Randomness

Just wanted to let everyone now that we are still here.  Just really busy getting ready for the holidays starting up.  Of course throwing in everday life too.  Here is a little bit of Randomness that we have been up to.

Our grandmother is back in Florida, So we went to visit her for the weekend.  The boys absolutly LOVE seeing her.  They find her really silly.

Of course there has been alot of working on Halloween costumes.  This is a little peek at Gabe's costume.  Any guesses at what he is?  Hopefully I will get it completed today, then I will share what each of the boys are.

With the boys being homeschooled I do not have to make the holiday gifts for kids in the boys classes.  This actually makes me kind of sad because I love doing that kind of stuff.  So instead we make things for kids in the dance classes.  This is a picture of one of the cookies that I put into the bags.  I was so excited how it turned out because it was the first time that royal icing has ever worked for me.

When things get as busy as they do in life it is always nice when you can fix something easily.  As most of you know that follow us Sam is an avid reader.  Well one of the many series that he is reading right now is called Septimus Heap.  The first book in the series called Magyk had some problems.  It got to a certian point in the book and pages started repeating and then a forty page section was also missing.  Well my husband e-mailed the publishing company, Harper Collins Publishing, because we wanted to get it fixed.  We figured it would take a while to get the problem resolved.  Not the case though.  By the next morning the replied to our e-mail asking for the ISBN number and our address.  Then they mailed us a new copy at no charge to us.  In under a week we had the new book in our hands.  I love when something goes that easy. 

Time to get off the computer and get some more work done.  Such a busy time of year hope to be back soon with some more stuff that we have been doing.

Window With A View......

While schooling the boys I always try to have some sort of art class for the boys. It is always so much fun to see what they come up with. It is hard to come up new original ideas for them, so I am always looking at the library for books to help.
The Muppet book is our book this week and it is lots of fun. It has so many wonderful projects but our choice project was a "Window With A View". The boys loved this so much, it hangs next to of each of their beds.

This is Sam's window. He is very much into studying Greece right now so he drew what he thought Athens would look like from a birds eye view. Such a silly kid, I love it though. The colors really pop and it looks great on his wall. The picture below is what it looks with his curtain closed. If you notice there is even a shelf on the base for them to put there little nic nacs on.

Surprise this is Gabe's window. I know shocking my little monkey put monkey curtains on. He loves doing art but just rather play with other things right now so he does not put as much effort in it. If you look in his window though I think it turned out great. It is of a, wait for it, monkey jungle. I know you did not think it was going to be that though did ya. LOL.

Hope you enjoyed our room with a view. What view do you have?

Day Of The Dead Crafts...part one

We started our unit study of Mexico with the start of November. This timed out nicely because November 1st and 2nd is the "Day of the Dead" celebration there. The boys are having so much fun doing the crafts for it.
This is Gabe with his monkey. One of the projects that I wanted to do was decorate some skulls. I found some Paper Mache Skulls at Michaels . I painted them white in preperation (they were tan).
Then the boys started painting them.
Daddy even joined in and painted too. *smile*

Gabe thinks that he is scary with the mask so he has been working on that scary creepy laugh. Too funny, the kid cracks up people more than he scares them. LOL

Here are the completed mask. Sorry about them being turned. I tried to fix it but the computer would not agree with me.. This first one is Sam's Mask.

Second in line is Gabe' s mask.

This is DH's finished mask.

Last but not least here is mine.

Gabe also found a project to make a skeleton from a book of crafts (shown below).

I also have included a couple of videos of Gabe playing with some of the projects.


This video is of him trying to scare us with the mask.

Here he is showing you his skeleton that he made.

Now the books that we used to honor this holiday...

First is Clatter Bash! This book was so cute. It shows how the festivities go. A very easy read, great for younger kids, but my boys even enjoyed it. Great for all ages in my opinion ( I kinda Liked it too) LOL.

This book is filled with a lot of great ideas for kids to make.

I am going to post the rest of our projects tom... stay tuned for the sugar skulls....

Summer Camp Schooling

Lately I have felt burnt out with every thing going on around here. I thought the boys and I could use some fun. The way that I thought I we could do that was through schooling. I decided to do summer camp schooling. Basically we would do lots of art projects and read books. Hopefully that would get the boys into wanting to learn more in that area of study. I am going to do this for five weeks then get back to regular schooling. We are going to have a theme for each week.
Our first week (starting monday) is going to be jungle. I thought I would share some of my ideas and books.
The projects that I came up with is:

• Make a treasure map, then of course have a treasure hunt based on the map. (boys create an obstacle course)
• Make a monkey mask then dance around like monkey's (well when you have a monkey(Gabe) you need lots of monkey projects.)
• Make a jungle diorama and a mobile
• The boys love trivia games so I am going to make one based on facts of animals in the jungle.

Then I figure I might through in a couple of movies

• Curious George
• Tarzan II
• Jungle Book II

Of course I can not leave out a book list for the week:

I know that hippos are not in the jungle but when I did a search for jungle books on the library site, I got this book. Hippos goes Bananas! I could not resist, it looked so cute.
We also have Edward in the Jungle for our study of the Jungle. In the book the little boy dreams of being with Tarzan and what child does dream the same dream.

Of course we would not be complete with out a story book about a monkey. I mean of course we will read Curious George a few times, but our library choice was Little Monkey Lost by Keith DuQuette.

Of course I research book is always a must for my boys. For the jungle theme research I choose a popular one in our house Eyewitness Books Jungle.

I am going to try my best to come back as much as possible to show you the things that we do over the week. Until then our other themes are (picked by the boys) Ocean, farm, robots, and Medievel Times. If have any ideas, book selections, etc... I would love to hear about them. I am totally stuck on ideas.

The return of the book list....

Wow it has been along time since I have gotten a book list up. We have gone through some really good books to, just not enough time to post them. Hopefully I can straighten things out and start posting again more regurally on everything. Here's hoping! Count Me A Rhyme by Jane Yolen -- First of all I love any Jane Yolen books and this is no exception. She made some beautiful counting poems about animals. There are wonderful pictures to go along with all of the animal poems to. Monkey Business by Wallace Edwards -- This is a book all about idioms and how they would look if they were translated literally. They are complimented by so many beautiful drawings in this book. Then to top it off they have a little picture find on every page, They hide a monkey on every page. A very fun topic for my boys.
Yo-Yo Man by Daniel Pinkwater -- A great story to teach kids when you are having a rough time with something, try to focus on something you can control. Like learning a new skill, maybe a yo-yo. Dear Deer by Gene Barretta -- As a homeschooling mom I am always looking for fun ways to teach subjects. English becomes a bit tough to make fun and intersting. That is what I like when I find books like this, a fun way to teach certain topics in english. This one is all about Homophones.

A little mix of everything....

Well I wish I could have a great story about why I have been missing, one like Amy Sue's. That is probably the best reason that I can think of. Unfortunetly no story like that here. Life just gets really busy this time of year. It should slow down in about a month when tax season ends and I get my DH back. Until then it is going to be a lot of hit and miss on blog time. So I thought I would share some of the fun things that we have been doing around here lately. Well things that have brought a smile to our face at least.
The Scrambled States of America has long been one of the boys favorites around here. So when we heard that they came out with a second one called The Scrambled States of America Talent Show, we just had to get it. The boys love it so much they request it almost everyday.

Gabe lost his first tooth. He was so excited about it. When he found out that his tooth was loose he wanted it out right then and there. He even asked his Dad to pull it out for him. Don't worry Dad said no, and to just keep wiggling it so that it falls out naturally.

Recently we found this great toy at Target that we thought would be fun experiment for Science class. The price was perfect, clearance for 3.75. We told the boys that they had to have all their work done in order to do it at the end of the week. Both boys worked hard and got everything done. They had so much fun playing with it. I did include a short video below if any one wants to see it.

The boys have had a great time making clothes for their webkinz. They bring out all of the supplies and set them on the floor. They are so cute making all of these little clothes. When I ask what they want to do for an art project, first choice is always to design new clothes for the webkinz.

Of course there has been plenty of reading time going on to. There has been a few mornings that Gabe sets himself up like this because he does not want to do school work. Needless to say he does do school work. We just start a little later in the day. I mean why would I want to interupt something like this. LOL.




I love his little curious look that he gets on his face in this video.

Well I hope that you enjoyed some of our favorite things that we have been up to. I hope to be back soon, but only time will tell that.

Wow, a book list...

See I am starting to get back to a normal routine. I actually got a book list up this week. Wow that has been a long time. I hope that you enjoy them.
First up is My Name Is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry. This book is written really well in my opinion. It has beautiful drawings and a wonderful story line. A little girl tells her mom through out the day that she is not Isabella, but that she is different famous women through out history. It would make a great story read for next month during womens history month.

Next up is Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed. I loved this book. I constantly found myself saying "ahhh, so sweet" through out the whole book. The book is about a "perfectly perdictable pig" named Pete. Everything was very simple and uncomplicated in his life. That is until he found an elephant named Pickles hanging out in his lamp. Then the most unlikely friendship starts.

With two boys the list would not be complete with out a truck book. Melvin Might? by Jon Scieszka fit the bill perfectly. In this story Melvin is a truck that worries about everything, and I do mean everything. That is until one day when his friend is in trouble and he is the only one that can save her. That is if he can stop worrying long enough to do it. Do you think that he does, check it out and see.

Ok I found out about Blackberry Banquet by Terry Pierce on this site. Any of the books that I found on here have been great. This one is a really cute story about animals that have found a blackberry bush and what happens when a bear unexpectedly joins them. The best part is if you want to expand on any of the topics in the books the back is full of different ideas. If there is not enough information for you though make sure to check out the website too. They have even more info on there.

Book List ....A Zoo Edition

I have a special edition of books for you this week. Gabe is working on community workers and choose to start with zoo keepers. I got a bunch all about zookeepers for him. I also picked up a few story books that I thought that I would share with you. If Anything Ever Goes Wrong At The Zoo by Mary Jean Hendrick

Little Leslie loves going to the zoo every week with her mom. She really wants to have an animal of her own to take home. So everyweek she invites a different animal to come home. The reply is always that the animal needs something special to live a good life. So she tells them that she has that so if anything ever goes wrong at the zoo they can come to her house. Well one day something does go wrong and see what happens.

Animal Strike at the Zoo, It's True! by Karma Wilson

I thought that this book was really sweet. All of the animals feel like they overworked and underappreciated that the go on strike. The zookeeper gives into some of the demands but the animals stay on strike. Then one day a little girl arrives at the zoo for a visit. She becomes very sad when she sees that all the animals are just sitting around doing nothing. Pick it up and see what the animals do when they see the little girl crying. Do Kangaroo's Were Seat Belts? by Jane Kurtz
This has become a fast favorite in our house. Gabe request us to read it everynight. Then when we finish he ask Sam to read it in their room. The story is about a little boy that is so curious how different things would work if he was different animals. His mom is so patient about all of the questions. The way that she answers them teaches the kids different things about the animals. A very sweet and inormative book! A Children's Zoo by Tana Hoban
A wonderful picture book for little kids. It gives simple little descriptions of each animal with big pictures of each of them. Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
A silly librarian makes a mistake by parking the book mobile in the zoo. She starts reading aloud and the animals come running. The animals soon become very interested in what she is reading. They all want to start reading their own books. This when all of the fun really starts. Check it out you will really enjoy it.

Books

I have a little book list for you guys. Sorry it is not that much, but I promise some better lists soon. I just need to catch up on everything first. Plantzilla Goes to Camp by Jerdine Nolan
This is a cute story about a little boy and his pet plant. When the little boy gets accepted to his fathers old summer camp he is really excited. That is until he realizes that he can not bring his beloved pet with him. When he goes off to camp his pet decided to dress up in a disguise so that he can go to. While the little boy is there he rooms with the bully. Can his pet save him from the bully, you will have to read and find out.

'Twas The Day Before Zoo Day by Catherine Ipcizade

I love looking at this site for books. It has lots of ways that you can increase your lesson plans. When I saw this one on the site I thought it would be perfect. We have started on community workers with Gabe, and the first one we are doing is Zoo Keepers. The book itself is absolutly adorable showing different ways that animals can misbehave.

Ten Naughty Little Monkeys by Suzanne Williams

What can I say any book about monkey's is perfect in this house. This is probably the cutest version I have read about the ten little monkey stories. A must read if you have a little monkey in your home. LOL

A little of what we did plus a book list......

Sam was trying learn about Pronouns. I made this file folder game for him called Pizza Nut. Unfortunetly there was a miss print and it did work out well. Sam got a great idea to check out Iknowthat.com. He found a great game to work on it. See here. I just love it when he figures things out like that. It is so nice to see his self esteem rise.

For Gabe's math class he made some supper. He was so excited because he got to crack eggs for the first time. It quickly became his favorite part of the day. While he was making it he had to stir the eggs with milk. He informed me that this was how we made Egg Nog. Funny kid because as soon as he finished saying that he said it was almost ready to be cheese. We were not making either. He cracks me up.

For Geography Sam and I played our Planet Earth Geography Game that we made. It was amazing I actually won. Sam is so strong in geography it hard to beat him at this subject.

I shared the musical instruments that the boys got yesterday with you. I thought you might like to see what quickly became their favorite one. The Gong. Surprised!!! They are so funny. Every time they finish something they ring it. It cracks me up.

Harvey Moon, Museum Boy by Pat Cummings

I saw a little bit of this book cover sticking out of the shelf at the library. I knew right away that I had to get it for my boys. They dream of being able to do what this boy does. I thought that this was a really cute story. In ways it reminded me of the movie Night at the Museum. Really a cute story.

The Jelly Beans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff

Of course any storybook that has a dance theme to it gets the boys attention (they are really loving dance class) This one sold me for being Laura Numeroff, I love her books. Of course she did not fail here. This story is about a little girl that loves to dance an takes a dance class. It is rough in the first few classes, none of the girls are getting along. That is until she finds a special way to get them all working together.

No More Kissing by Emma Chichester Clark

A book with monkey's is always perfect for this family. After all we have our own little monkey (Gabe). He also is very pickey about his kisses. You are only allowed to give kisses on his cheek except for special occasions. Alot like this story.