Brown-Eyed Girl

Something new happened today. Karley has always kept herself busy when Julia and I "do school." But today was different. She was cranky, and nothing really seemed to make her happy (note: this photo was taken yesterday, not today). By the time we finished up (shortly before noon) Karley was downstairs by herself on the floor crying. I asked her what was wrong and what I was able to get out of her was this:

she was angry with me because I had taken her playmate away from her.

Now this is one angle to homeschooling that I had not considered. I'm hoping she doesn't feel this way too long. I try to include her with her own "school work," but so far she has not been interested.

Well, six weeks down and still going fairly well....more next week.

Cave Wall Painting

Julia and I each made "cave wall" paintings using crumpled up brown paper bags and paint. Julia's picture is the bottom one. She says the animal on the left is a horse, in the center is a mother deer with her fawn, and the creature on the far right is a mammoth coming straight out of the page. In my cave wall painting I show a father teaching his son how to hunt his first mammoth. Our work is proudly displayed on the wall!

Today we made a model of the Nile River. It is a roasting pan with potting soil, a foil-lined river, and we planted seed along the "banks" of the river. We flooded the Nile (which it used to do each year....not sure if it still does that now...I doubt it...modern people tend not to like floods) and we will continue to add water (and flood the banks) to see how our "crops" grow. Not sure about the success of this one. When I say "flooded" I mean FLOODED by a 5 year old!!!

Apple Hill....again

Glad I was sitting on the uphill side of the car!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Roller Skating!

PACT's back-to-school social event was held last week. Rollerskating at John's former preteen hangout, Roller King in Roseville. Our girls had been excited about it for a week and kept asking me if it was easier than ice skating which they tried last winter at Northstar. We told them that yes, it is easier but still takes a little getting used to. Julia and Karley skated holding on tightly to one of us around and around the rink several times. Both of them fell and both of them got to a point where they were frustrated and I was beginning to think that this whole thing was a mistake. But after a little break and a little ice cream, Karley said she was ready to roll. So she and I go out again and this time she is doing great! She is so much stronger and more confident. She even pulls away from my hand to go meet a new friend and skate with her. Within moments Julia finds these two new friends skating together and holding hands so she make a bee-line over there. Another girl, who is also in computer class, sees Julia heading for Karley and her new friend and she joins in too. Before you know it there is a girl clique formed at the roller rink! It was amazing, like they had just aged 10 years. The four girls (soon to become five girls) acted like they were long lost friends and headed off to go play air hockey. They played and played until the last song warning was announced and then they got back out there and skated. It was a great night!

I'm Back!

Well, after a long week and a half I have my computer back! Hurray!!! We have been doing well and staying busy of course. Don't worry, I have many stories to share (with photos!), but I'll save that for when these two are in bed and the house is quiet. I can't believe we are about to wrap up our 6th week tomorrow. The time is going by quickly and Julia's skills are improving. I'm noticing big changes with her reading, writing, and math skills. She is enjoying our history lessons and our science reading and notebook pages. When we get time we squeeze art in there too, but unfortunately we have missed it some weeks between trying to get the "basics" done and fitting in the classes on campus (not to mention homework for her Kindergarten class).

So, bear with me.....more homeschooling stories ahead........

Computer Woes

Well, my "new" computer needs servicing. It seems that the DVD drive that has been so tempermental from the beginning is actually defective and the Toshiba tech support woman didn't even want to try to fix it over the phone. This means of course that I have to take it in to an authorized dealer for servicing. It is still under warranty (just 27 days left!) so I kind of have to do what they want, I guess. The bad thing is that their authorized dealers are in either southern Cal or the Bay Area. I guess we are still just a cow town here. Of course, that also means that they won't cover the cost of shipping to or from the dealer. So I'm looking at shipping off my precious computer to some faceless company to replace the drive. My other option is to drive all the way to Concord to drop it off and then drive back a week or so later to pick it up. None of these options sound good, and it will likely mean I will be without my trusty computer for a week or two. I'm sure I'll have many stories to share once I get it back. Wish me luck!