Wordless Wednesday

Making slides at Biology Lab Boot Camp

Harry Potter Party

The Crafter is 13. She has been for a while. She's actually closer to 14 now. I'm a bad blogger. Anyway, here is her very elaborate Harry Potter Party. It should be noted that the Crafter wants to have a bake shop and party planning service when she grows up. She did much of the food prep work herself. I was in charge of decorations and beverages.


First, the guests picked up a wand before they entered the house. I missed getting pictures of the wands. Then, everyone needed to be sorted. I found and printed a house quiz for this. The guests took the quiz. I checked them and announced their houses. The hat is a regular black witch's hat from Target. The Crafter used brown craft paper to cover it.

Not Slytherin...Not Slytherin....

Hufflepuff!

Another Hufflepuff!

Ravenclaw!

After the Sorting Ceremony, it was time for the feast. We couldn't pull off the great hall, so we turned the kitchen into Three Broomsticks.

The feast consisted of Golden Snitches, chocolate frogs, acid pops, licorice wands, pumpkin pasties, cake, chilled pumpkin juice, and hot butter beer. We found most of our ideas and recipes on Pinterest.

 The Golden Snitch

 Chocolate Frog

 Pumpkin Juice

 Deathly Hallows Mugs for Butterbeer

 Side view of Cake--Note: Next time use cardboard when stacking asymetrically.

 Top View of Cake

We couldn't leave the bathroom out. Fortunately, no one attempted to flush themselves in.

Everyone had a great time. The Crafter promised to have an easier party next year.

It Is Finished!

Hallelujah!

The World According to Wild Thing

Wild Thing has a unique take on life. Enjoy.

On the topic of animal behavior:  I believe you will find that most animals are cute unless they are trying to kill you.

In response to a math problem: If Matt drinks 6 cups of water, 1 cup of soda, 4 cups of milk, and 3 cups of juice how many pints does he drink? (There's a graph showing the previous info.) Mama, isn't that too much? How much time would he spend peeing?

Overheard conversation with Princess Pink:  I have the best idea! And most likely it will be painless!

At the hotel:  If we're on the 14th floor but there's no elevator button for the 13th floor then we're actually on the 13th floor. That makes no sense.

On the occasion of The Crafter's Harry Potter themed birthday party:  I don't like pumpkin juice or butter beer. I prefer a Muggle beverage.

When questioned about career goals: I want to get a job where I can blow things up.

Letting Go

I had an image in my mind of what homeschooling would look like and tried my best to get my family to fit into that image. We were supposed to snuggle on the couch reading and listening to soft classical music. We were supposed to go on exciting field trips. We were supposed to enjoy learning together. We were supposed to have outside lessons. We were supposed to draw and paint. We were supposed to do cool science projects. We were supposed to learn Latin together.

Time to let all of that go.

My children do not enjoy school. Not one. It's a constant battle to get the work done. They even whine about drawing lessons. I have tried everything. All the schedules and reward systems have not helped. Punishments don't help much either, but at least least the work gets done. I know that homeschooling is the right choice for my family. I know that they are getting a sound, albeit basic education. I just wish it could be more.

I have to let go of my dream and the discontent it breeds in my heart. I have been relying on myself and my dreams of the ideal homeschool to get in the way of what God wants for my children. It's a new year. Time to seek first the Kingdom of God. Past time.

And We're Back

Stay turned for the newest happenings at Bradford Academy as well as some flashbacks from the fall.

Not Back to School Pictures

We switched over our school year about a month ago. Here are the students.

Princess Pink--First Grade

Wild Thing--Third Grade

The Crafter--Eighth Grade

Is your specimen ready?

Princess Pink was looking at a furniture store sale paper with her Barbie. She was helping Barbie decide how to redecorate her house. Princess Pink said, "So Barbie, let me show you some samples for your house. Here's a carpet sample. Here's a curtain sample. Here's a stool sample. Here's a couch sample." For the record, she was looking at bar stools.

Health Update

I meant to update in March, but I'm a bad blogger. Besides, there's nothing much to update.

Anyway, I've been wheat free for 5+ months. I have eliminated most other grains as well. I have rice or quinoa about once a week. My sugar consumption is down. My fruit and veggie consumption is up.

My joint pain is mostly gone. I am able to exercise more. Exercising more caused my treadmill to die, so now I try to sneak in YouTube workouts when I can. I do a mix of cardio and Pilates. My family is not supportive. Between the laughing and using me as a hurdle when I'm in plank position, I feel like strangling them.

My energy levels are up some. I get beyond survival mode quite often, but I don't have tons of energy.  I may have to accept that I won't. Unfortunately I still have major crashes where I feel like I'm sleep walking. Allergy season was very bad for me.  Sometimes, I have a crash for no reason. One day I was washing dishes and a wave of fatigue hit me that was so strong that I couldn't finish them. I had to rest before starting supper.

I haven't lost any more weight. I lost 4.5 lbs the first month and have stayed there. I need to lose 5 more pounds to be where I would like.

I still haven't found a new doctor. I don't have the time or money to go and try out different ones. If the doctor is not a good fit, I have to wait a year to try again unless something major happens.

What's next? Keep on keeping on. It has been suggested that I need to give up caffeine. I don't want to. I looove coffee. I don't want to give it up. I drink 2-3 cups a day. I'm willing to cut down to 2, maybe even one. I guess I could do decaf. I'm not ready yet.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday--New Shoes

Even Standardized Testing

I keep thinking about something that happened a few weeks ago when we did our yearly standardized testing. There is a business in our area that helps organize group testing for homeschoolers at churches and co-ops. We test with them at a church in the next town. I was a proctor for the eighth grade.

There was a girl in my class who liked to talk about herself. A lot. The stories she told seemed far fetched and braggy, but the other kids didn't seem to mind. The second day, we were waiting to get started. She said that she had never been in a church before. She described how her mother said that she was free to choose her own religion, and she didn't know much about Christianity. 

Now I've been a Christian for a good many years, and I can take you down the Roman Road, but God told me to keep silent. So I sat there with my mouth shut. That was difficult. Then one by one, the other teens started to witness to this girl. They told her about Jesus and what He has done. They described their relationships with the Savior. And I just sat in the corner silently rejoicing that teenagers were sharing the Gospel with this girl.

We homeschool moms complain about having to do standardized testing. It's a disruption and a large expense. But because we have this requirement, a 13 year old girl entered a church for the first time and heard about salvation. God can use anything, even standardized testing.

Angry Birds Party--Finally

Back in February, Wild Thing was having some behavioral issues, and we had to cancel his already belated birthday party. Fortunately, he was able to earn his party back though it was very, very belated. We held it a couple of weeks ago. The Crafter and I made a Pinterest board for the ideas we gathered from around the web. Here are our interpretations.

I love doing cupcake cakes. It makes serving so much easier. Also, there's no fussing about someone getting a bigger piece.

Cupcake Cake

The Pigs

The structure is made of Little Debbie Peanut Butter Bars and icing. A FaceBook friend gave me this valuable hint. The pigs and birds are made from Wilton fondant that we bought at A. C. Moore with a 50% off coupon.

 

The Birds

We did minimal inside decorations. We only put balloons up in the doorways. We sent a balloon home with each guest.



Balloon Decorations

The menu was bagel pizzas, baby carrots with dip, and Babybel cheese birds.

Red Bird Pizzas

Babybel Cheese Red Birds

After eating, we played games. We broke the pig pinata. We played pig in the woodpile. That was my brilliant idea for getting a pile of wood moved to it's summer location. Then the kids played capture the egg and pin the snout on the pig.





Pig Pinata--filled with eggs

Goody Bags

filled with pig and bird pom poms, Angry Birds fruit snacks, coloring pages, and Skittles

A good time was had by all. Wild Thing was very happy with his party. The Crafter is ready to plan the next one.

He Is Risen!

Alligator Down!

My kids like to take their stuffed animals out to play. (I know it's weird, but that's not the point.) Wild Thing thought it would be fun to take Methuselah the Alligator tree climbing. He took his beloved stuffed alligator up the magnolia tree. (Yes, that magnolia.) This time Methuselah fell. The neighbors' dogs were waiting. They got Methuselah and took off. They went for the belly and ripped out his stuffing. Only the skin was saved.

Methuselah's namesake was Methuselah the Alligator from Life at the Pond.

Not Just a Toy

I bought this little gadget on a whim last summer, but I never posted about it. I got it out this morning because the kids wanted to look at the insides of the flowers that are blooming.

It's a zOrb digital microscope. I bought it on Amazon. The price fluctuates considerably, and the blue one is usually the cheapest. I caught it for less than $20. The microscope plugs into the USB slot on the computer. You can either continuously view the images on the computer screen or push the button on top to take pictures. We've had a lot of fun.

Wild Thing's Eyelashes

Feather

Blue Jeans

Finger

I Hate Being the Bad Guy

We've been preparing an Angry Birds Birthday Extavaganza for Wild Thing. His birthday was after Christmas, but we always have his party in February so he doesn't get skimmed over. It was going to be some party. Lots of themed food and games and lots of friends were on the agenda. We even bought primary colored fondant to make edible Angry Birds.

But, alas, the party shall not be. Wild Thing pushed his luck and took his chances. Despite the warnings and the loss of pinata whacking privliages, he continued down the road to destruction. He was already having a bad attitude over his school work when we discovered melted glue sticks on the wood stove.

The Historian sent him to work the wood pile. I complained that I didn't want to do anything else for his party. The Historian agreed and cancelled the party. All guests were contacted. All the favors were put away. Losing the party was a natural consequence of his behavior.

So why am I the one who feels like a slug?

Wordless Wednesday--No Snow Edition

One Month (Mostly) Wheat Free

In an effort to take control of my health I've begun a wheat free journey courtesy of  Wheat Belly. I have had no obvious wheat products for one month with the exception of the occasional test noodle when cooking for the family and one flour tortilla during play week.  I have cut down on other grains, but I still have some oats and brown rice.
Pros:

• Down 4.5 pounds:  It's not the dramatic weight loss you read about in the testimonials, but I'll take it.
• Reduced sugar cravings: I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get rid of sugar in my diet. I would eat "healthy whole wheat" and by the end of the day I would attack for anything with sugar. I would end up eating boxed cereal at bedtime so I could sleep. Now I have lost most of my cravings for sweets.  I still like sweet things, but I'm good after a bite or two. That's a good thing.
• *TMI ALERT* I'm, um, regular. That loss of fiber that was going to ruin my digestive tract has had the opposite effect.
• *TMI ALERT* I didn't bloat last month. I usually gain around 3 pounds of water weight before that time of the month.
• My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore! I had an almost constant ache in my right shoulder for over a year. The pain was attributed to repetitive motion (a.k.a. too much computer). I noticed it was gone when I was putting on my coat last week and I didn't wince when I put my arm through the sleeve.

No Change:

• I haven't noticed a significant change in my average energy level. I have been busier than normal with the Crafter's play, work, and having major landscaping done in the yard. I pray more energy is coming.
• Hip and knee pain are still my companions, especially when it's rainy.
• Female issues are still issues.

Cons:

• Eating away from home is challenging. Restaurants are manageable. I can usually get a salad with grilled meat. Eating at someone's house is another story. I either have to bring my own food or hope they have safe foods. Then I have to explain. Then I have to politely decline "just one homemade roll." I worry about appearing rude or unappreciative.
• I'm in this diet change by myself. I hope they will come along at some point.
• I miss crackers. I miss cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, and soup with crackers. 

I have been exercising approximately four days a week. I mostly walk on the treadmill in my bedroom. I want to do some exercise videos, but my family is not supportive. They peek in and laugh at me. The TV is in the living room, so I can't really hide.

So all in all I'm doing better. I will update again next month.

The Play's (was) the Thing

Another Christian Youth Theater (CYT) play has come and gone. I am not exaggerating when I say that Sleeping Beauty has been our lives for the past two weeks. Wild Thing, Princess Pink, and I did get a break from waiting at the 3 hour rehearsals because of the generosity of a friend. The Crafter was able to ride with her and her family. I remain grateful. If you happen to be reading this, chocolate is heading your way when we get back on regular schedule.

This year the Crafter was the sky/sea, a maid, and a jewelry salesperson. The Crafter and her friends performed brilliantly last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

We had a surprise last Tuesday. One of the cast members was sick and the Crafter was called in to do Princess age 8. She did beautifully. She mastered a dance and a few lines in only two rehearsals. The sick cast member recovered and was able to go on Thursday, but the director allowed the Crafter to perform the princess role on Friday. That was the night our AWANA girls came to see the play.

Needless to say, we were and are still tired, but CYT is worth it. Sleeping Beauty was spiritually twisted to be an allegory of Creation to Revelation. The Gospel is clearly presented. The princess must choose between the Shepherd, Jesse, and Prince Tromperie, the Deceiver. When the princess says "I want Jesse," Tromperie causes her to fall asleep--death. She is awakened for her marriage at the end of the age.