Tag Archive | mittens

Easing into it…

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

Where Has the Year Gone?

December 28-30

Christmas continues past the day for us, it always has. The 29th was no different. We had our dinner with my dear friend Shandai and then gifts and the like. It was a visit long in coming, I think the last time we had Christmas together we were in University still! We had Ken’s stir fry and sat and visited for hours.

Together again

The gifts were met with great excitement, especially Echo and her new mittens. Talk about something we ALWAYS need more of! Echo was determined to wear hers and show them off as much as possible.

Gifts!!!

It was fun to sit afterwards with our crafts – Shandai with her hat and myself with my backpack that is ALMOST looking like a backpack. We just sat, chatted and crafted and it was AWESOME!

She knows me so well!

Of course earlier in the day Ken and the kids had to build another of the toys… this one a marble set.

Quite the building

And Echo had to get her Hello Kitty on! Note the purse made by her Aunty Kat in South Carolina. 

Stylish lady

The 28th, to back track… was quiet. Really the kids did not want to be anywhere but home with their toys.

Hello Kitty game with a Cabbage Patch Doll supervising

Of course the twins had to get to work on the last of the Lego sets. This was the one the boys all pooled their remaining Christmas money for… based on the new movie The Hobbit.

Zander front

On the 30th we upped the fun with the addition of the kids’ cousins for an overnight stay. Which meant an immediate congregating around the Skylanders game of all the boys. Ken and I have put our foot down that they must READ as much as they can and not just click through the game or their time will be cut way back! But the problem solving skills and the math skills (gotta figure out if they have enough for upgrades, how much more is needed etc) is rather helpful.

Magnetic attraction

Of course after the arguments started it was time to head outside. Though Zachary forgot everything and had to borrow mittens and a hat and was only out for an abbreviated amount of time. 

A chilly but lovely day

Mittens by Aunty Shandai

Hat by Aunty Kat

Hat by me, mittens by Shandai

There was time in the evening for a rousing game of Yahtzee. And I mean ROUSING! We did discover that too many kids increased the bad behaviour and restlessness but that math skills were at work for everyone from Emanuel on up!

Playing with Nana

Nana had a late mailing arrive from Hong Kong as well – rings that light up… so of course we had to have a light show all over the upstairs! Even Echo had one on her fingers shining it everywhere.

Light show

A house full of Post Christmas energy kids… what a full house! I think our first Christmas season in Minnesota has been a rousing success. I have called my mom, talked to the rest of my family via the internet… seen pictures from friends’ celebrations (I hope to get enough to fill a blog entry). 

One more – hat by me, mittens by Shandai!