Step Into Our Day

I love reading about how other families schedule their days, so I though I'd share ours. Of course we are flexible, but this is pretty much our day.



I try to wake up by 6:00-6:30 to read my Bible and shower/dressed

7:30 we do breakfast & Family Bible Reading and memorization

8:00 Get dressed and brush teeth (boys)

8:10 take Jaiden to school

8:45 chores (make beds, feed dogs, pick up, start laundry)boys help with these

9:00 start school Tristin does Explode the Code and Singapore Math (skipping something if he needs help) while I read to and start Brighton on projects

9:30 Brighton does tot trays while Tristin and I work on reading

9:45 History/Greek or Nature Study/Geography (depending on the day) Fridays: fine arts

10:30 Break (I either finish chores or we go on a walk or bike ride etc.)

11:00 finish up any projects or reading

11:30 Lunch

12:00 free time for boys while I finish up chores or blog

1:00 quiet time

2:00 play outside

3:00 J home from school. snack and 30-45 min tv time

4:00 playtime/friends/homework if needed

5:00 clean up house

5:30 start dinner (boys set table) and help clean up after

7:00 baths/teeth/reading/prayers

8:00 alone time with hubby if he's home

That's our day!

School Week 2: A is for Apple

A says ah! Last week we learned the letter A. Our main study was apples. Brighton caught on quickly and enjoyed the weeks activities.

We read the book How to Make An Apple Pie and See the World

Finding the letter A in the apple.



Cutting apples and pasting. Gotta work those fine motor skills!





Counting practice and number recognition.



Fine arts picture study: A is for apple.



Sorting



And finally! Making an apple pie.









Tristin and I started our native American study by reading North American Indians

We used the Draw Write Now Book 3

And we made a Spiked Club Tomahawk. He LOVED this simple project. And see the longhouse he drew on it?!



We again did our Grapevine Biblical timeline lesson.





Then, we started our new reading program. Delightful Reading is from Simply Charlotte Mason. It's an extemely gentle approach to reading, and this was our first lesson. He was working on spelling the word falling all by himself, he almost had it and that smile remained on his face as we added the "n". MUCH better than our past lessons!

A Boy Room

The boys wanted an orange room....(well, ONE boy wanted an orange room) I opted for an orange bedspread. Three boys in one room has certainly proved to be hard to decorate. We wanted it simple but playful.

I still need stuff on the walls, but I'd never get around to showing you if I waited until that was done, so here we go!

The room is a beautiful blue/aqua color. The furniture is black except the bedside table which I painted yellow and lined with a map. Still needs knobs.







You may be wondering how we fit 3 boys in this room. A few years ago we tore down the double closet and made a little more room.

This is what it looked like about 4 years ago...



After:



We built a little, well organized closet at the end. And we painted the doors black. LOVE them!



And, if you look back the other way we have an old antique armoir from my parents house that we have used for art storage in the past, now hold their toys.

A Tiny Kitchen

I have been encouraging the boys to play outside as much as possible. I have to admit, I get a little discontent when I look around at our hot, dry, flat, treeless surroundings. Not what I call inspiration for exploring, but knowing it's what we have to work with....well, you just have to make it work!

I came across some outdoor kitchens and was so inspired to create one for the boys. Of course only wanting to use what we had on hand, I went digging around our shed and found a cart in the back corner. I CAN NOT believe it, 6 years here and this is the first time I've noticed it?!

I quickly hosed it down and added old kitchen pans we had. Add some mud, and a few little boys and you'll have the best quality mud soup, pies, and muffins you've ever laid your eyes on sunk your teeth in!

They LOVED it, and have been playing for hours the past few days in their kitchen. This has truly opened a whole new world of creativity and exporlation to them.



Muffins ready to bake!



Collecting more ingredients.







A place to make messes.



An invitation to dinner.





A nice and cozy spot full of wonder.



More beautiful kitchen inspiration here and here.

Family Movie Night Picks

Since we have Movie Night almost every single Friday night, I thought each weekend I'd share the movie and treat we had.

Sometimes the movie we watch is not so great, but most of the time we love it. I'll do my best to post them all, and what we truly thought of them.

We make pizza most every time using NieNie's whole wheat pizza dough. It turns out wonderful.

We also make the whole wheat waffles on Saturadays too ;)

The past few weekends we've watched some pretty great movies. I like older movies that are just plain good and family friendly, but I've found with some of the older ones, you'll find a few colorful words that kids would say back then.

When we come across stuff like this we simply tell our boys that those words aren't okay to say. If for some reason it's just too much we turn it off and pick something else (Dan and I have usually seen most of the movies when we were younger, but can't recall how the language was in the movie).


Movies we've enjoyed lately:

Where the Red Fern Grows. This was a fabulous family movie especially for our boys. Billy (the boy in the movie) shows great character and hard work. Just keep the tissues near by (if you've read the book you know why). I can't wait to read the book in a few years with the boys, it has a lot more emotion, but the movie was wonderful! There is an older version we may watch one day.

The Adventures of Ociee Nash. We knew nothing about this movie, but really enjoyed it. About a young girl named Ociee who is a complete tomboy. Living with her daddy and brothers since her mom died, her dad sends her to live with her Aunt to learn to be a lady. She gets into mischief and ends up winning the heart of her Aunt and her town.

The Indian in the Cupboard. I loved this book as a child and watched the movie a long time ago. We got it for the boys to watch and we all really enjoyed it. However, this would be one of those movies with a few colorful words and a scene with the boys falling asleep watching tv with women in bathing suits for a few seconds. Wish those few parts weren't there though we did really enjoy the movie.

Stuart Little 1 and 2. We LOVE both of these movies. It's been a while since we've watched both, I love just love the feel of them. What I really love about them is how it shows to love and accept others (your brothers) even if they are different. In our family that is SO important and I love how these movies teach that. I also adore the house they live in....I look at every detail of houses in every movie... In the second one, the kids do tell a lie by having their friend say Stuart is at his house when he really isn't.

Treats!

I usually make cookies or cupcakes. I am going to be trying a few other things like pies, cakes, and flavored popcorn in the future.

We have enjoyed Crinkle Cookies...yum!



These Butterscotch Brownies were REALLY tasty and so easy to make. Mine were a little flat, but so good.

This weekend we made these wonderful cookies, I think they turned into my favorite cookies EVER.

Enjoy your family this weekend!


Philippians 4:11-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Week 1- School

We went ahead and started school this week...I told you I would start early again this year. I just can't help myself!

Brighton: PreK (3) kicked off the year with Rod and Staff color, cutting, and counting.



All week long we read Alphabet books (and many others), but our main book was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. He cought on so fast, I was just so proud of him!


Taking it nice and easy, we did one project per day while I worked with Tristin on anything he needed help with. The first day he piled magnetic letter on his coconut tree. I was delighted to see how much he enjoyed this.



The next day, we took the same tree and stamped all of the letters on. I let him do this freely also.



On Wednesday, we took school outside and he made a Counting Coconut book by gluing brown coconuts on the tree.





He ended the day mowing the lawn for us:



Thursday, we talked about circles, and how coconuts are in the shape of a circle. He made a circle wheel of circles.







I'm excited that he has learned the Alphabet this week and about circles. He did a wonderful job!

His scripture memory verse was Psalm 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart.
He has learned it, so I will move it to our weekly review and add a new scripture next week!

Tristin- 1st

He started his new Explode the Code Book, and has not complained about it yet! HA. He does 3 pages a day, while I work with Brighton. Then he does his Math (Singapore 1B)



He then practices reading for about 20 min.



Once a week, after our main Bible Study we do Grapevine's Timeline. We both REALLY enjoy this, I think it's a wonderful way to learn.





Our geography lesson right now is on map skills and we read Me on the Map and are currently making our own Me on the Map Book. He took it outside to work on and it started raining on him! It's the 2nd time this year we have had rain!



Brighton had to go dance in it =]






His scripture has been Isaiah 40:31

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

He also knows it, so we will review it once a week and add a new one next week!

We learned about our Solar System (more on that next week) and will be starting the rest of our curriculum next week which includes Native Americans, Greek, and a gentle reading program I ordered today (more on that soon also).


We are now settling down to our family movie night with chocolate-chocolate chip cookies and whole wheat pizzas. YUM.

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