January 1 Merry Christmas!

I am sitting at the kitchen table with a homemade chai latte and plate of cookies. I need to get all the cookies and Swedish Fish eaten by Monday, so I can get back to logging calories and nutrients.

We celebrated Christmas with my parents and brothers family yesterday. We did the same last year (different reason,though)
I think I like having Christmas spaced out like that. It's less overwhelming.
I had made sock puppets for my 2 yr old nephew. Whenever I watch him, we always wear socks on our hands and make them talk, so I thought he'd like some sock puppets.

And for his mom... A box with easy lid for storage of the puppets on his toy shelf.
In addition to hot glueing the embellishments, I tacked them in place with needle and thread. It seemed for "Toddler Friendly" that way.
Here is a quite visual guide:

I spent News Years Day (morning) charting out my revolving garden. Those parts of the garden I plant to rotate crops for a more year round harvest. I have 5 garden areas for this,  my 3 boxes to the left of the back porch, a box on the right side of the back porch, and a section in the ground I will rotate winter carrots and summer bell peppers. I have sowing dates for all 10 crops, along with dates to prep the soil between plantings. I put all pf the dates into my smartphone calendar with a reminder set for a few days before. 

I felt Quite Accomplished. Too bad I can't devote this much effort to cleaning the kitchen.

HEALTH NOTE: on the first day of the year, I took my vitamins, drank my 2L of water, and met my Fitbit goal! 

my 21 yr old son found an app for my smart phone called HABITRPG. I earn gold by meeting daily goals and tasks (that I list) and can go on quests and buy new armor and swords with my earned coins!

WED/THUR

Wednesday the bagger at the grocery store asked if I need help to the car. It makes me wonder if they think I have a walker or am not strong enough to push a cart. It always throws me for a loop, I have to stop & think about, and I always end up stuttering a response."uhh. N-n-oo..I',..f-f-f-i-nr.ok."
Yes, I have to purposely rehearse my answer for the bagboy before I get in the check-out lane, so I don't sound to dorky.

I forgot to rehearse my response yesterday and paid th price by looking & acting like a moron in front of a high school kid.
I had GRAND plans for Forensics Class yesterday. But you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men...... actually, I don't know what they say. That's all I know of that phrase. But I guess they don't end well. Because they often don't.
I rolled out of bed at 8:15. I have a worse time readjusting to school times than I did with Jetlag when we flew to India & China!I get breakfast and get dressed, actuaally, I got dressed first so I could go down into the kitchen and get breakfast. I get back upstairs to gather laundry and mentally planning my next 4 things I need to do. When I get the laundry halfway to the laundry room, Connor says he needs me to call the doctor because he'snot been able to hear out of his ears for a few days and it feels funny and like pressure.
So halfway to the laundry room I stop to call the doctor for Connor. LUCKY US the doctor had a cancellation at 9:50 that morning! It was 9:15. It takes 20 minutes to get to the doctor. I had to brush my teeth and Connor wasn't dressed..
I emailed the links and videos to Gavin and Ki. The ones I had planned on teaching to them and raeading over with them. and made a quick list of what they needed to do. Drove Connor to the doctor.
We read about Orangutans.
Connor has a lot of fluid behind his ear, but they can;t tell if it is infected. So he has meds and will need a consult with the otolaryngologist if it does not improve in 2 weeks.
get back, drop Connor off at home to start HIS school list, run back out to drop of the prescription. Back home again. Eat lunch, get the kids in the van for Improv day.
still have not had my shower.
no one shows up. We're all grumpy. We go home. The boys clean their rooms, I shower, and make ninja cookies. Eating Ninjas makes me feel better.


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The wisemen brought their gifts wrapped in Evidence Bags.

Today my friend comes over for cookies & tea. The boys do their reading & Computer Programming.
Lunch. I ate while sitting in my cozy bed, watching my Pilates DVD. (I need to wacth workout DVDs before I do them)
Forensics Class.
We go over what they did on their own yesterday. I teach them some Greek work roots. They watch Forensic Science Videos. We do a lab about bullet holes in glass.

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here is the boys' independent Forensics from Yesterday:
take notes from the board. (3 fingerprint types)

and notes from the book on the characteristics of finger prints.

Watch these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dntO3YANo18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_SiqND9bNA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jff1hhfp6L0 you can watch part 2 & 3, too, if you want)

Go to this Wikipedia link: on the right hand side is a list of occupations: under the skull picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science

these are the ones I want you to do:

Forensic pathology
Forensic dentistry

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Forensic anthropology
Forensic entomology

Forensic psychology

Ballistics

and a couple of the Digital Forensics:

Click on each and write in your notebook what it is.

For Example: you would write:

Forensic Entomology: Studying Insects to find clues.

Wordless Wednesday.

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Test FAIL!

Yesterday (Fri/Dec31)was to be a milestone day! Ki was to take his very first PANERA TEST!
Being the Quasi-Unschoolers that we are, we really don't do/take tests. But when the boys get about high school they have tests with their chosen Sciences. This is Ki's first Science with Testing. It is Chemistry. They all wanted Chemistry, though I think Ki is changing his mind as he is seeing MORE math and less "blowing things up with chemicals"
I had to change the Chemistry Lessons for Ki. The program we are using is Apologia and is a High School book. Ki is just not ready for the math. So I start the lesson with terms, experiments, videos, and notes with all 3 boys. Then Ki goes off to his desk in his room and has file folders with worksheets. He does what he wants from those while I teach Chemistry Math to his brothers.
Before this, when he sat with the whole time, he had meltdowns. Melting into a puddle of limp noodles and tears. But this new way works well. His brothers are actually bored with the 1st half of class (so far... because it is chapter 1- wait until we get a few chapters into it!)- so the math keeps them into it.Ki actually likes worksheets and does well with them. I don't use worksheets to teach, but they are good for review and Ki is the type of kid that needs plenty of review.
I wanted to just BE DONE with chapter 2 before we start J-Term. For some reason (holiday rush? Skit rehearsals? Brian's Surgery? my birthday?) we never got to the last section of Ch1 or the test. So we finished those this week.
SO, we gather calculators, notecards with formulas, pencils, papers, etc... Ki searches HIGH & LOW for his notebook all morning and finally finds it....
We get to Panera. The Bagels, cookies, hot drinks are all ordered. We sit down.I open my Orange Folder that contained the tests.They were not there. They must have slipped out at the house or something. All that work to get everything ready, everyone out the door, waited in line, had a cashier that had to go through the order 4 times and then still mess up my Peppermint Hot Cocoa (but I got it free)... ALL TO NOT HAVE THE TESTS!

He had his notebook though, so I took a picture of him and am pretending it is Ki taking his FIRST Panera Science Test!
On the drive home, Gavin (17) ask what kinds of questions are on the test. he asks because Chapter was was the BASICS which he already knew.I'm driving. driving takes up 98% of my brain function, so I rattle off something that I thought I remembered.
"Something about a farmer finding a chunk of gold. They tell you the mass and volume and ask you to find the density."Gavin:"Gold has a density of 19.3 grams/cm³."Connor: " .. and Uranium is 19.1!"
Me: (sighing in my head):" Well, they give the volume and you have to find the mass- or the other way."
Gavin: "O.K. - - - And diamonds have a density of 3.5" (I think that is what he said it was)
While taking the test, Ki calls me over. It goes something like this:
Ki: "mom, gold has a density of 19.3, right?"Me: "yes, why?" (the test gives the density of gold for this problem)Ki:"Well, it has 2 items that look like god and I need to find the density to determine which really is gold. I got 19.327. Would that be gold still or something else because it's not 19.3?"
Ki refuses to use cm³ or cc. He crosses them out on his tests and writes in "mL"

Well, all the tests are now done. I guess I should go grade them.
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I have never been interested in Reading Through the Bible in a Year. Not in the 30+ years of being a Christian. It just never struck me as something I should do. Brian got me a new Bible for my birthday. It is a chronological Bible. It actually goes pretty much 'in regular order' until Psalms. But then it's all over the place. Verses out of 3-5 different books per page sometimes.

I was getting ready to start reading it today (Sat Jan1) and I decided to try reading thought from start to end; and hopefully in a year. So, we'll see how that goes. According to my math, if I read 4 pages a day that'll leave a buffer for missed days. click for My Reading Log

Gavin found a $20 while looking for the Wisemen in the laundry room. I knew I should have done laundry today. (The Wisemen brought Chocolate covered gingerbread men today!)



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Gifts from Wise Men

The boys seem to enjoy The 12 Days of Christmas! This is the 2nd tome we did it. Last year we did it and Ki made a King Cake for Epiphany.

This year I am hiding the Wisemen. 3 Wisemen. 3 Boys. Each day the Wisemen are in a different room. They are Travelling Wisemen, after all.

Day 1 was Christmas and we didn't hide the Wisemen.

Day 2 the wisemen hid in the kitchen. The Wisemen brought gifts of Dice. each boy got a baggy with 8 dice.

Day 3 the Wisemen hid in the Front Room. They brought a Big Bag of Pipe Cleaners. Sounds silly, but the boys ask for Pipe Cleaners occasionally.

Day 4 the Wisemen hid in Gavin's room. They were found to be carrying gifts of Those Suncatcher ornaments that you sprinkle with glass beads, cook & melt.

Day 5 I forgot to hide the Wisemen, so the boys hid them for me to find and gave me hugs.

Day 6 We had company most the day. G&C fell asleep by 5PM I think, so I figured we'd skip the Wisemen. They of course woke up around 9 and I was getting ready for bed. I actually had time between when Paul Left and they fell asleep,I was just being A Lazy Mom again. I'm glad I am such good company in the area of Lazy Moms! ( Click to Read Stacey's Lazy Mom Blog)

Day 7 The Wisemen hid in the backyard and gifted the boys with coupons for 1 hour Free Computer Time- but the coupons are for 2 uses.

Day 8- hasn't happened yet. Ki wants to hide 2 of the Wisemen for his Brothers. He said I can hide the 3rd Wisemen for him.


I am actually out of gifts now. The dice & coupons were free, the Pipe Cleaners were about $1 a boy, the suncathers were about $4 I think. Tomorrow Morning I'll go to Michael's and get some things from their $1 bin.
Brian & the boys got me a KitchenAid Staning Mixer for Christmas. The stores here just had the smallest of standing mixers and in white. Brian & I looked online and found the a 6QT, in red, on "Day After Christmas Sale" and ordered it to have instead.


It will be perfect for making a KING CAKE for Epiphany! It should get here on Tuesday.




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Monday Madness & Mayhem

TODAY: a couple HOPS, a handful of mini-topics, and a few thoughts.

HOP #1

The above button is for a New To Me HOP. Listing things for which I am thankful. Gifts. Getting up to 1000.

Here is my list of 1,000 gifts numbers 1-10

-Facebook. Yes, facebook can be a gift and something for which to be thankful. Not just for keeping in touch with friends and family, and not just for being reunited with friends from the past, but today I am especially thankful for getting in touch with people I used to know and was not friends with back then- but becoming friends now, after all these years - and getting to see how God has been working in lives and taking the time to see how far we have all come.

-Health. A 'generic' sounding thanks, I know. But I am following it up with the particulars. Thanks that my husband's heart attack (about 6 yrs ago) was mild and there was no lasting damage. Thankful for his successful cyst removal surgery last week.

-Bracelet. My son made a bracelet for me, for Christmas. I love when the boys make things for me.

-Ninjas. The kind that cut cookies, anyway. Connor made Ninja Cookie Cutters for me.

-Future Ninjas. Ki gave me a pictorial list of different Ninja Cookie Cutter ideas from which to choose and he will make a couple cookie cutters, too

-modern transportation of groceries- so I can enjoy oranges and pears and other fruits and veggies out of season and out of local.

- Digital Camera. I love my digital camera that allows me to capture so many memories and moments. (with out the cost of buying new film and printing all 36 pictures just to get 10 good ones)

- boxes. Yes boxes. so I can pack and organize everything.

-plastic. it is fairly cheap, sturdy, colorful or clear- and allows me to be able to buy enough boxes to color code and organize things.

-Thrift Stores- A good place to get rid of our excess and a place to buy an extra pair of jeans for my boys who are growing like weeds and always seem to have outgrown everything, esp last minute.

NOW onto a few Thoughts:

Gavin has been out back shooting his new Air Soft Pellet Gun. It's a riffle of some sort. Brian and the 3 boys have been having a Magic Card Elimination Showdown. With all their new cards, between the 4 of them they had 18 decks. They made a flowchart of games and which deck won each. Winning Decks playing winning decks..... to see which decks are best. This may confuse you. That's OK. It confuses me, too. I will have to find out which deck won and let all of you know. That may clear up some of your confusion.

I played DICEcapades Sunday evening with my family. Connor can be a bit hard to handle with games. He debates everything. It's almost like a defense mechanism until he really gets nto the game and understands it. then he's all giggles and fun. He now know how to milk a cow backwards, though.

And Those Lists:

I love lists. on Sunday I made a list of all the things I wanted to talk about in my next blog. I think I'll keep the List as is and just fill it in with blogging. And, yes, I do this frequently. Make a little entry with reminders of what to blog or what links to include.

• Juicer - It is once again time to get out the juicer and juice lots of fruits and veggies. I like to do lots of juicing for a week after 'big eating'. It helps me feel better. I need to get some baby spinach and pears & grapes. I have more than enough carrots. Not sure how we got so many carrots in this house. Strawberries are good in the juicer, too! but feels like a waste of a strawberry. I like to ad a little ginger root to the berry juices, too.
• J-Term-It is almost time for J-Term to start. I have most of the CSI Class planned. I just need to review it so I can have everything needed for week 1 all gathered and in place. I need to get lesson plans for the other stuff though. Ki wants Culinary/Acting.(so probably alternating them every-other-day). Connor and Gavin will be doing computer Programming/animation.
• Pilates- and Yoga. This is the exercise portion of my entry. I really want to do Yoga daily and get my Pilates DVD out, unwrap the cellophane, and actually USE IT. Not sure if I will get started today. But I plan on it. I'll let you all know.
• 12 Days of Christmas- We did this last year (or 2 years ago), too. The boys seem to like it. We don't put up our Chrostmas Tree until Christmas Eve, but we keep it up for the 12 Days of Christmas. On those 12 days we read the Christmas Story/Wise Men (from the Bible), sometimes do gifts. This year I am hiding the 3 wisemen. each boy finds one and then gets a small gift (from the Dollar Store or Dollar Bins at other stores). Then we Have KING CAKE for Epiphany! I think we will do the Feast of the Innocents this year, too.
• Rocket launch in the yard- I'll do this one tomorrow.
• http://myadventures-in-mommyland.blogspot.com/ mommy monday hop. A New To Me Blog Hop I am doing with this entry. So click the button, join the hop, make new friends!

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Dec 24th.

As promised, I have a couple pictures of my new outfits. Of 2 of them anyway. I have 1 more to get a picture of later today maybe.
Here is what I wore to dinner on my anniversary: The boot & skirt already owned, the tip and scarf are new.




Here is another outfit that I bought for comfort, but the top shirts wasn't as loose as I hoped. Ki took the picture while I was still fixing my hair, it was windy.


*My inspiration for posting clothes comes from SASSY CLASSY's BLOG. (click to read). She often posts her outfit combos. Her Sister, MELODY, is Moving Shoes(click to read)- posting about all her shoes. She is trying to wear them all, not at once though. But she has a lot of shoes but hadn;t been wearing them all and decided to wear them all on different days. ALSO-Inspiration from HOME with the Boys, who also does a What I Wore post.


Ki made crepes for breakfast, but we had no berries or whipped creme, just Pancake Syrup or Chocolate Syrup. Ki likes crepes. They are best when we have all the "Crepe Fixings" though.
We put up the Christmas Tree last night.



Finally. Actually Ki wanted to put it up Christmas Morning.
Connor wanted it in the kitchen. I was pulling for him, but we were over ruled. So it is in the Dinner Room. The Kitchen and Dining room are more like One Big Room, though.
And I did ride my bike yesterday for approx. 2.5 miles. It's not much, but a start. and after seeing my pictures in my new outfits I think I'm gonna step up exercise a few notches!
We haven't wrapped any Christmas Presents yet. I will be busy doing that today I guess. and I have to take the boys out to get something for Brian. He didn't get me a list until I was done shopping and no longer had much time due to Play Rehearsal and then was down a car from the flood, plus I like to procrastinate. We had a Whirlwind Cleaning Yesterday, too. According to Lazy Mom's Blog; 'Timing is Everything' ; I am the Late Cleaner, but I am not a Mean Cleaner. I do list-off orders like a drill sergeant, though. but not a mean drill sergeant.
SCHOOL: A school update: It's Christmas Week. There is no school.
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GOT MILK?

Wow. It is the 21st already. It’s going to be February soon. And Friday is Connor’s Birthday.

As a kid, I always thought MLK day was MILK day. My brain makes up words where there are none.

Still no news on the California position. Hopefully by February we will have our answer.
Considering the HIGH temp here has been in the high teens, Vandenberg sounds nice this week. It may not get much about 75, but it doesn’t go much below 40 either. I am getting too old for the cold. I love to watch the snow from the warmth of my house or even car, but it’s too cold to play in for me. Of course it might help if I wore SOCKS!

Brian is off today. Because it is MILK day. He doesn’t drink milk though. So I had some for him. We are cleaning today.

I have been putting books on the bookshelves. I just love when the bookshelves are neat and orderly. I love to just look at the bookshelf with the books sorted by size or reading level or in sets or actually all of the above. I put books for Ki to read in a basket that fits on the shelf. This makes it much easier for him. He gets overwhelmed with choices. So I just put a few in his basket. So at reading time he doesn’t think about which book to read for 30 minutes.

I am keeping a good part of the books on the packing boxes due to the fact that we will be moving the shelves next month to lay new carpet. So the book shelf doesn’t look AS nice as it could, but it’s okay.