Nothing Beats a Giant Box!

I try to do some sort of project with the kids whenever I have a day off, so I'm not spending the whole day just cleaning (yes, I do clean, you just can't tell five minutes later). Today we made a playhouse:

I was cutting out the circle window when C. cheered, "You're making a hot air balloon!" So, of course, that's what it had to be. He directed me to draw him, S. and myself in one, and Daddy and M. in the other. He then went back and added L. himself.

As you can see, Daddy is wearing his good black hat. M. has a baseball cap on. I don't know what that is on L's head.

S. went inside a couple times, but seems to prefer peeking through the windows.

And then shutting them tight so brother can't get out.

Big sister is actually home today too, but sick in bed. I wonder if we can lure her in when she comes back to the land of the living? Hmm...

Why parents spend a fortune on toys...

..so that, months later, we can find them still playing with the card instead.

Why We Call Her Turd

So, Grandma and the little ones stopped by the library to visit for a few minutes, then I walked them out to the van.

"Bye C.! I love you!"

"Bye Mommy! Love you!"

"Bye S.! I love you!"


S. leans forward in her seat, cranes her neck around me, makes eye contact with the stranger in the car next to us:

"Bye, Buddy!"

Then a big grin at me to make sure I caught all that.

Big Dog, Little Dog

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Do you see it everywhere, or is this an Alamogordo thing?

Me, I like big dogs. Golden retrievers, Great Danes, etc. Some people like small dogs (Mike calls them bear killers - poor grizzly could choke to death on a Chihuahua). For some reason, I frequently see yards around here with one of each. Is this a sign of a compromise between Mom and Dad? Or a single owner who just can't make up his mind?

These two were playing fetch with their owners in the park across from the Library today. By the time I fumbled my camera out of my purse and got it turned on, they had crossed the street and were headed home. I am extremely impressed that they are just following Mom and Dad, no leashes or dangling steak on a string. Our idiots would be halfway to Tulie! At any rate, doesn't this picture scream to be made into a picture book? Somebody else please do it, though - I can't even manage to post here regularly.

My Child is a Genius

I am SO far behind on book reviews for my other blog, that I volunteered to take M. to REVO tonight just so I could use Plateau Espresso's wifi to get a few posts done. In preparation, I looked over some of the picture books with C. and S. this afternoon. ("Puppies!" "No, S., that's a walrus.")

Halfway through this book from Lerner:



C. jumped and ran to his bookshelf. He came back with this book from Scholastic:



and showed me that they both contained the exact same photograph. Now I have something new to say, however inconsequential, about two books in a series I already reviewed last year:)

Now, if I can just get him to help me with the family budget...

So, what do you think, did we have fun today?

Homeschoolers are Weird!

Finally, someone has the guts to admit it - homeschoolers are odd! They are not socialized like public school kids are, and we should stop trying to pretend they don't stand out!

"They haven’t been grouped and sorted according to age and academic track. They haven’t been expected to know their place and stay in the “class” to which they have been assigned. They haven’t been trained to respond to the bell and do assignments without question. They haven’t had to surrender their individuality and will to an authority figure who may not have their best interests at heart. They aren’t subjected to judgment, grading, and the bestowment of rewards and punishments without the ability to object or appeal. They haven’t been conditioned to be passive and compliant or dependent on others to tell them what to do or how to spend their time. They are not powerless. They have the choice to remove themselves from bad situations or people and change the curriculum when it’s not relevant, interesting, useful, or meaningful"

Entire artiucle at The Link