Wordless Wednesday ... Sort of

Summer picnic with my ladies

Caprese Salad and Mock Tuna Salad on Romaine

The girls' ~ Mock Tuna Salad on Wasa Crackers with Provolone Cheese

Playing some sort of hand game

A little summer learning

How has learning looked around here for the past couple of months?

Watercolor painting all morning long ...

Excellent audio books ...

Making paper dolls ...

Excellent reading ...

Building forts ...

Climbing the roof to watch fireworks ...

Yes, that is on our roof top ...

 Family beach excursions late at night in hopes of seeing some of the Perseids Meteor Shower (we caught a few) ...

Classical music on Pandora ...

Tons of poetry with our Poetry Tea Time on Tuesdays (we haven't missed a Tuesday in almost two months ... and I have a feeling they won't let me miss one again ever) ...

Morning beach walks ...

Twice-weekly surf sessions ...

Playing in the pink "rain" (flower) showers ...

Tons of Family Beach Nights ...

A little bit of Free-Writing ...

Attending a Rugby game and cheering them on ... 

Crafts galore ...

A bit of reading aloud ...

Making home-made play dough ...

Home-made sprinklers ...

Trips to the Library ...

Gzillions of books on everything from how cars work to wolves and fairy tales ...

Baking cakes ...

 

And making potato salad ...

Drawing and coloring ...

Dress-up ...

Snow days in August (snow angles and snowmen with packing popcorn) ...

"Snow" Angels

Snowman

Puzzles, finger-knitting ...

Walks to the Farmer's Market ...

An amazing adventure to the Lubee Bat Conservancy and then to the UF Museum of Natural History, finished off with watching 1/2 million bats come out of the UF Bat Houses at dusk ...

 A smidge (and I do mean a smidge) of cursive and math and writing ...

Making gifts ...

Vacation with family ...

Outdoor Family Games like Bocci Ball, Croquet, Badminton and Horseshoes ...

Gratitude Journals to thank God for all that He gives us ...

Learning to jump rope ... and then doing it *all* the time ...

Mental number journeys ...

Egyptian floor puzzle and the World geography floor puzzle ...

Fun with our Home school Group ...

 

Skip counting by 6s, 5s, 4s, 3s, 9s, 7s, 2s and 10s ...

Playing spelling bee ...

Total 80s immersion, including lots of Punky Brewster viewing (and dressing) ...

Playing instruments ...

Singing and dancing to music ...

Catching giant toads and lots of lizards ...

Lots of Madlibs (grammar practice) ... 

Family Game Night every Saturday night (lots of math and language here) ...

 

Building toilet paper towers and trying to beat personal records ...  

 

Writing lists, planning ...

Snail and slug care a few times ...

Tons and tons (and tons) of creative play ...

*******

Of course, not all of this has happened every day or every week or even more than once. But, this is the general feel of summer learning at our house. How about you?

 

My little mermaid

 

****

Until next time,

 ~ Irie Momma

 

 

 

Hello, Old Friend ...

Hello, old friend.

Yes, you. You over there. You whom I have not spoken to in ages. Do you remember me?

How have you been? Did you wonder what the heck happened to me?

I can't begin to tell you what all we've been doing or what I have been thinking. I might eventually try to fill you in on the time you've missed.

Or, I may not.

I guess you could say I have had a case of writer's block.

For over six months.

I honestly cannot even guarantee that I don't still have it. But, I'm willing to try.

I want this space. I need this space.

I want to connect with others who are walking the same walk that I am. I want the opportunity to help those who are just starting out on this path.

I want a place to make sense of the ramblings inside my head.


Bear with me as I figure out how to get back on this wagon. Life certainly has not slowed down. It's not as if a beautiful spot has opened up in my schedule to allow for "writing".  The only thing that may have changed is my acknowledging that no spot is ever going to magically open up. If I want this thing, then I am just going to have to grab onto it. Rather than watch as the animal keeps passing me by, I have to grab onto its horns and hang on for the ride.

So, have I designed a pretty little schedule to fit in this thing called "writing"?

No.

Have I designated that I will write about food on Tuesdays and home schooling on Thursdays and God on Saturdays?

No.

Have I gotten a laptop so that I can actually shut myself into a room to concentrate once in a while?

Nope. Still have to do this smack dab in the middle of the chaos that is my life (though, I really want a laptop ... wink, wink, Mom ... Christmas).

Have I gotten that awesome camera I've been drooling over so that I can fill this space with beautiful pictures?

Not yet. Still rocking my boring old Kodak Easyshare .... though I may be able to take some pictures on my nifty new phone (twenty-five dollar phone, folks ... don't get too excited).

But, am I ready to get rid of the excuses and get back to this thing?

I think I am.

And, I hope you'll join me for the ride.

Now, for you to enjoy a little bit of home-made "slip-n-slide" summer fun on a pushing-100-degree Florida day ...

Until next time (and I truly do plan for that to be sooner than next February),
~ Irie Momma

Homeschool Curriculum FOR SALE

I'm trying to clean up my shelves to make more physical space, but also to make more room in my brain and eliminate confusion. If you would like to purchase anything below, please leave me a comment.

Paypal payments accepted and we can make those arrangements privately if you want something.

Shipping is $4.00 for one book. If you want multiple items, I can give you ONE shipping price based on the weight of your package and your zip code.

FOR SALE:


* Five in a Row Complete Set: Volumes 1-3 AND the Christian Supplement $125 ppd
 
* Math U See Beta Test Booklet $5.00

* Writing With Ease Level One Workbook (Student pages of Weeks 1-3 have been removed, but the lessons are still there. You will just need to use other copy paper) $20.00

* Writing Tales Level One Set ~ Includes Student Workbook and Teacher's Guide (coffee stain on first pages of Student Workbook) $30.00

* PENDING: Sonlight K (Core A) WITH Science 2002 Instructor's Guide with the Peel-n-Stick Time Line Figures as well as the following books (all paperback): $80.00

• The Boxcar Children
• My Father's Dragon
• The Family Under the Bridge
• Peter Pan
• In Grandma's Attic
• The Light at Tern Rock
• Johnny Appleseed
• Twenty and Ten
• The House at Pooh Corner
• The Usborne Children's Enccylopedia
• Exploring Wonders of the World

* PENDING: Sonlight B+C Instructor's Guide with the Peel-n-Stick Time Line Figures as well as the following books (all paperback): $65.00

• Window on the World
• And the Word Came with Power
• Gladys Aylward
• Catching their Talk in a Box

* SOLD: Charlotte Mason Elementary Geography (put out by Queen Homeschool Supply) $10.00


* SOLD: Sonlight K (Core A) WITH Science 1999 Instructor's Guide (pencil check marks throughout) $15.00

God speaks in the stillness

I fix my green tea. Steaming hot, with honey.

I kiss him goodbye and walk him to the door.

I linger at the door, listening, looking.

That is when I notice the splendor.

The beautiful little sliver of moon in the dark sky.

The song of the early morning birds.

The hint of light as it begins to spread from the east.

I light my candle and think, "I should write".

But, what?

This truly is my favorite time of day.

How on earth did that happen? I am not a morning person by nature. I have trained myself to be. Somewhere along the way, I realized that this is the only time I get ... to be alone with God or alone with myself.

But, then I learned that this is also a beautiful time to be alone with His creation! The birds really do sing more sweetly in the morning. The sky really does creep into day with a grace and beauty that is only visible in the break of day. The stillness of the rest of the world ... that is something I crave all day and this is the only time you can get it.

So, here I sit. Candle burning, tea steaming, birds singing ... in stillness.

Here, I ponder. What it means to follow God. What it means to be good. What it means to be righteous. What it means to be a good mother, a good wife, a good home-educator.

Here I sit with God.

And, it is here that He speaks to me. It is here that it is quiet enough for me to hear Him.

What is your favorite time of day?