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Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Preparing For More Chickens and More

Words to Live By

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possesions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Bible 

Besides our   memory verse  and  theme song we watched I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy.

Phonics and Reading

We completed the  Starfall  online Rr lesson and did the printable worksheet.



Then they decided to flip the paper over and draw on the back. 



And  we did an "ad" word family review with word mats I printed from 3 Dinosaurs' word family printables.





Math

For math we used the  Lets Get Fit! Count to 100 video and then practiced addition with the  Ways to Add Mats.


 Bird Unit

We read The Hungry Duckling . . . 


. . . and then watched these three videos about the kinds of birds that were in this book - Common Kingfisher, Quacker and Flapper, and A Guide to Keeping Hens in Your Garden

Other Books We Enjoyed Today


I read from these books with CJ and Michael before bedtime this evening. 

Furry, Feathered and Four Footed Friends

A friend of ours from church is wanting to find a home for his chickens so he asked me Sunday if we would take them. I didn't realize when I said yes quite how many there were but yesterday I found out there are fourteen - eleven hens and three roosters. We're picking them up tomorrow evening. So this evening Doug and CJ went out to work on getting this huge shipping crate he got from work ready for their coop. 


Out and About

Michael had another doctor's appointment today. This one was just a routine yearly check and it went very well. Also, I was so pleased with his behavior today. He sat still in the waiting room, waited patiently in the exam room for the doctor, and cooperated wonderfully during the exam. We have one more routine yearly checkup tomorrow, a kidney ultrasound. Three appointments in one week has definitely kept me hopping. 

Just Having Fun Together

Later this month three additions to our crew will be joining us on a daily basis. Today they were here for a couple hours as a bit of  warm up, trial run. We're looking forward to having many more fun days together.



Reading Around the Web


Today's  Quote

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home. ~ Author Unknown



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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Polar Bear Paper Plate Craft and New Buds on the Trees

Words to Live By

All a person's ways seem pure to them
but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, 
And He will establish your plans.
~ Proverbs 16:2-3

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible


We started our morning learning with prayer, reviewing Romans 8:38-39 and singing our theme song  I am Special. We also watched and sang along with I've Got Peace Like a River.

Phonics and Reading

We completed the  Starfall letter Qq lesson and worksheets . . .


. . . reviewed the "ad" word family using our matching word mats . . 



  and did the "ad" word family path from 3 Dinosaurs' word family printables



Polar Bear Day

Today we learned a little about polar bears, watching this video of a Mother Polar Bear and Cub and making a polar bear craft



Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments

Bible - The Truth Project Lesson 2 - Philosophy and Ethics:Says Who? (Part 6); Math - Elapsed Time; Science - Respiratory System: Gas Exchange During Respiration

Around the House

I spent about two hours today sorting toys and reorganizing things in the playroom. I put like toys into separate boxes and moved most of those boxes out of the playroom. I will rotate these boxes in and out of the playroom depending on which kids are here that day and what works best for that set of kids. 

Outdoor Fun

We went for a walk before lunch and had so much fun. 


The very best part was finding these buds on a tree down by the creek. I'm beginning to believe Spring really will come again.



Out and About


We had church this evening as usual. So blessed to have an evening of teaching and prayer, so many kids, good food, choir practice, good conversation with good friends.

Today's Quote

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the mataphysics of books. ~ Walt Whitman





Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Words to Live By

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible

This is our last week practicing Romans 8:38-39 for our memory selection and I think we're going to miss practicing these verses. We've been using some fun motions and actions that one of the teachers at church showed us to go with the words in this verse that the kids really enjoy. 

Our topic this week is God's Gifts for Us. Today we talked about the Gift of God's Love. We did the Jesus Loves Me puzzles that I printed and laminated several weeks ago. This one of the kids favorite versions of Jesus Loves Me and we watched it again today along with God Loves Me - VeggieTales.



Phonics and Reading

We did the Starfall Letter Pp lesson and worksheets. . . 





. . . and "ad" word family word matching mats made from resources found at 3dinosaurs' word family printables. I was a little surprised at how much they enjoyed matching word cards to words on the mats at the table. And Damien, who is three years old and the youngest of the group today, was really fast at matching the words. 



Math

 We, once again, exercised along with the Let's Get Fit! Count to 100 video. As long as they are having fun with this video I think we will continue to use it nearly every day. It gives us a nice little break from sitting at the table and they are learning to count to 100 at the same time.

They also enjoyed working with the Number Playdough Mats.



Storytime




These are the books I read with Michael, Lauren, Damien and Christopher today at storytime.

Other Books We Enjoyed Today



The first two books are the books I read from with CJ and Michael this evening and the third book is one I am enjoying myself.

Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments

Bible - Proverbs 29, Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Conversions - Part 2, Science - Respiratory System: Oxygen Transport


We finished reading No Woman So Fair this evening. I had a hard time reading through the part where Abraham is commanded to sacrifice, Isaac, his long awaited child promised him by God. I thought I would never get to the part where God stops him and then shows him the ram caught in the bushes that he was to sacrifice instead. We are going to continue with this series of books, but first we are going to read a book called Children and the Supernatural that a friend loaned me. I started reading this book myself but then thought it would be a good one to read with Austin and Amanda so we could enjoy it together. We'll probably start it Friday evening.  

In the Kitchen


Breakfast this morning was cereal and milk as usual, with juice to drink. 

For lunch I fixed chicken patties and fresh fruit and veggies. 

For dinner this evening I made Oven Fried Chili Ranch Drummettes, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans and a Spice Cake. Michael wanted to have sprinkles on the cake so he got the job of putting them on. 


Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and also cleaned out one of the bathroom cabinets that had gotten very cluttered and frustrating to even try to get something out of. 

Austin cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and dinner, washed the kitchen floor, and took care of the chickens and our outside dog and did the daily cleanup in the upstairs bathroom.

Amanda took care of the inside dog and the cats, did some laundry, and did the daily clean up in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom. 

CJ and Michael did the evening clean up in the living room and playroom. 

Just Having Fun Together


Reading Around the Web

Today's Quote

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson





Monday, February 25, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Michael's Geneticist Visit and Seeds for the Garden

Words to Live By

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Proverbs 14:22

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Because Michael had a doctor's appointment this morning the only "school" activity I did with the younger kids was storytime.

Storytime


Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments

Bible - Proverbs 28; Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Conversions Part 1; Science - Respiratory System Questions and Answers

Out and About

Michael had his appointment with his Geneticist today. I love this doctor. She takes the time to really explain what she's thinking and the reasons behind the things she recommends. A year ago we were there and she did some testing for several different things. Most of these were completely ruled out but the Tuberous Sclerosis test basically came back inconclusive. There was an abnormality on one of the genes that is involved with Tuberous Sclerosis but at this point there is not enough scientific evidence to know if this particular abnormality can be a cause of TS. Michael does have some symptoms that could point to TS (the masses/tumors he was born with, seizures, other physical features, etc) but not enough to give a definite diagnosis since a lot of these symptoms could be a part of other things as well. So, at this point we're basically left with wait and see. Wait and see if any more symptoms develop (they often do as a child with TS gets older), wait and see if a better genetic test becomes available, wait and see if it everything just stays the same or gets better. She did schedule a renal ultrasound just to be safe since tumors on the kidney's can be a problem with TS. I was disappointed that there are still no clear answers, but at the same time I feel at peace knowing that God has brought him this far and that He loves him more than I ever could. I've said it before but it bears repeating - Michael is a miracle from God. As a baby doctors said that if he survived the severe health problems he was born with he would probably never walk, talk, see or hear. He not only walks, he runs. He talks constantly! His vision is excellent and since we had tubes put in his ears so is his hearing. I know God didn't bring him this far for nothing.

We passed the time waiting for the doctor to come in this morning by taking pictures and playing with a few toys that were in the room. He did a wonderful job being patient while we talked and cooperated wonderfully with the doctor. I was very proud of him. 



Other Notes and News

Our weekend flew by! One of my favorite parts of the weekend was buying these seeds and supplies for the garden. 


CJ and Michael caught my excitement and bought some too. CJ's are on the left and Michael's on the right. 



Doug spent a quite a bit of his weekend working on vehicles. He put brake pads on our friend's minivan and patched a tire that had a nail in it one of our vehicles. 

Reading Around the Web

Today's Quote

Anticipate the day as if it was your birthday and you are turning six again. ~ Mike Dolan

Daily Deals


Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Bird Themed Learning Mats and More Friday February 22

Words to Live By

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible

After prayer, our memory verses and singing our theme song we talked more about the wonderful promises God gave us in the Bible. Today we talked about His promise to His children that they will live with Him in Heaven one day. We sang along with Every Promise in the Book is Mine, read and talked about John 14:2 and  Revelation 21:4 and listened to Heaven Is a Wonderful Place.

Phonics and Reading


 We went to Starfall and did the Oo phonics lesson and then completed the Oo writing worksheet.



Math

For math we exercised along with our favorite counting video, Let's Get Fit Count to 100 and then worked with these  Pattern Mats .




Wild Bird Unit






We read A Nest Full of Eggs and watched this Birds Video for Kids. And we did this  Label the Bird activity. 



Storytime




These are the books I read at storytime today with Michael, Lauren, Mateah and Christopher.

Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments and Independent Learning

 Math - Metric System Review; Science - The Respiratory System - How it Works; Project With Doug - Learning to Set Up Spreadsheets

Other Books We Enjoyed Today



These are the books I read with CJ and Michael at bedtime this evening.

In the Kitchen

Breakfast - Cereal w/Milk and grapes


Lunch - Austin made lunch and decided to have Scalloped Potatoes, Chicken Patties, Grapes and Butter Bread.


Dinner - Amanda made Tuny Cheesy Pasta and Lima Beans for dinner and I added a fresh veggie plate and some individual cherry desserts to the meal. We also had butter bread. 

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and did some laundry.

Austin took care of the chickens and outside dog both this morning and this evening, cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and dinner,and did the evening clean up in the upstairs bathroom. 

Amanda took care of the inside dog and the cats, did some laundry, did the evening cleaning in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom.

CJ and Michael did the evening clean up in the living room and playroom.  

Just Having Fun Together


Other Notes and News

A sweet lady from church sent a bag of things home with us Wednesday evening. I had an idea what was in it because she had asked me if we could use these things. I didn't get it out until today, and when I did this was what I found in it. I especially love the handmade quilt on the left and the pillows were greatly appreciated too. 


Reading Around the Web




Today's Quote

Smile! It increases your face value. ~ Robert Harling

Daily Deals





~ Linking Here ~

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Thursday, February 21, 2013

Words to Live By

And this is His command: to believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. 1 John 3:23

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible

This morning we started with prayer, our memory verse, and our theme song for this month. Then we talked some more about the promises God has made to us in the Bible, focusing especially on how Jesus said if two if His children on earth agree together in prayer He will hear and answer. We sang along with Every Promise in the Book is Mine, read Matthew 18:19, watched this video about how several friends agreed together to ask Jesus for help for their friend - A Hole in the Roof.

Phonics and Reading

We did the letter Nn lesson on Starfall and completed the Letter Nn Writing Worksheets. We also played a memory game with the "am" word family cards.

Math

Our math lesson this morning was simple - we watched and sang along to Count to 20!!!!!!!


Wild Bird Unit

The activities for our Wild Bird Unit Study were also simple this morning. We read Brady Bird



and watched Birds for Kids

Other Books We Enjoyed Today



These are the books I read with CJ and Michael tonight before they went to bed.


In the Kitchen

Breakfast - Cereal w/Milk, Bananas


Lunch and Dinner - Vegetable Soup, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Grapes. On Wednesday evenings we eat at church and sometimes when there are leftovers some get sent home with us because we always have plenty of people here to eat it.We were blessed yesterday with a big container of vegetable soup and several bags of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So that's what we're eating today. 

This morning I fixed this plate of fresh vegetables and kiwi slices for snacking on. I had already eaten several of the radishes when I took this picture. This helps to keep me from reaching for some not so healthy snacks when I get the munchies and the kids also find themselves wanting some too when they see it out and ready to eat. Michael especially likes the cucumbers. 



Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and took care of the chickens and our outside dog this evening.

Austin took care of the chickens and our outside dog this morning and took the dog for a walk. He also cleaned the kitchen after lunch and did the evening cleanup in the living room, playroom and upstairs bathroom.

Amanda did some laundry, did the evening cleanup in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom, and vacuumed the upstairs hallways and the stairs.

Out and About

Taking Lauren to preschool and stopping by the pharmacy was the extent of my going out today. This evening Austin and Amanda went to my parents' and sister's house for the evening. 

Just Having Fun Together

CJ loves to get out his papers and craft supplies and do things with the younger kids when he gets home from school. Here he was having them draw shapes and practice counting to 9.


Other Notes and News

Yesterday I had the worst fatigue and just felt spacey all day. I couldn't understand why I was struggling so hard to keep up but I just felt awful. Then this morning I woke up with a mild stomach bug so I guess that explains it. I don't feel as tired or spacey though and I'm so glad! I've just tried to keep things simple today - which is why we didn't do as much schoolwork and I kept the meals super simple. 

Doug worked in the garage awhile this evening on a rack he's building to hold our bins of animal food. He's almost finished with it and it will make storing and getting to the food so much easier. 

After a little over a week of no seizures (at least not that I saw) Michael had another one tonight. Thankfully just a short one, approximately 45 seconds, just after he fell asleep. 

Reading Around the Web



Today's Quote

Every smile makes you a day younger. ~ Chinese Proverb


~ Linking Here ~ 




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Bird Theme Size Sorting Mats and More

Words to Live By

For this is the message we heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 1 John 3:11

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible

We began our morning with prayer, reviewing our memory verse, and singing this month's theme song. We continued with this weeks theme - God's promises - by watching and singing along with Every Promise in the Book is Mine and then watched God's Rainbow Promise.

Phonics and Reading

We did the Starfall letter Ll lesson and the kids completed the Ll writing worksheet.




Then we worked on "am" and "ag" word sorts.



Math

We exercised our way to 100 with this video Let's Get Fit Count to 100. We've been using this video a lot and the kids love it. 



This fun Size Sorting Bird Activity was a big hit with the kids. Once again, I laminated these mats so we'll be using them over and over. 




Wild Bird Unit

We read Petal the Owl Colours





and the kids colored these  Color the Bird  booklets.



We also watched this  Bird Life Cycle Video for Kids.


Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments 

Bible - Proverbs 27; Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Place Value Part 2; Science - Respiratory System Structure and Function

In the Kitchen

Breakfast - Cereal w/Milk, Juice


Lunch - Today was Amanda's day to make lunch and she served cheese pizza, fries and mixed vegetables. 


Dinner - I made a Broccoli Chicken Casserole and chocolate pie this morning to have for dinner this evening. We also served butter bread. I needed something I could make ahead of time because this is the evening Amanda and I go to the SPCA so she can work with the animals. 

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast, did some laundry and did some cleaning and organizing in the mudroom.

Austin cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and dinner and did the evening cleanup in the living room and playroom, and took care of our outside dog and the chickens.

Amanda cleaned the guinea pig's cage, took care of the cats and our inside dog, did some laundry and did the evening cleanup in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom. 

Furry, Feathered and Four Footed Friends

Little Red looks like she's not sure what happened here. Amanda took this picture while she was cleaning her cage. 



Out and About

Amanda and I went for our usual afternoon at the SPCA. She loved this cat named Sweetie Pie. 


And she worked some more with Jenny the Pit Bull. She's sweet but a little rambunctious. Amanda is working on teaching her to follow a few simple commands like Sit and Wait.



Just Having Fun Together


Our coffee maker bit the dust today so Doug and Austin took it apart to see if they could find out what happened to it. I don't know if they figured it out but they sure had fun trying. Then Doug went to Walmart and bought a new one and came home and fixed me a pot of coffee. I'm not spoiled at all, am I?




Reading Around the Web



Today's Quote

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~ Phyllis Diller


~ Linking Here ~

Monday, February 18, 2013

The Walnut Acre Daily - Beginning A Bird Unit Study, Weekend Fun and More

Words to Live By

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:43-45

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun


Bible

This morning it turned out Michael was the only one doing lessons with me but we had fun. We had our prayer time, reviewed our memory verse and sang our theme song. We also talked about how God has promises for us and one of those promises is protection for His children. We enjoyed the song Every Promise in the Book is Mine and then watched this video of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Phonics and Reading

We did the Starfall lesson for the letter Kk and completed a letter Kk writing worksheet. . . 




. . . and we played an "am" and "ag" word family memory game.



Math

We love this Let's Get Fit Count to 100 song and video so exercised along with it and then did this Bird Number Puzzle.  Michael really enjoyed it and since I laminated it we can use it over and over again.



Wild Bird Unit

This week we're starting a new unit focusing on wild birds. We began by reading A Nest Full of Eggs. 




We also enjoyed this Picture Dictionary - Birds video on Youtube. 



But the best part was these bird themed Beginning Sound Cards. Michael just loved these and once again, since they're laminated we can use them over and over again. I'm so glad I bought my little laminator. 




Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments and Independent Learning

Bible - Proverbs 26; Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Place Value Part 1, Science - The Respiratory System

Austin watched some of his favorite shows today - American Picker and Pawn Stars. He loves learning about antiques and collectibles and gets a healthy dose of American History in the process. 


In the Kitchen

Since there were no daycare children here the first part of the day it was a cereal and sandwich kind of day. This evening for dinner we had pancakes and sausage gravy, potatoes and I fixed a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and did some laundry. 

Austin cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and did the morning pick up in the living room and playroom. This morning he let the chickens out of the coop and gave them food and water and also took care of our outside dog.

Amanda cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, did some laundry, washed down the kitchen cabinet fronts, reorganized the shelf over the stove in the kitchen and did the evening cleaning in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom. This evening Amanda put the chickens back in their coop and gave them food and water and also took care of our outside dog, making sure she had refills of food and water.

Outdoor Fun


Our morning and early afternoon were really quiet but this afternoon several kids were here. Amanda took Mykalin, Madalyn and Michael for a walk and then stayed out with them while they played in the yard awhile.


Out and About

Austin and Doug, along with a group of other people, helped a lady from church move today. A man from church picked up Austin around 2:30 this afternoon and then after Doug got off from work he met the rest of the group. They got home around 6:45 this evening. Austin was excited because he was given quite a few old tools and a few other odds and ends. 

Just Having Fun Together

I thought Michael would be really bored today because he didn't have any other kids to play with but he spent a large part of the day in the playroom driving toy cars from one end of the room to the other as he acted out lots of different scenes - broken down cars, trips to the store, going to a party, etc. He gave me one of the toy phones and we had many phone conversations, mostly of the "Hi, how are you, I'm fine" variety. But it really was fun and I loved seeing him use his imagination and keep himself happily occupied. 

Other Notes and News


Saturday evening was the Boy Scouts Blue and Gold Banquet. The theme this year was outer space. They served a spaghetti dinner and it was delicious. 


There was a magic show after the dinner that the kids just loved.


And for dessert there were cakes baked and decorated by many of the Scouts and their families. I had to get pictures of these cool cakes - so much imagination and creativity on display here. 



Another highlight from the weekend was going out to lunch with a friend. We went to a Chinese restaurant and spent hours just talking. It was one of the best afternoons I've had in a long time. 

Last week kind of kicked my behind. I kept up with our schoolwork, activities and other things but somehow posting here fell way behind. I think when I really started having trouble was when Michael had two seizures again on Wednesday. I just had trouble getting my thoughts back together after that. He had been doing well since we raised his medication Jan 22nd. His neurologist said she can raise it one more time after this and if he continues to have breakthrough seizures she would consider admitting him for 5-10 days for constant EEG monitoring to see if we can get any more information on why he's having these seizures. The two he had Wednesday were fairly short, compared to some he's had. The first one was Wednesday morning when he just blanked out on us. He was sitting on the couch but not responding, totally blanked out, and then when he did began responding again he said his stomach hurt and he didn't want the breakfast he had just been begging for a few minutes earlier. The second one was a tonic clonic after he went to sleep Wednesday night. It only lasted about 30 seconds which was much better than the 5 - 20 minute ones he has had in the past. And I haven't seen any since Wednesday which is awesome.

Reading Around the Web

The Camel Mother - I am the camel and he is the straw and I am broken. 


Today's Quote

A smile confuses an approaching frown. ~ Author Unknown

Daily Deals




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