Twirls 'n Curls

Hannah and I had a great time in our letter "S" preschool this week, even getting our "sisters" involved in a few activities! For a list of fun "s" related questions for pre-schoolers, click here . "S" is for... Stories I read a lot with our older two for school, and I have a "girl time devotions" each night with them before bed (more on that later).  One activity I've been focusing more attention on this semester is reading one on one with Natalie. At 2, she has a much shorter attention span and different way of interacting with books than my 5 and 7 year old. At nap time each day and usually at night, she and I read together on her bed. Now every night she asks, "Mom, lay down me and wead book!" How can I say no to that?? :) "S" is for... Scavenger Hunt "Sally" the Doll "Sister" "Sock" Hannah, 5, is a very hands-on learner. She loves activities where...

Yesterday a rare thing happened. BOTH my older girls were at a friend's house, and I had just Natalie with me, who is two. Visions of cleaning out our homeschooling room or my overflowing inbox were put on hold when I realized how rarely I get to spend one on one time with her.  I scrapped those plans and decided to have a Nattie Date. We were having company last night, so what better way for two women to bond than in the kitchen preparing delicious food? My girls have always helped in the kitchen and loved it, from toddler age up, and I think it's a great way to     ~ instill in them a love for cooking and helping,               ~ spend quality time together, and                      ~ keep them from messing up other parts of the house while you're busy! We made black bottoms , currently my f...

A glimpse into the life of a homeschooling seven-year old: This morning I awoke to find my mortal enemy standing over my bed. After effortlessly defeating her him it in a battle of wits, I had a balanced breakfast of bacon, oatmeal, and half a pop tart with my best friend. I completed my studies flawlessly, then had lunch with royalty. And danced the dance of scarves with gypsies. I had glamor shots taken - can you believe that's even me? Then I hurried to perform gymnastics in an open arena that seats thousands! After my gymnastics debut, I was swarmed with adoring fans who took me out to an internationally-known restaurant (ok, maybe it was McDonald's...). All in all, it was a great day :)

It's no secret my girls love to help me in the kitchen. Most nights, at least one of them helps me prepare dinner, sometimes all three. And when they find snacks they can make for the family "all by themselves," like these Mozzarella Bites from Farm Rich , they are thrilled. Here is my 7 year old, the "boss" of the kitchen, telling her sisters how to prepare them: 1. Open bag and pour into pan. 2. Flatten into a single layer. 3. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. 4. Pose for a cheesy picture with the bag :) 5. Eat... and enjoy!! This, of course, was the best part. The reviews were unanimous: 7-year old: "These are really good, Mom, can I make them again tomorrow?" 4-year old: "Yum, do they have string cheese in them?" 2-year old: "Mmmmm!" Dad : "These are really good. And they would be amazing with pizza sauce!" (I confess I did serve them plain, and they were st...

We went on a field trip and then to the park today, and the pictures inspired this little poem: Sisters will cheer you on when you're on top of the world...  And they'll draw you out of your shell when you're afraid. Too tired to go on alone?  Sisters will give you a push when you need it the most. And when your world seems upside down, A sister will be right there beside you... And you can count her to carry you through! -- Blessed to watch these sisters develop friendships... And blessed with two sisters of my own  - love you both!

Believe it or not, when you're with your children 24/7, and they're expected to learn academics mainly from you, there are frustrating moments once in awhile. A homeschooling friend of mine created a " Moments to Remembe r" link up to remind us to focus on the amazing benefits of homeschooling - watching your kids play together, focused time with each child, that pure delight when your child finally "gets it." Here are some of our moments from this week:   "Q" is for Queen Queen Nattie has recently started trying to create actual pictures and trace letters on our white board. She had a lot of fun this week making smiley faces and tracing lines. :)  "Q" is for Quilt  Hannah was so proud of her wrapping paper quilt - she made a different pattern on each line. I was impressed that she stayed still long enough to complete it! We also took a trip to Grandma's for a quilting lesson. My mother-in-law is a wonderf...

Last week we had the most fun with the letter "P" for Hannah's preschool (I love it when there are activities all 3 girls can enjoy!) We've gone through the alphabet with a letter by letter emphasis, just to give some structure to our days and streamline activities. "P" is for...Penguins  We learned facts about penguins and made these adorable crafts, found here . (The only change we made was to use construction paper, since we had no paper plates on hand.) My girls all love penguins and had fun trying to imitate their walk. The first time we saw penguins at the zoo, Hannah bravely remarked, "I'm not afraid of penguins, they waddle!" "P" is for... Painting Linsey's art is through the K12 curriculum, so I just have the younger girls to modified versions of whatever she is doing, which happened to be painting this week. (This shirt was trashed when Nattie finished! "Tummy to the table" does NOT apply in paint...