Green Hour Challenge # 2

This time we went to our local park and took the afternoon wandering and checking everything out. We sat and listened to the waterfall.


Investigated moss growing on a log.



Noticed berries starting to grow.



Discussed how and why this tree is decomposing.


We sat together and talked..... tried to skip rocks across the water.


Pointed out insects inside this log.


Came home and worked on our notebook page.


But most of all we really had a great time. We enjoyed our time outdoors and took advantage of the nice weather.

Green Hour Challenge # 1

We started working on Barb's Green Hour Challenges about a couple of weeks ago and I thought I would share our discoveries.

For the first challenge we took a little walk in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, our tiny strip of woods was littered with trash and glass....However we were able to check out the moss growing....



Signs of spring coming....


Evidence of a squirrel's kitchen table.....



Here is the drawing that Morgan made of the moss we found......


And we completed the notebook page that Tina was so kind to offer....


We started late joining the Challenges but are enjoying the time that we are taking each week for out nature walk.

What's for dinner?

A couple of weeks ago Morgan wanted to cook us dinner and of course I couldn't object! So I let her choose what she wanted to cook and let her get to work.....!
Here are some of those photos....


Here she is struggling with the can opener! So I did end up helping her open it, but everything else was all her. I just stood behind and took pictures :)



Checking the ham to flip it


Taking the corn out of the microwave.



Dinner is served! She was just so proud of herself!

Computer Trouble......

Well to start our new year off, my computer just quit on me.... See one thing you all don't know about me is that I'm a gamer.... My husband is a huge gamer and we now play World of Warcraft together for fun.... No we are not freaks... My daughter does get fed :) Well sometimes !!!! Just kidding.

So at the beginning of the new year the video card in my laptop went up!!!! so I needed a new computer.. No biggie right? WRONG!!!!! Just when my new dell desktop arrived and got set up. I started moving over files from the old laptop and thats when it all happened ..... It was late and I was in the middle of moving our family photos when I decided to call it a night... The next day I couldn't turn the laptop back on.... It went to a black screen (bad news)!!! I totally freaked and my husband took a long time checking it out and he said we needed to take it in to get looked at..... So off to Geeksquad..... It turns out that the hard drive went up! I LOST EVERYTHING!!!! all my documents, contacts, calendar, music, EVERYTHING... but the worst of all is the photos of our family from this past year! My only saving grace is that I also saved some photos on my mothers laptop and this blog with my daughter's photos...... So needless to say I learned a huge lesson in backing up files..... I had to replace the hard drive (we decided to give the laptop to my daughter) and that is where another frustration came in.... I started off like this......



but when I tried to set up the laptop to be child friendly it became so hard to figure out how to get her to be able to surf the net safely.... I downloaded Kidzui which didn't allow her to get on to Webkinz or her email (the two things she uses the most) and their search and layout is not what was ideal. So then I turned to Buddy Browser...that would also not allow her to sign on to webkins but she could get her email, however the parental controls were almost nonexistent ....... so then I felt like this.......



I have spent so many hours and days trying to figure this out and I ended up with downloading Firefox with the add-ons that would help her... I changed the google search to yahooligans... and I created another blog to be her homepage.... that way I can add new things that I want her to check out right on her homepage....... I can add links to Educational Videos on topics we are studying using Cosmeo. I hope and pray that this will be able to work.... so far so good!!!!
So right now I am feeling like this.....



However that can change at any moment!!!!

Christmas Fun....

Now that the Christmas season is upon us we are listening to Christmas music 24/7! One of our favorites has got to be the Hippo song.... While I was searching the web to find it I came across this and I thought it was so sweet... This man obviously took a lot of time to put this together for his loved one.... What a sweet and wonderful present... Enjoy!

Winter Fun!

Last week we had our first snow of the season.... and Morgan was loving it! She was begging to go outside before I even put my feet on the floor for the day! So while the kids were "hitting" the books" Morgan was sledding!


And who better to keep her company then her "sibling"!!!


This is my other child... She had a blast all day , inside for 10 minutes then out for another 10 minutes... It drove me nuts but she doesn't get to go outside any other time (unless she sneaks out under our feet) Because of the snow she just stays in the yard. Just an FYI she gets the fur from my husband's side of the family!!! Ha!

After the kids came home a little early from school ..... Morgan and her best friend played and played.... This is a shot of them going down the hill pretending to be sleeping!


Then they proceeded to roll over the ground and laugh their butt off.... What a bunch of silly girls!!!!!

Some comforts of homeschooling....

When it comes to homeschooling my favorite things have to be ....the luxury of NOT having to rush off early in the morning to a cold building.... The fact that we can wake up, make a hot meal, choose what we would like to work on and then do it!!!! No, having to wait by the bus stop in the rain, cold, or hot mornings!!! Not having Morgan sit in an uncomfortable chair and sit and sit and sit..... looking outside and wishing you could play in the snow or beautiful weather!!!! I know these things not because Morgan has said this (she has not gone to school at all) but because I spent too many days that turned into years doing this very thing..... Why should I send my daughter into a building for her whole childhood when the fact that when we grow up we are out in the world and not spending time in a building all day long? Okay, thats enough rambling....

Here are some times in our house:


Nothing like working by the fire in your pj's!!!

Then spend as much time as you want painting!!!

Spending the afternoon birdwatching!!! Morgan loves to find new birds and look them up to see what they are called.... she has started putting a sticker new to the picture in her guide book, every time she sees the same bird!!!

Here is Morgan at our HAHSA bookclub meeting... This past month we read Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. The kids got to dress up like Gooney Bird... they had a blast... we told "absolutely true stories", gave ourselves new names "gooney bird style". etc....

Whenever I start to have doubts about if we made the right choice about homeschooling (and yes, sometimes I rethink it) it is only for a minute because I come back to these awesome times that just can't be replaced by public school!!!
Okay there is many more awesome things about homeschooling but at the moment these are the only pictures I can get my hands on !!!! LOL

Happy Homeschooling!

Overdue Photos

Lake House (September 16th -20th)

In September we went on a mini vacation.... Morgan, myself and my dad went to our families lake house in Va.... It is a beautiful private lake that is such a joy to visit... I would love to move there....
We had such a relaxing week.... We went through the whole week on a whim.... nothing planned!!!!!! We brought some books down with us, played the license plate game on the way down and back, talked about our George Washington (as we drove through DC), talked about the "poop plant" in the city, played board games, and really just chilled out!!!!! We went fishing (something my Dad and Morgan love to do) and really enjoyed nature and each other.......
Here are some photos:

I love photos like this.... I look at this and I see just how truly beautiful she is and what a great gift God as entrusted me with.... To look at her and realize that He is saying "Kate, I love you so much that I want to give this treasure to watch and love and I know you can and will enjoy her and help create a wonderful woman in days to come" ... It makes me cry with overwhelming joy!!!

More updates.....

Okay, A couple weeks ago I was venting about a situation that occurred at the local football game.... (you can read it all here) Well I am updating you all of the situation.... my friend and I emailed the Rec council and someone actually paid attention!!!! She was very receptive to what we had to say... she even took it up with the County and not only was the song banded from the play list but the man (who is the commissioner for the football league) was reprimanded!!!!! Good huh? Well I am just happy that something was done and that someone else acknowledged that I am not crazy!!!!

Pumpkin Patch (October 28th)

We went pumpkin picking at a new place this year..... The past years we drive up to the big
maze quest in PA... but that was just a little too big for us old people :) and they were pretty expensive in my mind.... we never left with out paying about $80-90.... for an afternoon activities and pumpkins (not including eating)!!!! So this time we went to Brad's Produce...
They had a maze with an activity sheet. The maze wasn't too big and not too small!!!! Prefect.... We finished and maze and grabbed hotdogs and waited for the hayride to come (free hayride by the way) we took that out and hung out at the pumpkin patch for a while
and came back to the barn..... they had mini mazes too that were cute..... we bought 2 pretty large pumpkins, cider and we left with spending about $35 for the whole day!!!! I was a happy costumer and the service was nice!!!!

Okay enough with my rambling ... here are some pictures





Which way now?



Morgan was determined to pick out the perfect pumpkin!!!!




A little help from Daddy.....


And she found it!!!!


Here is my husband in deep thought over another maze!!! Don't hurt yourself there Chris!!! Your brain is going to blow!!!! LOL


Here is what he was trying to figure out...... you can only make right turns and you need to get to the middle of the maze..... Good luck!

I love going to the pumpkin patch each year because it reminds me of Morgan's first real Halloween and he went to get pumpkins .... it was only the 3 of us in the whole place and we spent the afternoon walking around with Morgan while she tripped over the vines..... It was a sweet day and a great memory for me..... Here is a picture of her and Chris then!!!!

Pumpkin caving and caramel apples (October 31st)

This year Morgan cleaned out her own pumpkin..... Chris won't even do his... I have to for him!!!! What a whimp!




And we made caramel apples... and I have to say they were gross!!!! but we had fun and made a mess!!! Isn't that what really counts?