Picking our first topics for Summer Homeschooling

This summer, the kids decided they wanted to be home-schooled. This stemmed from a conversation about how 'boring' summertime is, and how they didn't want to just watch TV and go to the pool everyday. Then I called the aliens and told them to bring back my biological children and take these ones back to Mars. The community pool and watching TV were what I lived for every summer, but apparently, my kids have taken all my lectures about being 'life-long learners' to heart. And I thought no one was listening. Lucky me.

They had no problem devising a list of topics, which included Quantum Physics, as well as how to make stop action videos with snapshots. Hmm. Well, we decided to start out a littttttle less ambitiously.

Day One of the Cutshall summer homeschooling project. Ethan has picked the history of timekeeping for his first project and Meghan wants to know the history of comic strips. They picked spelling lists, developed "I wonder..." statements, and wrote down what they already knew about their topics.

Meghan: I wonder why comics are called comics.

I wonder how many comics are in color.

I wonder how long is the longest comic. (I think she means longest running.)

I wonder if there are comics in other countries.

Ethan: Are there ways to keep time other than sundials, watches, and clocks?

How do clock makers know where to put the gears in order for the clock to work?

Are there different types of of time keeping in other parts of the world?

Surprisingly, they seem to have lots of facts about their topics, and have come up with good spelling lists. Ethan's includes horology, sexagesimal, and chronometry. I think we'll be doing some definitions this week!

Zaniness, disguised as a girl

My baby is a crazy girl. And I can prove it.

Let's look at take 2 first, shall we?

This was taken after her older brother's orchestra concert. All I wanted was a nice picture of the two of them, dressed in something other than t-shirts and sweatpants.

"Stand up by the piano, and I'll take your picture."

Here's the reason we had to have a 'take 2':

It does have that certain je ne sais crazy to it, no?

Freaky Fotos, part 2

More freaky photos...

Meg, sporting a Na'vi blue look.

See?

On this one, I couldn't figure out what that blob was on the left.

Um, yeah, that would be my son.

Freakity freak:

Not freaky. However, we are showcasing the large chin inherited from his papa:

Meg, laughing at another picture.

A bit freaky, but I love this one the most! Green teeth and all.

Freaky Fotos, part I

I was fooling around the other day, attempting to get a good shot of the kids that we can use for a four piece photo that I've been trying sporadically (sporadically = when I remember. ADHD much?) to get together. (Those of you who see me on facebook know that sporadic is indeed the word, as this has been my profile pic for about a year.)

I'd like to get one of each of us, and then frame them in one large frame.

Here's mine:

Not bad. Took some fooling around to hide the double chin, but it's acceptable. I figured I would get the kids' next, as it's best to leave the least cooperative (read = Matt) until last.

And here is Ethan's first take:

Meh. Ok, take two:

Better, but weirdly cross-eyed? Take three:

Oh, my.

Ok, take FOUR:

Hmm. Love Meg on the right, nosing in.

And nosing would be the operative word:

There is something Psycho-esque about this one:

SERIOUSLY. I think this may be a project best revisited at a later date.

Survey says?

YEP!

Begging for $5 Milkshakes

Meghan: "I know the answer is probably no, but......"

Me: "Hope springs eternal?"

Ethan: "Huh. I though it was denial that sprang eternal around here."

Never a truer word was spoken. Smartass.

Baby Lust and Birth Control

This is my nephew. . .

See his little chubby cheeks? And the red feathery hair reminds me of my son when he was tiny.

There is baby neck snuggling. And buttery soft skin. And little hands that cling like starfish.

This is the sweetness of babies that is at the heart of baby lust.

And this is birth control reasserting its way back into my rational mind.

See my nephew? He is sitting in the SnuggleEgg, watching the big kids hunt Easter eggs at my mother and dad's house.

See the look on his face? His mother just went around the front of the house. And he is what we colloquially call 'strange'. As in, "He's ten months old now; he's a little strange with people."

"Where is she? I don't think I can survive without her! I'm stuck in this damn SnuggleEgg, and everyone is laughing and it's not funny and where is she???"

"Why aren't you people helping me in my time of need???"

Every time my sister moved out of his eyeshot, this child cried heartbreakingly. And that is enough to remind me that I've have gone through this with my own sweet babies and that I'm glad that we all made it though in one piece. I don't want to go back there again.

See that man in the background? He's glad that the birth control wins over the baby lust. He the one who had to stay with two crying babies every time I went to work, to class, or to Target to find some sanity. And he's glad that our kids are not strange anymore.

Springiness and all that...

Spring, the season of Easter eggs, church, dresses, candy overload and.... fishing!

Here is our Easter weekend, in semi-reverse order. Or you may call that random order. Whatever. Roll the tape.

My nieces, waiting for the appointed hour of the Easter egg hunt

at Grammy and Pappy's on Saturday...

Trying on the new Easter dresses that Grammy made.

(and not holding very still for a picture, too.)

Checking out the loot!

Going to a Easter trick or treat on Good Friday

at our local minor league ball park with friends.

Fishing on Maundy Thursday because Jesus said to be a fisher of men?

No, actually, fishing because it was a teacher inservice day in the kids' district, so it

was a DADDY AND KIDS: GREAT BIG DAY OF FUN!

This is typically how the kids engage in fishing.

A teeny snapper.

A huge Froggy.

A Happy Easter!