Thankful Thursday

It's always a relief to not be sick anymore. I am thankful for feeling better after a sickness, and also for the healing power that the body has. Thankful that my body can fight the sickness so that I CAN feel better.

Wordless Wednesday: warmth and tea

 

Top 10 list: Roller Skating lessons (as an adult)

 

A picture of me after the lesson in the snack area. I wanted to catch the retro wall colors.

Ten things I have learned taking roller skating lessons and roller skating as an adult...

1. My balance and reflexes aren't what they used to be, but I feel like I am getting better each week.

2. When I am skating during the open skate and someone in front of me is about to fall it's hard not to almost fall myself, even if I was completely fine.

3. Roller skating is the most full body workout ever.

4. I'm afraid to go down, but not so afraid that it keeps me from continuing.

 5. My #1 goal is to stay up.

My LEGO sigfig (minifigure that is me) has roller skates because I love it so much.

 

6. Backwards skating is really, really, really hard for me. Especially when I get any kind of speed going.

7. I still love skating just as much as I did when I was a kid. Maybe even more.

8. Skating with another mom friend is the best.

9. There are some really talented people (adults) on that skate floor!

10. Someday I want to get my own pair of skates again, but for now the rentals work great.

The groovy rental skates

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for the weekends that we get to spend time working and/or playing together. Whether that be house projects or going to a fun museum. So thankful for the time to take a break from the everyday mundane life.
 

Wordless Wednesday: Fun Stamps!

 

My Weekly Notebook Week 7: Valentine's Day

 

Life this week...

Valentine's day was mostly just another day with chocolate pancakes for breakfast and time at the library playing Valentine's bingo for the boys. The hubs and I went to dinner the previous weekend to avoid the busy restaurants. So not much to our V-day, but I do love the holiday in general.

Homeschool this week...

Alex did awesome getting through a few lessons of math. He also started a human head anatomy puzzle while we did some reading for health. He got the teeth completed. He thought this was torture because apparently he hates puzzles. This puzzle might take a while!

Mom-school this week...

This page from my Brain Games Journal was actually done last week, but I never got around to posting it last week, so here it is now! I really enjoy a little coloring and relaxing. (sorry about the picture, I didn't realize it came out so blurry) 

Places we're going and people we're seeing... 

A few of our favorite things this week...

My favorite thing from the week was building my Lego roller rink creation. It was fun to get creative and see what I can do

Things I'm working on...

I am working on preparing for a LEGO convention which includes building something. Not sure if it will be done in time, but I'm trying. I'm also working on getting Valentine's decorations down to get the next holiday up.

Something I accomplished...

I mailed some Valentine's Day cards out to family, including April who is away at college.

What we're reading...

 

Alex and I read Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport to go along with his research report about MLK.

Movies/TV we watched... 

Alex and I watched The Maze Runner. This was an excellent movie.

Outdoor time...

Sadly we have not much time outside this week. I think we were out for a few minutes here or there but that's it.

Games we played...

We played the original version of Labyrinth. Alex continues to beat me at this game.

LEGO...

Finally got Alex to build one of his brickheadz sets from Christmas. I did the small puppy.

I'm cooking/eating...

I made chocolate pancakes and salisbury steak

I'm grateful for...

A fun new hobby of mine, LEGO. It really brings me so much joy and is such a creative outlet for me.

Thankful Thursday

 

I am so thankful for holidays and celebrations that bring families together and remind us of the good things we have in life. Valentine's day just happened, and I am already looking forward to the next holiday, Easter!

Wordless Wednesday

 Happy Valentine's Day

Thankful Thursday

 

Life with grocery pick-up is amazing for a busy momma! I can have a cart open and adding stuff so we're less likely to forget too.

Wordless Wednesday: Art class

 Great Horned Owl Chalk Pastel lesson from You are an Artist.

My Weekly Notebook week 5: February is here!

 

Life this week...

It's the start of a new month. The one with pink hearts and pink blossoms, and hints of spring coming just around the corner. We had a few warm days this week, and boy did it feel like spring was coming early. Of course it was just a tease. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled rainy/gray days now. But, good news, I think the groundhog predicted an early spring here, so yay! If you believe an animal can make such predictions we're in for a treat, right? We'll see...

Homeschool this week...

The Friendly Chemistry curriculum we are using this year is awesome. There are some great tools and labs to go along with the lessons, and the lessons are easy to understand. I'm even getting a great refresher on everything. This weeks lesson includes learning the electron arrangement of an atom using the doo-wop board. 

Places we're going and people we're seeing... 

We went to all the usuals this week classes, teen hangout, etc. I snapped this picture of some blossoms I caught in between classes at Village Home. 

Things I'm working on...

I'm working on getting outside everyday. It's hard to do when it's wet and rainy and cold, but I'm always proud of myself if I can get out even just for 15 minutes. I need to create more reasons to be outside.

Random things the kids worked on... 

Alex learned quilling in his 3D art class. He did awesome. Made his first name initial. I'm a little jealous because I've always wanted to try quilling, but haven't sat down to do it yet. I was so proud of him for trying this new thing. 

Something I accomplished...

I spent most of the week planning and prepping the house for hosting mom's night. The house still wasn't perfect, but I think I did okay and only panicked a few times. Ended up having 6 ladies join me for a soup dinner and LEGO building night. Sadly the only picture I got was of my clean table. 

What we're reading...

We are still reading The Princess and the Goblin. I have been trying to get our morning basket time going again. We were pretty good about reading most mornings this week. The purple ball is for fidgeting and tossing around. Some of the other things we read this week: A Shakespeare from Classic Poetry, and Marie's Words to learn some new words. We also continued our  Picasso study.

 

 

Outdoor time...

I went for a walk with a friend at Silver Falls and helped hubby with fixing something on the car.

Games we played... 

We started to play Calico, but got as far as punching all the pieces out and ran out of time. Hopefully we can try again next week. 

LEGO... 

I had fun rebuilding our small Legoland set to create a sigfig scene for Instagram. I enjoyed building and taking pictures of it. 

Other thoughts from the week... 

I decided to bring back the white board on the fridge drawing challenge. It has been fun to see what pops up there. 

I'm grateful for...

Today I am grateful for the extra time I get with my kids because we homeschool.

Thankful Thursday

I didn't always have reliable transportation growing up. In fact I remember walking or busing a lot. As I was driving today I thought it is amazing to have a car/van at my disposal and that I have to freedom to drive freely when I need to.

Wordless Wednesday

 

My Weekly Notebook: Time for travel? (Is it time yet?)

 

Life this week...

It's about this time of winter that I start dreaming of getting away. Especially to somewhere warm and sunny. I wish I could say I have a trip planned real soon to said place, but I don't. It is time to start thinking about the travels we want to make for spring and summer. Probably a lot of camping mostly this year.

Homeschool this week...

It was a long week of getting work samples ready. Some things we had to focus on more than others to get some good samples. For example, an art project for Alex. He did a Winnie the Pooh chalk pastel lesson.

Mom-school this week...

I am thinking about starting an IEW teachers course. It might be a good idea for me to get trained in a writing course. I didn't do much actual studying of my own this week. It was busy.

Helpful homeschool tips and advice to share...

The website My Teaching Library was super useful for me this week. I highly recommend this resource for lots of extra printables and curriculum.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

It was a pretty normal week as far as going to Village Home and our nature group. The boys had some friend outings and their D&D group on Saturday.

A few of our favorite things this week... 

One of my favorite things was an unplanned night outside looking at the stars with hubby while sitting by the little fire, and then getting an awesome picture of it.

Something I accomplished...

I made cupcakes for LEGO day (the 28th of January). I even made little chocolate minifigs (green because it was all I had on hand). I also got one kid's work samples finished. Now to get the last 2 done.

What we're reading...

• The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald (morning read-aloud)
  
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (mom)

Movies/TV we watched... 

I watched Fried Green Tomatoes with hubby on Saturday night. I'm also making my way through the Once Upon a Time series on Disney+

Outdoor time...

I have decided to take a picture outside everyday and post it to my Instagram. I am on Day 6 and I have to say I'm really enjoying it.

LEGO...

I built a skate shop to go with my roller skating rink that I'll be building soon. I need to have my roller skating rink done by March for the LEGO convention. I've got to get on that!

I'm grateful for...

Each and everyday I get to homeschool my kids.

Thankful Thursday

 

I feel blessed as I see all the great books and lessons we get with all the curriculum available to us. It hasn't always been this way. Sometimes it even feels like too much, but what can I say, I love books! So thankful for them all.

Wordless Wednesday

Booksharing Monday

Alex received a new cookbook for his birthday and he is inspired! He wants to cook all the things now, and that's fine by me. I have been hoping to get them in the kitchen again. As they have gotten older it has been more difficult to get them involved in the cooking. But, I'm excited to see what this brings about.

 

His first recipe choice is this burger one.

My Weekly Notebook: Week 3--tired!

 

Life this week...

By the end of the week I was just tired. Tired of the ice and cold, tired and unmotivated, tired of being cooped up inside, and tired of being bored. I'm looking forward to a new week. I don't know if I'll be less tired, because lets face it, I'm always tired! But, I think next week we'll be mostly back to normal.

Homeschool this week...

We ended up being home everyday for most of the day all week due to ice. So no outside classes or breaks. These weeks are hard and very unmotivating. We did however get something done each day, and we started back up reading The Princess and the Goblin.

Helpful homeschool tips and advice to share...

Look for fun holidays to celebrate to make your homeschool days more interesting. I discovered that it was "Winnie the Pooh" day on the 18th this week and was able to add in some fun things to our days. Here is an extensive list that has so many extra holidays: Holidays and Observances dot com

Places we're going and people we're seeing... 

I took a few walks. I really want to get outside every single day and document it, but haven't been able to get out every day because...rain. I don't like to walk in the rain. I should probably just find a way. Here is a picture of the sky one day.

A few of our favorite things this week...

My favorite thing this week was building a skate rental shop out of LEGO for my roller skating rink that I'm going to be making. It came together better than I thought it would, and I'm feeling more confident about making a rink than I was before.

Things I'm working on...

• I'm still building the Harry Potter Hogwart's LEGO castle. Halfway done with this.
• I'm wanting to get back into some other crafts like my diamond art projects, cross-stitching, and possibly quilting.
   

Something I accomplished...

I did yoga two mornings. My goal is every morning, but everyday I find every excuse.

 

What we're reading...

This would be where I'd list all the many books we read this week, but we didn't really do a lot of reading. I am still reading the Addie LaRue book and we had our read aloud, but that was about it.

Movies/TV we watched...

I watched Namu. I saw it featured at the orca exhibit at OMSI a few weeks ago and checked it out from the library. It was definitely a slower '60's movie, but I thought it was fun to watch.

   

I also watched Christopher Robin and loved this little scene from the movie. It so reminds me of my kids anytime I am trying to get something done. Also, the first time I watched this with my kids they loved doing this in the car for a long time afterwards.

Outdoor time...

We are only up to 8 hours. I feel like the more I want to get outside, the less we do. It just doesn't happen naturally anymore. The kids don't gravitate naturally to parks, or playing outside anymore. Although Alex did go out and play in the ice/snow with the neighbor kids for the first time probably since summer. It was so nice, and I counted it!

Games we played...

I can't believe we didn't play any games! But, like I said, I had zero motivation this week with being stuck inside.

LEGO... 

I pulled out my Pooh minifigs from a set to get a picture for "Pooh day" aka A.A. Milne's birthday. I love celebrating birthdays, even if it's just an author of a classic book.

I'm cooking/eating...

I had to cook way too much being stuck inside all week! Just kidding, I don't mind cooking a lot, but I don't remember what I made. I know I made Beef Stroganoff and Chicken fajitas. Those were probably 2 of my better dishes from the week, and the rest was just survival.

Something that worked out great or didn't work out for us this week...

The ice totally didn't work out for us. Or did it? We didn't lose power and we had everything we needed. I consider that working out for an ice storm considering last major ice storm we lost power for 5.5 days. So, I guess both?

I'm grateful for...

How much doing these weekly posts help me review the week, and how they help me see what we need to work on more throughout the week and how much we really did accomplish.

Thankful Thursday

 

Wordless Wednesday: Icicles

 

52 lists for calm: Your senses right now

Take one minute to focus and check in with each of your senses, what do you feel, smell, hear, taste, and see? List everything you can sense right in this moment:

• I feel warm
• I see ice outside
• I see lights to read in the dark
• I taste a meat stick I just snacked on
• I smell nothing
• I can breathe okay
• I feel excited for bed
• I hear peace and quiet
• I see LEGO to be built
• I feel tired

The challenge this week is to try this everyday in different environments, sitting down for 5 minutes and just go through each sense and jot down what I feel. I am hoping to do this outside at least once. 

This is a lists project from the book 52 lists for Calm by Moorea Seal

My Weekly Notebook: Week 2 - Ice

 

Life this week...

We ended the week with a weekend of freezing rain, ice, and sleet. Everything was cancelled and the roads are pretty much ice skating rinks, so we've opted to not go anywhere. It has been nice, but also just annoying. I would have liked to have a normal weekend. We were lucky and didn't lose our power though! That is definitely a blessing! I will be glad when it all melts. 

Homeschool this week...

We finally played Element Bingo for Aric's Chemistry lab for lesson 1. It was a great review for learning and getting familiar with the elements.

 

Mom-school this week...

I have decided to start a daily separate Mom-school list for myself. I make daily lists for the kids' school, so why not one for myself?! I'm always unsure what to do, having  a list will be nice for direction and record keeping when I need it. Hopefully this will help me do more of my own learning on a daily basis.

Helpful homeschool tips and advice to share...

Got a book or curriculum that you want to use in your homeschool? Check if the publisher offers extra educational material to go along with it. I've found so many helpful, educational things, to go along with our lessons when I check. For example our Turing Tumble set. I looked online to see what ideas there were for teaching and turns out there is a whole 118 page practice guide to print up with extra puzzles and explanations. Don't forget to check when you get a game too!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

We were back to classes at Village Home this week. It was a long break that started Thanksgiving week. We also went to Langer's on Tuesday and Alex got to celebrate his birthday with his friends. They bowled, laser tagged, and played at the arcade. On Monday we went on a walk with our homeschool nature group at Keizer Rapids Park. I think that wraps up the places we went. I guess I kinda went backwards with that timeline, but it works!

A few of our favorite things this week...

Alex says his favorite thing from the week is the snow/ice we got this weekend. He even went outside to play with a few neighbor kids to play and drive his RC car around for a bit. Not much gets him outside these days unless I make him so I'd say this is no surprise for his favorite thing.

Things I'm working on...

I have pulled out the Harry Potter LEGO castle to work on again. I'm almost exactly halfway through (finished 2 out of 4 books).  It has been slow building because I have to take so much time finding pieces. When I took it apart last time I didn't bag the pieces in separate bags. So, all the pieces are one big jumbled mess. I hope to finish it this week. It is still fun to build though!

Random things the kids worked on...

Earlier this week I mentioned to Alex that he hadn't used his RC car in a while and that he should charge the batteries, so this weekend he finally pulled it out and worked on it with his dad. It's finally fixed and now we can take the RC car for regular walks again!

Something I accomplished...

I got the kitchen table cleared and ready for the new school week coming up. Got assignments ready to go and found books and things needed for at least Monday.

Movies/TV we watched... 

I checked out A Charlie Brown Valentine from the library and watched it with Alex. It made me laugh. I love the antics of Charlie Brown and his take on life is hilarious sometimes.

 

Outdoor time...

We are halfway through January and we only have 6 hours. It's hard because I have no desire to be cold, but that's what it is right now. I just need to do it anyway.

Games we played... 

Alex and I played Boggle for the first time (we got this game for Christmas). Alex did pretty good for his first time! It took him a few rounds to get how the words could be connected/found, but he finally figured it out.

 

LEGO...

I made another mosaic for my collage of mosaics. This one is the puppy. I love these mosaics because I just follow the pattern. I don't have to think about how to make it at all. It's nice for a quick project.

 

I'm cooking/eating...

I made taco pizza for one of the pizzas on pizza night at home. It's one of my favorites right now.

 

Other thoughts from the week... 

Alex scored some fun Croc Jibbitz charms in a mystery grab bag. We also returned a too small pair that I had bought online and he picked these ones out in the store. We were able to make sure they fit. He loved the grab bag.

 

I'm grateful for...

A gas fireplace. It's nice to have for cold days/weeks like this.