LIFE Moment

We're all outside right now riding bikes, scooters and skateboards! Well, okay, so I'm not participating, but all 4 of the kids are, including Jack!

Jonathan is assisting Jack with all of them, while also learning to ride a skateboard! (Myles has two old skateboards from his childhood!)

Jayla is practicing riding her bike and also learning the skateboard.

Jacob is having a blast on the scooter while also learning to be gentle with the kittens. (He has been "grounded" from all animals for the last couple of weeks and is having to relearn how to properly handle them!)

I will have to post the pictures later since Jayla is also taking pictures for me.

Ha!!! Jonathan just put Jayla's basket on the front of his bike and was carrying a kitten around in it!

Fun times!

Life Moments

I just wanted to capture this "moment". :)

Right now Jonathan is playing a simple song on the piano that I taught him. He is experimenting with the pedals and varying the notes and rhythm. I'm enjoying listening to his creativity!

Jacob is playing with his wooden tracks. He actually hasn't played with them much in a while until this week, now he's getting all the pieces he can find (including buildings) and making really cool tracks! This has always been one of his favorite things to do!

Jayla is playing with the dogs and taking care of the puppies. They are digging now, so she is making sure they are all in the yard and have food and water.

Jack wants to play with Jacob but is hesitant because Jacob doesn't like him to "play" with him (because he often tears up Jacob's creations). He is playing with the Legos some too as well as cleaning up cat food and dancing to Jonathan's music. Wow! All of that as I was typing it! Ha! Busy kid!

Moments

Right now Jayla and Jacob are playing the Wii. They love that thing! (Jonathan usually hogs it, but he has lost privileges for a few days....and it doesn't even have to do with the windshield!) So they are having a friendly competition and getting some movement in and learning some hand-eye coordination. They also are working some math (scores) and reading! Whoever said you can't learn anything from playing video games didn't know what they were talking about!

Jack is just crawling and walking all around the house, just exploring on his own. He keeps coming in here to "touch base" or get a drink or sign "more" if he is hungry and then he walks off again. He has been playing with the Legos a lot (the big ones) and is getting really good at building some sort of tower or building. He is still sick. He actually had a fever yesterday, so we're keeping a close eye on him and trying to keep his fever down so he won't have another seizure! He seems to feel fine right now though.

Jonathan is reading a book about bats and showing me a picture of newborn bats. He always picks up little tidbits of trivia from those books and will ask me the weirdest questions completely out of the blue, and he is usually quizzing me because it is something he learned from his books. He is also watching his siblings play the Wii, and now that I am done typing this, he is getting dressed up in his super hero costume that my mom made for him last year. Jonathan has created around 20 super heroes and is writing comics about them! I may post some of that on here someday.

So that is our moment for today. Oh, I have to add, we were outside earlier and I needed something from the van. I couldn't find my keys anywhere, so I had Jonathan climb through the back window (where there is no windshield). He then opened the door for me and the alarm went off! It only lasted for about 3 minutes, thank goodness, because I'm sure the battery would have gone dead while I was looking for my keys! So then later, Jacob said he needed something from the van. It was unlocked now so I told him to go ahead. The alarm went off again and freaked him out. LOL! When it ended, Jonathan then opened the door again to make it go off on purpose. By then I was really annoyed and made everyone go back inside. And I locked the doors back. I'll either find my keys or wait for Myles to get home if I need anything else from there!

Lifeschooling moment

The other day we were driving along in the van, after I had just bought some little 10 ounce sugary drinks for each of the kids (excluding Jack), when Jonathan told me he knew how many calories were in 3 bottles of the drinks. I smiled and asked him how many and he said there were 270......"I think." So I asked him how he came up with that number and he said, kind of in a "duh" tone, "I did the math!" He told me that the label said there were 90 calories per bottle, so he multiplied that by three, or added 90 three times, and came up with the correct answer! :)

He loves math too, although he doesn't express that as much as Jayla does! He has also been doing some multiplication and division since he was 6 years old. We just use it a lot in everyday life and we play games and cook, go grocery shopping, etc. where they pick it up along the way. It does come naturally to some kids and not as easily to others just like any other area in life, but as I have seen so clearly twice now, math, one of the main "subjects" that people are so concerned about their children learning, can be learned without any formal, structural training. It is so rewarding to be able to see them learn through everything in life. :)

Lifeschooling moment

Jayla LOVES to count. She counts all the time. I just heard her a few minutes ago counting again, then she came in and told me that 100 is an equal number. I had her explain to me what she meant, just to be sure, and she said that 2 goes into it. So we discussed odds and evens. She picked it up so quickly.....because she was interested and ready for it!

She also loves any kind of math. She even tells people all the time "I LOVE math!" :) She loves to add, subtract, and even does some multiplication and division. And she is 6 years old and has never been formally taught this. Myles bought her some addition flash cards. They were going through them in the van a couple of weeks ago and she got every single one right from doing them in her head! I'm so proud of her! :) I'm also glad that she really loves it. All kinds of math is used every day throughout life, so she'll do fine!

Now if she'll just focus on her reading! LOL! She's getting there, but it's just not clicking for her. She loves to practice though. :)

A fun moment!

I've got some "quiet time" to myself, but it's really not all that quiet. The rest of the family is playing the Wii, and they are SO LOUD! I'm glad they're having a good time. I thought about joining them, but I am so tired, and I just wanted to blog about my thoughts and then go to bed!

So anyway, the kids were all taking turns playing one-player games, and then Myles went to join them. Now they are taking turns playing against Daddy! They're just playing the game they call "Tanks" off of Wii Play. It reminds me of Combat on the Atari (which we actually have but rarely play.) Jacob is getting pretty good (for his age) and is the loudest one of the bunch. I occasionally hear Jack cheering someone on. He's so cute. :) We sort of made a rule that when someone else is playing, you have to cheer them on or you don't get to play. We mostly did that FOR Jayla's sake and BECAUSE of Jonathan. For some reason he has a natural desire to be negative toward her when it comes to things like this, and then Jacob follows suit, and Jayla is very sensitive to "meanness"! Our rule is working! They are cheering each other on and laughing and screaming the whole time! They're very patient when they wait for their turn too!

So that is probably what I will go to sleep to tonight; screaming and cheering and stomping. They're having a great time with each other. :)

A moment

Right now Jacob and Jack are playing with cars and their new bridge (some PVC trim left over from trimming the door). Jacob just drew a circle on a piece of paper and described to me that it is a racetrack and showed me where the cars drive on it (like one of those little maps in the bottome corner of a video game). He has been playing with cars and his new bridge all morning!

Jayla is still watching cooking shows. She has seen bits and pieces of some before, but this morning she has been glued to the TV like she can't get enough of it! She even told me in great detail about how to make this one particular cake. I was surprised at how much she remembered! Right now they are mashing avocadoes.....it looks like guacamole, which she hates, but she LOVES plain avocado. It is one of her favorite foods.

Jonathan is having a hard time getting along with others this morning, so I sent him to his bed for a few minutes to calm down and read. He was reading about sharks, but I think he is watching the cooking show right now (in the same room). He just asked me if we could finish his super-hero story (I just type out what he makes up), so I guess we'll do that now.

This moment has been brought to you by.....hehe. That just seemed to fit there. :)

A moment in our lives

Right now we have just finished up breakfast.

Jayla isn't feeling too well, so she is laying down and watching cartoons. She ate breakfast, so I guess that's a good sign!

Jacob is building tracks and bridges with his train tracks. He has had them all over the living room this week. Myles showed him how to use the couch cushions to support a track and build a bridge from the couch to the cushions, so now he uses anything and everything he can find to support a bridge, and they go all around the room!

Jonathan is reading. He has been reading a LOT lately, mostly nature books. He just told me all about how gravity works and about mass. I didn't realize he knew so much about that stuff! LOL! He is also constantly telling me about some kind of animal, where they live, what they eat, etc.

Jack is drumming with a piece of track and standing by the heater (no worries, it is not hot to the touch!). He giggles when he first gets next to it. :) So now we have all four of them fighting over 2 heaters! (sigh) He is also drumming ON Noah's (the turtle) aquarium. He wants to get a closer look but I have it guarded so he won't touch the light. It is indeed hot! He can't reach it though. :)

So that is our little moment of our day. Next we are about to do some cleanup, but I also promised Jacob he could play computer games. If I have time later today, we may make some play-dough. That's always a big hit! I just need to find that "perfect" recipe and the icing coloring.....

Life lessons

Last Sunday we played at the park for a little while. Jayla was trying once again to cross the monkey bars all by herself. I think she's done it before but these were different, a little farther apart, and she has been trying for a while to master them! She finally did it!


After we left, she told me that she learned something today. She said "I learned that if you're ever scared of something, just do it and keep trying and practicing and you won't be scared anymore!" I was amazed at how such a simple thought can be so profound coming from a 6-year-old! Myles told her that we need to learn that too. She thought that was funny. :)

A moment of our day

Jonathan is busy at the moment making as much chalk dust as he can. This is just after he took so much time cleaning the chalk board with a magic eraser, and he started yesterday! They've been drawing all morning. It needs another cleaning! He's also singing the same song over and over and over again. Oh wait! New song! And Jayla is joining in now. :)

Jayla is drawing on paper. They keep arguing off and on, but they are completely working it out on their own. (I often have to step in when Jacob is involved, but as he is getting older, he's getting more mature about it too.) She has been playing with an imaginary friend this morning too. She's never had one before but has seen them on cartoons, so she thought it might be cool to have one of her own. It works out great since I am sometimes tied up when she is tired of the boys! She and her imaginary friend played tic-tac-toe for a while earlier after Jonathan got tired of playing.

Jacob is all over the place right now. He wants to ride his bike on the street, but I told him he needs to keep it in the yard for now until we can all go out together. He's also playing with Bristle Blocks. They love those things! Apparently Jack just bumped into him. His tower fell and he yelled "Grrr! It's all your fault, Jack!" LOL! He doesn't normally get mad at Jack! He is learning to either move away from him or give him his own toys!

You know what Jack is doing at the moment! LOL!

As I try to breathe through all the dust that is accumulating, I think I will open the door and have them take a break to clean. We've got lots of laundry to put away!

A Day in the Life of Unschoolers!

7:21 - Jacob wakes up
7:43 - He pours his own water from a gallon jug into a 44 ounce cup, and didn't spill any! Well, it splashed a little.
7:44 - The water incident finally persuaded a tired Mommy to get up
8:00 - outside to play
8:36 - inside for something to eat....oranges!

8:55 - didn't want any more orange but still acts hungry
8:59 - I just turned around and noticed Jonathan on my bed.....he's awake....sort of!

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9:00 - time for Mom's show: Little House on the Prairie :)
9:15 - Jacob is going for a 3rd attempt to wake up Sissy....didn't work
9:18 - Jacob is begging me to go "bye-bye", but we don't have the van today
9:36 - Jayla finally wakes up and wants to eat the rest of Mommy's cantaloupe
9:39 - I gave Jacob his pacifier (don't tell Daddy!) because I can't listen to him fuss anymore. He doesn't want anything I offer, so I can't figure out what he wants! The pacifier satisfies him, and he goes off to play. I guess that's all he wanted since he hasn't been without it for very long (about a week).
10:10 - the kids have been in and out of their bedroom all morning, but now they are in there with the door shut straightening up (a.k.a. playing hard and making a bigger mess)
10:14 - I'm about done with the rest of the cantaloupe that Jayla couldn't finish, so I am about to go into their room and help them clean.....and play! :)

10:42 - they're eating a whole bag of black grapes between the 3 of them while listening to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack (again!)
11:05 - they're about done with the grapes, but Jonathan just came and told me that Jayla threw some up in the air and it was "raining" grapes! Oh, boy.
11:16 - they have all the grapes cleaned up and are playing and dancing to the keyboard music. I'm going to let them do this as long as they can stand it, and then it's nap/quiet time!
11:20 - I just saw our dog walking across the front yard! Jonathan is going to get her back in the fence again.
11:21 - Jayla just informed me that we have an emergency. "There is a yellow jacket in our bedroom!" It's just a dirt dauber.
11:43 - I just got chewed out (it felt that way anyway) by another home school mom who is very much for workbooks. She doesn't like the quote in my signature line in my emails, and she was very offended by it. Sorry, but I'm not deleting/changing it any time soon! (I am pretty sure this person will not read my blog, but if so, oh well. I didn't mention her name.)
11:53 - We're catching the end of Mustard Pancakes. It's almost nap time!
12:12 - Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is a fun show, but he is so mellow.....I think we'll go to sleep while he's on.
4:10 - Jonathan tries to look like Spiderman by climbing his feet up the wall. I think he got the idea off the Tyson commercial. LOL!

6:34 - The kids have just been playing all afternoon. They are now outside waiting for Daddy to get home.
7:05 - I just went to the store, so now the kids are chowing down on some bread.....a rare treat for them (they eat mostly fruit)
7:35 - Jacob got himself out of the bathtub and ran to us wet and naked. LOL!
8:40 - All of the kids have had baths and have been playing, wrestling with Daddy, etc. Now they are all pretending to be snapping turtles using laundry baskets and plastic tubs. They're definitely getting sleepy!

Jayla was under the basket that Jacob was sitting on!

9:00 - I'm sending the kids to bed to read. It will probably be at least an hour before they are all three asleep.
9:13 - I told Jacob (21 months old) to say "yes sir" to Daddy, and he saluted him! ROFLMBO!
9:15 - We're still working on getting the kids to bed. They have a few things to pick up off the floor before they get to read.
9:24 - Jonathan is getting training on foot massages....I think Daddy is getting the better end of the deal here.

This is only a fraction of what the kids did today. They also read books, got into a couple of spats, played computer games and more. The computer games are always fun. They played Arthur's Sand Castle game where you have to go through a maze to get a bucket of water and catch sand in a bucket and fill it up several times. Then you have to choose the correct bricks you need to build the castle you have chosen and make each brick using one bucket of sand and one bucket of water. Then you build the castle. It's really a cute game, and Jonathan is very good at it. He gets his wagon overflowing with bricks before he builds. I think he just really likes to make bricks! LOL! Jayla does okay with it, but she still needs a little help. Jonathan is more than happy to help her. Another game they love is Treasures of the Nile. It is from VBS a couple of years ago. There is a large variety of activities/games to do, and they love it all.

So we didn't really do anything *special* today, but we did enjoy each other and had a great day. This was somewhat of a typical day, but we usually do a bit more. I was tied up on the computer most of the day with financial stuff. We're about to get cable internet, so hopefully I'll be able to post like this more often! :) I got a few pictures of Jayla that I just didn't put on here. She has this goofy, fake smile now, so I'll just have to take more of her to get some better pictures or just post her with her fake smile. LOL!