Category Archives: homeschool

five favorites (05/19)

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Happy Monday!!! I’m still making an effort to make these posts simpler so that I’ll write them more often. Here are a few fun recent moments!

ONE. We have been studying plants for the last few weeks and just wrapped up today! I decided to do something different than using a regular textbook for this unit, so I bought this set of lessons, labs, and powerpoints. It’s been a whole lot of fun for all of us! The girls are growing some lima beans in a bag, have learned about the plant life cycle, and are fascinated by carnivorous plants. They also really loved doing this pollination lab, where their fingers were insects, the juice box was nectar, and the cheese puff residue was the pollen.
The life cycle of a plant, according to Kaya. Notice the seeds dropping off on the last plant!TWO. We had our final Kangaroo Kids class last week. I’m always so sad to see it end for the summer! No one else in our class showed up, so we had the whole place to ourselves. Kaya built this little “ice cream shop”, and served her sisters (and me!) desserts for nearly the entire time. The balls were the scoops of ice cream. The green bucket was even “dairy free”, special for me. I just love her creativity.Kaya even built this little “seating area” you could go to after getting your ice cream. Nella was having a good time!THREE. The pink castle tent usually stays in the basement, but it’s been back in the living room for the past couple of weeks, so there’s been a whole lot of playing “house” and just generally hanging out in there. Even Evie loves it! Nella and Eve have been doing a lot more together lately, so I loved seeing them having a little party together in there.Nella is always taking care of a baby doll!FOUR. When you’re the size of a baby doll, you might just get a (nice, slow) ride in a doll stroller… Being the littlest sister seems to be the most fun!

FIVE. We watched the new Christopher Robin movie a couple of weeks ago. The girls loved it, and I cried the whole way through it. It was really well done! I found this sign in the big girls’ room after nap one day, and I just thought it seemed like something right out of the movie. The girls kept asking me if Heffalumps were real for a few days afterward, although they said this sign was to keep sharks away.

five on friday (02/01)

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Happy February!!! This is always one of my favorite months (it might have something to do with my birthday!), so there’s a definite air of excitement around here. This post is full of little moments from the week, which are always my favorites.

ONE. We had a tiny Dalmatian puppy living here this week… and apparently, this puppy knows how to drive a car!
Nella has been obsessed with this costume lately. It’s sometimes hard to convince her to not wear it for meals or nap time. So adorable!All that driving makes a puppy tired.We also had a cowgirl, walking her pet tiger around, one morning before school. I love seeing what they come up with.TWO. Speaking of school, our sweet Kaelyn has been working on Kindergarten material since the start of the new year. Suddenly, she just seemed ready, and more than eager, to do something a little more structured. She can read quite a bit, and she also loves working in her math book. She and Kaya started their own little competition to see who could complete more pages in their workbooks, which means that lately, they each do quite a lot!Another homeschool perk: getting to have lunch with your baby sister every day. Or maybe that’s not such a good thing, if the baby is trying to spill your entire plate onto the floor…THREE. Eve might not do schoolwork, but she decided to “work” on the toy laptop this week. She’s already following in Daddy’s footsteps!Really, though, she likes anything that plays music.Also… that little grin!!!I think I need 100 of her!FOUR. Nella asked to hold Evie this week, and it was just the most precious thing. She even shared the toy zebra she had been playing with. I love these sister photos so much, and I hope they will become the best of friends, just like Kaya and Kaelyn. CHEESE!Nella was also lucky enough to have a mini Daddy-daughter date this week. It was her first time pushing the little shopping cart at Food Lion, and she LOVED it! Beagle had a ride, of course.FIVE. We had a “slight” (compared to much of the U.S.) polar vortex this week, which meant that it was just perfect to let the girls stay in their jammies, and that always makes them so happy. Kaya also had a slight cold, so she enjoyed cuddling up with all the blankets and being so cozy.Kaelyn snuggled her best friend, Minnie! I am really hoping that we can take this girl to Disney one day.Happy weekend!

five favorites (01/14)

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I meant to write this on Friday, but as life goes, I’m finally sharing on a Monday! It’s one of those rare days where we’ve finished school, dinner is already prepared, and the older girls are playing quietly while the little girls nap, so I feel like I can take a few minutes to hop on here and blog!

ONE. A new year means new classes for the girls at church! They are always so excited to move up to the next age group. I didn’t necessarily plan to take “first day” pictures of them, but they remembered that we did this last year and were willing to do it again. Kaya is looking like such a young lady these days.I’m a little sad that Kaelyn isn’t our little Sunbeam anymore (there’s just something extra sweet about that first year in Primary), but she has the same teachers for CTR 4 and loves going to class just as much as ever.Evie still just hangs out with us, and I am more than okay with that. Look at these two cuties!Nella most likely wouldn’t have posed with the chalkboard, but she did put this Santa hat on and smile for me. She moved up to “senior nursery” and I just can’t believe she’s so big.

TWO. Perler beads have taken over our house. I’m pretty sure that whoever lives in this house will forever be finding these little plastic beads. See that tub? There’s 22,000 of them in there!Really, though, Kaya and Kaelyn absolutely love these (admittedly, I do too… so many childhood memories)! They have spent hours and hours this past week creating anything they can imagine.Hello Kitty!(Yes, Kaya was wearing lipstick this day!)Skye from Paw Patrol!I’m starting to get better at ironing these a little more evenly (parchment paper seems to work best)!

THREE. Lelia and I went running on Christmas Eve, and we ended up going nearly 8 miles instead of the 6 we had originally planned. We had such a good time that we somewhat spontaneously decided to start training for a half marathon together. This is something we’ve talked about doing for awhile, and I’m beyond excited that it’s actually happening! My paces have been seemed more consistent, and dare I say, a little faster, than the last time I did this, so I’m really excited to see what I can do on race day!I had a 9-miler and a 10-miler this past week! Woohoo!FOUR. We started back to school last Monday. It was refreshing to have just over a month off for the holidays (and our Spain trip), but it feels good to be back at it and checking things off. I’m proud of my little first grader and how much she’s accomplished already this school year. It sounds crazy, but summer doesn’t seem that far away!It’s also so nice when your friends are homeschooling too! Our girls love being together, and I’m grateful that homeschool has allowed them to still have playdates in the middle of the day. (Photo credit to Bianca!)FIVE. I might be a little obsessed with the movie Moana right now (seriously, how cute is Pua the pig?), but I’m super obsessed with this smiley baby. It doesn’t get any sweeter than this!Happy Monday!

five on friday (10/05)

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It’s been far too long since my last post, and it feels so good to be on here and getting a little creative energy out. Life has been full to the brim these past couple of months, and obviously, my kids come first, but I’ve realized just how much I need a little time for myself. Photography and this little bit of writing really invigorates me. It seems like I have a million thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head, and never enough time to write all of them!

I have a lot to share, but instead of trying to catch up on all of it, I’m just going to keep it short and simple for now.

ONE. We had a visit from my Dad a couple weeks ago! It’s been two years since he’s come to our house, so it was fun to have him here and show him some of the home improvement projects we’ve done. As soon as he pulled up in his Jeep, the girls ran to him with giant smiles and hugs.We were totally twinning in our American flag shirts… completely unplanned! Kaya and Kaelyn affectionately call him “Santa” because of his beard. About a week before Grandpa arrived, Kaelyn randomly started saying, “Santa’s coming!”. I was confused until I realized that she was actually talking about my Dad!He played CandyLand and Trouble with them, and even read them a story. They always love all the extra attention from grandparents. Nella has been a little wary of everyone recently, so she mostly avoided social interaction with Grandpa.And now Evie has met all her grandparents!

TWO. Nella has been such a loving and kind big sister to Eve, but she’s had a slightly difficult time adjusting to our new normal. She’s been struggling to fall asleep at night, and she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning screaming. We’re also just managing her strong 2-year-old tendencies.I’ve been trying to give her some intentional attention each day, whether it’s been snuggling or being silly or baking muffins together. I remember I started baking with Kaya around her age, and although it makes the biggest mess, it’s such a fun memory to have.She might not be the youngest of the family anymore, but her sisters play “baby” with her all the time lately.They tuck her into a box, pretending that it’s her bed, with her Beagle and all. She thinks it’s so much fun just to sit in there and get all the attention.THREE. I’ve been making an effort to get us outside in the mornings before we start our schoolwork. I used to be so diligent about taking the girls outside everyday, but then pregnancy and a newborn kind of threw us off for a bit. It’s refreshing to have that outdoor time with my babies, and it’s good for them to get some energy out before we sit down to learn.

Kaelyn picked me a dandelion.
 Nella peeks through these little windows and says “Hewwo!”Evie just gets a little stroller nap while we play!FOUR. Minnie Mouse lives at my house now. Apparently, she can drive…She’s also a pretty good babysitter! 😉FIVE. This baby! Oh, this beautiful baby girl. Part of the reason I’m so behind on everything is because I just keep snuggling her and soaking her in as much as I possibly can. It’s cliché, but it’s true- we blink and our babies seem to grow up in the instant we weren’t looking. Before I know it, she’ll be another year older, another foot taller… So I’m just savoring every moment with her as she is right now. She’s such a perfect angel and has the sweetest smile. It’s so easy to get her to grin that I probably have hundreds of photos of her just looking at the camera and beaming. Who could resist so many photos of this darling face?And what is it about babies in blue jeans? Melt my heart.
Happy Friday!

five favorites (09/05)

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Happy September! I have quite a few posts I’d like to catch up on this month, but I thought I’d start it all off with my classic “five” from the past week!

ONE. We’ve been soaking up the last of the summer weather (and the 100% humidity has been literally soaking us), but I’m making the very most of it while it lasts. Autumn seems to come and end in the blink of an eye in this region. Historically, our winter temperatures have lasted for up to six months, so I’m in no rush for the weather to change!

Kaya took her schoolwork outside to the hammock. We were writing “All About Me” books this day.Kaelyn joined in!Kaya and Kaelyn asked to have a picnic out on the deck for lunch one afternoon. These small things make them so happy. (Nella is still way too messy to join in on the fun just yet, so she ate in her normal seat!) Baby cuddles in the hammock for me! What could be better?TWO. I’m all clear to run! After my postpartum break, I’m ecstatic to be back at it. It’s slow going, but more distance and speed will come with time. For now, I’m just happy to be out there at all. It feels a little strange to run without my big belly, and I do miss having Eve with me, but I’m excited to get stronger and maybe race again sometime in the upcoming months.THREE. While I’m out running, Daddy and the girls are dressing up and dancing!I just love seeing what they get into with Daddy!FOUR. If you can’t tell from this picture, Nella is baby obsessed. Real baby in one arm, baby doll in the other!Babies holding babies.This was just a lucky shot, but I LOVE it! Smiles for kisses!FIVE. Can we talk about these cheeks? I’m seriously obsessed with our littlest lady. We’re really looking forward to having family in town for her baby blessing soon!

first day of school (2018)

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Here we are, jumping into our second official year of homeschooling. We’re all feeling rejuvenated after a long summer break, and we’ve enjoyed being back in the books since last Monday.

On the first day of public school, I felt the same conglomeration of emotion as I did last year:

Excitement for our first day.
Nervousness that we’ll really be able to do it all.
Worry that I’ve made the right choice for my family for another year.
Joy that I get to have my girls at home with me.

Sometimes, I still have my doubts that I’m really doing what’s best for everyone, but deep down, I know that homeschool is what we need right now. I can honestly say that this is the busiest season of my life. I’m caring for a newborn, keeping a toddler happy, attempting to have our house in some kind of order, and teaching my two oldest girls in the midst of it all. Our days are full to the brim, and at the end of each one, I’m completely exhausted, but I know that I’m fulfilling a grand purpose.I’m trying to remember that while working through our curriculum is important, the most crucial thing is that my children feel loved (this article was a great reminder). I’m not keeping them home just to make sure we check off every box on our to-do list, and I don’t want them to grow up and have memories of a mom nagging them to do their work. I want them to cultivate their own desire for knowledge and to discover what they’re truly interested in.

I’m making an effort to be intentional with our time. We have more time together than we would if they were attending public school, but I want to make it really count. We’re snuggling up and reading good books, learning about animals we’re curious about, and creating art together this year. We have a “lifestyle of learning” instead of just formal school hours, and I’m overjoyed by that.

I can’t believe my little kindergarten baby is now a first grader. She has been so excited to do first grade work. Math is her very favorite, but she’s really great at reading, writing, and spelling, too. (Also, Nella totally photobombed this picture, but it was Kaya’s most genuine smile, and hey, it’s true to life!)
She wanted to wear all her Hello Kitty jewelry for her pictures!Kaelyn is still doing a very relaxed preschool curriculum, mostly child-led. She completes as much work as she’s up to doing, which is often more than I would have prescribed. My main goal for her this year is to do 2-3 lessons per week from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Everyone wanted a special photo with Evie, so I had to include these. They love her so much! I’m glad they get to stay home and enjoy time with her in these fleeting early days of babyhood. Here’s to another wonderful, challenging, growth-filled year!

five on friday (08/17)

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Happy Friiiiiiday!!! The weeks are flying on by, and I feel like I can’t keep up, but I at least put together a Five on Friday post!

ONE. On Saturday, we went to a Turkish barbecue hosted by one of Michael’s co-workers, Russ. It was the perfect evening to be outside, and I was really looking forward to the food, since Mediterranean cuisine is my favorite. It was also really fun to show off our brand new little princess!It was nice to get out and do something- I’ve been a total homebody since Eve was born.
Kaelyn wants to hold her sister any chance she can. This is true happiness for her!
It’s not a real party unless your face is covered in chocolate at some point during the evening, right? More true happiness!

TWO. We’ve been doing a whole lot of walking around here, mostly because I’m not currently running. Each week, I’ve tried to make one of those walks a “family walk” that includes everyone (which is sometimes more challenging that it might seem). Both Kaya and Kaelyn wanted to hold my hand one night while Michael pushed the stroller, and it was just so sweet.We’ve enjoyed some stops at the playground, too!Who is this big kid trying to climb the ladder?And this big kid on a grown-up swing?

THREE. Evie wore this special little dress to church on Sunday. It brings back so many memories for me because this was the dress Kaya wore on her first day of church, and all the other girls have worn it, too. It’s still just as adorable as it was on day one!Love these two so so much.

FOUR. We’ve had some really great kid-created art happening around here! They wanted to paint one morning, and I loved seeing what they came up with. (Nella is too little to use paint just yet, but she still wanted to sit for the picture!)

FIVE. I had to put some sister pictures in here because they are too sweet! The three big girls were sitting in the chair together, so I just had to put the baby in there too and take the opportunity for a photo. This is Nella’s most-commonly-made face these days. We’ll talk to her and she’ll pretend she isn’t looking at us.What is it about seeing your baby kiss your baby? Melt my heart.Eve was also hugged by a tiger this week!Tiger kisses!Happy weekend! These will be our final days off before we officially start homeschool on Monday (although that hasn’t stopped the girls from working on some of their books already)!

last day of school (2018)

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Well… we did it! We made it! We’ve successfully completed a full school year of “official” homeschool. I have a lot of thoughts and emotions about how the year went and what we all learned in the process, but I’m hoping to make that another post, and just keep this one focused on the girls.

They looked so little at the beginning of the year. It doesn’t seem fair that time goes by so quickly. We kicked off our last day with donuts to celebrate (of course), and then headed out for a few “last day” photos.
I thought it’d be fun to do a little year-end interview with each of them. I based my questions off of this list.Kaya’s favorite things:

Subject: “Doing our green book and doing our zoo path!” (Language Arts/learning to read)
Color: “All the colors except black and brown, but my most favorite colors are indigo and turquoise and violet!”
Food: Spaghetti
Book: “That Jesus one, where you can open the little thingies…” (Lift-the-Flap Bible)
Toy: Bootsie (the cat)
Game: Mario Kart and Blokus
TV Show: Blue’s Clues
Indoor activity: “Playing with my cat, and playing with my sisters.”
Outdoor activity: “Getting the pool, put water in it, and then slide down the red slide!”
Best friends: “Mia, Kaelyn, Nella…” (and everyone in her primary class)
When I grow up, I want to be: “A cowgirl because I want to ride horses!”
What makes me happy: “That you guys are my parents!”
What makes me sad: “When we want to play Mario and Daddy says, ‘no’.”
I am really good at: “Drawing. I always stay in the lines. I don’t even go on top of the lines sometimes.”
I love: “Cats! Dogs! Cows! Pigs! Donkeys! Sheep!” (all animals!)

Kaelyn’s favorite things:

Subject: “Doing the color to color in the tiger book!” (color-by-number)
Color: “Pink and Purple!”
Food: Pizza
Book: “The Paw Patrol book!”
Toy: “My toy Skye!” (with the helicopter from Paw Patrol)
Game: Mario Kart
TV Show: Daniel Tiger
Indoor activity: “Play!”
Outdoor activity: “Play with the water table on the deck!”
Best friends:  “Kaya and Nella and new baby!”
When I grow up, I want to be: “A mommy!”
What makes me happy: “Playing with my sisters and mommy!”
What makes me sad: “When Daddy says we can’t play Mario.”
I am really good at: “Writing stuff! But I’m still practicing.”
I love: “Helping mommy feel better.”

And, I absolutely love this picture, because it’s completely real. All while I was taking the older girls’ photos, Nella was walking/crawling around in the grass next to us (you can see the dirt stains on her knees!). She stepped up next to her sisters, made her “cheese” face, and then went off to get even messier. I just feel like this photo completely sums up how it’s been to balance homeschooling with her this year- sometimes she was crazy and in the middle of everything, and other times she was just off doing her own thing.
I’m so proud of Kaya and Kaelyn and all that they’ve accomplished this year. They’ve both reached major milestones: learning to read, add, and subtract (Kaya), and recognizing the alphabet, writing letters and numbers, and practicing counting (Kaelyn). I’m so grateful that we’ve had this opportunity to learn and grow together.

On to first grade for Kaya, and a final year of preschool for Kaelyn! But for now, Happy Summer!

five on friday (05/04)

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Happy May! I can’t believe we’re already in the fifth month of 2018!

ONE. You know your kids have some great imaginations when they can play with a cardboard box for hours and hours. We ordered some patio furniture, and the box was just the perfect size to create a little house for the girls. They spent so much time decorating it with markers and tape, pushing it around, and pretending to “send Nella off to China!” (where do they get these ideas?)
I love seeing them be creative and come up with their own ways to play.TWO. The sunset light hit the blooming tree in the back yard so perfectly that I just had to take a picture of these pretty white blossoms. Spring is in full force (and therefore so are my seasonal allergies!), but I couldn’t be more excited about the warmth, sunshine, and all of nature seeming renewed. THREE. Right along with great weather comes photoshoots! I’ve been waiting for a warm day to put my little ladies in their matching dresses and get a few updated portraits.Being squished by kisses from both sides… this pretty much sums up how life is for Nella these days. I can’t believe we’ll be adding a fourth set of pigtails to the picture so soon!FOUR. We’ve spent every single afternoon out on the deck this week, and I don’t think this will ever get old. My hammock buddy! I think I might just stay out here until it’s time for the baby to come.FIVE. Even with all the sunshine and playing outside, we’ve still been doing some schoolwork. Kaelyn has really surprised me this week by learning to spell and write her name on her own! She can do it freehand, but this tracing page has been really helpful, too.She’s also turning into such a great little artist (this is her, Mommy, and Daddy, with hearts).Happy weekend!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five favorites (04/28)

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I feel like I’m always saying this, but it’s been a crazy week, so I missed doing my “Five” yesterday! We’ve been having as relaxing a Saturday as possible, so I’m happy to have a little time to catch up on here.

ONE. We all missed our favorite guy this week, because he was in Chicago at the GOTO Conference! It was a little rough without him, even though he gets serious credit for helping me with as much as he could before he left. I was super sick the night before he had to go, so he did a lot, including grocery shopping and cleaning up the guinea pigs. He really is the best.A couple of photos from his trip… Of course, he gave a talk on Docker (what else?), so Molly and Moby (the whales) had to tag along with him. Michael had some fun sending pictures of them adventuring around Chicago to Kaya and Kaelyn!TWO. While Daddy was gone, we tried to enjoy being outside as much as we could. I was a little too optimistic about the first 60-degree day, so I filled up the water table (with warm water) for the girls. The water cooled off a little too fast, and the girls got a little too wet, so everyone ended up cold. They still loved it, though!
This was Nella’s first time really playing with it, now that she’s good at walking and standing for long periods of time. I think this will be one of her favorite summertime activities.We had some fun at the playground. Don’t let her sad puppy-dog eyes fool you, Scout loves walks (and always tries to tangle herself up around the picnic table…)I enjoyed some time reading out in the hammock! I love that Nella walked over to me and asked to come up in it too. (Also, check out her bedhead! She seriously has the wildest hair!)THREE. Our homeschool mornings have been pretty relaxed here lately, and honestly, I’m okay with that. It’s kind of a combination of parenting on my own for a week/pregnancy sickness/spring fever/being done with all our kindergarten work besides spelling that has had us taking our time and just doing what we can.

I was so happy to see these girls snuggle and start reading as soon as they woke up one morning. They are obsessed with the American Girl books right now, and although I typically use them as read-alouds, Kaya can actually read a little of them on her own. I’m so grateful that they love learning, and that we all get extra time to spend together because of our choice to homeschool.FOUR. I guess the girls have been doing too much yoga with me lately, because Kaya wanted to make her own workout video (she even told me to “put it on Facebook”)! She came up with all her own exercises, and the theme of the video became “Exercises You Can Do with Your Cat”. Haha! I love her creativity.She wrote out every move before we could start recording…Some moves included planks/pushups with your cat on your back (I definitely would not recommend doing this with a real cat. Ouch!)……and lifting your cat high above your head while doing squats. Yup, pretty sure a real cat would have nothing to do with any of this…I didn’t post the whole video, but hearing her say “Namaste” at the end was just too dang cute, so here’s that.

FIVE. If you tell Nella to “say CHEESE!”, this is the face she makes now. Cutest little smile ever!Seriously, what’s more adorable than a smiling Dalmatian puppy?

Happy weekend!

Linking up here and here today!