A Zoo Day

I have a little kindergartener who has been asking and asking to go to the zoo. It really has been on our to-do list – we were actually going to go last Thursday unbeknownst to her – but plans changed when we had to attend a funeral. Yesterday was going to be a normal school day around here. However, I have another girlie that has been struggling with a cough for several weeks now (the dr. thinks it’s just allergies so we are trying to give her some relief from those) so we ended up with an unplanned dr. appointment yesterday morning. The afternoon stretched before after the appointment – to go home and do some school or to head to the zoo?

The zoo won. And I had a very, very excited five year old on my hands.

And a little boy that wanted to see some elephants.

Beware. Large quantities of photos ahead. I took the big camera to the zoo. : )

The photo below is not a great shot of me (ha!) however, I thought it showed how brave I was when I was being attacked by lorikeets. 

Elephant photo by N1.

 

B was the only one excited about petting the goats. While were in the petting zoo pen, a goat started munching on a lady’s skirt and there was much shrieking and yelling. The boy stayed as far away from the goats as he could after watching someone almost get eaten by one.

I am both fascinated and freaked out by the flamingos. Their colors are so amazing, but they are such awkward looking animals.

We got to witness a flamingo fight while there – quite humorous.

Pre-spring. The lemurs were super active today – actually most of the animals were. We never go late in the afternoon, but as we were walking around, almost all the animals were up and moving around. Our theory is that it was getting near their dinner time and they were all waiting for food.

Baby clouded leopard.

N1 took it upon herself to take some notes while we were at the zoo.

Those teeth!

The Ns. It took some persuading to get this picture.

This is normally what I have to work with. : )

Happy Wednesday! We are checking an orthodontist appointment off our list and picking up a few groceries to get us through the week. I cannot keep food around here it seems – I think everyone is having a growth spurt all at the same time! We are looking forward to lunch with family tomorrow and some quiet days at home over the weekend. There might be some Christmas decorating, but that would also involve purchasing a tree as ours didn’t make our move of a year and a half ago (and last year we just had a tiny tree since we also had a tiny boy into everything).

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. : )

Mid November Daybook

Outside my window ... sunny and cool.

I am thankful ... oh yes, I am thankful. Even if I totally gave up on posting thankful thoughts every day. I have been listing as I have time and remember in a little notebook in my purse. For a fresh haircut, for taking the little girls out for Chinese food as a surprise (they love it, N1 does not and she wasn’t with us), for grace, for celebrating birthdays of friends.

Thankful for a good weekend for N1 at her first sleepaway camp experience. She loved it!

In the kitchen ... for the first time in several weeks I did NOTHING towards a menu plan this week and it has not been pretty. : ) Yesterday I mapped out the rest of this week and most of next and need to spend a bit more time figuring out what we are going to eat the rest of the month.

I am wearing ... my jammies. Need to get moving here in a moment…

I am creating ... lists in my head that desperately need to get on paper. I’ve finished a few Project Life layouts and would love to share them here soon I hope.

I am going ... to have a day of both highs and lows today. This morning we are all going to a funeral for my brother-in-law’s mother (my sister’s husband’s mom) who passed away last Friday. Cancer took over her body much too young and we are very sad for them. Tonight we are going to see Andrew Peterson at a homeschool benefit concert so that will be a nice way to end the day. We have been trying to see one of his Advent concerts for a couple years now, but it is very pricey. This benefit was much more in our budget and it’s for a local homeschool group – a win-win.

I am reading ... oh, yes, I’ve been doing some reading! I am taking a short Facebook break and it’s amazing how much more reading I do when that happens. I’m a bit appalled and embarrassed by that connection! Anyway, I read through Not Your Mother’s Freezer Cookbook – lots of ideas I’ve bookmarked there to try; Jewel of Persia for the November Reading to Know bookclub selection – was not a fan; and am slowly savoring the first Mitford book.

I am learning … or relearning, lessons in time management. I’ve been slightly annoyed with myself and how easily overwhelmed I have been of late. Nothing terrible, let’s-put-the-kids-in-public-school, kind of overwhelmed, but just missing things and things slipping through the cracks. I am praying for focus and some self-control so that I can do what needs to be done well and the move on to the next thing.

In the schoolroom … we are plodding along and looking forward to our three day break next week for Thanksgiving. The girls are getting an unexpected day off today with our funeral plans – it’s right smack in the middle of our day with a 45 minute drive on either side of it so there will be a decent amount of Classical Conversations review happening in the car but that’s about it. I spent some time over the weekend looking at our calendar, and truly, in spite of how I feel like we haven’t been getting stuff done, we have done a solid job of nailing the basics. Math and language arts are happening (almost) daily, and we are only a couple days behind from where I want to be in those areas.



Around the house ... trying to tame the mess monster in my little girls’ room. My little girls really don’t have a ton of toys, but there are so many little bits and pieces and it’s been a while since I’ve gotten in there and helped them sort everything back where it goes and really straighten. On the list for next week.

I am pondering ... Christmas plans and how to include some fun activities without overwhelming. Craving very simple this year!

A favorite quote for today ...

My apologies that I can’t remember where I found this quote – will link to it when I find it!

One of my favorite things ... the month of December and it will be here in the blink of an eye. The traditional family things we do, the slowness I try to carve into our schedules, the time with family (and hopefully getting to meet my new baby niece this month!), and (ahem) my birthday is at the end of the month.

A few plans for the rest of the week …you’ve heard about today’s plans today already. The rest of the week / weekend include:

• Friday: Bible study, family pizza and movie night and cleaning out the van (woo-hoo!)
• Saturday: home! all! day! and a girl’s night out in the evening.
• Sunday: annual Thanksgiving service at church and potluck lunch; choir for little girls in the evening.

A peek into my day ...

Winner of A Simpler Season

Congrats to my in-real-life friend, Mills! Comment #3 was chosen by random.org so I'll be emailing you a copy of a A Simpler Season today, my friend!

Review ::: A Simpler Season by Life as Mom

I have been a follower of the blog Life as Mom, written by Jessica Fisher, for some time now and I am excited to share a review and giveaway today from her blog!
Several summers ago I purchased a copy of her e-book, Summer Survival Guide, and it has been one of my favorite resources. By the time summer rolls around, this homeschool mama is t.i.r.e.d. and ready for a break. And planning summer activities for my kids … makes this air-conditioning lover tired. : ) Her e-book was a huge help the last two summer, giving me some creative ideas and encouragement when I was needing a little mental help.
Because I enjoyed her summer book so much, when she published her newest e-book, A Simpler Season, I snatched that one up as well. Written to encourage and inspire as you plan for the holiday season for your family, Jessica has created an e-book full of suggestions and worksheets to help you plan a simple and meaningful holiday. She helps you think through what traditions are important and what expectations you need to let go of for your family for the year and season of life. There are monthly planning calendars, budget sheets, recipes, and many other planning forms that can printed and used year after year.
You can purchase the book directly from her site here or as a Kindle e-book here (the printable pages are not included in the Kindle version but you can buy them as a packet on her site). And, for the fun part, I have a copy of A Simpler Season to give away!
To be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment with an email. If I don’t have a way to contact you, I will draw another winner. The contest will be open until next Tuesday, November 13, at which time I’ll close the comments and draw a winner. If you can’t wait to see if you win, Jessica has a sale on the e-book through this Saturday (the 10th) – enter the code SIMPLER3 and get $3 off.
I purchased my own copy of A Simpler Season and had read and loved it before I was sent a copy to review. All opinions are my own and I haven’t been compensated in any way for this review, although I have been given a copy to giveaway.

Comments are now closed. Random.org picked comment #3 - congratulations Mills!

30 Days of Thanks ::: Day 5

Finding a special bracelet this weekend that I thought was long gone (…like missing for almost two years).

Finding a new tactic for working with my kindergartener. I don’t know how long we will stick with it, but today was a good day.

For my B, with her twinkly deep chocolate-y eyes.

Boys in boxes.

Warm spaghetti for dinner (from yummy sauce in my freezer) after a day where I was chilled all day.

Counting my gifts this November.

30 Days of Thanks ::: 4

An extra hour of sleep, capitalized on by falling asleep early.

Learning about “counting it all joy” in the book of James.

Watching a child overcome a fear and rejoicing with her.

Finding an extra good deal on a Christmas gift that a little one wished for and being excited to surprise her with it.

Planning for the week ahead and thankful for the gift of being home with my munchkins.

30 Days of Thanks ::: 3

A few stolen moments to scrapbook on a Saturday afternoon.

The last day of Saturday soccer and for beautiful weather at 9am, though a wee bit chilly.

For a girl that finished her season well.

For the support of family that came out to cheer her on today, complete with “go B” sign and yells of “go Big B!” from her cousin. 

For crazy toothed smiles.

For hot dogs and marshmallows cooked over an open fire, and fellowship with friends, even if it does get cut short on account of rain.

Counting my gifts this November.

31 Days of Thanks ::: 2

Early morning time in the Word.

Bible study and brunch.

Face-to-face time with a friend.

A wise husband that listens to whirling thoughts and ideas and gives needed perspective.

Little boys that never slow down to snuggle like this anymore. Thankful for the brief respite cuddling with him after a long week.

Counting my gifts this November.

Project Life Week 39 // October 7-13

On the left:

• the October birthday trio
• a collage of pics of the boy opening his gifts (I used a little photo collage from Paislee Press)
• T reading with B before bed
• reflections on turning two

On the right:

• a photo documenting pumpkin love. I took a picture of the pan of pumpkin granola I made and taped two instagrams on top of it with a little Target washi tape.
• finally caught one of my niece’s softball games this fall
• Bible study – I was a teacher’s assistant in N2’s class today
• moving day for my parents! Lots of little helpers (and some big ones, too). Again, I taped a few instagrams on top of a 4x6 photo for a little more mileage in my pocket.

Have you seen the fun announcements that have been coming from Becky’s blog this week? Project Life is going to be available in stores (and still on Amazon), Studio Calico is putting together a Project Life monthly scrapbooking kit (this has me VERY intrigued!), and yesterday she announced the call for her 2013 Creative Team. I admit, I would love to be on her PL creative time so, with a little trepidation, I submitted a few of my layouts and information for consideration. I have no idea how many people will submit their names for the dozen or so spots, but I decided to go for it. We shall see. : )
Happy Friday! We’re off to Bible study here in a bit so I need to get moving. Hope you all have a good day and wonderful weekend. It’s our last Saturday of fall soccer tomorrow and we’re excited because the whole (extended) family may be turning out to cheer our B on. : )
Project Life is a product and a system created by Becky Higgins and available on Amazon.com. It can be anything you want it to be. You can view all my posts about Project Life here. I'm always happy to answer questions about how Project Life works for me, if you have any.

31 Days of Thanks ::: 1

• wool socks
• homemade refried beans
• sharing concerns with a friend
• the big window in our bathroom where I enjoyed afternoon sun while I bathed the boy

 

For months now, I’ve wanted to get in a better habit of counting my gifts. Taking November to cement this new practice as part of my day and give thanks in all things.

Wordish Wednesday :: Science Version

One of the things that I love about Classical Conversations is that my girls are doing some sort of science experiment or observation each week. While we do our science reading at home (some of the time), at their age, you just can’t beat getting science down on their level and make it something they can observe, touch, smell, etc.

Our last two weeks have been science projects with lots of observation. First up was an examination of the external parts of a crayfish.

We went outside to do this experiment (the deceased crayfish had a slight aroma to them making this project better suited for a location with good ventilation). I had read my material and was prepared to talk through the animal with my little class, but God was kind to me! N1’s tutor, who was a biology major once-upon-a-time, was outside with her class, so we were able to join in with her. 

Both N1 and B examined their crayfish with gusto although both declined to bring one of the extras home.

This week we dissected owl pellets!
 

In spite of the fact that I really don’t care for the little sounds of crunching bones as you work open your pellet, taking these apart and finding the pieces is pretty cool. Our class had several heads that were in good shape, and one if I recall that almost completely intact, which was quite creepy-cool.

Even though my stomach turns a little bit at these experiments – I admit it – I am constantly amazed at God’s creativity in nature. From the delicate swimmerets underneath the hard armored shell of the crayfish to the way that God wired the owl to digest it’s food, His creativity is amazing.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1