Fun at Music Class!

So, one of the challenges in homeschooling is to keep things interesting. Mixed up. Constantly trying to make SOMETHING in each unit, class, week, etc. fun, and educational in a DIFFERENT way.

Yesterday we hit the nail on the head in music class. I had heard from the homeschool group that the House of Blues put on educational shows/seminars for children. It's the Blues Schoolhouse and one happened yesterday. It was an entire production on the History of the Blues...and how it affects music today.

So, we're up early and off to downtown Dallas with my giddy little boy (he was stoked about going to the H.O.B.'s mostly). We get there, get seated and I don't know how to express how fantastic this event was.

They had a timeline and a woman talking...about the 1700's and the slave trade. Then they opened up the curtains to an entire band and took the blues through slavery, through the Jim Crow law, through country blues into suburban blues into rock, rap, gospel, all of it. They'd talk, then play an example. Then talk about what the artists were going through when they wrote the songs.

AMAZING. My little guy sat there spellbound the entire time. Listening to the info, then clapping, singing or tapping his foot while the band (who was extraordinary) played the blues, rock, etc.

Days like yesterday make me soooo happy. Make me feel like "yep, we're all good, this is the right path. Everyone is happy, educated, confident...it's all good."

Then we came home...my rockin' little guy all happy...and daddy had to shave off his mohawk for football.

DANG IT! At least he got to go out with a rockin' good time!

First month of official school...at home!

Just so much has been going on here! I'll try and narrow it down.

We have begun our school year (officially). It is just so much fun and I cannot believe how fast my little guy learns! We will be doing a biology unit where he will dissect: long bone, knuckle, brain, lung, kidney, eyeball and a heart. We are doing environmental science with TONS of projects! Learning about the solar system...as well as spelling, math and literature. We're reading "Call of the Wild" right now. Honestly, we have so much fun every day!!!!

Also, we just got back from my hometown where I got to celebrate my 20th High School reunion. I am so lucky to have such great friends from high school. I was lucky then, I am lucky to have kept those friends, and lucky again to have reconnected with MORE! Such a great weekend!

Football season has started here, too. Back to practicing every day! The kiddo and I both love it. We each get to be with our friends again! ha!

Just absolutely a fun month this month...traveling a bit (2 road trips), seeing family (my 90+ year old grandfather) and homeschooling. OH...we also got to go see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which was a great and fun night for us, too!

That's about it...just enjoying each day so far and REALLY GLAD that school has begun!!!!

Alright...To describe the photos: We drove through the caprock in west Texas and climbed the cliffs. One photo is looking down as we climbed up...and the last is the rainbow that showed up as we were coming back into the part of Texas we live in NOW!!! It was gorgeous...See why I love my life so much!!?

More to love here at home...

So tonight, we take off to our softball game. It goes very well...all is good...lotsa fun!
A lady walks over holding the cutest little kitten and I just fall in love.
My husband, who is completely a dog person and is allergic to cats...falls in love.
My son is there and he, too, falls in love.

We then find out that they're giving the baby kittens away!!! We go look...we all then COMPLETELY fall in love with a different kitten that a little boy is holding.
I say that I want that one.
The boy says the kitten is his.
I tell him to ask his mom, who I know. He does. She says "no."
We all are so in love that we get the kitten!!!!!

Then comes the name.

I want to name this cutie pie, "Cornelia" after my favorite boat on "Deadliest Catch".
My husband wants to name him "Sig" after his favorite guy on the same show.
I get outvoted since the kitten is a boy.
My son then trumps us all with the fact that we've all named pets, he has not. So we say "Alright. What do you want to name him?"

"Luna"
"awwww.....perfect! Like moon, but in Spanish!"
"No...like his middle name will be Tic...LunaTic"

Then he went to "Kenya." WHAT?
"Yeah, mom....Kenya feed him for me?"

Finally, after much laughter, begging, vetoing, etc....

Our baby's name is "Nacho". Yep. Why? No idea. Lil guy wanted him to be Nacho. So he is.

So...meet Nacho...the newest addition to our home!!!

Every night this summer...

Every evening this summer, before the sun goes down, we hear the call of our new friends. They're ready for dinner. They love bread. They yell as loud as they can for us to come out and feed them and it's become one of the best parts of the day.

The whole family grabs bread and runs out to the ducks that are now tame. We can touch them, pet them, feed them by hand, anything. If we lay bread on our laps, they'll jump in and grab the bread.

It's one of the hi-lights of the summer since they've moved in on the pond out back. They're sweet and fun and have caused much laughter for my family this summer...

Love the new little friends!!!!

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to my sweet, sweet husband!!! Just hated to go by this day without sendin' love on the blog to the greatest man in my life!!!

I love this day because it reminds me of how lucky we are to have him.

Here's to you, honey! Have a great, great day! (now I'm gonna get off the computer and go spend TIME with that faboulous guy!

Hot weather has arrived...

And in honour of the hot weather...we have a new haircut!!! Yep...we sure do. Now, I don't know how long this is going to last, but for right now...this is it!

We've been having lots of fun this summer...we've been to the library a bizillion times, taken drawing classes there, met new homeschool kids, met our new homeschool group(s). We've started redefining how we're going to learn. I'm so excited and the more we do, the more excited I am!

This has been the most fun summer so far because of all of the activities we're doing! Absolutely the best thing ever...so far. I know there will be frustrating days, but after a day like today, I can't even imagine it.

So cheers...to parks, waterparks, new friends, classes and fun times with old friends...and new haircuts...

*clink*

Going with the flow

My son has broken his arm(s) several times. Twice on a skateboard, so I banned skateboards. This worked for a couple of years until my ex husband bought my son a NEW skateboard this year. I about passed out when he told me. The skateboard stayed at his house for 2 months...but then my son brought it home.

Now, I realize I'm out of options. If I say he cannot ride it at all ever and trash it, then I'm the "bad guy". If I simply say "no." well, he takes it back to ex's house and rides it there. So I smile and think, think, think.

Then I made a deal with my little guy. Helmet on, can ride. He fights it. I am adamant. I then find skateboard lessons. Yep. Skatepark, ramps, halfpipes, everything...and they offer lessons. Ah, HA!

So we went yesterday. Up at the buttcrack of dawn to drive an hour to get to the skateboard lessons. He had a teacher named Stefan who was so positive, fun and cool. My child was having so much fun...pouring buckets of sweat...as I ran around taking photos of he and the other kids in the class. We stayed for hours. Now? My kid wants kneepads...wrist guards...elbow pads...
Because the big guys had them. Because he wants to learn more.

We left the skateboarding...went by the library to sign up for the summer reading program...came home...

My husband and I had a softball game last night, so the lil guy got to cheer for US last night...

And it was a perfect day. Everyone felt accomplished. We all got exercise and learned a lot...and it seems that every weekend, I will be getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to be at skateboard lessons! And I'm okay with that!

AAAND....homeschooling begins!!!

So, one of the most fun things in parenting is teaching your children. I have decided, once again, to take on the fun task of homeschooling my son! We are both incredibly excited about it and ready to learn all we can learn together!

We've started off the summer by taking a two day seminar on maximizing your memory. If you haven't done this...I highly recommend it. Not for only teachers or students, but ANYONE and EVERYONE...

http://www.ronwhitetraining.com

We took this class from Ron and it is AMAZING. We are both so excited to be using the memory skills that were taught to us in those two days! It was a great way to begin our homeschool journey.

I will be using this blog to put what we're doing, what we're learning and hopefully give any other homeschooling parents some ideas to use with their kiddos. Well, heck, it's summer! You don't even have to be homeschooling. Just some great ideas to do with you kids...

So as summer begins...I am thankful we learned about memory first...considering we will be making a ton of them....