Friday, December 9, 2011

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas: December 3 - 9

In My Life This Week
♪ ♬ It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look at the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow. ♪ ♬

The Trees decorated our little Christmas tree. We decided to stick with our 3 1/2 foot tree and place it in our big bay livingroom window instead of assembling the 7 footer. Perfect for seeing the festive colored lights outside! The kids also started cutting out paper snowflakes to decorate the window for a beautiful wintery effect. And we watched "The Polar Express" and "The Dog That Saved Christmas".

Cat thinks it's HER Christmas tree

What'cha Makin' Wednesday!
(Click on the sidebar button to share YOUR kitchen creations with the kids)

Lip-Smacking Lemon Cookies from Best-Loved Cookies! I guess these are NOT your typical "holiday cookie" - probably more summertime-ish, right? - but they were super easy and we enjoyed them.

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Homeschool Happenings
Balsam Fir finished up his Mapping Skills workbook last week so I printed out a gingerbread unit study from Homeschool Share. (Do you and your kids like lapbooking? Check out Homeschool Share! TOTALLY free!) I also snagged some gingerbread men sight words from Making Learning Fun to put into a cookie jar (i.e. recycled plastic 64oz peanut butter jar) for reading practice. Sweet stuff! Pun intended! LOL

Oh, but this wasn't Balsam Fir's BIGGEST accomplishment this week! Balsam Fir has become a writer! After writing me a note expressing his unhappiness with going to bed on time - he felt he should be able to stay up later - he decided to keep a nightly journal. Sure, it keeps him up later than his bedtime, but how could I say no? 2 years ago I struggled to get him to write his nickname (and his nickname is VERY short)! We're celebrating here!

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Poor Sugar Maple! Another few days of feeling "under the weather". Her asthma symptoms are under control and her ear infection is gone, but she picked up a 48 hour "tummy bug".  She's a trooper though and got some school completed. She's reread D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths as well as several books in the Heartland horse series, drew some animal pictures from Draw Really Cool Stuff, and wrote a letter to each of her pen pals.

Sugar Maple's Sharks Drawing

It's the same ol' same ol' for White Pine: Grammar and Writing, Algebra, Earth Science, and American History. He started a persuasive essay on constitutional rights, solved rate word problems and rectangular coordinates, created a diagram of the different types of volcanic eruptions, and read about the late 1800s. (Doesn't solving "rectangular coordinates" sound like super fun? LOL)

White Pine's Types of Eruptions Diagram

Helpful Homeschool Hint
Work binders! See my post about our work binders here!

Out-and-About
♥ The boys from next door popped over to play ♥ Sugar Maple had a follow-up Asthma appointment on Monday ♥ White Pine and Balsam Fir had Scout meetings this week ♥ Sugar Maple had clarinet, a basketball practice and her first basketball game ♥ We made Balsam fir wreaths at a farm education center ♥  B__, C__ and C__ came over to hang out with the kids ♥

Our Favorite Thing This Week
Making and decorating Balsam Fir wreaths at the farm education center! And then enjoying a picnic-style lunch from home in their Welcome Center...followed by sampling cheese made right at the farm and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache. Yum!


What's Working/Not Working for Us
The temperatures we've been having! OK, I suppose for SOME 40s aren't exactly warm, but this is MAINE in DECEMBER and 40s ARE warm. I know they won't last and the snow WILL come...PILING UP TO THE RAFTERS...but for now we're enjoying the warmer weather.

Linking up to These GREAT blog hops:
The Homeschool Mother's JournalWeird Unsocialized HomeschoolersHip Homeschool Moms ButtonClassified: MomChestnut Grove Academy

26 comments:

  1. Ok ok, another reminder I need to to our weekly wrap up LOL..

    I love the note from your little tree about bedtime, they say necessity is the mother of invention. I suppose frustration is the mother of writing. ;)

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  2. Wow! You guys are still going strong! I am impressed! Thanks for linking up with Brag Time Thursday!

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  3. The Book of Greek Myths was a huge favorite of my oldest. My theory about cookies this time of year ... if it's something your family wants to try, that alone makes it perfect for the holidays. We've found many favorites by throwing caution to the wind and not baking typical goodies.

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  4. Your children's drawings are really impressive! Wow! And, way to go, for your son on writing every night! That's great! :-)

    I love the picture of your cat with the tree. Too darn cute!

    I hope you have a great weekend!
    Many blessings,
    Lisa

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  5. thanks for dropping by. following u on GFC now.
    Come join my weekly wordless wed linky party when u can :)

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  6. Forties is considered cold in my neck of the woods! Your trip to the farm center sounds like a lot of fun--and very Christmasy.

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  7. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I definitely recommend sensory bins! Boogie LOVES them and I have a lot of fun planning them and putting them together, if you couldn't tell :)

    We spend time in Vermont in the summers and it could get in the 40s at night sometimes, so I hear ya that 40s are definitely warm for the late fall!

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  8. I love the wreath. You all are having lots of fun. Yeah! A new writer.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

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  9. Sounds like you had a great week! I enjoyed the drawings/writings by your kiddos:)

    Drop by & see me if you get a chance, I'm giving away a membership to Math Blaster this week.

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  10. Glad to hear that C is feeling better. Poor dear. And I just LOVE S's note. LOL You need to keep that forever.

    Just how lemony were the cookies? I love lemon cookies the more lemony the better.

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  11. I have just found your lovely blog through the blog hop Lovin the weekend wonderful to join in. I'm now following you hope you visit me and follow back so nice to find new friends to catch up with. Have a great day.

    Always Wendy

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  12. Wow, that is a busy week!! I am in MN and it has been warm for us here too, and still hardly any snow. We need to get snow soon or we will have nothing that over-winters and we'll start the spring in a drought. Looks like your kids excell at all their school projects, it helps to have a great teacher. ;) Hope you are having a great week there! Thanks for stopping by, I am stopping and following back gladly.

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  13. Thanks for stopping by. I'm a new follower here too. :)

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  14. New follower following back from the Blog Hop.. Your pic of the cat in the tree is why I'm afraid to put up our tree...Our older cat is fine..I'm worried about the new kitten we just took in tearing it up.

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  15. oh that is cool, making your own wreaths!!!! yes, that is warm for december!! the warm temps here in MD are keeping my Christmas spirit at bay. I need some snow!!! back home they had snow this week :-(

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  16. Thanks for visiting Blessed Beyond a Doubt. Love your blog and what a cool idea to update everyone on the homeschool thing.

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  17. I loved your post about workbinders.

    We also use Homeschool Share A LOT in our homeschool - it's probably my favorite online resource!

    Thanks also for joining the Three Thinking Mothers blogroll!

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  18. I'm a new follower from the blog hop and absolutely love your blog. You do so many interesting things and I love that you are a homeschooling Mama. God bless you.

    www.wewillwalkforeverholdinghands.blogspot.com

    Rachel

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  19. I am a new follower on GFC. I found you through "Tiggerific Tuesday! Blog Hop...or Bounce." I look forward to reading more from you!

    Jessica
    www.arebutterfliesticklish.blogspot.com

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  20. Field guides are a great idea! There are plenty of plants and insects we have encountered that would be great to read about while on a hike. Thanks for the tip!

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  21. Thanks for stopping by my blog

    Diane @ Can Do It MOM

    I love the drawing of the sharks, we love sharks

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  22. I am a new fan from Madame Deals please enter one of my contests I have $200 in jewelry and more www.madamedeals.com/contests.

    Thank you
    Amee

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  23. It's always the perfect time for lemon cookies! Yum!

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  24. Your tree is perfect =-) And I think the lemon cookies look DELicIOus!! Your son's eruption drawing is AWESOME!! He is talented!!! Thanks for linking up to TGIF! Merry Christams, Beth =-)

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  25. Thank you for linking up to Whatcha Making Wednesdays!!! :-) What a great recipe :-)

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  26. You've got quite the artist there, great drawings! Thanks for linking up to BTT!

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