Friday Funnies

I've not fallen off the face of the planet, just busy with home school and sewing.  I did want to pass on these little gems from dinners this week.

Gabby: I don't like worms
Kate: Why not?
Gabby: They are slimy and yucky.
Kate: You should like them.  They help our plants and flowers grow.
Gabby: Well, I like that about them.
Kate: You wanted to hold one.
Gabby: Well, you got me all excited about it.

*     *     *     *     *

Nate: I don't like chicken.  I like pie.

*     *     *     *     *

Me: Nate, please stop kicking your feet.
Nate: It's my booster songs.

Ann with an 'E'

I have to admit it.  I was holding out on my girls.  I've shared some great works of literature with them.  Ones that are considered far beyond their years--Little Women, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, The Jungle Book, and all of the Little House books. But my very favorite book of my childhood I've been holding back.  We started Anne of Green Gables this past week.

I didn't bring this book to them, Gabriella found the audio book when we were at the library.  I honesty hesitated.  I want them to love Anne as much as I do.  I just wasn't sure that now was the right time to introduce them to her--I had planned to pull out my copy when Kate was in fourth grade.  Ultimately, I wanted to let Gabby pick the book she wanted, so we are learning about the world of Anne Shirley.

I remember so clearly reading that book...and every other book in the series and eventually every book my public library had by L. M. Montgomery.  I remember where I was when I finished that first book.  It was that memorable--I was laying across the bed in 'the pink bedroom' at my Grannie's house.  It is one of those wonderful books: the ones you want to know how it ends, but you don't ever want it to.  And perhaps that was part of holding on to this book.  If we waited to read it together, we wouldn't get to the end so soon.

But if you need me, I'll be in Avonlea.

Pastels

I love arts and crafts, but I haven't done a lot of them with the kids because it requires quite a bit of mess and they often are competing for my attention during it--leaving everyone frustrated.  At this point though, the youngest is nearly three...the oldest 'baby' our family has ever had, making it easier to do these activities all the time now.

My parents offered to purchase a few of our home school wants this fall, so I bravely added pastels to my list.  If you've never worked with them, they are a lot of fun.  They write like crayons, but then you can do neat blending.  They can be quite the mess though!  I started by showing them how they work and then let them take off.

Nate got to help me on my picture, so he was staying out of the girls' work.

I had the gals stay in their nightgowns to work that morning, in case we got a little messy.

Kate, blending on her flower.

Gabby's picture was a bit more abstract.

Physical Therapy

Kate's appointments had dropped back to two days a week.  She has progressed to an active loss of about 10 degrees of use last Friday, but we could move her arm to straight!  That is a huge improvement from the days when we could barely pull her to 40 degrees.  As of last night, we have graduated from physical therapy.  She can completely straighten her arm!!

We had planned to put her in a splint to passively stretch her, but at this point, that will not be necessary.  Her therapist said Kate had the fastest elbow recovery of any of her patients ever.

I am so grateful for her huge gains.

PT, last week

Kate's graduation celebration!

Alternative Method

Apparently there are two ways to eat an ice cream cone.

I have lived my whole life think this was the only way:

Nate taught me, though, that you can actually eat the cone part first.  Who knew?

Friday Funny

You're bouncing on my last nerve here! -Kate

Break Time

I am very grateful that we started school early.  The gals and I have learned quite a bit together.  We've reviewed the fall of Rome, studied about monks, and learned about Justinian in history.  We've learned about maps, the make up of the earth, and rocks in science.  Gabby and I have made three lapbooks.  Kate has begun to do simple multiplication and division (first with pictures, but now we're learning the multiplication facts of x2).

Today we're taking a holiday.  We've worked hard.  Today is the first day public schools are in session where we are, and today would get us to 10% of our year completed (already?!).  Today we'll go out to lunch or stay in.  We'll read a bunch of books or maybe even turn on the TV.  We'll have to wait and see.  Today gets to be one of those fun days since we started so early.  We'll probably learn something along the way, but today isn't a day driven by lesson plans or lists.

I think they will approve.