Friday, March 19, 2010

7 Quick Takes

*1*
The biggest thing to report this week is the weather - booyah! It was a gorgeous 40+ something yesterday, the snow is almost gone and we ended the day with windows wide open and the kids romping about in short sleeves and flip-flops. Diamond, our big old hairy beast/pooch flipped out at all of the neighborhood activity- cause we weren't the only ones out and about in flip-flops- and proceeded to scare the wits out of the masses of kids roaming the neighborhood with her deep and intimidating "don't mess with me bark." We finally resorted to a "training collar" for the squirly yip-yapper KB claims as hers - just too much movement in suburbia for our "defend the land from critters" bred dogs. Hopefully we won't have to resort to a collar for Diamond. She's been depressed enough about being relegated to the garage. Just doesn't fit with her "I'm a rock-star" self image.

*2*
In other news we got through lots of math. Cub is rockin' at long division and feeling great about it. Doing the happy dance, me & him. LOVE it when hard things STICK. Just gotta get those multiplication facts down cold. Flash cards are our friends. Flower is cruising thru a second grade math book and almost at the point of multiplication. Have to get through adding and subtracting with carrying. Checked out Promblemoids by Royal Fireworks Press- oh my! http://www.rfwp.com/series42.htm Definitely on my list to purchase. And got a Critical Thinking Skills catalog in the mail this week too. ( they usually have some kind of contest or sign-up for free product, too, so check out their web-site!) http://www.criticalthinking.com/index.jsp. So far I'm hoping to get the Science, Analogies and Math workbooks for both Cub and Flower. Not sure for Feche-Boy yet. He's hit another growth spurt and his main/brain focus these days is eating and sleeping.
I've been sifting through web-sites for thinking skills, riddles and story problems for the kids, which they LOVE. It's a great way to get them thinking beyond, "math (or English, or whatever) is a worksheet." Any resources out there that you've discovered?

*3*
English was whittled down to copywork and reading. Lots and lots of reading. On-line library ordering rocks.
History was whittled down to reading and read-alouds.
Science was whittled down to a field trip to the Butterfly House. The kids were able to see a butterfly emerge from it's chrysalis. Fun times.
*4*
Drama, Art & Music were fun, as always. For added pizazz KB, Flower and I went to a Dramatic Truth performance, hosted by my friend Leann, who housed and fed the group almost single-handedly. You can watch a short clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCtwPwboD4gwatch?v=WCtwPwboD4g Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre, is a professional neo-classical ballet company that tours nationally and internationally out of Kansas City, Mo. Of course, Flower loved it and has been doing more than her usual number of twirls and leaps this week. Our pastor, in a fit of inspiration, threatened to preach the following Sunday en pointe. A fascinating and scary thought!


*5*
Today we're covering basics and heading out to the property for another talk through the options with our vunderba contractor. Big decisions regarding the second floor and more fun thinking about the kitchen. Hand crafted cabinets in cherry- ohlala. Have I mentioned that the wall between the kitchen and our 4 windowed-5 sided dining room will be open. Yeah!

*6*
Found this article...painful. A irl couple let their irl dd die while they played virtual games, including raising a virtual child. Online Escapism: No Substitute for Real Community . Creepy and a little too close to what I was writing about on Wednesday. http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2010/03/avatar-community.html
*7*
Reading The Four Hour Work Week after a couple days immersed in What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20. Very thought provoking reading; fantastic leadership, management and entrepreneurial ideas. Reviews to follow. KB is keeping on my toes with reading material. Just when I know I want a good thick juicy novel to delve into, she brings home something like the above mentioned Tina Seelig book.
As always, Jen is hosting 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diaries www.conversiondiary.com/

8 comments:

Des said...

Wonderful and interesting week!!! I loved reading your Wed. post, very thought provoking

Kash said...

Sounds like a fun week! We're celebrating the return of warmer weather here, too, but ours is quite a bit warmer than yours. I think I'd freeze. :)

Daisy said...

Wow, this is packed with great information. I'm going to have to come back later when I have more than 10 minutes at the computer.

I drool over the Critical Thinking catalog. I've never really spent any time on their site though. Going to do that.

Karen said...

You realize that you and I were celebrating 40's this week - warmer is really relative isn't it? My girls like the Stories to Solve books by George Shannon and Peter Sis. The reading level is a little light for my older dd, but we all enjoy the stories and trying to figure them out.

Have you used the Critical Thinking books before? I used the analogies with my ds when he was older, but I wasn't very impressed with it but analogies aren't that exciting - I was hoping the science one was terrific.

Wonderful week.

Robyn said...

Ahhh.. you've got to love these areas we live in that when it turns 40 it requires shorts and flip flops! Our kids were doing the same last week! We are cold again now, but it was fun while it lasted! My dd told me one day she was "hot!" I said... "oh, just wait child!" LOL!

rednanasteph's place said...

Just ordered that book about What I wish I Knew When I Was 20. I read part of it in line and want all my kids to read it.

Hen Jen said...

I think Diamond is a rock star, too!

we are loving the warm weather at our house, we were even talking about going to the beach!

I was eye-ing the 4 day workweek book at the bookstore.

Robin Johnson said...

We are loving warmer weather too. You managed to pack a lot into such a beautiful week. I'm going to have to add the books you mentioned to my reading list. The things I wish I knew (or paid attention to) at 20 is endless.