January 6-7

For the first time in ages we had a truly inactive Sunday…doubly so as I had not managed to finagle a trip to JoAnn’s so even my crochet had halted… I was silly enough to start a baby gift with the pink after finishing the first half of BOTH of Trinity’s slippers only to realize that I was without a necessary amount of elastic… oops.

Poor Trinity was just not herself on Sunday and spent the bulk of the day falling asleep wherever she put her head down. Be it Baba’s chair or the beanbag on the floor. She just was run down, but thankfully no throwing up!

Sleepy little one

Monday was interesting… Emanuel and I started in on Japan… We read our Little Passports items and started in on our worksheets. I absolutely love Activity Village (flag and Kokeshi paper doll) and Education.com (kimono) for these sorts of resources. Emanuel especially appreciated the SIMPLICITY of the flag.

With his eraser shaped like sushi

Japan is right HERE

Of course we had to dinosaur it up, once I got Emanuel rolling this really was HIS DAY to learn… we had a blast talking about Japan, checking out the Compsognathus. It was the twins that pitched the most fits.

Though I DID win them all over with our tiny Valentine’s Day themed potted seeds… Poppies, Forget-me-nots and Strawberries… I am hoping we actually have a successful growth on these. I got them at Target for a 1.00 a box!

Reading the instructions (Zander)

Planting the seeds

Ken spent the bulk of his day at the DMV solving the question of the missing renewed license. That took half a day and lots of waiting… but the hope is that the issue that was NOT on Ken’s side is resolved… say a prayer!!!

The 7th was a shopping day.. well evening for us… we had to go and return our portable DVD player that we got for Christmas from Gammie… it was missing a remote control. So that was a trip to Walmart! The kids are REALLY excited about the idea of having a DVD player in the van on long trips again! 

Sleepy after the drive

It is so much fun exploring Japan with Emanuel. And the chance to start a new plant related project is always exciting. Now let’s hope they actually grow!

Our resident Kitty fanatic

July 2nd and 3rd

And so goes the days one after another… well this week was different! With Darryl off to California and back again for the week and Sharon at loose ends we volunteered up our company. The kids were beyond excited as that meant THREE kids to play with along with their toys and electronics. For me it was a chance to relax, hang out and with Sharon’s amazing selection – WATCH MOVIES! She has the comfiest movie watching bed EVER! 

Self sufficient for breakfast

And the best news of all – we FINALLY managed to coordinate with our facilitator and he (with wife in tow) were able to meet us at the Bleau family’s house and do our end of year assessment. It was actually rather a pleasant surprise to see everything spread out on the table. With how our last 6+ months have been from the extended move to Echo’s heart surgery and everything in-between we actually accomplished a lot! We had more than he could look through in the time allotted and he was very pleased with our progress. We talked about the upcoming year and how we want to homeschool. The verdict? Well, we need to school the REINSCH-JOHNSON way… the way that works best for our family regardless of what others think or say or do. After all, what is the most important is that it WORKS, that there is PROGRESS and that we are HAPPY. I think I can do that!!! And with our sort through I found ideas, items I had forgotten about and things to pass on to other families that would find better use for it. 

6+ months of work

The facilitator was a little later than scheduled so we overlapped our next exciting visit – Karyn and Victoria here for the afternoon. As Canada Day fell on a weekend some people had Friday off, others Monday (some chose). The timing was perfect as Ken and I had to run out and get passport photos done of myself and the girls (the boys’ are still good, time to get ducks in a line). So instead of all 5 kids sitting and waiting at Walmart the boys went out to the park that is a few blocks from Sharon’s to run out some of that excess energy. 

Local park

So much fun

And some fun in the backyard

Our next adventure was a government/travel inspired one. Time to get/renew the 3 passports we are lacking (thank goodness the boys’ are all still good). So there was forms to fill… a drive to make and a rather surprisingly SHORT wait at the passport office in the city. So of course I had to take pictures… apparently you are only allowed to take them facing North and South! The nice guard told us AND gave the kids flags! So learn something new every day!

Yup, that flag is RIGHT in front of Gavin's face

We also took pictures of the arch that marks the start of China time. The kids recognized the country of origin right off the bat. Proof of our China units taking root in the mind. 

The arch

Plaque

What else to do in the city.. stop and get my favourite red pepper dip to go with pitas we bought at H&W… 

Out front of the produce store

Pitas and dip

And then a quick stop off at Bulk Barn!

Bulk Barn

And then back to the Bleau house and the fun times with kids. It feels good to have lots of kids for our kids to play with and a friend to watch movies with… and watch movies we will!!!

Emma and the girls