Do my boys fight?

Ummm … YES!!

24 hours a day.

Yes, I said that right – 24!!!

I’m pretty sure (based on the way they wake up)

they even fight in their sleep!

Oh, don’t feel sorry for the little guy! Trust me, this little guy is my fighting Irishman. He is my WILD child & will take his brothers down in a heartbeat. Don’t believe me (I know, he looks so little & innocent) . . .

Do you see it? Do you see the look of pure enjoyment? Just look at the satisfaction he gets out of trying to DROWNED his brother!!!

And incase you didn’t know, COUNTRY BOYS swim in water troughs for fun!

They do fight, A LOT, but they really do LOVE each other A LOT too!

I was warned!!

When I first posted about liking the hook loop diapers better than snaps I was warned!  My Lil’ Buckaroo has discovered how to take his diapers off & he does NOT like being told “NO” either.  LOL

Someday I’m gonna miss these little tantrums! 

Summer Days At Rockin’ C

Reading Round Up

Have you seen the Summer Reading Bingo game?  (envision a huge smile on my face!!)  TOTALLY AWESOME!!  I don’t think I am even going to alter this one :)  I may make a younger version for my Mustangs though. 

This summer we are finishing up our Winter Promise Animal studies, so some of our reading will be from that . . . But since we are going to the BEACH!!!!  (& driving for over 4 days) We will be listening to Jonathan Park Goes to the Aquarium.

I also picked up Thimble Summer (author of The Saturdays) for Daddy’s Girl to read & I got Little Britches by Ralph Moody.

What’s on your summer reading list?

School Room Update

Our New School Room has NOT progressed much since the last time I posted an update,

But it has began to collect a few FREE items . . .

Our church gave us the desk you see in the back.  I’m going to sand it down & give it a HUGE make-over!

Big Daddy found these FABULOUS chalk & corkboards from another church!!  And he ran across an unbelievably good price on the windows for the far wall.  Those should be going in soon!

And you really didn’t think Big Daddy would build a school room without an aquarium in it did you?  Yes, this 92 gal, corner aquarium was given to us FREE! 

We are also bringing back a couch, 2 oversized couch chairs, & a table from my parents house!  The couches & chairs will need slipcovers & I’m going to cut the legs on the table & make an activity table, but they are all FREE!!

I just can NOT wait until we are schooling in here!

CHEAP Felt Board

I bought a really cheap picture frame at IKEA ($2-3)

  Then I inserted a single sheet of felt (from Walmart)

And made a mini-felt board for less than $5

Fathers . . .

I was NEVER one of those kids that always wished their parents were still together or hoped for them to reunite.  NO. THANK. YOU.  My parents were lethal living several states apart from one another – I can only imagine the hell it would have been had they lived under the same roof!  Nope, I am perfectly content coming from a broken home.  Well, as content as a child in that situation could be. 

I was 2 when my parents divorced & 3 when my mom left Texas & moved to southern California with me.  I was very much a daddy’s girl & missed my dad A LOT.  I only got to see him twice a year, but he made sure to call me EVERY Sunday at 6:00pm (up until I got married & was on my own – he was good like that!)  Growing up, my dad & I had a great relationship.  He spoiled me!  When I was in high school all I wanted was a purple Polo bucket purse & all the stores were sold out.  My dad, who HATES shopping!!! took me to 3 different malls & half a dozen stores & FOUND “the purse.”  When I was pregnant with Momma’s Boys, I got to spend a lot of time special time with my dad.  We went on lot’s of dates together.  I truly think God gave me that time with my dad because He knew where our relationship was headed.  Shortly after I had Tyler, my dad kinda had a midlife crisis (in my opinion).  He divorced, remarried, & started a whole new family.  A family, that I did not feel apart of.  That family “didn’t work out” & he is now on the mending.  I was very hurt & said some VERY direct & opinionated cruel things to him & we went a year without speaking (LONG story).  After I had Truman, I called him to let him know & he came to the hospital to see us.  It was the first time we had seen or spoken to each other in a year.  I was so glad to have my dad back in my life & all the things that seemed so significant before didn’t seem to matter anymore.  I love my daddy!

 

Bet ya didn’t imagine him to be a biker dude did ya?  Yeah, this is my dad:

One of the reasons I probably have such a good outlook on my parents separating is that God blessed me with an AMAZING second dad.  He is a huge part of who I am today.  I have learned more from him than anyone else.  He is such a Godly man & his love for the Lord is contagious.  He has encouraged me in so many ways & always been there to cheer me on.  He is a total crack-up – it is impossible to be around him & not laugh.  My boys think he is a giant – he is 6’7”!  They call him “Happy”  - well, it is supposed to be “Pappy,” but Trevor get’s confused.  So I refer to him as “Happy Pappy.”  Brad is by far, the most generous, give you the shirt of his back, person & would walk 100 mile just to let you know he loves you.  I certainly would not be the step-parent I am had it not been for him in my life.  I have wonderful childhood memories of him coaching my softball teams, taking me to play putt-putt, laughing & teasing me, & even those long heart-to-hearts.  He has always treated me like his own & I proudly claim him as my dad! 

Not only have I been blessed with 2 wonderful dads, but God has also blessed me with a husband who is an awesome dad as well. 

Big Daddy,

You are their hero.  You walk through the door & their eyes light up.  They hear your 4 wheeler start & they are racing for the door.  You never thought the day would come that you had your own fishing buddies, but honey – you have now officially been out numbered & out fished.  They love you so very much.  Thank you for teaching our boys how to be strong, obedient, loving boys.  Thank you for showing our girls the true role of a man in the house.  You make our daughter feel so special & have truly captured her heart.  You are a wonderful daddy & I am so thankful that I am able to raise 6 children with you!  . . . . now how ‘bout another? 

                         Love You!

Our family is currently soakin’ up some Florida rays with our “Happy Pappy” & Big Daddy!  I hope you all have a blessed Father’s Day with the special men in your lives.

Our Volleyball Girl

Can someone PLEASE tell me, WHEN did our little girl get big enough to be playing on a Jr. High Volleyball team?  Watching her play & looking over these pictures – she seems so big.  ((sigh)) Just look at her!!  She isn’t an elementary kid anymore.  She’d DIE if she knew I blogged about it, but I even let her shave her legs.  ((gasp!)) – It was time . . . TRUST ME! 

Daddy’s Girl isn’t exactly athletic, but she has made a good little volleyball player.  The whole aspect of being on a team, having a coach, & making a commitment were WONDERFUL for her.  She started off NEVER playing & very nervous, but as time pressed on she quickly became the most improved player.  Her confidence grew & she did VERY well!  I truly enjoyed watching her play & was soooo proud of her.

Taylor,

You are absolutely amazing!  I am so proud of the young woman you are becoming.  You were so much fun to watch play volleyball.  I can’t tell you how I enjoyed the time bumpin’ the ball with you & practicing your serve.  You are going ROCK that volleyball court this year!! 

YOU GO SISTA!!!

Book Reports

   After Taylor & Tyler finished reading their Magic Tree House book I had them right a book report, but I made it a little bit fun . . .  (*although, she didn’t think so):

I laid a piece of colored paper landscape & folded the edges to meet in the middle.  Then I cut a straight line from the bottom of each tab – making 4 tabs to flip up.  In the center they each wrote the title of the book.  On the front of each tab I labeled them: 

1. CHARACTERS
   • Inside they wrote the main characters then answered, “which character is most like you & why?”
2. SETTING
   • Inside they wrote where the setting is, “Antarctica” & then wrote 4 facts they learned about Antarctica from their book.
3. PLOT
   • Inside they wrote a sentence for the beginning, middle (problem),  ending (solution).
4. OPINION
   • Inside they wrote their favorite part & explained if they would recommend this book to others.

On the middle inside, they picked a picture to draw or photocopy & paste.

Then on the back they were to pick their favorite penguin they learned about, draw or photocopy a picture of it, & paste it on.  Then next to the picture they wrote facts about that particular penguin.

Tyler enjoyed this activity & it was a great way to get him started on writing book reports.  Considering he has struggled with reading, but has great comprehension orally, I have not pushed book reports.  I am slowly introducing them to him & taking small steps to get him ready to begin writing more.

Writing Center

Our writing center is kinda pitiful right now.  Currently this is what is included in our writing center:

• dictionary
• journals
• stationary
• envelopes
• address book
• cards
• lot’s of paper
• pens, pencils
• stamps
• picture file (pictures of ideas or people to write about/to)
• Queen Homeschool Copywork books
• You Can Write A Story book
• Writing mini office with printables from The Busy Teachers Cafe Writing Printables & worksheets  *Also includes journal prompts for the ENTIRE school year!!
• Encouraging Young Writers Pre-writing ideas for K-4th by WriteShop
• writing folders from Write Source 
  • Topics: for FREE WRITING
  • Express Youself

*Click HERE for Writing Topic suggestions.

Here is a list of printables I have (mostly from The Busy Teachers Cafe) :

• Writing Checklist (K-1, 2-3)
• Writing Chart (Rubric)
• My Writing Checklist (self-check)
• Proof-reading checklist
• Parts of a Story
• Writing Parts of a Story (blank fill-in sheet)
• How to Write a Paragraph
• The Hamburger Paragraph
• The 5 W’s
• Story Words
• Transition Words
• Punctuation Rules
• Capitalization Rules
• Spelling Checklist
• How to spell a word
• Commonly misspelled words
• Parts of Speech

Here is a link to download the checklist I created for Daddy’s Girl:

Checklist

 

As soon as our schoolroom is complete – I have BIG plans for it . . .

I’ve found some great inspiration online from:

Playful Learning Writing Center *Be sure to visit her writing experience suggestions & pintables & while your there you will want see her AMAZING Alphabet Inspiration – WOW!

 

Katherine Marie

The Write Start

The Homeschool Classroom

 

Are these not some AWESOME writing centers? 

I can’t wait to update our writing center! 

Please feel free to leave any links or ideas in the comments.  Thanks!

Teaching Writing

Teaching writing is NOT one of my strong suites.  I struggled with grading Daddy’s girl’s papers & was terrified of teaching Momma’s Boy.  So I was very excited to hear others give advice on writing at our Curriculum Show & Tell. 

Here are my notes:

*Vocabulary  – when you are out in the world what is the first thing people notice? – your speech – your vocabulary!  Not your spelling.  Build colorful speech.

Suggested Curriculum:  Wordly Wise

*Grammar – learn grammar to write. 

• Analytical Grammar
• First Language Lessons (I absolutely LOVE this curriculum!!)
• Shurley Grammar

*Reading = creativity

Develop a passion for writing by:

• Creative writing first
• Limit corrections
• Encourage self-correcting

Copywork, Narration, Dictation are very important in developing a good writer.

Recommended Writing Curriculum:

• Write Shop
• Writing With Ease
• Institute For Writing In Excellence

What are you favorite writing tools & curriculum?

Big Daddy’s Projects

My man is really a GREAT handyman. 

BUT

He NEVER finishes any of his projects!

AND

He is ALWAYS starting a new one!

For example:  Currently at Rockin’ C . . .

Big Daddy decided we needed more chickens.

So he bought an incubator

And filled it full of eggs.

The eggs hatched.   

 

Lots of them

 

Are now living in my living room.

 

Recently Big Daddy woke up & decided to become a FISH farmer!

I wish I could explain.  But I can’t.  All I know is we have A LOT of fish living in our barn.

 

Yep, life at the Rockin’ C is full of chickens & fish!

Summer Fun!

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE summer time.  I love sitting outside & eating watermelon every night with my kids.  I love soaking up every minute of sunshine outside watching the kids play.  I love jumping in a cold pool when we are dying from this Texas heat.  I just LOVE summer time!  Ginger Snap Shots is playing Summer Bingo & Little Wonders’ Days had a fantastic idea to keep things rollin’ this summer at her house – A Summer Bucket List & she is hosting a blog hop party for all of us to share our summer fun ideas!

Here is our summer bucket list:

1. Family trip to Florida
2. Disneyworld
3. Grammy’s house in Tennessee
4. Go to the movies
5. Go to the waterpark
6. Go on a nature walk
7. Have a banana split party
8. Read!!
9. Have a water-balloon fight
10. Have a sleep-over
11. Visit a library
12. Go to a Farmer’s Market
13. Lemonade Stand
14. Picnic
15. Playground play-date
16. Movie Night
17. Family Game Night
18. Go to the lake
19. End of Summer Bash

I have a little bucket list of my own this summer, well more of a TO DO LIST:

1. Paint front door
2. Sand & paint kitchen table
3. Sand & paint desk
4. Have a MomTime party
5. Mom’s Night Out!!
6. Date night with my man

We are schooling lightly here & there, tying up a few loose ends, but definitely enjoying our summer.  We leave this week for Florida – we will spend a week at Daytona Beach & sneak a couple days of Disney in.  Then we will head to Tennessee & spend a few days with my family.  I am so excited, but super stressed – packing for a family of 7, getting a farm ready to leave, squeezing in a couple last minute photoshoots . . . LAUNDRY is call my name & VERY dirty suburban is in dire need of a good cleaning.  We are road trippin’ the entire vacation!  Please pray for sanity & traveling mercies!

Blah blah BLOG updates:

Just a reminder . . . Today is the last day to enter my LuLu’s in the Fluff Giveaway! *You don’t have to use cloth diapers to enter – LuLu’s detergent is HE compatible for any type of washing. 

 

However, if you do use cloth diapers, you may want to hop over to Nicki’s blog, 400 Things – I’ve been spending quite a bit of time over there rambling about cloth diapers & things to do with your kids & homeschool when mom’s sick. 

For those of you that do follow Nicki’s blog, she is starting to feel better!  YAY!  Not totally better & not well enough to even look at a computer yet, but I did see her for the first time in about 2 months!  The baby is doing GREAT!!  Please continue to lift Nicki & her family up in prayer.  THANKS!

In other news, I’m very excited to share some good news about Nicki’s niece, Liberty.  Liberty is a 16 year old homeschool senior.  If you visit her blog, Freedom To Speak, you will find a teen's perspective on politics, faith, first-hand mission trip accounts, and more!  Liberty is a fabulous writer who (like her aunt Nicki) passionately writes about the importance of turning America back to God.  Anyway, I recently learned that their local Daily Paper is going to let Liberty have a column of her own. It will be on the Opinions page.Her first column will be in today's paper and they will run a new column every 2 weeks. The name of her column is Give Me Liberty and she will just write her thoughts on something different each time. 
 

. . . . So after you enter my giveaway, be sure to hop over to Nicki & Liberty’s blogs & give them both a little love.

Thanks & have a fabulous weekend!  (I will be preparing Momma’s Boy for camp & packing for our trip to Florida!!!!)

Baseball Season 2010

 

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Tyler was on a new team this year with all new coaches.  It was a great change & he learn so much.  His coaches were absolutely wonderful & he loved his teammates.  This was the 3rd year for Tyler to play catcher & he was so excited to be the teams full-time catcher.  This was a great compliment considering he was one of the younger players on the team.  Each year Tyler improves his baseball skills, but this season he has shown a tremendous improvement!  His catching was amazing & left me on the edge of my seat during his games.  His batting is a wildcard, but he was the fastest player on his team.  He scored several runs & also managed to hit a homerun!!!!!  His team ended the season first in their division & won 2 rounds during the playoffs.

Tyler,

I cannot tell you how fun it is for me to watch you play ball.  It seems like just yesterday you were hitting off a T & missing every ball I tossed you.  Now you are playing fast pitch baseball with the big boys!  I love watching you play baseball & cheering for you.  I am so proud of you!!

This was Tucker’s second year of playing T-ball.  Him & his best friend, Braxton were on the same team & were absolutely adorable to watch.  They were probably the only 2 on the team to take it semi-seriously.  Tucker played short stop most games, but batting was his favorite.  T-ball rules are bit “too fair” so he hit a homerun every time – always making sure to slide at home plate.  He did however, really hit a homerun during one game!! 

Tucker Boy,

You are a joy to watch play baseball.  I just love your determination.  You definitely have the best slide!!  You make your momma so happy with that big smile across your face every time you put your uniform on.  You are a fantastic little batter!  Your stance is great & that swing – wow!  I have so much fun practicing with you, before I know it you are going to be playing with the big boys too.

 

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Reading with Partners

Reading with Partners is a great way for young readers to build fluency.  I was very hesitant to pair my son & daughter together for reading time, but after much thought I gave it a go . . .

They have been reading Magic Treehouse’s, Eve of the Emperor Penguin, to supplement our Winter Promise, Animals & Their Worlds study of Artic animals.  (Penguins are Momma’s Boy’s favorite!!)  At first, this experiment didn’t start off well.  Daddy’s Girl tends to be just a little bit too bossy & was overly excited about being “the teacher.”  - Tyler grew frustrated with her quickly!  So I listened in & suggested that she listen more than correct.  This time was NOT for her to teach him to read, but rather to LISTEN to him read.  If he misses a word say, “try that one again.”  If he continues to miss it tell him the word & move on.  Once some ground rules were in place their partnered reading time became very successful & she would tell me, “he is doing so good!”  This encouragement from his big sister has been great & it has been a wonderful bonding time for the two.

After they read (usually 1-2 chapters) I will ask them questions like:

• Who is your favorite character?  -Describe them in 10 words.
• What is the setting like?  Would you like to visit there?  Why?
• What Godly Character Traits do you see the characters display?
• What do you like about the plot?

I also had them pick an unfamiliar word from their reading, look it up, & make silly sentences with it. 

*Winter Promise curriculum includes “Great Ideas for Narration” with over 2 dozen discussion prompts that are fantastic for creating teachable moments in a low-key way.

Science

During our Winter Promise, Animals & Their Worlds, study the boys did a fun experiment with water, soap, & a tad of vegetable oil.  They blew bubbles like the paradise fish to protect its eggs (the oil).  They got a little carried away, but it was so much!

Darlin’ Dellah

It is IMPOSSIBLE to pick just one sweet shot this week! 

This little girl & her momma have a special place in my heart. I was so excited to snap some pix of this princess!!   

Just look how darlin’ this little princess is . . . .

 

She is just the sweetest little thing you ever have seen!

But if I had to pick just one, I suppose this would be it:

Darlin’.  Just darlin’ ain’t she?!

W – Worm Boys!!

During “W” week my WILD Mustangs had a LOT of fun playing with WORMS!

. . . Candy worms that is :)  Okay, they dug for worms in the yard, but they did NOT cut them up & put them in order from smallest to biggest like they did the candy worms:

And they did NOT put the earthworms they found in patterns like they did the candy worms: 

They also did NOT put make a “W” with the real worms either:

They did however, chase me around the house with their worms!  Fortunately, they spared me the disgusting dissection lesson, as our science lessons have paid off – Tucker reminded Trevor, “Worms are good for the ground.”  Wh-ew!!

Super Woman

What are you . . .

What kind of woman are you? 

What kind of wife are you? 

What kind of mother are you? 

We are all guilty of it from time to time . . . trying to be “Super Mom” comparing ourselves to others, over extending ourselves, putting unbelievable amounts of pressure upon our shoulders . . . 

While on this journey of life I have come to realize that there is no such thing as a “Super Woman” off any kind.  Instead of trying to fly, I have put my cape down & fallen to my knees & begged my Lord to help me become a  Godly women! I fail daily, but He doesn’t.  His grace & mercy amaze me.  Life is so much better when you are living for Him & His approval rather than the worlds.  There is no such thing as a “Super Woman” – it is impossible.  But when we make God the center of our lives, marriages, home(school), & parenting the rest falls into place. 

Several weeks back, at our Curriculum Show & Tell, I sat in a room & listened to a group of wonderful women offer some fantastic tips.  Here is the list I returned home with:

1. God 1st, husband next, then kids.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others!
3. Let your family be who God wants them to be.
4. Accountability is a necessity.
5. Learn Scripture. TOGETHER!
6. School is NOT Life!! (This can apply not only to homeschool families, but all families.)

For so much of my life, my marriage, & my motherhood I have strived to be PERFECT – “Super Woman,”  but God has tenderly (& NOT so tenderly at times) showed me that it is far more satisfying to be a Godly woman.  I will never be perfect.  I am sinful little thing.  Seriously!  But I so badly want to be the Proverbs My marriage would be such a mess without God.  I am by far the perfect wife & honestly, I don’t think I like her anyway.  I do however, admire a Godly wife to my very core.  My poor kids.  I love them so much.  How did I get chosen to be their mom.  WOW!  I’m no super mom, but what a blessing it will be if someday they look back & say they had a Godly mom. 

Oh, Lord my God, I need Your help.  Through You ALL things are possible.  Please mold me & to be like You.  Teach me Your ways.  Put the desire in my heart so that I may be a Godly daughter that brings glory to her Father.

I loose it.  He shows me where it is.  And WE put it back together, together.

Thirsties: Size Medium

It has been a while since I’ve posted on our cloth diaper adventure.

I ordered 9 size medium fab fitted diapers & 2 diaper covers & 1 duo wrap(melon, celery/meadow, & sky blue).

My ‘Lil Buckaroo is kinda a ‘lil guy so our size small diapers lasted us a long time! In fact, I just ordered the next size last week. Yes, he made it in size small until he was a year old. Talkin’ about getting my moneys worth – Whoo HOOO! The smalls actually still fit him, but he needed a bigger diaper for absorbency! - The boy could water a garden! Here is a picture of the size difference b/t the size small & medium:

Thirsties fab fitted diapers are still my favorite cloth diapers & Thirsties diaper covers are my fav covers too, but I like to be a little adventurous at times, so I also ordered 3 of Thirsties New Duo Diapers (Mango, Meadow, & Ocean Blue). I prefer fitted diapers & a cover over pocket diapers; however, there are times a pocket diaper is more convenient. Plus, my dude needs some major absorbency overnight. Thirsties Duo Diapers, by far, are the best overnight diaper that I’ve ever used. This Duo Diaper has some major advantages over other pocket diapers . . .

First off, they are super absorbent – did I mention that? Second, these are the BEST inserts I’ve seen. They are 2 layers snapped together. WOW! (It’s sad that I get excited over diaper inserts!). They also include a front pocket cover to prevent any leakage out (*I do wish this was on both ends.)

Thirsties signature leg gussets are my favorite feature of all these diapers & definitely why they are my favorite cloth diaper brand. They fit a growing baby perfectly, are super absorbent, & well, they are just adorable on my Lil’ Buckaroo!

I have officially made it over a year using cloth diapers (I will admit, I’ve cheated from time-to-time, but definitely use cloth 98% of the time & have NOT bought disposables once!) To celebrate this accomplishment my Mother-In-Laws “real life” best friend, who is Lu Lu from Lu Lu’s in the Fluff, is sending me one of her Glamorous "booty" scents.

Lu Lu has also agreed to send one of my readers their choice from one of her Glamorous "booty" scents!

*All Lu Lu’s detergents are:

Dye free

No fillers

No enzymes or optical brighteners

Phosphate free

Great for sensitive skin

Easy rinsing formula

Approved for military use

Works great on microfiber

Perfect for cloth diapers

HE compatible

To enter this giveaway, visit Lu Lu’s in the Fluff & come back & leave a comment telling me which scent you would choose!

For an extra entry blog or facebook about this giveaway & leave a comment telling me so!

Giveaway ends next Friday, June 11.