I found an unschooling message board the other day(part of www.unschooling.com ) and have become part of their email list. They gave me some really good sites and ideas for getting Britt's portfolio together. Between these ideas and the Homeschool Tracker:
http://www.tghomesoft.com/viewTour.aspx
I think we might survive!
Britt finished a second book. What's the name? And has been researching all day(like since 3pm) the life of Pope John Paul II. She was telling me about it tonite at dinner. She said she also started info on the tsunami that hit back on Dec 26th.
Turns out we both have been making lists on other examples of subjects she has learned about this past yr. Great minds think alike, huh? LOL! I've spent most of the day on the computer working on the Hs Tracker. Added all the field trips since June and some journal work.
Tomorrow I hope to pull out all the pics I can find as well as newspaper clippings on Hurricane Charley.
Dallas has been playing Finding Nemo on ps2 for the past hr. He was building trees with his legos earlier.
Kallee was playing her keyboard and making up songs. Now she is playing w/her stuffed Panda bear. He makes noises and moves.
We're watching American Idol. Our hometown girl "Baby V" is still on. YAY!
We saw on the local news tonite there are 3 brush fires between 2 counties here. Big ones.
Mama loves u... 8:23 PM
Mom I dont get this at all... i sign in as me and it goes to your name to edit your stuff. And im getting really aggravated with it!
Mama loves u... 1:44 AM
Today's a really beautiful day. I opened up the house and there's an awesome breeze blowing thru. We fed the fish in the koi pond, but only saw 2 of the smaller gold fish:( That water is so yucky! We have to find an inexpensive way to clear it up...The pool is looking better but still needs shocked. The kids wanted to go swimming today but I know the chemicals aren't right and also they would be too cold as I haven't had the heater on all week. Kallee has been dressing up off and on all day and playing make believe. She's back on the "steve" kick again (from Blues Clues). Dallas has been loud all day. That boy doesn't *have* an inside voice! LOL!
Now they are playing with their leapsters. Those things have really helped teach both kids words and phonics.
Britt what have you been working on all day? What do u plan on doing? OOOps u just asked me for $$$ for the movies. I know you're bored.
We're planning on going to the park later. I love that we have one about 2 blocks(as the crow flies) from home. Wish some days we could walk it, but the way the canals are around here, its 3 blocks west, 2 blocks north and 1 block east. And a busy road along the way.
Kallee is playing w/magnets from her Polly Pocket set. She's learning how it draws metal to it. Thinks its really cool.
Mama loves u... 3:37 PM
Home... 
Mama loves u... 2:49 PM
Omgosh You did! ROFL it's a start...So maybe today you'll tell me some of the things you read/did on your laptop. How did you like the 2 books you've read? which one was better?
Not much went on today. The kids wanted me to trace their hands and then they colored them in. I went out to add chlorine tabs to the pool pump and ended up staying out there for more than an hr weeding. Kallee came out to help and we found a snail shell. We put it up on the screen ledge so that she and Dallas could see if there was a snail inside. Later in the day, Kallee checked on it and the snail was coming out of the shell! It grossed her out LOL!
Britt was laying out by the pool reading(her tan is looking good!) and Kallee and Dallas played on the lanai this afternoon. Snail watching too. Weeding did me in and it was about 4 hrs before I could do anything.
Britt's on her laptop now and the kids are watching Calliou in my room. We (Britt and I) have Trading Spaces on the tv. We love TLC and HGTV and the Style channel.
I have no energy, can't think...
Mama loves u... 11:36 AM
I don't know why it matters to us really. We have no schedule LOL. Every day is Saturday...or Friday.
Dallas and I got up around 9:45am. Kallee slept til 11am(unbelievable but she woke up around 2 b/c she had a bad dream). Britt got up sometime after that but with a headache. We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast, yummy! Dallas still has a froggy voice. No sore throat, a sneeze now and then. I think its allergies. Its been beautiful out. Kallee wants the house opened up but its too hot for that. Not much of a breeze.
Shane came by around 11 and hung out til 4pm. Devin came for his lunch break. I love it when they stop by. As long as they don't try to take over(Shane). He means well. I have to try to remember that.
Shane read the Whale Book to Kallee and played w/Dallas on the computer. They also played w/the cat using an old tie. They showed their atm banks and took the $$ out an put it back in a coin at a time. Its cool b/c the bank keeps track and adds the deposits and subtracts the withdrawls and it is displayed as it goes in the window.
(5:30 pm)Kallee has taken out all of the VHS tapes in the pit and is lining them up and trying to read all the titles. She's just whizzing along, sees a word a time or two and just remembers it.
~*~Britt is on her laptop. She is supposed to be adding her part to this. I'll let last nite slide b/c it was late when I started this, but today she needs to start. I know she read the whole book "Princesses Don't Sweat" yesterday...
I cut Kiwi's hair this afternoon. Well, ok, chopped it. Picture shearing a sheep w/ those little bathroom scissors...took about 2 hrs. He was so good about it that I gave him 5 treats LOL! The kids want me to cut his tail too but I like it long. I'm going to thin it out tho. I'll give him a bath later and start trimming the hairs I missed.
I'm trying to play around w/this blog and add pictures etc. Don't have a clue what I'm doing. I'm hoping Britt will help me. I know she's been changing her journals etc and knows alot more than me! I downloaded bloggerbot and picasa2...and i'm going in circles...
(11:50pm)Ha! Finally figured it out(a while ago). And was so simple I was missing it LOL!
Low key night, kids played, Britt's been on her laptop all day. I read 2 books to Kallee and Dallas before bed-"Bat Jamboree" and "Friend Frog" They were not impressed. We rocked for a few minutes and then they went to bed...they were asleep in 5 minutes! (it was 11:30 tho)
Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the park. Or was it tomorrow that its supposed to rain? hmmm.
Maybe Britt will add something to this? (hint hint) I hate to keep bugging her about this, but unfortunately state law says I have to keep track of what the kids "learn" and that they are progressing. It really gets to me b/c I know these kids are learning things all day every day but getting "proof" (paperwork, essays, portfolio-type stuff) is what I have to have for their eval. every yr. Also need it for transcripts if they choose to go to college etc. I go thru stressing over pleasing the school board and allowing my kids to go and do what ever they're interested in and do it their own way. Who is going to care in 10 yrs how/when they figured out Algebra? No one. What counts is if they are doing something they love, are happy with their lives and are able to take care of themselves. *But* they do have to jump thru certain hoops if they want to go to college(classes that have to be taken to get a degree in that particular field etc). But then again, won't they decide to learn what they need to learn in order to accomplish their dreams as they need to? For example: someone who quit school as a teen decides they want to be an accountant or marine biologist or interior designer or doctor etc. They would start studying whatever it was they needed to in order to gain the knowledge and/or certification necessary to make that their career. The point is they learn something b/c they want to get that end result, not b/c that is what you learn in 10th grade in public school.
OK, I'm done going in circles. It's late...
Mama loves u... 3:54 AM
There i wrote something :- p
Mama loves u... 1:26 AM
Mama's Babies
Mama loves u... 7:25 PM
Kiwi after(4-22-05)
Mama loves u... 5:47 PM
Kiwi before(12-27-04)
Mama loves u... 5:17 PM
Well, here we are. I was hoping to write as much as I could think of but Dallas woke up. I know he's going to scream any minute...
We went to the library today. Kallee got 2 books and so did Dallas. I got a softback: Math the Easy Way. This way Britt can see where she stands and what she needs to work on.
I read one book to Kallee tonite before bed. Both kids played on the computer and with Leapster.
We need to work on the koi pond. It's still really really green.
Mama loves u... 2:53 AM
