January 2-3

The second day of the year was slightly anti-climatic with Ken’s appointment being rescheduled in the wee hours of the day to Friday… of course though the email hit his computer at 7 am, he did not realize this change until after noon AND after he had already shaved. That was the biggest laugh of the day as Ken HATES shaving, and having done so on the 2nd would have to do it AGAIN for Friday!! Talk about super pout!

Of course, with Echo throwing up for most of the previous night I really couldn’t blame him. She really CAN eat a lot and was very upset when she was sick. Thankfully except for some extra laundry she managed to miss herself, other people AND carpet and furniture. Not bad! 

Anyway, with it being the 2nd it was also time to start back up with the homeschooling. I was surprised, Gavin was more than willing to sit down and do math with me! We definitely need to do some more fraction work, but it is coming along. I love that I can just hop onto the internets and print off help sheets. This time a sheet from Education.com was the answer. 

I have to say, the new boardgame we picked up for the twins for Christmas is a huge succees. The kids are determined to play it over and over again. 

Boardgame time

We started our work on the months of the year and the days of the week again. While we talked about each one I wrote them out in marker on some lined sheets and made a page for January… 

What does January make YOU think of?

We ALL learned about the tarsier that was featured on Wild Kratts. 

Tarsiers

Don’t forget Play Doh… a must on a quiet day. Here is Emanuel’s elephant with ball.

Very blue!

The third day was equally quiet, well except for a night time trip to Target for Ken and myself. Really this week has been a bit of a bust for excitement, but after Christmas and all that, I think it is what we needed! By request we have started the dino a day up again… Emanuel figured we had had enough of a break from the fossilized learning and needed to get right back on them. 

We have made our thank you cards… well started to, and wrote some pen pal letters… but all in all, our start back has been more of an ease into… and that is ok.

Echo and her Aunty Shandai mittens

Only one more sleep the Grandma’s house, or so I am told! And the calendar agrees. The kids are all VERY excited about going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Mike… oh and the wedding… BUT mainly the visiting of grandparents. The boys were told yesterday that a tent is being pitched in the backyard at Grandma’s and now are fired up completely. They have been wanting to go camping all month and we simply have not unearthed enough of our tent to put it together and do so. There are so many people potentially crashing at mom’s on the Saturday night (and quite a few on Friday) that their sleeping in the tent (the boys) frees up space. 

Calendar

Today felt more hectic than it actually was. When the energy of the kids is so high they always get more frantic with the schooling so I had 3 boys all wanting my help AT ONCE… we managed to get it down to some sort of a system. Have at least ONE kid on something he can do solo or with minor assistance and the other two took turns. Emanuel is hot to do his dot-to-dot book – it was a garage sale find of Uncle Wayne’s that had a few done already but that has not deterred him. We pulled out completed pages (completed on both sides) and made sure he put his name on each one he competed. They have been pulled out and put into his special folder. But today he finished with his own choice – working on writing the numbers up to 11 all by himself. Well with the help of our math office (which I notice needs a minor repair – one of the pages fell off, silly weak packing tape) and his brothers from time to time. 

Today the subject of choice really was Math today. The twins were hard at work on their workbooks. I have to admit that helping them both, chasing Echo, listening to Trinity, tearing out pages for Emanuel AND talking on the phone with the bride to be was a little… complicated…  but we managed. 

Working the numbers

Well the shoe bucket was unearthed and pairs found… the final result? Well Gavin is going to need new shoes  before winter (church wear) and that gives Emanuel and new pair but Trinity – no luck, I DID find a pair of size 9’s that will fit her… later… but not anything for NOW. So while Ken ran out with Trinity to do a preliminary hunt the boys, Echo and I cleaned up the backyard. Pool was emptied, bikes tidied, lid put on sandbox… and of course pictures of Echo taken. This time with her big brother’s Peterbuilt hat – Zander’s god-daddy Andy works for them! And is he ever proud of that hat! 

CUTE

The packing is well underway… of course things are not where you would think (I am hunting down bags still), and the list keeps getting longer of necessities. And then there are little bits and such that are specific to the wedding – a booster chair for Echo, all the clothing that is here (the rest already at mom’s)… but we will manage!

The new shoes are ADORABLE… 

So sweet

Karyn and I ran some errands, packaged up a wedding gift and worked on my packing tonight. Ken is still hoping to be out the door around naptime tomorrow so there is lots to do TONIGHT. At least the backyard is tidy and the livingroom under somewhat control. The kids even vacuumed the rooms for me yesterday! 

Those left behind... in the backyard

A little late BUT I have the “winner” out of the photos of the twins – Photo E with Photo C coming in second! So, once we are moved in and settled I will be printing out my 8X10s and creating my traditional photo wall! Thanks everyone!

E

C

Today was most definitely an off day for all of the kids. We had a VERY exciting weekend as can be read about here and here. The result of so much go go go is 4 very worn out and slightly sick kids and a cranky baby. Lots of pj time… and a bit of fun with the new math game my mom sent home with us.

Math Game (Gavin left)

My livingroom is STILL a sea of flattened boxes, BUT last night I made great movement in my most hated room – the kitchen. We are now down to a minimum of glassware. Trinity’s room is DONE DONE DONE… all I need to do is save a small box for all her dresser bits and bobs (gotta love toys in buckets). The twins have been in charge of the toys downstairs, I send a box down with them every night or so which they bring up filled that I then weed through and close and label. The goal is to be down to a few buckets of toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs and the like and then have them make up clubhouses out of the boxes their couches came in to keep them busy until we move!

The response to two of the rentals up for the 1st of April finally came back as filled… BUT Ken has a bunch more we are waiting to hear back from. So still keep the fingers crossed for us!

The request for school today has been, as has been the norm, MATH MATH MATH. My mom sent us home with some more workbooks which included a couple math ones. So Gavin, who is finished his shorter book, gets a new one and Zander has something to work towards.  In  fact, he FINISHED his mini math book today!!!

New workbook

Zander and his completion

Oh that peek at my project. I have not gotten as much done today as I would have liked though I stayed up late to work on it AND have found snatches of time during the day.

Another portion

So not a busy and productive day BUT tomorrow we are going to try and get back going again. Everyone seemed better by tonight AND I have still managed a bit more packing. Just another night or so and I will be out of boxes again I think… which means I will get our livingroom back and all but frustrating as I REALLY just want enough boxes to finish the packing… and a place to move into, but Ken is still VERY optimistic.

Spending quality time with Petite Sheepette