Halloween Pics

I am going to attempt to post some pictures of our exciting day! Besides homeschooling, doing some last minute costume enhancement, and don't forget, I saved the candy buying until today, my miracle came through! I don't have to come to Clarksville anytime soon because my Dentist called me and he can get me in this Friday!! I have never been so happy to have a root canal and pay this guy a small fortune.

Anyhow, we had hordes of kids come through our neighborhood. Once again, I bought so much candy I thought we would never get rid of all of it and I ran out early. It is always amazing to me who shows up in the neighborhood. And the kid's costumes were a traffic-stopping hit! I always love when that happens. We went all out with the pumpkin carving too! And we got the porch all decorated and even had scary music playing. I love Halloween!




Bridger was a table and I made him a headpiece that looks like a turkey.



Jadyn was a washing machine and we had a lot of fun putting this little number together. It was really that hard- we had to paint the box white because we couldn't find white craft paper and we had to be creative with the front. We found a plastic vegtable tray with a clear top and filled it with clear and blue saran wrap and a piece of fabric. Then the finishing touch that made it look semi-real was this silver foil tape I found to put around the edges and make the dials on the top. We got some old socks and some panties and a few boxes and that was it. Cool, huh!



Here are 2 of our pumpkins. Mine is the American Flag and I got the template off the internet. Jadyn did a scary face, but the nose didn't turn out right. I think it looks like Bob Marly.



Here is Bridger's pumpkin and he did this all by himself! We have come a long way from your traditional jack-o-lantern. We have had some sorry looking pumpkins in the past so I think these one rock. And we have a heap of pumpkin seeds that will last us forever if we don't throw them out first.

Happy Halloween!!

The Art of Procrastination

And let me tell you, I am really, really good at it! I am in a constant state of running until I am ragged because of something I put off until the VERY LAST SECOND. I am in a heap of trouble right now because I need to get a root canal finished that was started in March and now I can't get an appointment until December 4th! Wow! Won't even be a resident of TN at that point. Looks like I might have to make a trip back here if there isn't a cancellation soon!

Oh, and Halloween! Well I have been running around all day collecting items I need for the kids costumes and have spent the evening trying to make it come together. That is on top of pumpkin carving, a home clearing inspection, and homeschooling.

So lets break the day down...

Because we live in military housing, they must come to inspect before you leave the residence to ensure that everything is ready for the next person to move in. It is really overwhelming because the list of things we have to do before we move next week is LONG! The fact that we have lived here for 5 years means very little to these people. My home in no means a mess and any landlord would be thrilled to have us but this list we have to accomplish in the next week is beyond irritating. I have to prime 4 rooms to get them ready to paint, replace lightbulbs that I never had in 5 years, clean the gutters on the house, tear out garden and flower beds, breakdown a workbench in the garage and throw it out, take items off the house that were here when I moved in, bleach the cheapest and ugliest peel-and-stick tile floors ever and replace light fixtures that I upgraded.

I am trying really hard not to be ugly about the whole situation, but I am tired just thinking about what I have to do in the next week. For some reason I booked 3 parties this week to top it off. They better be awesome parties!!!

Anyhow, the kid's costumes are turning out really cute! Bridger is a turkey in the middle of a table. We set the table with plates, cups, utensils and napkins and he is the centerpiece. Jadyn is a washing machine and I am still not finished with that yet. But I will post pictures when I am done- they are quite creative! We also got crazy with our pumpkins this year. Of course, I just bought them today so we got the leftovers, but we made it work. The kids did goulish pumpkins and I did an American Flag. I will post pics of those too.

One last thing I need to get - Halloween Candy!! Maybe tomorrow!

Paige

10/24

So, we made the official decision to pull Jadyn out of public school this week so she can join Bridger and I at home. It is a little earlier than we thought we would. She was my first homeschool experience almost 2 years ago and it was did not go well at. But looking back at it now, I realize that I was a terrible teacher and all I was trying to do was recreate the public school experience. But now that I know better I do better, right?

Jadyn thrives on social interaction so when we move I must find a group we can get together with often besides playing with the neighbor kids. Jadyn said that she might even want to go to public school when we get to Virginia and I don't want that to happen. So if I can keep her engaged I don't think I have to worry about her checking out on me.

The whole homeschool deal came into our lives January 2004 when I attended a Parent-Teacher Conference for Jadyn in the first grade. The school had already worn me out over Bridger and his struggle to read and they insisted he was ADD. So after a year of Psych appts I finally agreed to medication and I was highly frustrated with the whole system. So back to this conference...I showed up at my appointed time and I was greeted by the teacher and the school counselor. My first thoughts were, "Here we go again!" I have done this before with Bridger and now Jadyn is going down the same road. The teacher basically said that Jadyn had not progressed at all and was no where near the first grade level. BUT WHY was my question!!

Why is it that she had been going to that school for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade but she is no where near grade level? They could not give me that answer but I clearly got the message that I was not doing enough at home for her!! So, after much thought and prayer I decided to bring her home and we would get through this mess together. After only 5 months at home, I was able to catch her up to grade level. She wanted to go back to school, so I let her.

Bridger was watching this process the whole time and he decided that he really wanted to be homeschooled. So that next school year I let him stay home and he has thrived in this enviroment. I have taken him off his medication because he doesn't have to conform anymore. I have made a lot of cirriculum changes over the past 2 years but I think I have finally found my groove as their teacher and have a clear understanding what it is I want my children to know. It has been an uphill battle and I have had very little support from others, but I have not really reached out to others either. Most of my friends think I am nuts to homeschool, but that is something I can deal with!

This is what I have for cirriculum so far that I am really enjoying:

Sonlight Core- American History (They don't even teach history in elementary school!)
Saxon- Math (I love this program)
Explode the Code (A great program for struggling readers)
Hooked on Phonics (Another great program for reading)
The Young Scientists Club (they mail us a science kit every 2 weeks)
First Language Lessons (book by Jessie Wise)

We also have a goal to read all the Newberry Winner books- so we do a LOT of reading with Sonlight and that goal. I am still exploring some Art cirriculum and Dad has been doing some Geography with the kids also.

So as you can see we are a work in process but I can feel good that no matter what I do at home- it is still superior to what they were force fed at school.

My Half-Hearted Attempt

This is my attempt to keep family and friends in touch with us as we begin a new journey in another part of the country. Also I need an appropriate place to unleash my thoughts instead of doing it on my Ediets boards! I never feel right until I get up, have a cup of coffee and write something on the internet somewhere. This will be my new way of doing it. I am sort of clueless about this whole blogging thing myself, but I read a good many that I find interesting. It is sort of like peeking in someone else's journal and who isn't tempted by that when the opportunity presents itself.

We are about 2.5 weeks out from our house packing date and I am totally looking forward to it. In the past, I have always experienced some anxiety about moving but this time is different. I am not sure why but it may be from the fact that we have been here for 5 years- which is the longest time we have lived anywhere. I am looking for a new adventure, some new spice in life and just a change of pace. I hate being in a rut which I totally feel like I am in right now!