Branching Out...

The one quality I love about my daughter is her persistence... The one quality I struggle with is HER PERSISTENCE! I know it will help her in the future.. But now it is a force to be reckoned with! That said, my Julia.. The future writer, vet, artist and now blogger, branched off into her own blog. She is almost 11! That was told to me time and time again! I asked her to take over the family blog but it just wasn't the same for her! She is passionate about critters.. Not the mundane tasks of a homeschooling life which is how she put it to me!
I laughed and chuckled at her drama and then I paused...how can I turn this into a learning moment?!?
The kid wants to write and so what if it is just about furry critters, some slimy creepy ones too I bet!
So, I don't know where the family blog is headed but allow me to introduce you to: Naturegirlscrittercorner .blogspot.com
If you can't find it let me know.. Actually let Julia know lol she is the techno wizard around here! Ha ha

From Uganda to Shaving Cream?

This is what I love about being homeschooled: one topic or activity can turn into a whole day of learning. Lately, in Social Studies Emerson and I have been learning about Uganda! Yesterday I got a great idea to go on a pretend Safari in the house with Blaise and Emerson. We researched native animals of Uganda and hid our stuffed animals all over the house. Then using binoculars we played hide and seek! Today my sister wrote in her journal all about elephants and facts she learned from her Almanac. This led to painting pictures with shaving cream! We added food coloring to my dad's shaving cream (Gillette) and Emerson painted a mural of an elephant. Benedict wants to do everything we do in school so we made him a poster and added safari animals on it! We hung it by the kitchen and mom is teaching him to say: lion, zebra, elephant and giraffe! He loves the giraffe! Some days I wonder what other kids are doing in school but I love how we do our work at home. I only wish Math could be more fun... I heard something about equivalent fractions and elephants?!? But I'm not buying it!

Halloween Riddles by Julia and Emerson

We made these up ourselves. Try to answer them!



           1. I am white on the top and yellow on the bottom. I am sweet to eat. what am I?

2. I am white and bony, I have no skin, so whats on the outside used to be in. What am I?

3. You cannot see me, I can float very high, but if you do see me, you might cry. What am I?


4. i have green hair, and a flying broom, So it'd be weird, if i rode a vacuum.
What am I?

5. i howl and screech, my teeth are like hooks , don't pet me, I'm not as cute as I look. Clue: Meeeow!! What am I?

6. if your looking for a house, don't come in here, because you might be filled with fear! What am I??

7. I have eight spindly legs and I am jet black, come onto my web, if you don't care about coming back. What am I?

8. I have a cape, and very sharp fangs, I am a lot like a mammal that flies at night.

What am I?

9. we like riddles, scary or not, and two rabbits is what we got! who are WE?

Would you Rather............?

Hi, It's Julia again. I have found some Halloween "would you rather"s.

Answer these in the comments please. Beware, they are not easy to answer!

Would you rather.............

1. dunk for apples or carve a jack-o-lantern??

2. Have a costume that is very amazing but uncomfortable or have a boring costume that is comfortable?

3. Get 20 of your favorite candies or get 50 of your least favorite kinds?

4.Have to sleep in a coffin or a giant pumpkin?

5. walk through a haunted house or a grave yard?

6. Have to eat 6 fish eyes or a small frog?? (Yuckk!)

7.  Help to design a haunted house or walk through one someone else has made themselves??

8. Go to a really great halloween party where you didn't know anybody or go to a kind of lame halloween party where you knew everyone?

9. Meet a vampire or be one?

10. Have to wear your costume until Thanksgiving or  have to wear a pumpkin on your head for the first three days of November even when you're sleeping!!






Answer as many as you like! Be sure to include the number. Hope you enjoyed them!

Another Post by me, Benedict, 1 year and 3 months

Yesterday, I posted about my P-L-A-Y-P-E-N, which i am now spelling out to avoid any more major crisis. Today i am simply telling you how my day has been going so far.

5:00 am: i woke up and tried to get Mama and Dada to wake up too, and it worked. Mission acomplished.

6:00 am: Woke up everyone else and invited them to a delicous breakfast(all except Julia who was still sleeping--guess my Super Baby powers didn't work for her).

7:00 am: i decided that i wanted to get dressed, so i dragged clothes into Mama's room and helped by conveniently taking of my diaper and attempting to get dressed myself.

8:00 am: Mama took her shower and then we started school, and then Mama put me in that.....thing. You know, the "P" word? Ends with "N", it's seven letters?

9:00 am: well, here I am.

So, now you have a perfect idea of what today was like. Ugh. I sure wish I could get out of this thing. Yep, I'm still here. Okay, fine, Mama took me out for half and hour or so.

Anyway...

Now, the moment you've ALL been waiting for;


Benedict the Great's Baby word translator!!


Mama: A wonderful person. Has everything you need. Good for sad moments.

Dada: Another wonderful person. Is funny. Good for when you need a nap.

Na-na:  Means many different things. This can mean Grandma, or sometimes it means that I'm hungry.

crying non-stop: Can mean that you need a diaper change, or want to get out of a place such as.... oh, maybe..... a P-L-A-Y-P-E-N.....

Ju: Means Julia. Babies can't exactly pronounce the L sound.

A-A-hh-A: This means that in an echoey place, like church, or in the public restroom at that store we always go to, it is fun to make this noise because it breaks the silence, and, possibly makes people annoyed. Thats even more fun than making the sound.

My Playpen- by Benedict, 1 year 3 months

Today I am writing this in my playpen. No comment. Playpens are horrible cages that trap innocent babies, like me, leaving them in a small, cramped space with absolutely no toys whatsoever. Okay, fine, they aren't that bad......they're  WORSE!!! It all started one day when a big box came in the mail. Mama opened it and took out a big white thing. The box was fun. I played peek-a-boo and pretended it was a car. Then, I fell asleep. When I woke back up, I was laying next to this big cage thing. Mama put me in it, and it was fun at first, until...... Okay, lets stop for a few minutes before we go on..................................................................................................................................
Alright, ready? Okay, good, now brace yourself for the next part....
 Mama left. She went into the kitchen. I was left alone. I cried and cried but she didn't listen. The End.


Well, okay, that was a little bit of exaggeration there. First of all, she did listen to me and made Juweea -or however you spell her name- get in and play with me. Second, its not the end. I am sitting in here now writing this. That's right all you grown-ups, ITS NOT OVER.   Yet.

One day I'll get out of this thing myself, or break it, or use my extremely cute face on others to persuade them to let the baby out.

Oops, gotta go, almost time for my after-breakfast snack.


(Oh and check out this hilarious picture!! Can you believe I looked like that? This was ages ago, and, I'm like, practically bald!!

Anyway though, I was just messing around on the I-pad!!)

Saint Francis

Today is yet another feast day, and that is a good thing. We had some animal crackers- get it? For saint Francis's feast day!!

We drew some pictures of our favorite animals, and I drew a cat, a dolphin, a fox, a rabbit, a rat, a hamster.... I really like all animals!!

Emerson: I drew a dolphin, a fox, a dog, my bunny Lily, a horse and a squirrel named Scrat.

Blaise: I drew a black bear, a blue bear, and a fish.

Saint Francis, pray for us, and our pets!

Feast of The Guardian Angels

Yesterday was Feast of The Guardian Angels. Today, we will celebrate it because we forgot. (Sorry, Guardian Angels!) There are many different kinds of angels, and this particular kind are called Guardian angels that guard and keep you safe! October has many feast days, so we'll keep you posted when we have another!

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here; ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

For some fun, find these words in the angel word search below.

Seraphim
Cherubim
Thrones
Dominations
Virtues
Powers
Principalities
Archangels
Angels
Saint Gabriel
Saint Raphael
Saint Michael

Soup!

Today's title may baffle you and make you curious to read on! Today our dear Nana is coming and is bringing ingredients for veggie soup. We will make delicious homemade soup and will have a lot of fun--and it even has an added bonus. We got some alphabet noodles to put in the soup so it will be vegetable alphabet soup!!! While it cooks, we'll do an art project. Because I am writing this before we do it, I have no idea what it is!! I am going to add pictures that I will take later on. Soups on!

Saint Therese

Today is Saint Therese the little flowers feast day. We are going to make licorice roses and read about her. I have many books and prayers to her. Here is how to make roses because that is the flower that symbolized her.


First you need a package of string licorice, the kind you can pull off that look like shoelaces.

Coil a large base and keep coiling smaller and smaller pieces on top. Then, use it to decorate a table or eat it right away! Yum!!!!


Prayer to Saint Therese


St. Therese, you who are called the Little Flower, pray that I may always live as a good child of God. May I always do the little things of life extra well for the love of God. St. Therese, you love flowers and you wanted to give to Jesus the flowers of many, many souls.

Now that you are in heaven, let fall upon earth a shower of roses by your prayers. Bring many more souls to Jesus. Pray to the mother of God for us that she will smile on her children here on earth. Amen.

P.S praying this prayer often in times when you need help is wonderful. When your prayer is answered, St. Therese will "send" you a rose. One time I prayed this prayer and my wonderful Grandma Connell sent me some pictures of Saint Therese and she didn't even know I had prayed to her!!

Saint Therese, pray for us!!!