Archive | July 2013

Taking Time With Each Other

July 19-20

One week after planting our beans are AMAZING! Though I am told one set should be bushier. The twins are working together on their charts and the little ones are doing theirs in their nature journals. I think it is time to pot them!101_3650

We really got into the manipulatives… those math cubes and pieces are just too much fun for everyone.101_3652

101_3651Gavin has pulled out his sewing and started a new, smaller project. We are working on getting him going again to make a few gifts to send to loved ones up north. He wants them to have something to remember him by!101_3653

Of course, after lunch what is more fun than getting BACK into the pool??? Dirty as it was!101_3654

101_3657Our Saturday was a special one – Ken agreed to (since he has been injured and limping even not able to drive for so long post soccer injury) take the whole day and just run our errands. So we packed up our list, a picnic lunch, swim suits (just in case), the kids and got out and about.

First to the quick errands and then to Lakeshore in time for the craft of the week – making foam visors!!!101_3658

A few more errands and then time for a lake… well RIVER leading into a lake we could SEE… picnic. Lots of running around for the kids…101_3659

101_3662And finally, the unveiling of the new shoes! I do so love the style!101_3666

101_3663101_3673101_3660Emanuel made sure to draw his picture for the tooth fairy requesting a dinosaur item.101_3678

I did rather well with my shopping… I got some lovely workbooks from Target for 1.00 a piece and a relevant to the next big focus (lions) Magic Treehouse book… our first! (that was a used bookstore find)101_3679

101_3680It was an excellent day spent as a family out and about!101_3669

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An Unexpected Date… a Book Review

There are a couple Susan Hatler books that I find read more like a sitting snapshot. An Unexpected Date is one of these . Written as a single chapter it is a lovely window into the budding romance of a single woman who runs a beading establishment for a living.

You get a peek into her life, her motivation and her wish for love and a family. A one sitting piece, An Unexpected Date is a sweet contemporary story that peeks into the start of a romance. Definitely one to read when up as a freebie as you won’t spend much time on it! I would think best seen in an anthology honestly.

Short Story

Short Story

Sometimes Wonderful Things Come in the Mail

July 17-18

With the summer slow down comes boredom… so out came the instruction pages printed off of Art for Kids (link on right) and out came creativity. Especially when a picture is worked on TOGETHER!101_3592

101_3594I am loving that the Pizza Hut reading program has now moved into a summer version called Bookitsummer. You can find it HERE. Some of the challenges have them reading to different people, using funny voices or reading in unusual places.101_3593

Of course fairies are welcome!101_3596

And then the mail came!!! Thanks so much to Gammie who has once again spoiled us rotten… this time with lovely clothes, sunglasses, cups and even some magazines and a start to our coin collection!

The boys' new shirts are awesome!

The boys’ new shirts are awesome!

One of Echo's dresses ended up in Trinity's pile but here is the rest of hers.

One of Echo’s dresses ended up in Trinity’s pile but here is the rest of hers.

So much Hello Kitty pretty!

So much Hello Kitty pretty!

The girls have a huge number of new outfits and are beyond excited. Of course we had to try on the sunglasses in the sunshine right away!101_3602

We had the cousins over on the 18th… so Baba and Daddy went out and got a kids pool! It took a while to get blown up but then fun in the sun ensued! In fact, that was about the day!!! So enjoy the pictures as we are totally taking advantage of some sunny days and some flexible learning (don’t doubt that we did our spelling in the mornings, it got done!!).

Park first, while the pool was blown up.

Park first, while the pool was blown up.

A peek at the straw bale garden.

A peek at the straw bale garden.

A Gammie outfit

A Gammie outfit

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POOL!

POOL!

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And post pool snap pop things (you throw them on the ground and they make a noise).

And post pool snap pop things (you throw them on the ground and they make a noise).

Thanks again to Gammie for the amazing clothes!

Thanks again to Gammie for the amazing clothes!