A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Early March


Was it really only 2 weeks ago we were allowed to go out and gather in groups?


Jack's trap team.  The season is likely over for them now, but just a couple weeks back was their first shoot of the year.


During Arts Week, the kids visited a welding place.  This is Jack's creation.  I think the bike chains represent a stream.  There are dinos on the opposite bank.  Hannah made a face for hers, but I don't know what became of it.


Our cat is so weird.  He loves feet and shoes.


Oh, my heart.  Sam made my day by sending pictures of himself and a few other friends all gussied up.  They were headed to a "transitioning to civilian life" practice interview.  Sam has less than a year left in the Marines.


And this is when things got weird.  Suddenly all the toilet paper disappeared, and the public schools shut down.

I believe EGUSD was the first in the nation to close the whole district all at once.  My kids' school remained open much longer.  Now our whole state is shut down.


And yes, crafting is my therapy, and I have a weird sense of humor.  I made the girls t-shirts.  Gotta keep that Cricut Machine (affiliate link) going.  I actually started a Cricut post last month, and never finished it.  I want to show off all the cool stuff I've been making since Christmas.  I'll have to buckle down and get that done soon.


Friday, March 20, 2020

Catching Up Again


Now that I'm hanging out in the school room more, I'm bound to be more active blogging.


Grumman, standing atop a twin mattress.  Because cats.


He's a psycho kitty, but we love him.


The kids had spirit week.  On decades day, Hannah went as a hippy.


And Katie represented the '80s, with her leopard leggings, one of Jack's dress shirts, some jelly bracelets, and a side ponytail.


One of the days was Animal Day.


And one day was red/white/blue day.  I bought a red & white raglan at the craft store and let Jack design something to put on it using my Cricut machine. (affiliate link)  I love the way it came out! 


I'm glad my ironing board cover is the same color as the cat.  He loves hanging out there.


Remember Kylie, Zach & Heather's dog that we watched?  She had her first heat, so I was asked to make her a couple diapers.


Jack got to go to Lake Tahoe for a couple days with school.


Our first race of 2020.  Also, Eli's last race.  He's decided he's done.  Sad face.


We had littles in the house recently!  A friend is undergoing cancer treatment, and several of us took a turn with her children.


Which means that all the little kid stuff was out.  Which inspired the not so little kids to play with it, too.


"Feeling cute, might lock your iPad later, IDK."


One of the small fries had an accident, so I put him in my tub and made new underwear and pants for him.  I was in such a hurry, I didn't bother to change serger threads from the doggie diapers.


My cute little labels.


And the finished pants.  No pockets, due to time.


Eli and Miss Adorable spending every last moment together before he leaves for boot camp. 


I'm starting to get away from dressing the girls alike, but did do coordinating outfits for Valentine's Day. 


As our family size has dwindled over the years, we've gotten to the point where the old, full size, gas guzzling van is no longer the most appropriate vehicle for us.  Meet Matilda.  She's my new wheels, and I'm enamored. 


Our second race for 2020 was the Undy Run, for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.  Unfortunately, races are being cancelled or postponed left and right now.  I was bummed about the Shamrock race, because I had great socks for the event. 

But, it's all for the greater good.  So, for now, we stay home.  When the time comes, and we can race again, we'll appreciate it all the more. 

Stay Healthy, friends! 

Monday, March 16, 2020

The Sudden Homeschool



And just like that, thousands of families are homeschooling.  I feel bad for the ones who've never done it before.  The ones who think they have to do everything just the way the school does it.  The ones who aren't sure they'll survive weeks at home with their kids.  

I'm grateful for the 19 years experience I have homeschooling my kids.  But it's still jarring to go from the routine of having the kids in school to the new routine of homeschooling again.  


So I decided to start us off fun & easy... with an art project!  I started by using my Cricut machine (affiliate link) to cut shamrock stickers.  Then we made rainbows around them, using chalk pastels. 


This is what my little example looked like.


And these are Hannah and Katie's finished pictures. 


While they worked on their art project, I read aloud The Story of St. Patrick, More Than Shamrocks and Leprechauns, from Voice of the Martyrs.  (another affiliate link)

After art, I asked the girls to imagine they were Patrick, and write a letter home to his parents from captivity.  

Jack will be watching the Crash Course video on the Periodic Table of Elements, as that's what he's been working on in science at school.  

I'm going to pick up the kids' assignments from the school later today, so tomorrow will look much more "school-y" than our first day, but it's nice to have a gentle start.  I'm also picking up a bagful of books from the library, to keep up with Hannah's voracious appetite for reading during her down time.  

While I didn't plan to homeschool again, I'm excited about the prospect.  It's nice to have everybody home together while we weather uncertain times.  If any of my readers find themselves suddenly homeschooling and would like some help, I'm absolutely willing to point you toward some resources or answer questions for you.  

Stay healthy out there!