K/1 Goals

I really like to set goals for my kids (& me) for each new school year.  One of the resources I frequently use is the “What Your ____ needs to know” series.  I do not follow this strictly, rather pick through what is important to me & what I feel is attainable for my kids.  I especially like the language arts section (because this is my weak area).  Here are my K/1 Language goals for this year that I set using this book & some online resources:

• Recognize upper & lower case letters
• Knows the sounds of all the letters
• Can print upper & lower case letters
• Knows the difference between consonants and vowels 
• Knows alphabet in sequence
• Recognizes:
  • beginning consonant sounds
  • final consonant sounds
  • short vowel sounds
  • long vowel sounds
• Can mark vowels in a word or sentence if asked
• Knows:
• L Blends:  bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl
• beginning blends:  sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tw
• R Blends:  br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr
• digraphs:  ch, sh, th, ng
• r-controlled vowels:  ar, er, ir, or, ur
• basic word families? (at, bat, cat, fat go together & an, ban, can, Dan, fan)
  
• Can sound out simple words
• Knows sight words
• Recognizes rhyming words
• Read two and three letter words easily
• Read months and days on a calendar
• Speaks in complete sentences
• Can complete assignments based on oral direction? (draw a red line over the cat, circle the blue monkey...)
• Can identify:
  • characters in a story
  • the main idea
  • the setting
  • the conclusion
• Uses Letter Sounds to write words (using phonetic spelling)
• Write his/her first and last name 
• Write simple sentences, such as "The cat is fat"
• Draws illustrations to match sentences
• Uses punctuation correctly:  period, question mark,exclamation point
• Capitalizes letters
  • beginning of a sentence
  • beginning of names
  • beginning of places
  • when you refer to yourself as “I”
• Can identify:
  • compound words
  • nouns
  • proper-nouns
  • pronouns
  • verbs
  • linking verbs:  am, is, are, was, were
  • antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
  • contractions
  • plurals

Memorization:

• First Language Lessons
• If Wishes Were Horses
• The Pasture
• The Frog
• The Purple Cow
• I Know All The Sounds That the Animals Make

True Love

 

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,

always with the same person.”

 

I’m Gonna Miss This . . .

I had the privilege of teaching the PK/K VBS class at our church.  Our theme was western so we were all super excited!   My room ROCKED!!!

Tucker & Trevor were both in my class & for the most part were very good.  Most of the kids were all very well behaved.  Not all the kids were so good though.  One of the kids would not climb out of the tent we had set up when I asked them to.  Tucker came right to my defense, “You better listen to my momma & get outta that tent right now!  OR I’m gonna give you a black eye!!”

I hope my boys are always my knight’s in shinning armor wanting to protect their mommy, but someday I’m gonna miss having a 5 year old do it for me! 

Time-Out

In her book, Creative Corrections, Lisa Whelchel offers a few helpful suggestions for better use of “TIME OUT”.

She suggests using a time out far away – like the tree 5 pastures over :)  Or to use specific “Time Out” spots.  I have creatively created a sock matching time out spot (everyone here hates matching the missing socks up).  Sometimes disciplining doesn’t have to involve a punishment or harsh consequence.  Sometimes my boys fight & just need a “Time out” from each other.  I use this Time Out almost daily!  For about 30 minutes each day they end up being band from playing with one another.  Another idea for a Time Out is to have them work on something.  Have an activity ready to go just for a Time Out – maybe pound nails into a board, or work a puzzle. 

I’m currently working on creating lot’s of time out spots.  I love Erica’s (Confessions of a Homeschooler) idea of sending her kids to the laundry room when they have a bad attitude – what goes in is dirty & it doesn’t come out until it is clean.

Do you have any creative Time Outs?

OUCH!

This is what happens when you have lots of little BOYS running around.  Particularly with hammers!

Poor little Trevor.  He has had A LOT of black eyes.  This one though, is probably one of the worst.  But not near as bad as the dog bite.

He was outside playing with Tucker & the littlest B.  Apparently they were trying to chop a tree down with a hammer.  Trevor got a little too close to B’ back swing & this my friends was the result. 

The pictures really don’t do this battle wound justice.  The knot on his eye was the size of one of those rubber bouncy balls.

PRAISE GOD the hammer was rounded at the back & not a clawed end.  Had it of been a regular hammer it probably would have taken his eye out.  I cringe at the thought!!!   

 

Look at this sweet little guy.  Don’t those tears just break your heart? 

No worries.  This happened earlier this summer & he has recovered completely from this incident.  In fact, he has had a couple more black eyes since & currently has a small one from being a by-stander of his big brothers pushing match.  There is no doubt about it – Trevor is by far my toughest boy!

Chronicles of a “MEAN Step-Mom”

This morning on Facebook one of my friends from high school’s status update read:

“Being a step-mom is hard.”

I couldn’t but help laugh a little sigh of relief. (Sorry Jen!)

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in the step-mom trenches.  I carry very heavy luggage of guilt around every time something goes wrong.  I take it personal.  Sometimes it is my own bags & other times it is baggage someone else tossed at me & instead of setting it down at the curb & walking away, I decide to hold on to it.  Either way, after a while of carrying all this luggage around I get tired & weighed down. 

I have came along way on this journey  . . . The Lord has taught me a lot about myself & parenting through raising a child I didn’t give birth to but really do love like she is mine.  A child that I call mine, but I’m not hers.  “Hard” just begins to explain this trip into step-motherhood.  Insane is more like it. 

I have held back A LOT on this blog of mine more so out of fear of what could be misconstrued in court than anything, but today as I read the struggles of another “step-mom” & then saw the “I agrees” of other “not real moms” I’ve decided to laugh instead of cry . . . so bare with me as I chronicle this crazy journey of being a “Mean Step-Mom”.

I remember the first time I met Taylor . . . It was Tim & I’s first date & we decided to take the kids to the zoo.  Taylor was 3 & B.A.D.  Girlfriend, was a screaming lunatic with very little discipline.  She seriously thought she was the boss of me (& just about everyone else . . . everyone, but her daddy that is.  He was her equal of course.)  I know she liked me, but every time she caught herself smiling or being nice to me, she would get this crazy Sassy Mae attitude & suddenly I was her worst enemy.  Sometimes I wasn’t even aloud to look at her!  “Daddy, she is looking at me!”  - She would proclaim.  And it was at a much higher pitch if I spoke to her, “Don’t talk to me!”  She demanded.  So I was not “allowed” to look or talk to this 3 year old little diva.  And this was just the beginning of a very long treacherous power struggle between me & daddy’s girl. 

Welcome to stepmom-hood:  one minute you are loved & appreciated. . .

The next minute you are unappreciated & unwanted. 

 

Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

– Galatians 6:9

Mother. Daughter.

   

 



Morning Routine

My goal was to start school – dressed (*make-up is a bonus) & in the schoolbarn at 9am AND -

WE DID IT!!!

Here is a peek at our morning activities wall:

First we pray.  Then we go over the boys’ AWANA verses.  Then we pick who the sheriff for the day is.  Next, we start with the calendar – What’s today, what was yesterday, what will tomorrow be?  We say the months of the year (every month very quietly until we get to the current month, then they shout it).  Then we do a little time telling activity.  I love this magnetic chart.  I wish I could remember where I found this one.  It is awesome – you can’t tell from this picture, but it is even color coded. 

I will be adding more to our morning routine soon – including light-switch plates :)

I’m Gonna Miss This . . .

A couple days ago Trevor was totally distraught over loosing his fishing lures (which he stores in a zip-lock baggie).  He was on the verge of a major melt down so Big Daddy offered an explanation for the missing lures, “Trevor, we just have to find where the gremlin's hid them.”  A little confused he questioned, “Gremlins?”  Big Daddy assured him, “Yes, those little Gremlins that is what they do when we are out.  They like to come in & hide our stuff from us – just to see if we can find it.”  A few minutes later Trevor comes running in, “Daddy, Daddy, I found where the Gremlins hid my lures!!!”

Tonight I hear Trevor tell his daddy, “I’m gonna set a trap & catch me a Gremlin!!”

My Mama Said . . .

There would be days like this …

As much as I try to be “real” on my blog & as transparent as possible, I also try  not to whine or air my dirty laundry.  And I also seldom post “same day” posts *ESPECIALLY when I have had days like this!  But today I just want to scream & cry.  It has just been one of those days.

Today was a horrible terrible no good very bad day.

I am totally exhausted & it isn’t even dark outside.

I think my oldest & youngest have paired up & are in cahoots to send me to the looney farm.

Taylor is back at her old games & Truman has learned a few new ones of his own (that involve screaming at window shatter pitches most of the day).

Being a mom is sooooo hard!  I just want my mom!!  (only she is a few states away)

Being a “step-mom” is even harder.  The temptation of just quitting is quite alluring at this point.

I just concluded the last week of Lisa Whelchel’s Creative Corrections Bible study.  Monday, I would have told you how great things were, how the storm had passed & we were finally sailing on smooth water & clear skies.  Today = NOT SO MUCH!

Have I mentioned how exhausted I am?  TOTALLY EXHAUSTED.

So here is the low-down:

Taylor is in her 4th week of public school.  Since the very first week, I have continued to ask her about her grades & have repeatedly been told “90’s!!  . . . doing GREAT!!”  So, you would understand my shock when yesterday I was given a progress report with a 0 & 40 on it for quiz grades.  Then to discover that the progress report was given the previous day & needed to be signed. 

Taylor’s math teacher, “why isn’t your progress report signed Taylor?” 

Taylor, “Oh she was too busy.  I put it in her in-box, but she just didn’t take time to sign it – she really didn’t care.”

Nice.  So, the quizzes need to be signed.  Wait, there is only 1 here.  Where is the other quiz?

Taylor, “My teacher didn’t give me that one.”

. . . After seeing her teacher at Bible Study last night we discover the quiz WAS given back to be signed.  Taylor just took the liberty of signing it herself. 

So, for some reason waiting a day made a huge difference to Taylor to show me.  As a result, she lost the opportunity at a free 100. 

What “creative correction” did we have you ask?  Lots!  She has pretty much lost everything!  Yep, right down to me picking out her clothes. 

The same old dance, just a different song. 

I am so discouraged!  I thought we were passed all of this. 

I guess not.  I cannot put into words the betrayal I feel.  I’m really not mad about the grades.  I am infuriated that I was lied to & that she lied to another adult & forged my signature. 

She is 12.  12!  Seriously?!  If she is forging my signature on progress reports at 12, what is it going to be when she is 16?  18? & so on?  I am so scared for her.  More than anything fear is terrorizing my very sole.  It is heartbreaking to have a child that continues to make the same bad choices over & over again, without any regards to right or wrong.  Trust is a HUGE thing to me.  It sucks not being able to trust one of your kids. 

I’m really trying not to take it personal, but it is extremely hard.  What am I doing wrong? 

To add to matters, she shows very little remorse.  She is more worried about herself & is having her own personal pitty-party because she is totally grounded – trying to make everyone feel sorry for.  Again, it is all about “her”.  I could go on & on about the silly games she is playing for pitty from anyone that will listen – telling people how awful I am b/c she had to take a PB&J for lunch (that in her words is “starving her”), how terrible it is that I picked her clothes today & did not allow her to participate in the camo spirit day.  Blah Blah Blah – still all about her.  She is more sorry for being caught than she is for hurting us. 

Please pray for me.  I know I am entitled to be angry & have every right to have my feelings hurt, but I HATE this feeling inside of me.  It just sucks the life out of me which is not fair to the rest of our family at all.  Please pray for Taylor as well.  I know she loves the Lord, but she is making crazy choices!

PS.  Pray for Truman too.  He is entering “baby boot camp” asap!    :)

School Days . . .

 

In Our School-Barn

 

We are having a fantastic start to a new school year.  I cannot tell you the difference having one room totally dedicated to school makes.  It is a homeschool mom’s dream to have everything in 1 room & NOT spread out all over the house.  School is going much more smoothly.  We are staying on task, less fighting, less complaining, it is wonderful.  I am a little overwhelmed with how blessed I am right now.  I mean, our school-barn is totally cool!!!  I LOVE IT!!   THEY LOVE IT!!!  WE ALL LOVE IT!!!

My blog may be neglected the next few days – which very well may turn into the next couple of weeks.  We are still working on scheduling & just the overall flow of the day – the BIG HUGE ROCKIN’ School-Barn is FANTASTIC, but there is still just 1 mommy to go around :)  I’m working very hard at keeping my priorities in order.  Tyler is playing fall baseball, Taylor is in volleyball, I just ended my Creative Corrections Bible Study, & I have 4 big photoshoots scheduled in the next 2 weeks.  We are busy bee’s around here, but LOVIN’ every minute of it!!!

I’m Gonna Miss This . . .

Tyler is such a gentleman & he seriously loves his momma.  This isn’t really a big deal, but the other day I was painting my toes with one foot propped on the sink, blocking the entrance to our tiny bathroom.  Tyler needed in, but instead of just pushing his way through, (like all the other males in our house would) he says, “excuse me mom, I don’t want to bump you & mess up your nails.”

 

9-11

9-11 is such a sad day for so many . . . Our country experienced an astronomical loss.  My heart goes out to the loved ones of those that were killed when the twin towers were hit by terrorists.  Tears still fill my eyes when I hear the country song, “Where were you when the world stopped turning”   I remember sitting with my mother in complete shock as we watched so many people’s world stop turning.  We cried & prayed for our nation, but at that time I truly didn’t understand the amount of pain & loss those families were experiencing.
One year later my world stopped as I watched my premature baby boy’s heart stop beating in my husband’s hand.  Our world stopped.  Little did I know that through the death of our baby God was giving our family life. 
At that time I couldn’t see it.  I didn’t understand.  I still don’t completely.   I never would have imagined I’d ever consider the loss of our son a gift.  In fact, I probably would have killed anyone that even suggested such!  I was so angry with God for where He took me at that point in life.  Truthfully, I really didn’t care what His plan was – it certainly wasn’t the same as my plan.  I was not ready to see the Big Picture. . . 
I thought God was taking my son . . .

I didn’t realize He was giving him eternal life. 

Heaven is offered, but never guaranteed.  As parents our ultimate goal is for our children to grow with God, but sadly that is not always the case.  There is no guarantee that if we are “perfect” parents, homeschool our children, take them to church, read them the Bible, play with them, nurture them, etc that all that will secure our children’s (or even our own) entry to Heaven.  There just is no guarantee. 
September 11, 2003 my son went to Heaven.  I have a child growing with the Almighty.  Talon was given the gift of ETERNAL LIFE! 
September 11, 2003 my husband & I were given lifelines to our eternal home in Heaven with our son.

EnRiChMeNt Classes!!

Summer break 2010 is officially over for us.  What a great summer we had!  We did not get near as much done on our summer bucket list as we planned, but our trip to Florida made up for all that B Besides, we have a ROCKIN’ schoolbarn that we are super excited to play in work in! 

The Texas heat has finally simmered down & if you look close enough you’ll find leaves on the ground.  Fall is definitely in the air.  Our first “official” day of school will be Monday, but today is our first day back to school at our enrichment classes.  I’m only teaching 2 classes this semester – “Dr. Seuss is on the Loose” for Trevor’s PK/K group & “Art Center” for K/1 with Tucker.  Then I get to spend 2 hours in the nursery playing with Truman & will even get to snuggle on a couple babies.  Here’s what the other kids will be doing while I’m teasing myself with baby fever in the nursery: 

Trevor

1. Bible Story Time
2. Dr. Seuss is on the Loose with mommy
3. Games Galore
4. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

Tucker

1. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles
2. Animals in Noah's Ark
3. ABC Books & More
4. Art Center with mommy

Tyler

1. Educational Games
2. How to build model cars & more
3. Beginning Origami
4. Badminton

     

Tyler is soooo excited about his Origami class & I can’t wait to see what he thinks about badminton!!! 

Almost!!!

Our school-barn is ALMOST done . . . well, sorta . . . you know “our” kinda done ;)

We will continue to work on the walls, shelving, floors, plumbing, etc. but I can’t stand it.  I cannot wait any longer!!!  If it is usable I’m in!  Forget “pretty” or completed at this point!  Actually, minus the unfinished walls & sub-flooring I think it is pretty darn cool!!

Okay, Okay, here are the pix . . .

   This is the math center, workboxes, & art center.  The lockers hold all the math manipulatives & such (details on everything will come soon).  I’m not near done with the art center.  I have an idea of how I want it to look, but it is FAR from that at the moment. 

 Further down the wall is what will be the kitchen area.  Right now I have the Montessori stuff in this area & the frig.  I have a love-hate relationship with this frig that Big Daddy insisted on having in MY schoolroom, but let me just say – It is the coldest frig EVER!!  Yes, it is even colder than this one!!

CENTERS:

My Lil’ Buckaroo’s area:

Big Kids’ Centers:

The next two areas may just be my absolute favorites!!!

Our library/reading area:

My mother-in-law just came to get my outlaws so I’m off to put tables together, work on bulletin boards, & arrange centers. 

Duty calls . . . but we are ALMOST ready to start school Monday!!!!

PS.  I love you Big Daddy!   Thank you sooo much for building me such an awesome school-barn for me to play educate our outlaws in.  I LOVE IT!  But I LOVE YOU MORE!!!

Hay

Summers in Texas are brutal.  It is not unusual for it to be 98 degrees at 9pm.  The heat (& ahem, some goats!!!) were harsh on our watermelon patch this year.  Our garden & watermelons were not quite what they were last year, BUT our hay field produced more hay than ever before!!!  Big Daddy is one happy farmer :) 

The kids love climbing & playing on the hay bales – Country kids’ playground . . .

One Sweet Big Sister

 

 

Tiny Tot Trouble

It starts out so innocent . . .

But this Lil’ Buckaroo

is BIG TROUBLE!!!

 

I can’t wait to post pix of his new little area in our schoolbarn just for him!!! 

Coming VERY soon!!!

CC: The Umbrella of Authority

During the first week of our Creative Corrections Bible Study the author, Lisa Whelchel offers a great parent-child analogy as she compares our relationship with our children to the protection of an umbrella.  For so long I have struggled with trying to get my kids to “get it.”  It totally baffles me when I discipline Taylor & the first thing out of her mouth is “I don’t understand.”  For some reason I used to think it was imperative for my kids to understand why I say no or why they are in trouble for rolling their eyes, etc.  I had this fabulous day dream of having children that misbehave, are explained the consequences, are immediately repentful & ready for the consequence.  Okay, & even still “happy”.  Yes, I realize this is a complete illusion.  It was extremely relieving to realize other people’s kids don’t “get it” sometimes either.  I love Lisa’s explanation,

“God designed us to be an umbrella of protection for your own safety.  If you choose to disobey & walk out from under our covering, you’ll have to deal with the harsh elements of this world without our protection . . . You might think our choice is wrong, but it is still safer to obey us and remain under our umbrella than to be vulnerable to dangers & lies of the world.  God will deal with us if our choices are bad.”

She also explains that children truly want discipline & rules.  They don’t test the boundaries hoping to find the weak spot – they want to make sure they are safe & can be a kid.  Again, this comes back to trust.  When our kids are being overly challenging or even down right rebellious, they are just being kids – wondering if we can really handle it & protect them.  Taylor struggles with this not because she doesn’t “get it” but because she is wondering if we will really be parents.  At our house Taylor is expected to be the child & in such is treated as one; however, this role swaps the minute her weekend visits with her mom begin.  Taylor’s mom is very nurturing & takes good care of Taylor, but she struggles with remaining in charge & often Taylor becomes the mom & calls the shots.  You can only imagine the power struggles that occur when she comes back home ;)  No one likes the thought of being “under” someone  & the same is true with children – but Lisa points out in her book that our children being “under” our authority is more like being under our protection.

It has taken quite awhile to reestablish trust with Taylor & there are occasional setbacks, but for the most part she is truly allowing us to be the parents & is accepting her role as the child.  I still think it is important for my kids to understand the why’s as often as possible, but I also know that it is my job to protect them & just like when my Father is trying to protect me – I don’t always get it & I’m really not happy about it when discipline is involved either.  I know He loves me though & as long as my kids “get that” I think it will all be okay. m

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God,

& those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Romans 13:1

CC: Struggling

   

Last week I shared that the child we struggled with the most was our child that battled with trust.  Ironically, it is also the same child that continually fights her own demons to be able to be honest & not tell lies or be deceptive. 

I have really been focusing on the importance of complete obedience from ALL my children.  Thankfully, they go in cycles & aren’t all totally rebellious at the same times.  It is important for our children to obey us & things our way; just as it is important for us to obey God & do things His way.  I have recently been struggling with this discipline primarily with Taylor & the laundry & Trevor & food.  I have asked Taylor to fold the laundry a certain way & she refuses to comply.  Whether it is true defiance or simply forgetfulness is irrelevant.  It isn’t really about the laundry, it is about the lack of respect that her actions are saying in her “my way” attitude.  In the same way, I have a similar problem with Trevor – they boy loves food!  And he won’t stay out of the pantry.  We are constantly finding cereal spread across the floor & spilled milk all over.  He sneaks into the bread & chips bags & doesn’t close them – causing the entire bag to ruin.  I have all but stood on my head for these two & yet they still refuse to obey me completely. 

These are just small examples of problems I am dealing with in the area of true obedience with a couple of my children.  Praise God it is just laundry & food – although majorly annoying & disrespectful, my battles were much greater not too long ago.  The last two years with Taylor were extremely difficult for our entire family.  Thankfully, we seem to be on the downhill of that journey now, but the emotions are still very fresh.  I remember being in the trenches of that time in our lives & continually asking God to show me what it was He was trying to teach me through the circumstances.  You see, it was almost as much about me learning about myself as it was about our daughter & her issues.  Taylor, without any doubt, has been our most challenging, trying child, but she has also made Tim & I both, better parents.  If you are experiencing struggles with one of your children (or anything in life for that matter), I urge you to stop right now & surrender to God.  I promise He will be faithful to you.  You must trust that He is working in this situation to achieve His perfect will. 

Sometimes God allows us to experience struggles to grab our attention & refocus us back on Him.  Other times as Lisa points out, “He is pruning, shaping, correcting, strengthening, or testing us . . . Sometimes God asks us to do something but we are scared or uncertain about whether He will be there to help us through it.”  This summer Taylor hinted at the possibility of her returning home to homeschool.  In all honesty, I was scared to death.  Part of me felt a little self-satisfaction in knowing “I was right.”  But for the most part I was very apprehensive – after all, it hasn’t been that long since we were a total mess.  Although, the majority of the pieces have been put together, it is still a very vulnerable situation at any given moment.  We have come along way & it is far more important for me to be her (step)mother than her teacher.  Not to mention that there are also 4 other children that are at home & affected by her possible return to homeschooling.  Plus, there was my marriage & sanity to account for!!  I really didn’t understand it.  I battled with the idea of “Public School” in the beginning & had just truly become okay with our situation.  Was God asking me to bring her home now?  As I later learned, it wasn’t about homeschooling Taylor – it was all about me being willing to if that was what God was calling me to do. 

What troubles you?  Are you struggling with a child or situation?  Are you to do something God is asking you to do?

Watermelon

Games For Reading

I am soooooo excited to share my latest HOT reading find!!!  Somewhere during my hoppin’ around at the Heart of the Matter Curriculum Blog Hop I discovered a FANTASTIC book by Peggy Kaye, “Games For Reading.”  I’ve always got my eye out for any kind of reading activities – I just couldn’t help but to order it!  And I am I EVER SO GLAD I DID!!!  This book is WONDERFUL!!!  It is full of playful ways to help your child read.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to have found this book right before I begin helping my Mustangs read.  It is perfect!  I love how Peggy explains, “If you have fun with a game, your child will begin to associate reading with enjoyment.  Nothing could be more valuable.  And if some memorization takes place, too, all the better.”  This is exactly the philosophy I want to have with my Mustangs as we begin to read.  I want to make reading fun.  I want to get my boys excited about about learning to read!  And Games For Reading is going to be the tool that helps me to make this process fun.

Throughout the book Peggy suggests games to specifically strengthen possible weak areas for visual & auditory learning.  You can choose games from several different target areas:

• Games for Learning Words
• Games for Learning Sounds
• Games for Understanding
• Games for Reading Every Day

My favorite game for learning words is “Gift Words” – Think of a word that has special significance, write the word onto an index card & decorate it, then give it to your child as a gift.  Here are a couple of my “Gift Words” for my Mustangs:

 

I can’t wait to go on a word hunt the next time we are grocery shopping & you better believe we are going to have some major picture labeling going on as well!!!

My favorite games for the eye are “Set the Table” – use 3-4 objects & arrange them in a design on the table.  Your child looks at this arrangement, & takes the identical objects from his own bag & duplicates the design.  My boys are going to have a blast with the “Goofy Sentences”  Peggy suggests.  I can only imagine what they are going to come up with . . .

In addition to playing lots of rhyming games, I am also going to play “Talk a Drawing” – Tell you child what to draw with clarified instructions.

I know my boys are going to LOVE the “Chickens & Whales” game!!  - You gotta buy the book to learn how to play this one!

Schoolbarn Update

It’s September 1st!!!

And the schoolbarn is NOT complete . . .

But it is usable!!

At this point, I’m all about usable!! 

There is still much left to be done, but it’s lookin’ pretty darn good!!

We are “moving in” this week & will officially begin school next week!

More Pix coming VERY soon!!