WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge

We had so much fun! The kids were very disappointed that they didn't get to go to camp, so my loving mother paid for a trip to WonderWorks.

We decided to eat breakfast at FlapJack's in Sevierville before we went to the museum. It's one of our favorite places.



The little guy got a bear shaped waffle.



Then we drove 2 miles down the road to the "upside down house," as the kids call it.

From photo album: Wonderworks

It really was neat. (Click on the link above to see the entire album.)

I have to tell you though... the entry really got me! (This picture is from their website.) The lights spun around you and I had to hold tight to the rails... I almost fell over!! You couldn't see ANYTHING but the lights spinning.

 Ok, now my favorite part. I loved seeing the glass on the restroom change! I remembered seeing an episode of CSI: Miami, I think, that had them.





One more favorite part. :) There were a few sculptures made of scrap metal. They looked like nothing. But when the light shined on them at a certain angle the shadow... well see for yourself! WOW!

Super Summer Swap

I signed the 3 older kids up for the Super Summer Swap. It's too late to sign up but if you click on the image you can read more about it.

They will be paired with a child their age in another state. They will send each other a package that will include at least 3 things, some examples include:

1.A postcard or brochure from where you live,

2. a lapbook or scrapbook or something handmade, 3. a photograph or drawing of your child, 4. a special gift that will allow your child's new friend to experience a hobby or interest that your child has or enjoys.You do not have to spend any money, but please DO NOT spend more than $15.00 on the items that will be exchanged.Depending on where our new friends are from we may send them some red dirt. :)

All of the packages should be mailed by August 3rd and then I have to post about it. So watch for it!

First Crochet Project

I bought the yarn to match the baby's coming home outfit. I'm so proud of myself... I think I like to crochet better... we'll see.

Creation to Greeks ~ week 4

This week went well, as far as MFW goes. We didn't do much LA or Math, since I've not been feeling up to par.

We learned some "everyday life" facts about Ancient Egypt, and the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by King Menes. (Check out my Notebooking Page.)

We also built pyramids out of homemade playdough and straws.



The whole point of the experiment was to prove that pyramids were more structurally sound than cubes.



Well... we proved it!! Our dough must've been too soft, because we couldn't even get the cube to stand up. If you put your hand on the top of the pyramid and tried to shake it slightly, it was very sturdy.



We've slacked a little on English From the Roots Up, but we'll get back to it - I promise! (And now it's in print so I have no choice. lol)

Creation to Greeks ~ week 3

It was a great week! We covered Genesis 9:20-11:9. We also discussed the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia and celebrated Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of the Trumpets).

This week's memory work started the books of the Old Testament. We did Genesis - 2 Chronicles.

Science: Genesis for Kids, we completed the chapter on Day 1: Light.

~ANIMAL STUDY (with *T*)~
He's really into animals right now, so I decided to take advantage of that interest.

I'm going to use Disney's Wonderful World of Animals (since I already owned it) as our spine. I really like how the animals are broken up into categories: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians, Fish & Sea Creatures, Insects.

Additional books that we will use include:











I got the 3 previous books from www.PaperbackSwap.com, you can also find Just So Stories for FREE online.

This week we read the intros in the Disney and Scholastic books. He's very excited to start with Fish & Sea Creatures tomorrow.

~MATH~

*T* did lessons 3-8 in R&S Math. He's doing such a great job.

*C* completed PM 2A Workbook Exercises 2-4 (with corresponding text pages) and Textbook Practice 1A. He's on track now, so he's only doing one "day" as scheduled in MFW Lesson Plans.

*B* is still working 45 minutes a day. Three days of math this week came out to PM 2B Workbook Exercises 3-8 and corresponding text pages.

~LANGUAGE ARTS~

*T* nothing in LLATL this week. We reviewed some of the sounds he's learned so far. I'm really trying to take it slow with him.

*C* did SpellWell A lesson 4. I'm not going to have him start LLATL Yellow until after the baby is born... so mid-September? He also did a few pages in HWT Cursive.

*B* completed lesson 17 in LLATL Yellow. We'll start Writing Stands when she starts the Orange book. She also did a page (2 letters) of BJU Cursive.

OH and *B* received a letter and CD from Joni Eareckson Tada. She was super excited. :)

Kid's Day at Food City

It was kind of lame, but the kids enjoyed themselves.

Here they are taking turns in the Fire Truck.




*L* compared to a Fire Truck tire



Then they saw a Police Car.



And the Game Warden

Baby's Coming Home Outfit

I found it!

Complete Bedroom

... the bed is complete anyway. :) THANK YOU MOM!!

and MORE Laundry Soap

I wanted to try the liquid soap again. I really do prefer liquid, I just hated that it lumped and separated and gooped up. So, I've been experimenting.

Here's my latest concoction:
1 C. Fels Naptha
1 C. Kirk's Original Coco Castile
1 C. Washing Soda
1 C. Borax

STEP 1: Put 4C. of water on to boil. Once it's nice and hot, not necessarily boiling, add the grated soap. It melts better if you add a little at a time instead of just dumping it all in at once. Make sure it's completely melted... absolutely no lumps!

STEP 2: Add Soda and Borax to a bucket (at least 2 gallon size). Pour melted soap into bucket and stir. Once it's all completely mixed add water until your mixture reaches 2 gallons.

After 24 hours this is what it looked like.



I'll be using about 1/2 C. in each load.

I also kept about 1 1/2 C. of the mixture to use as a "stain paste." With 3 boys and a welder daddy, we have lots of stains.

New Bed

I love my mom so much - she's so good to me.

... and a view from the doorway.

Now, I have more than just a 15 year old mattress on the floor. I have a brand new boxspring and mattress on the floor. :)

ETA: I talked to my mom last night and she ordered the comforter set that I wanted...

AND a frame and headboard (no footboard).

I'll take more pictures after it's all set up! I'm so excited!

Another Haircut

I never thought of myself as the type of person to love short hair... but I do. It's so much easier to take care of AND I actually *do* something with it when it's short.

I absolutely LOVE the front/sides of my new 'do.

The back is... well... not exactly my style. It doesn't seem to blend well with the sides. I feel like there's a big hole in the back of my head. The girl that did my hair couldn't have been more than 20, so I figure she'd know a little more about the current styles than I do. Hmm....

Creation to Greeks ~ week 2

We actually did week 2 over the course of 2 weeks. Lots of stuff was going on so we spread it out a little.

In week 1 our memory verse was 2 Timothy 3:16, this week we added verse 17:

... so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

From the Bible, we read about Adam and Eve, the fall, Cain and Abel, and Noah's Flood. We also read the corresponding pages in Guerber's The Story of the Chosen People.

In Science, we talked about light some more. The kids really enjoyed the homemade fiber optics. They also had fun exploring which items would (or would not) block the TV remote from turning the set on and off.

~MATH~

*T* did a few activities from Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about Math: Easy Activities for Young Children. He also did lessons 1 and 2 from Rod & Staff Math 1. He absolutely LOVES it!

*C* finished Primary Math 1B and started 2A: Exercise 1

*B* finished 2A and began 2B: Exercises 1-2

~ LANGUAGE ARTS~

*T* worked on LLATL Blue: Part II, Lesson 1. He can read the first Bob Book!! The word list includes: Mat, sat, at, Sam, am, on. I'm so proud. He wants to read so bad.

*C* did Lesson 3 in Spellwell A.

*B* completed lesson 16 of LLATL Yellow.