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!!!!!

Bookclub Fun

Each month we have a book club that I lead with our homeschool group.... This past month we read Jalapeño Bagels by: Natasha Wing. This is a cute book about a little boy who needs to bring something to school for international day. His parents own a pastry shop and he decides to pick something that his families makes there. In the back are some recipes of the treats mentioned in the book.... so of course we needed to make them and share with our book club friends.


I have never made bagels before but I will in the future... They were alot of fun and oh so tasty!!!

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!!!