Whatever

I have so neglected this blog.   I need to change things on here and get moving.
I just do not know where to start.

Since my last post we have just been homeschooling, playing, going to bible study and enjoying our days; some better than others.

I am not happy with how our homeschooling has been working this year.  I never got the BF guides and our writing has been just about nothing.  (I'm talking about the younger two)

They have been working hard on math and grammar.  Math they have enjoyed (surprise!) and grammar is just ok.

We had started with learning about horses and just got sidetracked.    They also like me to read a book, like the Trailblazer Series, and then write about the real life happenings.  We will start back with these next week after our break.

I do not have a science curriculum but someone gave us a wonderful Christmas gift which I might use towards Apologia elementary science.  We need something solid.

I have so many 'Master Books' - books  but they do not seem to be a good fit for the girls, yet.

They also enjoy the Apologia "Who is God" curriculum.  It is well written, makes you think/, and is enjoyable.

These 2 girls are so much different than the others I homeschooled; it's a little frustrating.  They are outdoors/learn as they go children.  ~smile~

Tom, Katie, and Ana are now playing winter basketball.

 I have to say that Katie is extremely athletic.  She learns by just watching.  The moves she does surprises us.  She could watch someone on tv and go do the same thing on the court.  She does this with other sports.  Also, if you show her a craft with yarn, paper, whatever, it seems like she is memorizing; exremely fast.  It's amazing.

Ana is growing up to fast.  Last year she just started playing basketball, now she shoots the ball with no problem.  She is even doing moves that I didn't know she knew.

Tom is still volunteering at a Boys and Girls Club, at church, goes to bible studies, and works with his Dad on the weekends.  He is counting down the years until college.  Not to much longer.

Oh!  On the right I was posting my weight.  I stopped weighing myself but I have gone down from a size (tight) 14 pants to a nice fitting size 8 pants.  ~smile~  Maybe I'll weigh myself tomorrow.

I have to sign off.  Ana is begging me to help her with Perler Beads.

Have a great day!
Merry Christmas!
Margarete

Buddy

Our best friend of 13 years passed away this morning.  Our dog, Buddy.  We are heartbroken.  Late last night, Tom came into our room to tell us that Buddy was in the mudroom and couldn't get up.  I gave him water which he could hardly lap up and he got sick.   Becca stayed downstairs with him.  I woke up to a little whimper and he actually got himself up the stairs to my side of the bed. ( He's known as "the other man on the other side of the bed) -lol-  He would snore right in sinc with Ed.  Anyway, He waited for Tom and the girls this morning and then passed away.
I'm thankful he didn't need shots etc...
I'.m really going to miss him; he followed me everywhere and was a great protector of me and the kids, especially Katie.
We are burying him later.
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We finally buried Buddy early this evening.  As soon as they lowered him into his grave I went in the house.  I just couldn't stand it.

Town Hills

I just arrived home from taking an hour and half walk.  The hills in this town are amazingly steep.  I tackled one going down and then back up which wasn't too bad.  After walking on pretty flat surface, I tackled the next hill which is a definite killer.  By the time I made it, almost to the top, I saw my friend, Cathy walking her dog.  I didn't stop but with her talking to me I made it,  wheezing all the way!   I think it is much more humid today than yesterday so that's probably why it seemed so tough.  

I now have to tackle dishes and clean our Spencer (guinea pig).  Not a task I enjoy but I love the little guy.

Have a good day.
Margarete

Our day

Since the girls finished up with the summer swim team, they are now enjoying a week at Horse camp.  While they are enjoying that, I get a few hours to myself. 

Today I walked for 1 1/2 hours which was quiet and enjoyable.  After that, Ed came home and took me to lunch.  You won't believe what I ordered and ate?  An extremely large Vegetable Stromboli.  This was magnificent!  I ate the whole thing!  It was worth every calorie. I should have taken a picture but was lazy.  No.  I was to busy filling my mouth with delicious Italian food. haha

After awhile, I picked up the girls and when we got home, Ana and I went swimming for an hour.  It was cold but refreshing.  

Oh, and for dessert I had a piece of chocolate espresso tart that Renee, Ben's girlfriend brought over for my birthday this weekend.  I definitely do not like to share anything chocolate.  :)

I still do not have the few BF books and study guide I need for this year.  I'm very frustrated about this.  So far I'm thinking of doing book reports but this does not thrill me at all.  

Tom will be starting school tomorrow.  He doesn't volunteer until the afternoon so he can begin with Bible and  Editor in Chief.  

Have a good night. 

Margarete

Neglected

I have not posted in so long.   I bet no one even checks this blog anymore.  It needs so much updating.

 I have been spending all my time with my kids which I'm so thankful for. 

We have had a very fast moving summer.

 Tom has been volunteering at a Boys and Girls Club every day, He went to a youth camp, and is now getting ready to go on a missions trip to Kensington, PA.  Yes, The worst part of Philly.  Honestly, he is very excited and can't wait to go.  He has no fear whatsoever. 

Katie and Ana have kept me extremely busy.  We signed them up for the local summer swim team and have been swimming/diving every day.  They have become confident swimmers and love every minute of it.  It is so wonderful to see this because they taught themselves how to swim.  They have Championships coming up in which Katie is in one and Ana in two.   

The girls still ride horses every week.  :)  They were also ribbon runners at a 4-H show.  We don't own a horse so they didn't get to ride. Maybe next time we will be able to rent a horse. :)

I have started to really take care of myself and put myself on a diet with exercise.  I would like to lose 50 lbs.  So far I have lost 17 lbs.  I think I'm in a little rut so I have to change this around with my exercise.  I swim / water walk as much as possible and also walk outside and use the Leslie Sansone walking dvds.  I usually use the 4 mile power walk.  I do believe she has a 5-mile which I have to look for next time I'm out shopping. 

After about 1 1/2 years,  Becca finally came back home.  (I had only posted that she left/never any updates)   :)  She just got a job and is so excited!  She can make things a little loud here but that's ok.  ~lol~

Our oldest, Eddie, visits just about every week and takes the girls to the pool.  He's such a great brother, as they all are.

We haven't seen our Bob and his family since Christmas and I really miss them.  Our grandson, Patrick  is now 2 years old!  Time goes way to fast. 

Jon just passed a physical for the police academy and he is waiting for results from some other testing.  (please pray that everything goes well).

Ben and his girlfriend Renee are doing well.  Ben got a new job and Renee just graduated college.  We just love her.  :)

My dear husband works hard every day for us.  He is sometimes/almost all the time,  so exhausted.  I wish he didn't have to work so hard.  He's such a good dad/daddy. ~smile~

I have been trying to get things in order for school but haven't gotten to far.  Tom didn't read some books from last year so they are added in for this year.  He didn't finish Biology so that will be this year's science.  He did enjoy the Anatomy.  I need a few more books for the girls but money has been an issue.  I really, really feel that we are to be doing the Beautiful Feet Early American Study and Horses. 

Signing off now.  Need to get myself moving.
~Margarete~

Math, Animal Diagram Labeling

These are still pictures from my kindle.  

Our computer is still not all the way together.  Yeah, I know.  I posted that it was fixed.  It was until I figured out my 1,000's of pictures were missing.  

The computer man just put everything back on another hard drive so I need to go through that and find the pics. AND Tom's Teaching Textbooks grades.

The girls enjoy learning from the chalkboard.

Today Katie learned a little bit about square roots and squared.  

Katie and Ana are wanting to learn more and more about animals so today we labeled:

A Lhasa Apso Dog

A rabbit (we had our rabbit "Pancake" as a model)

A horse  (of course) 

I find these diagrams on the internet or in books and just draw on the board.  It surely saves on paper. :)

Math, Frogs and more

Computer down, again (update)

Wow! Update:   He just brought it back.  He took it 2 days ago.  Yeah!!  He saved all my pdf's.  which included many lapbooks.  I am so happy.  ~LOL~
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My computer is back at the shop.  Everything will be getting erased  except for my pictures and my notebooking pages.  I can't use this Kindle to post...
it is not cooperating.  Maybe a picture or 2. I am so frustrated!

Can you color like this?

Computer is fixed

We now have our computer back!  It seems so weird to be on here. I have been staring at a Kindle screen for much too long. 

I'm going to have to get back into posting again.  

I have to get many pictures posted.  

I did get a new camera for Christmas but I'm not too happy with it.  It is a Samsung.  No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get the pictures clear, especially the ones taken inside.  It is very frustrating.  

I have been thinking about our homeschooling for next year.  Some of the changes that I want to make is to do less lapbooking (WHAT!!) and add in Beautiful Feet Early American History and the Horse study for the girls.  

I will come back later.  Ed just walked in from work.

~Margarete~

Anatomy

I was thinking of posting Tom's lessson plans for the anatomy "class" I put together for him. I would make another blog or post it on my page at www.hslaunch.com .  Would anyone be interested?

Computer troubles and pig dissection

I  have not been on my blog because of computer problems and my kindle died.  My son got the kindle replaced for me this past weekend.

 The girls have done some experiments and Tom dissected a pig today.  We actually got the pig from a friend/and his farmer friend.  The pig died at birth yesterday.  I have some pictures on the kindle but they are not that great. Oh! Maybe I will post them anyway.

Just to let everyone know, this was a natural death on a pig farm.  It was not born to be killed for dissection.

Our "new" downstairs

Wow!  I haven't been blogging for a while.  We have been extremely busy working on our living and dining rooms.   Ed put in new flooring and we painted everything including the dining room paneling.  Eventually, we will get new living room curtains.  It's like we live in a new house.   Ed still has some work to do on the living room but here are a few pictures.

The table is now back in the middle of the dining room and someone gave me a glider which I put where the table is in the picture.
The picture below will give you an idea of what it looked like before:

How awesome it is to walk downstairs in the morning or come in from the outside and see such beautiful rooms!   

~Margarete~