Our Homeschool Room 2011-12

I am so excited to be {practically} done with our homeschool room.  This has been in the works since spring with much planning, online browsing, shopping, painting, reorganizing, redecorating, assembly, etc.  The kids are anxious to purchase their school supplies to complete our preparation but, overall, I think we're ready. 

1st of all, let me say that Brian and I were chuckling as he hung the "ABCs" on the wall because we had been to the NICHE conference {which we loved} but it was all about not making homeschool "school at home".  Brian said, "We aren't making a classroom, right?"  :)  While I get what they are saying, I also am thrilled to have a space set apart for this purpose.  It's actually the little room (barely a room since it has 2 windows and 4 doorways!) between our kitchen and living room so it's right in the center of life here, which is necessary with Nathan!!  And, things like "ABCs" are not only cute decorations but I figure it can't hurt to have them around!!!  There's my defense for our room.

The kids are super excited now that it's come together and they keep talking about wanting to start school NOW and how much better it's going to be.  It's very sweet and I hope the excitement sticks around awhile!

I did not take pictures of the living room because it's not clean right now but that room ended up being repainted and moved around, as well.  We got rid of the old TV/entertainment center in order to streamline things and it looks awesome, I think.  A hand-me-down piece of furniture from my parents now sits in front of the fireplace with our new, thinner TV.   Our desk was also able to move into the room and it still leaves plenty of open space.  I'm really happy with how it turned out!!

On to pictures...

 Here's one partial wall with...obviously has our calendar, etc.  The twins are excited to show Samuel how this all works, since they are pros at it by the ripe age of 7.  :)  My green storage bins (IKEA) hold construction paper, white paper, writing paper, coloring books and some cool clipboards that I mod-podged to make pretty.  The white drawers hold some learning toys that Samuel and Nathan can get in.

 Another partial wall.  The fish bowl is to count to 100 and it will be blocked by the door most the time.  The door to the right is the boys' bedroom door and we keep it open and the stairs gated most the time (this was nap time).  The white frame ledges (IKEA) were such a fantastic day to showcase books.  I love it!

 Showing the doorway of the above walls.  There's a number line from 0-9 but it kind of bugs me that it's not centered above the door.  I tried to move it but it took paint off so I left it. I guess that gives me more space to hang something else--or get a larger number line someday.  To the left is my art line (IKEA)...wire with metal clips.  Another fantastic idea.  :)

 Here is the beautiful wardrobe (IKEA) we picked out.  I can't say how much I love this.  We also got hanging buckets (IKEA) for pencils, pens, tape, etc. (NOT scissors, though!).  The white board was a big purchase but it's been a lot of fun to have.  We've been using it to write chores on and then they "get" to erase their name/chore.  It's a reward to them so it all works out.  Milk it while it lasts!!  We've also done some Hangman and used it for Hunter's therapy homework.  I'm glad we splurged on it!  The ABCs are there, too, since it's our biggest wall.

 Our heaviest purchase was this bookshelf (IKEA).  The open shelves are kids' books.  I recently read {and loved} "Honey For A Child's Heart" and weeded through books with those ideas in mind.  I also purchased some great older books and classics off the online Goodwill site for super cheap. 

 Here's the finishing element (ALL IKEA).  How pretty!  Why do my kids have to touch any of this??  Ha!  They love the chairs because they swivel and go up/down.  We {wisely} chose to leave the wheels off.  There are 2 extra stools in the corner for extra kids who want to sit up at the table.  The cabinets hold the kids' school books and supplies that are not shared (which isn't much).  The desk lamps are a huge hit.  The curtains are gorgeous and Brian did a fantastic job of hemming them with the weird tape stuff that came with them.  We measured and hemmed before the table was put up so it could have been shorter but it works.  Once we got this table put together, we decided we didn't like the 2 cabinets and wanted to order 2 legs to put at one end and have a free-standing cabinet.  The legs are $3.50/each so no big deal, right?  Wrong!  Shipping was $22.50.  So...we'll be living with it this way until someone we know goes to IKEA.  We may change our minds, anyway.

 I got something for me, too!  A new computer chair that matches the kids' chairs {only bigger} and a planner {a $50 planner that I got free!!!}.  I already filled it.

 Inside the wardrobe...paint/craft supplies, art stuff/laminator, puzzles (finally hidden from Nathan!!), educational misc (math manipulatives, pattern blocks, magnetic letters, etc.).

 These are the shelves behind the doors of my bookshelf.  I'm sorry if it bugs anyone that these bins (IKEA) are 3-2-1 instead of 1-2-3.  I just threw them in there and put stuff in them.  These are all *my* books--teacher manuals, living books for history, read alouds, future assigned reading for the twins, preschool books that I've collected over the years, art books, etc. 

 The pink drawer holds my misc. supplies...labeler, velcro, stickers, folders....

The blue drawer holds my binder (which is FULL of organization in itself) and usually holds my folder of homeschool catalogs and my planner.

I think that's it!  Who's excited to begin our year?  We've actually started doing some phonics review--they actually asked to do it at 7:15 this morning because they wanted to use their chairs/lamps--but don't plan on officially beginning until the week after Hunter's therapy is scheduled to end.   I can't wait to see how the room works out as we go through our school year.

Edited to add link to:

Cinders

For some reason, Brian and I decided to adopt one of his sister's kittens.  I can't even remember what led to this decision--it must have been rather random.  Lily is obsessed with animals and all the kids love the *idea* of a pet.  I just didn't feel like I could handle a dog right now and this was a free pet so it all worked!!  Thankfully, there was 1 girl left in the litter because we thought we needed more girls at home!!  :)

So far, Cinders (my Mom actually thought of the name but the kids adopted it right away) has been a joy.  She came litter trained so that's awesome.  She is also extremely social...she loves to be held and spends time on my shoulder.  She has slept with Brian and I so far but I'm hoping as she gets older, she might sleep with the kids because they would love that!!

The kids like her but they are afraid of her claws.  Brian and I have had a lot of laughs over their jumping and running from this ferocious beast.  Ha!!  I am just so pleased with our decision and with the cat we received--it's been sooooo easy!!!!!  (which I need!!)  I should add that Hunter was so excited to clean the litter box the 1st morning, Lily did it this morning and Samuel is anxious to try tomorrow.  They also feed/water her so it's been fun to see that.  I know it probably won't last (the excitement to do these chores, I mean) but it's great to see!!

 Exploring on her 1st day home.

 So, technically these are dog bowls but Lily and I fell in love with them.  Pink and polka dots??  We're sold.  I like this picture because you can see Hunter peeking--they like to see what she's up to and report back every minute or so!

 She made her way into a plastic bag--which worries Brian, Mr. Safety, but it was cute!

 Nathan's hair is wild!  Anyway, he has hit the cat 3x but some of it is his need to learn gentleness.  He's afraid of her for the most part but likes to touch her if I'm holding her.

 Gathering around when it's safest--she's being held by Dad!  :)

Fishing is Fun!!

Last weekend, Brian and I had a little getaway at a homeschool conference. We stopped at Bass Pro Shop on the way back (his idea!) and bought the kids their own fishing poles since they had been requesting to go. Brian took them to practice casting and then to do the real thing today. I kept Nathan home since I couldn't imagine what he could possibly do for that long that wouldn't scare me. :)

So, they went out to Aunt Lisa's house, which was a treat in itself, and then on to a pond. Papa Lee, Uncle Jeff and his friend Beth, and Aunt Lisa and her 2 girls joined Brian and the 3 older ones.

Enjoying their time at Aunt Lisa's house.  You can see below that they are on a death trap, otherwise known as a trampoline.

Let the fishing begin!

Everybody caught something!

The kids had a blast and were thoroughly worn out when they got back.  They found frogs, clams, fish, and tadpoles! The bummer was that Samuel managed to burn his thumb on charcoal from the cook out before they headed home.  Once we got past that trauma, he was as excited as Hunter and Lily!!

All About The Twins

Hunter and Lily were in the 1st grade class Reader's Theater at the end of May.  Lily was a reader in Run, Run, Run and Jack's Mom in Jack in the Beanstalk.  Hunter was Felix the Fox in Run, Run, Run and Mr. Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk.  There were 5 plays total but they happened to be in the same 2 so that was fun.  I especially liked the Jack play because they both go to act in it--it was the best play, I think.  Ha!!  They loved it and did a fantastic job!!

 Lily got to hand out programs so that was a fun surprise when we got there!

 Hunter is Mr. Giant on stage...that's Mrs. Giant next to him.  :)

My Mom and I walked with Hunter and Lily to their classroom after the play so we could get some pics at their desk before the school year ended!

A week later, it was the last day of school.  It did seem to go quickly unless I try to think back to the beginning of the school year--that seems eons ago!!!  I am very excited because we were in countdown mode to finish up at INCA and start our homeschool journey.  There was a 1st grade picnic/playdate after the early dismissal so the kids got to play with most of their classmates one last time (although we will still see some kids here and there).  Although, I told Brian that I wanted pictures taken with my friends, too!!  Ha!  I got many hugs and well wishes from the Moms that I've become friendly with the last 2 years.  :)

Hunter and Lily on their last day of school.  Just for fun, here they are on their 1st day of 1st grade:

 Boo hoo!!!  :)

Nathan's Reaction

A few days ago, Brian and I noticed that Nathan reacted funny whenever he hears "Dad/Daddy/Dada".  He does it every time I say it and sometimes when Brian says it.  It's soooooo funny!!!!  Sorry the video is dark...

Red is the theme.

The first red picture is Brian. He had possible food poisoning and was up in the night so sick. He tends to break blood vessels in his face when he is sick like that but this time was severe. He looked like a zombie for days and totally played that up, too. Yuck!

The 2nd red picture is Nathan.  It was a bad choice to give him a red popsicle--while dressed!!  Ha!  He tends to get a little red when he eats red things, anyway, so this didn't help.  His hands and face are completely red.  After I stripped him down, he put on this helmet, which is so completely appropriate for him and his lack of fear of falling!!!!  So cute!

*Oh, the playpen is out to block the kitchen doorway. #1 because he opens the oven if I'm not careful and I was baking supper and #2 because he climbs onto the kitchen table and then hangs over the edge to look off.  The hardwood floors could do damage to his little self, I'm thinking.  We don't have a 2nd gate anymore (the other 3 kids have broke 2 gates already) so this is our solution.  Don't you think my life sounds boring? :)*

L-o-n-g Post

I was going to separate this post into 2 or more but I decided to cram it all into 1 so get ready for pictures.

1st off, my Mom's side of the family had their reunion this past weekend.  They usually do this get together over July 4th so I can say that the weather was a ton better this year!!  We met at a playground this year so the kids were very, very busy (and so were the parents!).

This is my Grandma with her children (Jimmy, Debbie, Bruce, Susan, Sandy{my Mom} and Denise).

Here is my Grandma with the grandkids that were there.  Steve and Zach were missing...maybe others?!

Grandma with her great-grandchildren.  The kids on the left side of the picture are from my Mom's kids...ha!

Mother's Day was the day after the reunion.  Brian said I amaze him every year because I choose an outdoor activity.  :)  I just like to pick something we can all do together and the weather is usually wonderful.  The kids were super excited to show me the cards they made and the box they decorated to put them in.  We hustled around to pack a picnic and get everyone out the door to go to Pinicon Ridge.  It was gorgeous out.  We picked a nice flat spot to picnic at (just remembering Mother's Day at Palisades and the cliffs that terrified me!!).  I was acting like my Grandma, though, because the kids were getting so close to the water...I had to leave the area (Brian was there!).  I then got to take a nap while they planted my flowers and have some alone time in the evening.  A wonderful day to remember how blessed I am to be a Mom (and wife!)!

 See?  Too close to the water!  :)

And, playing with sticks.  Ha! 

Samuel lounging around, waiting for the picnic to begin.  That's so him!

Lily putting the blanket out

Hunter helping to carry food and bags.

Time to eat!

So sweet!

Enjoying the shade by the observation tower--the tower I will never go near again.  Am I a chicken or what?

The best picture we got of me and my 4 kids.  It was a painful process to get any.  Side note: we left shortly after this because of failure to listen.  Happy day!  :)