Monday, September 27, 2010

Olivia aka Pippi Longstocking


After enjoying the Children's Theatre rendition of Pippi Longstocking we have had a bit of a problem here at home...


Liv has decided that the Pippi life is for her. She has taken to wearing mismatched clothes, stomping around the house, climbing the staircase bannister and announcing that she has no parents.

During school today she said, "I'm Pippi Longstocking!" Stood up on her chair, and refused to do her phonics.

After giggling a bit and reminding her that I would wear out her stockinged butt, she ran off to climb the the ottoman and then jump off. I told her I would be calling her dad. To which she stated..."I HAVE NO FATHER" and ran off...........

oooh...I think Liv and Joe are conniving to see how far they push before their mom's end up in lifestream..

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Netflix Instant play selections for the ancients- middle ages

These are all instant play selections

Crusade: A March Through Time
The History Channel- The Dark Ages- MUST SEE
PBS- InSearch of Shakespeare
Lady Jane- MUST SEE
Reign of Fire- just a dragon movie
PBS Egypts Golden Empire
PBS Greeks: Crucible of Civilization (long)
In Search of the Trojan War -GOOD
In the footsteps of Alexander the Great
The Hidden City of Petra
Clash of the Titans- older version

I will be adding to this since we are in the middle ages right now.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Netflix selections for History Early American - Civil War

This was some of the queue I had when we were in this time period. J- the Presidents disc was not on instant play but well wort having it shipped. Start from the bottom and it goes up in ascending order. I marked the ones I remember as being especially worth your time. It has been 2 years since we studied this time period so I cannot remember all the documentaries. I will list the ancients next.

The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth
Reconstruction: The second civil war GOOD
A Prince Among Slaves
Looking for Lincoln




Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 5



Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 6



Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 4



Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 3



Civil War Journal: The Commanders: Disc 1








Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 2








Kit Kittredge: An American Girl



Dr. Quinn: Season 2: Vol. 1



The French Revolution



Dr. Quinn: Season 3: Vol. 2



Dr. Quinn: Season 3: Vol. 1



Dr. Quinn: Season 1: Disc 2



Dr. Quinn: Season 1: Disc 4



Dr. Quinn: Season 1: Disc 5








An American Tail













Dr. Quinn: Season 1: Disc 1



Civil War Journal: The Commanders: Disc 2



The Last Days of the Civil War: Disc 1



The French Revolution- MUST SEE



Lincoln



Sherman's March MUST SEE



John Adams: Disc 1



Civil War Journal: Disc 1



The Farmer's Wife: Disc 2



Abraham and Mary Lincoln: Disc 2



Africans in America: Disc 2



The 1900 House



Africans in America: Disc 1 MUST SEE



Underground Railroad



Unchained Memories: Slave Narratives



Amazing Grace



Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: IMAX



Ken Burns' Civil War: Disc 1



Krakatoa GOOD



Mystery of the Megavolcano



The Farmer's Wife: Disc 1








Abraham and Mary Lincoln: Disc 1



The Presidents: Disc 2



American Experience: The Orphan Trains



American Experience: The Way West: Disc 2








The Presidents: Disc 3








The Kentuckian



History Channel: The Alamo: Vol. 2



History Channel: The Alamo: Vol. 1








American Experience: The Way West: Disc 1



American Experience: Influenza 1918 GOOD



The Presidents: Disc 1



American Experience: The Gold Rush



History Channel: War of 1812: Disc 1








History Channel: War of 1812: Disc 2 MUST SEE



Sacagawea



Seven Alone MUST SEE



Ken Burns' The West: Disc 1



Christy: A Change of Seasons



Planet Earth: Complete Collection: Disc 3








Frontier House: Disc 2



Tall Tales & Legends: Darlin' Clementine



Frontier House: Disc 1 MUST SEE



Antarctica: IMAX








Planet Earth: Complete Collection: Disc 2








Planet Earth: Complete Collection: Disc 1








The Discoverers: IMAX








Journey to the Center of the Earth








Lewis and Clark: The Journey: Disc 2



Old Yeller / Savage Sam: Double Feature



Lewis and Clark: The Journey













Mars: The Red Planet Collection



Journey to the Center of the Earth: Disc 1



Me & Isaac Newton



MARS Dead or Alive: Nova








Benjamin Franklin



SolarMax: IMAX








Blue Planet: IMAX



Galileo's Battle for the Heavens




Colonial House: Disc 2




1776



Newton's Dark Secrets: Nova



Thomas Edison








Johnny Tremain



Colonial House: Disc 1 MUST SEE



Liberty! The American Revolution: Disc 2



The Revolution: Disc 1 MUST SEE



Liberty! The American Revolution: Disc 1



Founding Fathers: Vol. 1

Friday, September 24, 2010

Guilty Pleasures

After revealing my Dixie Chicks guilt to the world, I started analyzing it. I don't feel quite as guilty when I listen to Eminem on a rare ocassion. Is it because I expect him to be naughty? I am pretty sure his song White America, which was anti establishment and Bush went WAY beyond any faux pas the girls did. I am mulling it over...and will leave you with a tameish Em song on the playlist.

....JUST KIDDING!! My daughter gets on my blog and there isn't really a tame enough Em song for a 12 year old...or a 36 year old...

So what is your guilty pleasure? Veronica Mars??

Thursday, September 23, 2010

7 Quick Takes

* I told you I would torture you with my playlist if no one sent in requests. The squirrel song is dedicated to Tiff.

* I feel sick. I think I am fighting a cold. I took a roll of toilet paper to bed last night...yuck... and now I feel yucky cause I'm cracked up on Sudafed. Oh, and in order to get my suda-crack I had to present a card to the pharmacist, my drivers license and sign a form stating I won't make Meth in my basement. I hope he caught my cold when I touched his pen!

* Why did the Dixie Chicks have to share their political beliefs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really liked them, yet feel dirty each time I listen.........

* It must be a slow news week if I have to fill up one 7 takes with the Dixie Chicks. Ethan is doing great in Pre School this year. No time outs and he is ready to go every morning...So far pretty good on the sickness front too.

*I have been fairly productive this week. Last weekend I cleaned out three bedrooms upstairs. I was in the mood to toss everything and I did. Liv, I am pretty sure, will end up on TLC's hoarder show. I found ALL kinds of crap in her room. Stuffed in every corner, drawer, nook and cranny was garbage, rolls of toliet paper, wrapping paper, tape, broken pens, keys, makeup brushes, old toliet paper tubes, dried beans, and on and on it went...So after I got over my shock I decided if she had not played with it in the last 2 weeks it was gone. And then I went to Lowes and bought bifold door key locks so she has to play with a few toys at a time. And then I did the same for Ethan. Mind you their rooms have large walk in closets that houses all their toys hence locking up the closets. Mike and I had a good come to Jesus meeting about the yard work. He finally saw it my way that we MUST have a yard service. After having 2 snake encounters in the last couple days in which one ran over my foot. That might be a clue that your backyard needs to be cut, or the fact that it requires a bush hog and we live in a neighborhood.. I made soap on Sunday and plan to make a 3-4 more loaves of peppermint in the next week or so.

* School is good. We are way behind in VS Art. I hope to have Maddy catch up this weekend. Liv started a co-op and loves it. A field trip to the science center was a big hit. We went to see Pippi Longstocking at the children's theatre last week. And the kids are gearing up for their performance in The Wizard of Oz. Liv is a munchkin, and Maddy is a tree and a guide. Maddy also has a duet with a friend in the Christmas cabaret.

* And finally I was powerfully reminded how thankful I should be with just life in general. I met five children yesterday who embodied everything our kids did not have. No mother, limited food, no clothes, they worked with their father after school doing manual labor. Their father works night and day to provide for the kids. He is a friend of Mike's and hopefully we will be able to help this family. Please pray for this dad. He is managing 5 kids under 12 all by himself. I have a hard time managing three with a husband. He has no family nearby or a church family. He let me take the kids yesterday to the our church dinner, and one of the kids said in the car ride home that is was as much fun as she has had in a long time. A change in perspective can be so enlightening....

Monday, September 20, 2010

Playlist Edition

Sonya is not thrilled with my choice in blog music, so for a week I will take requests and put your fave's up on my playlist. Please do not dissapoint. The only rules are...it can't be older than the 70's (I do have to hear it, too), and it must be cool.

So leave me your song picks in the comment section...and then you won't have to hear "we use to be friends..."

OR better yet email me your song picks and then we can play a game guessing who chose which song...

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Free Loading Chickens




!

My 4 baby girls are now 20 weeks or so, and I have yet to get any eggs. It took a couple of weeks for the coop bullying to cease. My older girls kept them on the roost most of the day for a week. I was sure they would never voluntarily get down. Now they are playing nicer, but no eggs.... My white cochin is so BIG, and she stays so clean. I would think white would get dusty but she always looks sparkling. I am taking them to "Farm Day" at the preschool so the kids can pet them.

I planted one garden box this weekend, and need to tear out the other eight so I can plant those.. I can't wait for a 10 degree drop in temp...It would make gardening, weeding, or just being outside so much more enjoyable.

Monday, August 23, 2010

First Day of Pre School 2010-2011


Ethan woke up with a cough!!!!!!!!! He has been blessedly well all summer and he woke up with his asthma cough today. It is getting to be fall so maybe his allergies are kicking in. I guess it is time to start up his medication regimen. Ughhh!

He feels fine and was very excited to get to school. YAY! Well I am off to start our homeschool day!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Summer Break is Over


I'm back!

Summer officially ends in 13 hours. Ethan goes back to Shawnie, Liv starts second grade, and Maddy continues with her never ending school year ;)

And I will end my summer long blogging hiatus! Is everyone ready for the 2010-2011 school year?


I will leave you with an end of summer picture....Bring on the FALL!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Long Over Due

I feel like I need to go to confession, "I haven't updated in almost two months!" And I haven't checked blogs in almost as long. I have avoided the blog world in order to get through the last few weeks.

In May we finished up preschool, I travelled to Amelia Island the first weekend with my sister and parents. The next weekend I took the little kids and mom up to Milidgeville to attend Sarah's graduation. Then I came home and was mixed up in the whirlwind of "Alice In Wonderland" the last play of the year. It turned out fabulously!! Then I went to the homeschool conference, and started planning our upcoming school year while still wrapping up the current one. In the midst of this I added Virtual School for Madeleine. There was quite a learning curve with the computer and getting used to the classroom format. Maddy is taking four virtual school classes this summer plus her math and history. So keeping the motivation going is a top priority. The kids all had a fever virus, a sore throat virus and then a stomach virus in the last two months. Ethan is having a rough patch. He is so busy and needs ALOT of supervision ;) He has cut his hair twice in the last month right in the front! He is also getting into all kinds of things around the house. It is a million degrees here so there has been very little outside play other than the pool. Last week I taught crafts at our VBS, Maddy & Liv attended Camp Allegro, and we had my sister-in-law and my nieces come for a visit! A crazy busy week! Oh, and I managed to house sit for a friend, paint my sister's room, and can about 8 quarts of tomatoes... Busy, busy I tell you!

Mike and I are going to get Lyns this week, so she will be home soon with that cute baby. We also had to give away our cat Miley last week. She was not working out having potty problems in inappropriate places. I am planning for a calmer July. The only obligation I have in July is a week of camp nursing towards the end o the month. I hope to get in some summer springs trips and another VBS or two. So there is your update, pics to follow.

Oh and did I mention Lola is coming to live with us?

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Matilda Dress





Amy and I finished the dress!!!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Spring Concert





The Medium Golden Brown was no match for Sweet Pepper



I am just going to roll with the strawberry shortcake look

Oops I did it again!



Since when does "Sweet Pepper" mean Little Mermaid Red?

I

am typing this with medium golden brown on to help tone it down..

I think I may just need to keep my hair colorist in the budget...

Sunday, April 25, 2010

7 Very Quick Takes

* It's hot! I'm hot, I can't clean when I'm hot, and the house seems messier when I'm hot! We are trying to keep the a/c off until mid summer. Is summer next week? Yes I have fans, yes, I'm taking cold showers, yes I'm swimming in the pool and yes I'm half naked most of the time. So if you drop by..you get what you get...

* My room is a disaster. It has been on my to do list for 4 weeks and keeps getting pushed to Sunday. Because I like to start my school week with everything in order. Laundry done, floors clean, and no black mold growing in my shower...But it is hot! I am blogging while Mike runs to the store to get me a Dr. Pepper. That should help me get my room started.

* School is going well. We will be finished at the end of August. So there is no relief in site. We are getting ready to have a few weeks of traveling. We are going to GA for Sarah Beth's graduation, and then to the lake. Then the next weekend is Maddy's theatre performance of Alice in Wonderland.

* Our 4 baby chicks are doing well. I have mostly been ignoring them other than food and water. I really don't have time for babies right now. In 2-3 weeks they can start going outside for a little bit.

* I staked my garden today. I put in 10 stakes and need to stake 4 more rows. We are going to have a ton of tomatoes. I need to find a ketchup recipe so I can can some. The organic ketchup is so expensive for that little bottle. My spinach is not doing so great. I am thinking of growing it on the back porch and see if the shade helps at all.

* Well my Dr. P is here so I have no more excuses to procrastinate.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Our Chicks came in





Monday, April 19, 2010

Allergy Update

As many of you all know we went on the first of April to Nemours Childrens Clinic in Jacksonville to see an immunologist. Ethan had been diagnosed with allergies to Wheat, Corn, Soy, Peanut, and Sesame. So basically for two months he ate vegetables and fruit..
The doctor and staff were wonderful. They answered all my questions and then proceeded to do a skin test to see how allergic he was. He was highly reactive to Peanut and soy. His peanut hive was huge. He also came back allergic to tree nuts which was a surprise to us. However, the good news is that he had no reaction to corn or wheat!! WHOO-HOO!! I really really wanted those two to be ruled out and they were!!

So we still have to guard his diet, but it is definitely less restricted than before.

Leprechaun Walk



Easter & Spring Break Pictures


Night time Easter Egg Hunt


YUM

Chocolate Bunny


PEEP!!



It's sooo early!


Egg coloring at Mimi & Poppas


Baby Jake's first Easter


Preschool Easter Party


Night Launch of the Shuttle Endeavor

Iceskating

We also went to the Springs, The beach, a late night showing of Alice in Wonderland 3D, and a trip to the local mall!! What a fun Spring Break!