young man. Yes, those are skulls on his tie. He's mine, whaddiya expect? ;)

Tax season is OVAH!

Well, mostly. Tomorrow is my last day! YAY! :)

This past week was ridiculously busy, as I worked Monday through Saturday. Haven't done that since February. I'm not whining; I do realize that I am unbelievably blessed in that I only have to work outside of the home a short time during the year...but still...made for a long week, lol.

Add to that, we had soccer on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It was good though...both boys' teams won their first games, so that was a very encouraging start to their season!

The boys did well with school last week. I didn't have anything planned, but they plugged away at their T4L and they chose their own spelling lists. They also worked on making some stop-motion films using some modeling clay and an app on Bailey's iPod. Awesome stuff. I don't have anything to share right now because the boys want to tweak their technique before I start sharing with the world. :)

This coming week will start to quiet back down. I work tomorrow, but then I am done! We again have soccer on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Bailey has Masters on Thursday, and since Braeden is done, he and I are going to have a special lunch and enjoy some quality time together. Nothing else really going on.

For school, they will do their normal T4L thing. For spelling, I will have them work on some printable games and some worksheets. Maybe a crossword. I have to stay on them both about their handwriting...that will be focused on again now that I will be back home more.

Since I suck at laundry when I am home, you can imagine what my laundry area looks like after 7 days of me not home. GAH. I am going to try and tackle that (try being the operative word, lol), then we are going to proceed with a mini-marathon of more Battlestar Galactica. Courtesy of Netflix. :D

Have a great week everybody, and for those that wait until the last minute for your taxes, don't forget to have everything postmarked by tomorrow!

Soccer, Drama and Beer...

I guess that sounds a little...errr...trashier than I meant it, lol.

We had a busy week and great weekend! I feel like I've seen the inside of house no more than 5 minutes total over the last few days, but it's been good. Soccer kept us at the field most of the week, except for Thursday when Mother Nature was having another one of her manic spells. 

Braeden's last day at Master's was Thursday (he is in the lower school grade ranges and they were done on Thursday...Bailey is in the upper school grade ranges and they will continue to have classes until May 2), but he had dress rehearsal for his end of the year play on Friday. The play itself was Saturday. Every single performance was fantastic! We had a great time watching all of the kids perform. Braeden did very well and didn't seem at all nervous. Along with the play, they had an art show displaying all of the art projects that the kids worked on throughout the year. It was so neat to see everything, and all of his work will make great additions to his homeschool portfolio. I was shocked when Braeden could tell us about some of the things he worked on at the beginning of the year. He can't remember at lunch time what he had for breakfast, yet he remembers art techniques he practiced in September, lol. Ah well. That's an 8 year old for you.

The goblin to left is my wee one... :)

After the play, our family and the Bell family all went out for a yummy lunch at Steak N' Shake. Tracy's mom, who even we affectionately call Nana, generously treated us all and we had so much fun. I tried a new burger this weekend, which is not something I usually do. I'm very much a creature of habit. Anyway, I had the California burger, with bacon, swiss and avocado slices. It was soooooo good! 

Yesterday the hubs and I did something we never do. We had a date! Well, of sorts. It was without the boys, so we're calling it a date, lol. We, along with Tracy and Scott, went to that local Brew Fest I mentioned in my previous post. We had a blast, and the guys really enjoyed  cutting lose and sampling all of the beer there. Tracy and I sampled some, but we mostly just sipped one of their samples every once in a while. We graciously voluteered to be the DDs. Heh. :D

My goofy husband and I, with our little sampling beer mugs. :)

This upcoming week is the last week of tax season, so I am working every day. Since I spent NO time at home this weekend, of course I have nothing planned. I know...so responsible. We are where we need to be for the year, technically, so I guess it's alright if they have a light week. They will do T4L and SpellingCity. Those are always a given. Bailey wants to build a terrarium, so I will let him have at that. Braeden doesn't want to build a terrarium as much as he wants to help catch what they are going to put it. I will probably also have them both play some animal games online, and I will try to find some little mini-unit study like activities for them to work on, revolving around the terrarium and it's inhabitants. 

I know I say it ALL the time, but I really cannot wrap my head around how quickly this year is flying by. Every year, time seems to pass more and more quickly, but this year has just been ridiculous, lol. I would swear someone has played a cruel joke on me and has altered all calendars I come in contact with. :/

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with their loved ones. We had a great, but busy weekend visiting family. As usual, we try to fit in way too much in a short period of time. But, it worked out alright.

Yesterday afternoon and evening we spent visiting with the hubs' side of the family. The boys always enjoy hanging out with my nieces, and my sister-in-law and I had a lot of fun making little charms out of clay. It was something that has intrigued me in the past, but I've never really tried. She had bought a kit, complete with clay AND an instruction book, so we gave it a try. I loved it! I immediately ordered my own kit, and I'm looking forward to playing with it when it gets here this week!

I made these...little pink crab, a cute pear and an octopus with a top hat and a monocle for the hubs. :D

Today we spent the day with my family. My parents are very heavily involved with their American Legion/Legion riders and there are times when we go down and we don't actually get to see them much. Today was an off day for the holiday, so we actually got a nice relaxing day with them and my brother and his family. Just chillin' and a wonderful dinner my mom made. It was a really good visit!

My boys and my brother's kiddos.

This week shouldn't prove too different than last week. I'm working Monday and Friday at the tax office. Thursday is Braeden's last Master's class of the year. Soccer Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday is Braeden's end of the year Master's play (he's playing "Frick" the goblin in Hansel and Gretel!). And finally, on Sunday, the hubs and I are doing something totally different...we're going to the Classic City Brew Fest. An all day, 300+ craft beer sampling, live music, charity event. Proceeds benefit the Athens-Area Humane Society. So, we're going to drink beer and help the animals. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. ;)

As far as school work goes, Bailey won't be working on his normal stuff this week. He and I have an opportunity to get a glimpse and a short trial of a high school homeschool curriculum, so we are going to really focus on that. Braeden is going to be spending a lot of time practicing for the play, so he will honestly have a lighter work week as well. I will let him do some spelling and study vocabulary words from Hansel and Gretel, so he will have something schooley to work on, lol.

Okey Dokey...I hafta hang out at the bottom of Mt. Laundry for a bit, and get ready for the week. Have a great week, errbody! :D

When is Spring?

Wasn't the first day of spring this past week, lol? It has been cold and wet for the better part of the week and certainly doesn't feel very spring-like to me!

All is well here. I just returned from a girls weekend with Tracy and her mom, Jeanne. Had a great time with the gals, and really enjoyed the scrapping (and laughing...oh, the laughing!) and hanging out. Want to see one of scrapbook pages I worked on?

Ayup. I did a scrapbook page with a photo of us girls, doing a little scrapbooking. Obsessive? Nah. ;)

The guys enjoyed their "guy weekend." They hung out, played some D & D and watched some "guy movies" like The Hobbit and The Dark Knight Rises. 

We only had one soccer practice last week, due to rain and some nasty head colds. This week, provided Mother Nature plays nice, should see us at the fields more evenings than not.

There's not a lot going on right now. Just continuing to wind down with the tax thing, and gear up for the soccer thing. This coming weekend we are going to spend the weekend visiting family for the Easter holiday. That will be nice since we haven't seen anyone since tax season started. :/

Believe it or not, I do have plans laid out for the boys' school this week. They have a specific number of lessons they will do in T4L, they will do some handwriting worksheets (MUCH to their displeasure, lol), I'm going to have them work on some Easter themed vocabulary flashcards for kids, and they are each going to try and find some books by homeschoolers that they want to read from the HomeschoolLiterature.com website. 

The also have a nice little wish list going on Amazon. As the school year starts to lessen, and as vacation time approaches, they want their iBooks stocked and ready to read. Even though we've been telling them thing all along, they now understand why we like reading by the pool or at the beach. :D

That's about it for now. Have to unpack from the weekend and get ready for work tomorrow. I also need to catch up with my boys before bed.

I hope you all enjoy your last week of March (GAH! I can't believe that!) and have a wonderful Easter holiday with your loved ones! 

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Gosh. Middle of March already. This year seems to be going by faster and faster.

The past week went well for us.  I had jury duty on Monday. No, I didn't get picked. This was the second time in a row that they had the jury picked before they even polled me. The case was an aggravated assault against a police officer that I really wanted to be on. Oh well. Maybe next time...

Even though I didn't get picked, the whole jury duty process made for some interesting school time throughout the week. We looked up how the whole jury thing works, the boys learned why it was so important for citizens to have a jury of their peers and we even plugged some jury and court related words into a spelling list for each of them.

Tomorrow evening starts our spring soccer schedule. It feels like the fall season just ended, lol. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will see us at the fields. This is Bailey's last spring season with the recreation department. Because of his age, he will be able to play one last time this fall but then he will age out. The local school will not let him try out and play (grrrrr), but we have already found another youth league near us. It will cost more, and involve more traveling, but at least it's a way for him to still play, which is what he really wants.

As far as school goes this week, the boys are doing a little bit of learning about St. Patrick's Day. I know...shoulda let them do this last week, but I forgot and let it slip up on me. They are also working on some Easter activities. They are plugging along with their core Time4Learning stuff and they have a few holiday themed vocabulary words to work with in SpellingCity. I will assign them some math games too. Those go over much better than assigning math worksheets. :D

Wednesday is free parking day at GA state parks, so I think Tracy and I are planning a picnic with the boys. The weather here has been absolutely beautiful the last couple of days. Hopefully that will continue!

I am working only Monday and Friday this week, and that's very nice. Next weekend, Tracy and her mom and I, are having a scrap weekend. We are soooooo looking forward to that! A weekend at Archiver's, with a Dragon*Con staff meeting thrown in. Woot!

For now, I'm going to get comfortable on my couch and pretend to be a sloth. Have a great week!