Bite the Butt: September 2009

Monday, September 14, 2009

Still Working On the Kitchen

I was supposed to have worked yesterday, but got cancelled. I spent the day helping Hubby lay hardwood flooring in the kitchen. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know he built me a new kitchen this year. It had been at a standstill for many months until I started gently and lovingly reminding Hubby that I sure would like my kitchen to get done. Honey does indeed attract more bees than vinegar (or is it flies?). As usual, he started all of a sudden and without warning me. You'd think he'd know better by now. Instead of bitchin' (OK, I bitched a little), I spent yesterday helping him get the damn thing done. He said he likes it when I help him with his work and that it makes him feel romantic! How sweet is that!? Today we were both sore and exhausted (yes, there was romance after the hard work).
Now we are planning the logistics of getting the floor sanded, stained and polyurethaned with three little ones in the mix. It looks like there'll be a least one night's stay in a hotel. We hope to get it done within the week as it's not wise to leave a wood floor unfinished with three rugrats running around. Good thing I don't buy red juices!
No word on my PC. Don't know if it's that serious, or if the doctor's just that busy.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Learning About Teaching

I know I'm not the first homeschooling mom to question her decision. There have been times over the last few weeks when I have asked myself "what was I thinking?" It would be so much easier if I didn't have to work outside the home. I have to stress that because I feel like I'm always working! Hubby has been sooo good about helping to clean. Thank God, because otherwise we'd be living in a pigsty! I've been managing to keep up with washing clothes. Folding & putting away...well, that's another story.

I have pics to post, but my PC is at the doctor's. Hubby has threatened to ban me from it since it's not the first time I've jacked a PC up. It appears that I'm downloading infected files....

So school is going well overall. Ava asks for lessons even in the evening, and I do not say no. Part of my stress is from GVA. There are deadlines to meet! I have mixed feelings about it, since the curriculum is pretty good, so far. We're testing out of a lot of the early math & science units, but I'm hoping it'll get a little more challenging down the road. Ava has her good days and her bad ones. I think she's a little envious of her sister's freedom. I keep telling her that she's a big girl and has to do big girl things. This usually works, at least for a little while. We are loosely using the Workbox System. it does appear to help keep the day moving and to accomplish more. I put fun things in there to break up the day a little. I'm learning that Ava is quite squirmy and I try very hard to let her move all she wants, as long as it's not distracting her. I'm not sure if she's an official Kinesthetic Learner or just wriggly.

My latest brainchild has been to use movies as a fun part of our geography studies (called history by GVA). Below is a list of movies that can be used to teach about the continents (feel free to add to it):

AUSTRALIA

Finding Nemo

EUROPE

Beauty & the Beast

The Secret Garden

Anastasia

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Three Musketeers

Don Quixote

Hercules

Ratatouille

Nanny McPhee

ASIA

Mulan

The Jungle Book

AFRICA

The Lion King

Madagascar 1 & 2

The Prince of Egypt

NORTH AMERICA

Pocahontas

An American Tail

The Incredible Journey

American Legends Series

SOUTH AMERICA

Ferngully

ANTARCTICA

Happy Feet

Penguin March

I don't plan to show every movie, but I think any of them will give a Kindergartner a sense of the continent being studied. My plan is for the kids to watch the movies over the weekend when I'm at work. Hopefully, they'll want to watch it again with me later in the week, but if not, that's OK.