As is the pattern for the month of October… the kids woke up anti school and anti mommy. We did manage to wrestle our way through the few sheets I did have for them to do, courtesy of EnchantedLearning, Bogglesworldesl, and our favourite UK site. The mini books were a big hit and limited to two pages only of colouring, word copying and cutting and assembly. Thank goodness I did remember to pick up staples on my payment order funding shopping spree.

Gavin and his Mini Book

For once the word search was a hit, each of the twins had their own sheet but were allowed to work together. Zander went so far as to include Echo in the exercise! She REALLY enjoyed that!

Teaching Echo about word searches

I got some LOVELY mail today – a package (one of many if you go by the fact that PARCEL ONE! was written on the outside – and what I was told by the sender) all the way from the UK! Some sweets and ponyholders for our Trinity. I am thinking I will hold onto the holders for Christmas! Then she will get something OTHER than Hello Kitty from us!

The kind of mail that makes you feel spoiled!

Certainly makes the week feel like it is starting out the right way. And with Ken hard at work in the basement… we are going to make October end properly. The weather is still lovely in the afternoons so the boys spent quite some time out in the backyard. The twins were more than willing to show off for the camera on their bikes and scooters.

Bikes and scooters

We made pictures using black cardstock and white crayons  today as well… the boys remember doing this before but it was a new idea for Trinity – she was SURE it would not work!

Some Halloween art

We had some fun with Play Doh as well… those new Halloween coloured mini containers have been a great time filler for the kids!!

You can just see 2 cows

The twins were the next ones to finish their 8X10 scrapbook pages… They picked the colours, the ribbon, the embellishments… and we worked together to make something we are all proud of.

Zander's hot springs

Gavin and Maligne Canyon

It inspired me to get a page that has been awaiting my attention for ages done!!

Zander and Gavin's 7th and Emanuel's 5th birthday party

So tonight I still have stuff to clean, laundry to sort, wings to sew onto owls… the list goes on. I am told Lemur ears are made and mittens on their way… and Ken is working hard to complete some outstanding issues… I feel like we are working towards achievable goals and that feels GREAT!

Pre-Naptime story

More storytime

And just cuz she IS adorable

Today was a day of completions… a definite moral boost right at the beginning of the “new year”. First off – the big poster!! We completed our Maligne Canyon poster complete with flaps to open up. We combined writing words, illustrating and discussion of what we remember of each thing. We discussed our favourite parts – the squirrel, the waterfall, the bridges… as well as what we did there (looked around, crossed bridges, read about Lichen). I have promised Emanuel and Trinity a poster all their own next week! 

Completed poster

The most exciting completion was a long time in coming – Gavin completed his Grade 1 total math workbook! There has been sweat and tears put into this book as well as joy and celebration. In the end he is VERY proud of himself – as well he should be! We still have some work to do on a few grade 1 concepts but he has worked very hard to get through each and every exercise and I am one proud mommy! 

All done his Math Book!

We started our new chapter book today as well… this time all 4 kids (so far) are involved. I am not sure how long Trinity will last but Emanuel REALLY wants to do the daily page that goes with. After we finish the book – Stuart Little then the kids get to watch the movie  their Cousin Veronika bought for them. They are VERY excited about that! 

Chapter 1

Trinity and her picture Daddy drew for her of a mouse (Stuart?) having a shower

Ken and Emanuel went BACK to the south end of the city today to pick up Emanuel’s workbook… and since the Chapters is in the same parking lot as Michaels AND I had a 40% off coupon they also picked up my chalkboard paint… one more thing off the list for the Christmas present making supplies. 

Workbook and Chalkboard paint

I pulled out the cold brew iced tea that Ken’s mom left here after their visit today. I cheat though, I add in sugar… I think she drinks it as is. But it is something different and after so many slurpees and Pepsi or milk lately a welcome change. 

Cold brew tea

With two of our 7 gone it was  time to take the rest of us out into the backyard for some time in the sun… seriously HOT sun but I put up camp in the shade and opened our umbrella over the pool… We had the sprinkler on for a bit too… but the big excitement was with putting Echo into the pool as well! We didn’t worry about the bathing suits, I just checked to see if we had an extra diaper cover clean (we ran out of laundry soap last night but had lucked out), made sure the water level was low and let her go at it! She splashed and crawled and leaned on the pool and had an absolute blast. I definitely need Ken to put a little more air in the pool for support though. 

Baby in the pool

That dress just weighed us down!

I played around with the camera while sitting in the shade (pre Echo in the pool of course) and got a few fun shots. I am still holding onto the digital single lens camera I am asking Santa for for Christmas…

Fish Eye setting

Pop art

I have decided that it was so hot out that my brain melted… or at least  that is the excuse for my one number wrong address I typed out for someone to come pick something up for a Kijiji ad. I tried to email as soon as I noticed but that does not stop me from feeling utterly silly! Even if it IS only a 3.00 item! Tomorrow Karyn and I are going to check out a hedgehog and MAYBE, if they are still available and I hear back, a pair of fairy wings. I have signed up for freecycle here in town. With Karyn heading to the city on the weekend we have also expanded our Kijiji search on the school desk. I am remaining hopeful! 

With my Christmas list to finalize… a scrapbooking page to finish pasting down and of course more cleaning, prep work for schooling and such to do… well it is looking like another late night! Of course that is rather the norm for Ken and myself. At least we get to stay up together! Be sure  to keep checking back on Fat Sheep’s site. I would give the exact links but the site is still acting funky and the only permanent proper address is the main one! So check back a few days and see things through the eyes of Fat Sheep! 

There is even a self portrait setting!

So today marks out unofficial official start to the twins’ 2nd registered year of homeschooling which we are now calling GRADE 2. Nothing special really… as we HAVE been schooling year round BUT since today is a new start we started with everyone drawing their favourite part of summer. Quite the variety of remembrances. Emanuel drew his time in the hot springs, Zander trips to the park with Nana and Baba and Gavin the completed swing set in our backyard. 

As we start Gr 2 and K!

A close up of the pictures

Emanuel is well into his Kindergarten fun so today wasn’t a big deal to him. BUT he is back to work on his dot-to-dot book, moving from ABC’s to counting. Since the workbook was used a little it has been fun for him to have permission to tear out the pages that he CAN do and for each one write his own name (as some were only completed on one side of the paper). 

Dot-to-dotting while a brother does his math

I am still on the hunt for the school desk for Emanuel. It is the one thing (beyond his workbook) that he has requested for this year that we don’t already have. I made up a Kijiji WANTED ad as there really were NO options in our price range (20.00). So fingers crossed! 

It is sunny days like today that really test the family though… we have 5 VERY stubborn kids after all. Trinity was a basket case all morning for some unknown reason… lots of time outs and explaining to her that NO everyone WON’T clean up those toys she just dumped out, that is HER job… Emanuel is still testing his limits but less and less over time. I am just hoping the twins’ focus eventually moves off of solely math and into more variety. 

Trinity with her picture of people with hats and tummies

We didn’t do a massive amount of work today and focused mainly on doing the twins’ “My All About Me Back to School Book.” There was quite a bit of  fuss over the amount of writing to be done but we managed. Tomorrow we will assemble the whole thing. Sadly I  could not hunt down the file on Currclick to share with everyone BUT check out their site anyway for an amazing variety of schooling products! 

Awaiting assembly

Tomorrow the plan is to get done our Maligne Canyon poster. There is some writing to be done by yours truly to share some of the more wordy facts we learned. I do love a good poster though and our wall is rather lonely with just the VBS masterpiece up there. I have to find a printout that we can either pretty up ourselves or already is colourful of the 12 months to add to our 7 days of the week on the wall as well. 

Now I just need to get my crafting mojo back. A lovely stack of photos are sitting in my crafting corner waiting to be put on papers and I have no ideas that just jump to life. I did manage to coordinate two more 12X12 pages with some contrasting paper so if I can find pictures to suit I am half way there… 

Coordinated papers

Now if only I could get the last of the clutter… well de-cluttered. Time to get back to work… 

Creeping along the furniture