Hi Friends!
Not much new going on today, and I am still really tired ... no matter how much I sleep ... so this will be short. I am multi-tasking and helping Molly with her English homework right now. She is doing vocabulary words. We need to eat dinner (left-overs), and then I've promised Cameron we'll all watch Hercules with him. It is currently his favorite movie.
Molly's birthday party promises to be eventful on Saturday! I received a call from her principal stating that there were flyers for it up all over the school. They took them down, and Molly is not sure what happened, as she just gave invitations to 20 of her closest friends. You have to love teenagers!
Other than that, it's really warm today -- got up to almost 100 degrees, so the kids spent a lot of time swimming. Bill just got home, and he's off to his Men's Group.
Please pray that my fatigue goes away. I've been sleeping 12 hours each night, and I am still exhausted all day. Sometimes I can barely move. Not sure if it's the lupus or side effects of all the meds.
Much Love,
Michele
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
TUESDAY!
Hi Friends!
I couldn't think of any lessons plans to make Nate and Isaac responsible for blogging today, so I guess it's up to me. Today I wasn't feeling the best (very fatigued), but I muddled through. In fact, now I seem to be catching a second wind. It figures, doesn't it -- that always happens when I should be going to bed for the night.
This morning and afternoon, Nate and Isaac and I did our usual home-schooling. We focused on finishing our library books, which were due today. I also bought a new dice game that involves counting by 10s and adding, so we were able to have a fun math class. And for PE we have new badminton equipment, so that was fun. We also discovered that badminton rackets make great bubbles if you dip them in bubble solution poured into a frisbee.
The maids came today, so I am enjoying my clean house. Except that they felt the need to dust our desk, which was a mess. So, now my stuff and Bill's stuff is all mixed up. Next time, I'll tell them not to bother.
It was over 80 degrees today, so the kids did lots of swimming today. Molly had early release day at 12:30 again, but she stayed for her WEB leader training this afternoon. She'll be helping with 6th and 7th grade orientation next year when she is in 8th grade. She has also been recommended to be a teacher's assistant next year. I think these will both be valuable experiences for her.
So, we picked her and Cameron up from school at 3:00. Then I took the 3 younger children to the public library. We dropped Cameron off at home, and he was thrilled to have some "alone time." After checking out our books and videos at the library, we made it home by 4:30. I was really not feeling well by this time -- so I lay down for an hour before it was time to make dinner. I wasn't sleepy, just my whole body was sore and fatigued. Nate was very sweet, and he came upstairs and read to me from one of his new library books.
After that, I was functional enough to make dinner, and we had to have it ready by 6:15. Tuesdays are Scout nights for Bill and Cam, so we're always on the move. After dinner, the kids swam some more. I did dishes, put away laundry, and packed lunches for tomorrow.
Right now I have all three of the younger kids in bed. Nate and Isaac built elaborate tents in Nate's room, and they are both "sleeping" in there tonight. So far, I still hear a lot of talking, but they are having fun, and that's what's important. My Scouts haven't returned yet.
I am going to take a shower and watch some TV before bed.
More tomorrow...
Much Love,
Michele
I couldn't think of any lessons plans to make Nate and Isaac responsible for blogging today, so I guess it's up to me. Today I wasn't feeling the best (very fatigued), but I muddled through. In fact, now I seem to be catching a second wind. It figures, doesn't it -- that always happens when I should be going to bed for the night.
This morning and afternoon, Nate and Isaac and I did our usual home-schooling. We focused on finishing our library books, which were due today. I also bought a new dice game that involves counting by 10s and adding, so we were able to have a fun math class. And for PE we have new badminton equipment, so that was fun. We also discovered that badminton rackets make great bubbles if you dip them in bubble solution poured into a frisbee.
The maids came today, so I am enjoying my clean house. Except that they felt the need to dust our desk, which was a mess. So, now my stuff and Bill's stuff is all mixed up. Next time, I'll tell them not to bother.
It was over 80 degrees today, so the kids did lots of swimming today. Molly had early release day at 12:30 again, but she stayed for her WEB leader training this afternoon. She'll be helping with 6th and 7th grade orientation next year when she is in 8th grade. She has also been recommended to be a teacher's assistant next year. I think these will both be valuable experiences for her.
So, we picked her and Cameron up from school at 3:00. Then I took the 3 younger children to the public library. We dropped Cameron off at home, and he was thrilled to have some "alone time." After checking out our books and videos at the library, we made it home by 4:30. I was really not feeling well by this time -- so I lay down for an hour before it was time to make dinner. I wasn't sleepy, just my whole body was sore and fatigued. Nate was very sweet, and he came upstairs and read to me from one of his new library books.
After that, I was functional enough to make dinner, and we had to have it ready by 6:15. Tuesdays are Scout nights for Bill and Cam, so we're always on the move. After dinner, the kids swam some more. I did dishes, put away laundry, and packed lunches for tomorrow.
Right now I have all three of the younger kids in bed. Nate and Isaac built elaborate tents in Nate's room, and they are both "sleeping" in there tonight. So far, I still hear a lot of talking, but they are having fun, and that's what's important. My Scouts haven't returned yet.
I am going to take a shower and watch some TV before bed.
More tomorrow...
Much Love,
Michele
Monday, May 4, 2009
A SEARCH FOR FRIENDS ...
Hi Friends!
Nate decided to write a fictional story about a ring-tailed lemur for his zoo writing project. He used the animals he met at the zoo for inspiration. I like his imagination, and how he does interesting things with assigned projects.
Love,
Michele
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A SEARCH FOR FRIENDS ...
There once lived a lemur on the island of Madagascar. His name was Jack. He wanted a friend. He had no friends at all, and he was very lonely. He didn't even have a family, because lemurs don't stick around to raise their babies.
He searched the entire island of Madagascar, and he could only find a friend who was a spider. The spider seemed nice, but there was a problem. Spiders and lemurs don't speak the same language. So, they made do with sign language. It worked OK, because spiders have 8 legs and lemurs are very flexible.
The spider, named Josh, decided to come with Jack the lemur on his search for friends. Next they stumbled across a 100 year old sea tortoise named John. He weighed 1000 pounds, including his shell. Although he moved very slowly, he was wise because he had lived a very long time. Josh and Jack decided that not only would they make friends with John, but they'd also ask him if he knew of any other animals looking for friends.
"Yes," said John. "A mountain lion who lives on a volcano. People are afraid to visit him because of where he lives. He would love friends like you!"
So, Josh climbed on Jack's back, and Jack climbed on John's back. They slowly started off around the island of Madagascar and found the mountain lion, named Jim, had come down from his volcano. He was looking for friends, too, on the sea shore. So, they chatted for a while, and now Jack the lemur was in a group of 4 friends. He was so happy!
Next, they asked Jim if he knew of any animals looking for friends. He had a great view of the whole island when he lived on top of the volcano. He knew of one lonely baboon, whose family had sadly died during a cheetah attack. Jim wanted to be friends with him, but he had always been afraid to approach him, thinking he would scare the baboon off. "But I don't think he'll be afraid of a lemur, a spider, and a sea tortoise," he said. "You could introduce me and tell him I mean no harm."
So, off they went on a search to meet the baboon, whose name turned out to be James. In Madagascar, by the way, all the animals have J names. Now they were a group of 5 friends. They asked the baboon if he had ever seen any other lonely animals while he was swinging from trees. "Well, I've seen a king cobra snake who is always alone, but I don't know if he's friendly!"
They put Jim the mountain lion in charge of checking out the snake. It appeared he was the only friendly king cobra in the world. His name was Jamie. They played and laughed together for days and days!!! They became so close that they were like family.
So, the lesson in this story is -- if you're lonely, be brave and make friends. Sometimes they will be very different than you. But if you have friends, you'll be so happy and never have to feel alone!
by Nate Bland (4th grade)
THE END
P.S. --Meet the inspiration for my story:
These are animals I saw at the Moorpark Zoo -- a lemur, baboon, mountain lion, and tortoise (who was 86 years old). We also saw a tarantula, but we don't have a picture of him.
ISAAC'S DAY AT THE ZOO ...
Hi Friends!
Today Isaac and Nate will be blogging for me. As part of their school field trip to the zoo, they are each writing a story about their experience. I am posting them on the blog today.
Love,
Michele
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My Day at the Zoo...I went to the Moorpark Zoo yesterday. I saw the best monkey in the whole world! He has two mohawks. He is cool!
I climbed on a boulder that had an inside which broke in half. The boulder had ancient writing on it. It was huge!
I have new heelies. I wore them to zoo. I practiced using my heelies and going down hills. Dad and Molly each held one of my hands and pulled me when I got tired.
The End
--by Isaac John Bland (Kindergarten)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
WE TOOK OUR ZOO TO THE ZOO ...
Hi Friends!
It's been a busy weekend. Friday night we had Bible Study at our house. On Saturday, I largely spent the day recovering from my Friday flower buying/planting frenzy. I slept until 1 in the afternoon. Then, Cameron and I went to Smart and Final grocery shopping. It really is the smaller, faster warehouse store. We spent most of the afternoon shopping and unpacking our treasures. Then we went to 5:30 church on Saturday night. After dinner, I went back to bed.
Today we took the kids to the Moorpark Zoo. Nate and Isaac have just finished their animal unit studies in science, so it was tied into that. And it made for a fun Sunday family day activity. We were there for most of the afternoon. Then when we came home, I helped Molly with her most recent school "torture" project. She had to write a newspaper article on the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church on November 1, 1517. So, we successfully finished that, and now it's getting close to bedtime for everyone. I also gave Molly a manicure/pedicure with acrylic nails. We're hoping that will keep her from biting her nails. Tomorrow night I have a meeting for my home-schooling program at 1st Baptist Church in Thousand Oaks. So, tonight I will make sure I have all of my paperwork in order.
Much Love,
Michele
STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS ...
Hi Friends!
This is how far I've gotten in the front yard with planting. Two weeks ago, I did the area around the tree, and this weekend, I did the front flower bed. There is still one more flower bed that I want to rip apart, and then I will plant daisies in it. My all time favorite flower! But, I'll wait a few more weeks as I'm really sore from all the planting thus far. My hands and arms were not moving well on Saturday. I found it depressing that planting flowers could cause that much pain. But they are pretty, aren't they? And they make me happy each time I go out front.
Much Love,
Michele
Friday, May 1, 2009
FRIDAY!!!
Hi Friends!
Today has been a busy but fun day. I'll blog a bit before going to bed. Last night (or I guess I should say early this morning) Bill arrived home from his Virginia business trip at about 1 a.m. We sat up and talked for a bit, and then we went to bed. Unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep. So, I got up and took an Ambien, and I finally fell asleep at 2 a.m. Then I got up early to drop Cameron and Molly off at school at 7:30 a.m. this morning. Bill took Nate to an appointment with his psychologist at 9 a.m. The appointment went well, and we continue to make slow and steady progress with Nate's mood and behavior.
Meanwhile, Isaac and I spent the morning shoe shopping. He needed new shoes, but he is very picky about what "feels right" on his feet. Today when the salesperson measured his feet, we discovered that one foot is a half size bigger than the other, and his feet are very narrow! So, I think that's a major part of the problem! Anyway, we spent quite a while at Payless. I kid you not -- he tried on every pair of boy's shoes in size 13 and 13 1/2. He hated them all. So, we left with no new shoes. At least we found Molly a new bookbag and some socks while we were there, though. So, it wasn't a total loss.
By the time we got home, Bill and Nate were home, too. We went to Big 5 Sporting Goods, because Nate wanted to buy Heelies (skate shoes). They also had them in Isaac's size, and he bought a pair and loves them. The boys each paid for 1/2 of their shoes with allowance money. That is because the Heelies cost $40 and $50, and we do not usually spend that much on shoes! But in the end, everyone was happy -- even Bill who came along to get some new running shoes and hiking boots, which he found on clearance.
We came home and had lunch. Then I went to Home Depot, and I bought soil, cedar chips, and flowers for our front flowerbed. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on it, and I must say it looks great! We planted minature roses and zinnias. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.
When we finished the planting, I took Nate over to Shirlene's. He's spending the night in Palmdale with Brandon. Isaac didn't want to go today. In the late afternoon, I showered all the dirt from working outside off me. I also did a few things around the house, and then made the kids dinner.
Heather and Will (from next door) are spending the night tonight. And we had Bible Study from 7-9 p.m. tonight. So, it was a full house! Everyone left around 10 p.m. Cameron went to bed, and the other kids are all camped out downstairs in the family room watching X-Men. Looks like Heather and Isaac have fallen asleep already, though -- and Will and Molly look pretty groggy, too!
I'm going to head off to bed. This weekend, I am hoping to go grocery shopping and to the drug store on Saturday. We'll also go to 5:30 church. Then on Sunday we will be going on a family outing to Moorpark Zoo. We just finished our animal chapters for science in homeschooling. So, rather than do school today, we decided to do it on Sunday when all the kids can enjoy it!
I'll let you know what actually happens as it unfolds ... tomorrow...
Much Love,
Michele
Today has been a busy but fun day. I'll blog a bit before going to bed. Last night (or I guess I should say early this morning) Bill arrived home from his Virginia business trip at about 1 a.m. We sat up and talked for a bit, and then we went to bed. Unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep. So, I got up and took an Ambien, and I finally fell asleep at 2 a.m. Then I got up early to drop Cameron and Molly off at school at 7:30 a.m. this morning. Bill took Nate to an appointment with his psychologist at 9 a.m. The appointment went well, and we continue to make slow and steady progress with Nate's mood and behavior.
Meanwhile, Isaac and I spent the morning shoe shopping. He needed new shoes, but he is very picky about what "feels right" on his feet. Today when the salesperson measured his feet, we discovered that one foot is a half size bigger than the other, and his feet are very narrow! So, I think that's a major part of the problem! Anyway, we spent quite a while at Payless. I kid you not -- he tried on every pair of boy's shoes in size 13 and 13 1/2. He hated them all. So, we left with no new shoes. At least we found Molly a new bookbag and some socks while we were there, though. So, it wasn't a total loss.
By the time we got home, Bill and Nate were home, too. We went to Big 5 Sporting Goods, because Nate wanted to buy Heelies (skate shoes). They also had them in Isaac's size, and he bought a pair and loves them. The boys each paid for 1/2 of their shoes with allowance money. That is because the Heelies cost $40 and $50, and we do not usually spend that much on shoes! But in the end, everyone was happy -- even Bill who came along to get some new running shoes and hiking boots, which he found on clearance.
We came home and had lunch. Then I went to Home Depot, and I bought soil, cedar chips, and flowers for our front flowerbed. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on it, and I must say it looks great! We planted minature roses and zinnias. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.
When we finished the planting, I took Nate over to Shirlene's. He's spending the night in Palmdale with Brandon. Isaac didn't want to go today. In the late afternoon, I showered all the dirt from working outside off me. I also did a few things around the house, and then made the kids dinner.
Heather and Will (from next door) are spending the night tonight. And we had Bible Study from 7-9 p.m. tonight. So, it was a full house! Everyone left around 10 p.m. Cameron went to bed, and the other kids are all camped out downstairs in the family room watching X-Men. Looks like Heather and Isaac have fallen asleep already, though -- and Will and Molly look pretty groggy, too!
I'm going to head off to bed. This weekend, I am hoping to go grocery shopping and to the drug store on Saturday. We'll also go to 5:30 church. Then on Sunday we will be going on a family outing to Moorpark Zoo. We just finished our animal chapters for science in homeschooling. So, rather than do school today, we decided to do it on Sunday when all the kids can enjoy it!
I'll let you know what actually happens as it unfolds ... tomorrow...
Much Love,
Michele
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