Barefoot Cowboys

Sharing a Fort With Friends

2012-01-17T16:21:00.005-05:00

The first of the year, my hubby and I took
some of the children's friends
to one of the many Forts
we frequent.
We were surprised to learn
they have never been.
They were delighted and enjoyed it all.
Got to love home schooling
where field trips make history come alive!

Admiring some of the big cannons.

My oldest trying to give a stern soldier face.

The twins goofing around at the outside toilets.

No electricity, candles for lighting.

A small opening to place a rifle if needed to
defend the fort.

Simple furnishings.

Yes, fun was had by all.
Many blessings.

One Word Resolution for 2012

2012-01-17T15:18:00.005-05:00

One word,
no resolutions, just one simple word.

Inhale

Inhale

Meaning...

to breathe in
to take in eagerly
inspire

Again, like last year, inhale choose me.
This one word says a lot to me.
It transcends in me what I want to
feel and do this year of 2012.

The more I say this word,
the more I am concreted to it.

I want to
Inhale my Lord and Saviour,

Inhale my family,

Inhale every day slowly.

Inhale seems like a unusual word to be a resolution word,
but to me it is complete.

Inhale.

What is your word for the year?
Find some inspiration here.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T00:03:00.004-05:00

Our advent

and our favorite tree.

A tree full of handmade treasures
of this year and years past.

Many blessings.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-23T23:55:00.003-05:00

Front door.

A side door.

A little of this

and all about this.

Many blessings.

Nature Study

2011-12-22T23:18:00.001-05:00

Nothing like exploring some wetlands.

No telling what you might find.

A little sticking fishing with friends.
No telling what you might catch.

Thankfully, not a gator.
Many blessings.

Handprint Art- Thanksgiving

2011-12-19T14:11:00.002-05:00

A little late, but wanted to share our little
Mayflower ships.

Many blessings.

A Fort Revisited

2011-12-19T14:01:00.003-05:00

On our way home from Disney,
we stopped by a little old fort
in St. Augustine.
This fort is like an old friend.
We visit a lot.

Because there is many cannons
has nothing to do with it.

My oldest comes with his own sound effects.

And commands his brothers in the firing.

Twins First Visit to Disney

2011-12-19T12:55:00.004-05:00

Sitting on the monorail with no clue
to what awaits.
The excitement is building.
Big brother has told stories
of past fun.

Getting closer.
Magic Kingdom is right ahead.

We are here at last.

Big brother showed us the ropes.

We had a blast at Disney and looking forward
to future visits.

Many blessings.

Admiration for Big Brother

2011-11-22T16:29:00.002-05:00

There is no doubt how this little brother feels
about his big brother.
Love, love this picture.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T03:38:00.001-05:00

As this Thanksgiving comes upon us,

I am amazed as to how quickly it is skipped over
by many.
On November 1st, two of the major radio stations
here started playing Christmas music 24/7.
Stores and communities started putting up Christmas
decorations.
Many of our neighbors have their trees up and lights on.
It seems the minute Halloween was over the Christmas
rush was on.
This year many retailers are opening their doors on
Thanksgiving day.
It is really sad.

Thanksgiving time is my favorite time of the year.
It is a time of giving thanks
for even the smallest of blessings, say
shoes, food, and running water.
There are so many who are without these simplest
of things.
In years past I have blogged about giving
30 days of thanks.
And though I did not blog about it this year,
my 30 days of thanks was done
privately.
My family read books and talked about
Thanksgiving and its meaning in our
morning circle time.
We colored, pasted, and hand printed
our Thanksgiving crafts.
We will spend Thanksgiving with family,
eating plenty and visiting, watching the children
play and giggle.
We are not skipping this Thanksgiving or
any other.
It is that important to us.
We will cherish each and every one.
Many blessings.

Rocket Boys

2011-11-13T17:04:00.009-05:00

We tried what we pinned.
Discovered Pinterest a month ago
and fell in love.

Spotted play rockets someone made for
their young boys
and knew my younger boys would enjoy
them too.

So, we gave it a try...

Turned out great.

They were simple to make.

And easy to wear.

They were the hit of their Halloween parties.

Go here for the original idea.
They have instructions that are clear and easy
to follow. We made only slight changes in making ours.
We used the silver shiny wide tape. We used 2 liter empty
coke bottles, and plastic cheap table cloth cut into strips
for the flames.

Have fun.

Rocket Boys Part 2

2011-11-13T16:54:00.004-05:00

Still having a blast with our rockets.

We fly so fast.
We fly so high.

You could not catch us if you tried.
We so fast!

Again, original idea found here.

More October Memories

2011-11-13T15:49:00.004-05:00

Smiling inside watching my children
being in awe.
How blessed are we who get to be honored
in raising up children.

Big Brother

2011-11-09T19:52:00.003-05:00

Yes, Big Brother I am.

But, also I am me.
Not wanting to be always known
as the Big Brother.

I am a Lego loving, artist creating, and
future award winning writer.
And that is just the beginning.

Just so you know...

Sharing Photos of the Twins

2011-11-09T19:44:00.003-05:00

Climbers they are.

Buddies...most of the time.

Fearless with endless smiles.

Forever curious, engineer in training.

October Corn Maze

2011-11-09T19:14:00.004-05:00

October just flew by.
Still can not believe it is November.
Have not been able to stop and blog,
living too much.
But, do love to share with family and friends
what we have been up about doing.

Early October always finds us at a corn maze/ pumpkin
patch or two.

Had beautiful weather.

Picking a pumpkin is fun for all.

Looking for that special little pumpkin.

Feeding animals.

Petting animals.

It was a good day.
Many blessings.

Term One Update

2011-11-07T21:08:00.003-05:00

My son has excelled, especially

these last few weeks.
He had been frustrated with his reading
and math skills,
shying away from boys in his Cub Scouts
because he felt he was not as smart
as them.
Of course, we reassured him this is not
the case.
But, he has been quite the challenge
everyday with his school work.
So, my husband and I had a meeting with
our 9yr and we talked "school".
It was a come to Jesus meeting for my 9yr.
The three of us discussed goals for
the end of the calendar year.
We formulated a plan.
Thus, the concentration on
language arts and math.

It has made all the difference in the world.

Many blessings.

File Folders

2011-09-26T20:34:00.002-04:00

A little file folder fun with our ABC's.

Fun way to start the day.

Even Big Brother gets into the fun.

Many blessings.

Puzzles

2011-09-19T20:40:00.002-04:00

We love big floor puzzles in our house.
Just look at that concentration,
tongue and all.

Last piece.

Smiling, like I am shy.

Basketball

2011-09-18T14:49:00.004-04:00

Meet the players and the Ref.

He shoots, he scores.

Jump shot. Score is tied.
Who will win?
It is down to the buzzer...

The brothers win!
Hugs all around.

Many Blessings

Being Home

2011-09-17T20:46:00.003-04:00

(art by Thomas Kinkade)

It is Saturday.
The twins had their soccer game at 9am.
Then we went home.
Later, did we go out for lunch?
Did we go to a movie or shopping?
No.
We stayed home.
Home.
While many other families are running around
trying to do this and that.
We are at home playing in the dirt,
doing yard work, drawing with side walk chalk,
reading, napping, and light housework.
Yep,
we are doing this and that too,
but we are doing it at home.
Love being at home.

Many blessings.

August 16,2011

2011-09-11T23:14:00.002-04:00

Our first day of home school was August 16,2011.
This is our traditional picture.
This year includes the twins.
The oldest is in 3rd grade and the twins are starting pre-k.

Many blessings.

The Orange Shirt

2011-09-10T19:36:00.002-04:00

Looking through my pictures and blog post,
something stands out.
It is my oldest and his orange shirt/shirts.
What can I say,
he loves his orange shirts.

Many blessings.

Creative Juices Flowing- Take Two

2011-09-10T19:28:00.001-04:00

Not to be out done by big brother,
the twins got to creating themselves.
All by themselves.

I think they did pretty good.
Soon will be giving big brother a run for his money.
Many blessings.

Creative Juices Flowing

2011-09-10T19:25:00.001-04:00

My oldest was not seen for hours
late one afternoon in July.
He was in his room creating.
This is his one of many masterpieces.
We love Trio.

My Three Sons

2011-09-08T22:25:00.001-04:00

Love my boys.

2011-09-08T22:11:00.001-04:00

Battle lines have been drawn.

Men are armed and ready.

No time to run.

The battle has begun.

All fought bravely.

"Mom, can we have a snack?
This battle stuff makes us soldiers hungry?"

Battle halts for popsicles.

Many blessings.

Is it Really September?

2011-09-07T15:35:00.007-04:00

Boy! Where has the time gone?
Been away from blog land for two months.
Needed the break.
Sometimes being on the computer can be brain numbing.
I do love blogging though.
It is a nice way for family to keep up with us.
It is a nice way to look back upon little snapshots
of our family life.
I have so much I want to blog about,
so many things to talk about.
And I will,
as soon as I get all our pictures downloaded!
Many blessings.

Why Memorize Scripture?

2011-07-28T07:07:00.002-04:00

Simple, but powerful message of why to memorize scripture.
Very inspiring.

Researching and Planning

2011-07-12T06:22:00.011-04:00

Planning and Researching for the 2011-2012 year.

My oldest will be in 3rd grade.
The twins are 4 years old, so they are...
well,...
they are 4 years old and everything that comes
with that, smiles.

This is our first year planning
without really knowing what we want.
We just knew that changes needed to be made.

So...
Off to a home school conference we go.
We went with an open mind and a blank canvas.
We had researched lots and now was the time to
question and put our hands on curriculum, lots of curriculum.
Just can not do that over the Internet,smiles.
An expo can be overwhelming, but for
some reason, this year was not.
We took the first day to soak it all in
and look, just look.
No buying.
This can be hard because there is soooo much
out there, soooo much that looks good.
But, we resisted.
If there is one thing we have learned in the 3 years
we have home schooled,
less is more, less is more.
On day two, we made choices that we feel
will fit our family.

This is what we decided on:

Language arts: Rod and Staff- Building English Series
Spelling: All About Spelling level 2
Math: Math-U-See
American history: Truth Quest- Exploration-1800
Science: Real Science 4 Kids- Chemistry and Physics I

We are excited.
Of course, there is Bible, nature studies, hymns,
composer/artist studies, geography, and
reading of books, lots of books.
We love our read aloud
and reading time.

We do not do all of these daily.
Oh no, have learned that lesson the hard way.
And we will not be trying to fit all
of these in our schedule at the beginning of our school year.
Another lesson learned.
Instead, we will ease into our year,
adding things as we go.
With 3 years under our belt,
we have learned to take a slow pace.
There is no rush, this is not a race.
We are not trying to keep up with the Jones.

Bible, reading of books, language arts, spelling, and math
will be our focus at first.
Four days a week.
One day each week will be saved for
field trips, art, nature studies, science experiments,
or anything we fancy.

For the 4 year old twins, we are going to use
Little Hands to Heaven as a guide
with other resources added.
It will be a very relaxed approach.
The twins see big brother doing things
and they want to join in.
This is an answer to that.
It will be fun too.

How will our daily rhythm look when
our home school starts back up?
Not sure.
We are still enjoying the our summer rhythm.
Soaking it all in.

Blogging Break and Random Thoughts

2011-05-09T21:18:00.006-04:00

Taking a little blogging break to renew and refresh.
This time of year can be draining.
Everything is winding down,
the Spring term and year, soccer, co-op,
etc., etc., etc....

Had a lovely Easter with family and friends.
Easter came this year so quickly for me,
that I was not able to do a study with the children
as I had wanted.
Next year hopefully I will.

A little drama happened with my oldest soccer team
resulting in the coach quitting
with just 2 games left.
Some things I will never understand.
This was sudden and caught many of us
off guard.
The drama involved just a few parents
and the coach.
Again some things I will never understand.
Thankfully, the assistant coach stepped right in
and took the lead.
Looks like the kids will end on a positive note
after all.
On the other hand, the twins soccer season
has been a delight.
They have really come a long way.

The garden is coming along. The tomato plants
are full of green tomatoes,
have been harvesting beans for over a week now,
herbs everywhere, just a few cucumbers,
and the corn stalks have several corn forming.
Carrots and onions not so good.
Learning what does best in our environment.
Learning as we go.
Enjoying our little garden.
Have plans to expand once again next year.

Beginning in late Spring, I start
to look back at our home school year.
What worked and what did not.
What needs tweaking.
And it it is time to start looking at plans for
the next home school year.
My oldest will be a third grader,
so more formal schooling is in order.
What I mean by formal is not seat in your desk formal,
but a more widened exposure to academics,
home school style.
There will be more concentration on
language arts, spelling, and writing.
History will not be just read aloud by me,
we will both share in the reading.
And in science, there will be a little
chemistry and physics, oh my.
Still will be lots of nature study
and outdoor time, and living math in the mix.
With 2 years of home schooling under our belt,
we are slowly learning what works best for us.
I am sure there will be tweaking along the
way, but that is the joy of home schooling.
If it does not work, drop it.
It is that simple.
Took me half our first year to learn that.
Many blessings.

Watching My Boys

2011-04-14T20:39:00.001-04:00

Love watching the boys.

Watching them with new experiences.

Or with old ones, but with renewed confidence.

No need to buy fancy toys
when nature is so abundant and free.

Love watching the boys enjoy each other
in God's creation.

Many blessings.

Dry Homemade Laundry Detergent

2011-04-12T21:55:00.003-04:00

Laundry detergent making day.

What recipe do you use?
Liquid or dry?
We use dry.
Playing with combinations, but currently I like:

2 cups of Fels-Naptha finely graded
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup washing soda
1 cup Borax

I use between 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load.
We have hard water so might be adjusting my recipe soon.
Try to put a splash of vinegar in the rinse cycle
when I remember.
Also, love to add essential oils too.
Love the smell of lavender and tea tree oil.

I really do enjoy making my own laundry detergent.

Really I do, promise.

Soccer Love

2011-04-12T21:54:00.002-04:00

Many Blessings

Cub Scout Camping

2011-04-04T21:27:00.009-04:00

My hubby and oldest son

went on their first camping trip
with the Cub Scouts.
Oh my with all the prep.
We had to buy a tent,
sleeping bag, and of course lots of snacks.
Ready.
Off they went on a fun filled, packed weekend.

Archery.

Crafts.

Rock wall climbing.

Sling shots with dog food.

BB gun shooting.

Lots of hiking.
Oh, there was canoeing, camp fires, story telling,
rope tying, Frisbee throwing,
and eating.
Did I mention hiking, lots of hiking?
My hubby's words, smiles.
We heart Cub Scouts.

Too Cute

2011-03-25T22:01:00.003-04:00

Too cute not to share.
Many blessings.

Grammar Land

2011-03-24T20:15:00.010-04:00

Here is a fun grammar resource we have been reading,
Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt.
The book is about
Judge Grammar and his nine parts of speech.
There is a rich Mr. Noun, a busy Dr. Verb, a ragged Article, etc.
A very whimsical book written in 1878.
Written to help children understand the nine parts of speech
without being too bored.
We are reading a chapter and doing the exercise
suggestions at the end of each chapter.
My son is enjoying the stories.
And yes, the stories have made learning
about the nine parts of speech fun.
No yawning noted.

You can download it free here and here.
Can purchase it here.

Downloaded our copy from homeschool freebie.
Wonderful site, by the way.

Another site to get free book downloads is
Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project.
(bringing yesterday's classics to today's children).
They did not have Grammarland, yet.

A Website

2011-03-21T21:55:00.002-04:00

We love Thornton W. Burgess books.

These are great nature read aloud books.
Was told about this website recently
and had to share.
A great place to purchase Burgess
paperback books for around $2.50.
So wished we lived close to this society because
we would definitely visit and take advantage
of the programs they offer.

Many blessings

A Nature Reader

2011-03-20T22:02:00.003-04:00

Here is a reader we are enjoying.
Happy reading.

Brotherly Love

2011-03-17T10:44:00.003-04:00

They fight, they wrestle, they pester,
but mostly
they love each other.

Caught these pictures of two of my boys
playing, smiling,
and getting wet.

Many blessings.

Another Nature Adventure

2011-02-21T12:50:00.003-05:00

While on a visit to South Florida,
my husband found this lovely place to visit.

Most of the coast in Florida is flat and sandy.
This was a treat for us.

It is called Blowing rock because at high tide
when the waves hit the rock
it is like the rocks are blowing the waves up.

When we arrived it was low tide,
so no blowing waves.
But, we had a blast.

Nature Adventure Continues

2011-02-21T12:45:00.002-05:00

Here the boys are looking over the rocks.

Running.

Staying put.

And getting wet, very wet.
Wonder what high tide would have brought, smiles.

Nature Adventure Continues

2011-02-21T12:42:00.003-05:00

The views were beautiful.

Loved watching the children watch the waves.

Being amazed by the sea.

Yes, we enjoyed
and will be back at high tide next time.

Tree Blocks

2011-02-17T09:36:00.001-05:00

Simple.

For all ages.

Where imaginations soar.

Homemade Valentines

2011-02-16T13:36:00.005-05:00

After a 11 day bout of fever,
everyone is better.
Better in time for Valentines.

This year the children had several opportunities
to exchange valentines cards.
We wanted to make our own.
So, out came the watercolors.

I cut card stock paper in halves.
Then with a white crayon,
I drew hearts in all shapes and sizes.
The children watercolored the paper
with shades of pink, red, yellow.

Each card was unique.

After the paper dried,
I cut the paper in half again.
Each full page made 4 cards.
They turned out great.
The children loved handing out
valentines they made.

Illness

2011-02-02T14:11:00.001-05:00

All 3 children down and out.
And have been for over a week.
Lots of snuggles and reading time.

Beach

2011-01-21T20:19:00.002-05:00

Beach, here we come!
Much to do and see.

There are shells to find.

Bird feathers to catch.

And truck driving to do
in these wide open spaces.

Lunch

2011-01-21T20:11:00.004-05:00

One of the twins wanted to fix lunch
for his brothers.

He set the table.

He chose peanut butter and jelly to make.
The brothers ate it all up.

Cleaning After Little Boys

2011-01-14T13:58:00.002-05:00

One little, two little, three little toilets,
four little toilets done.
Mommy has decided that there will be target practice
this afternoon.
I am really thinking of painting that fly too!
Many blessings.

Good Morning

2011-01-11T21:59:00.007-05:00

It is 0700- glancing out my kitchen window
I see neighbors passing by taking their children to school.
It is a cold and rainy wet outside.
I pour a cup of coffee and take a sip,
still in my slippers.
I hear giggles upstairs as the twins awaken
and are deciding if it is okay to come downstairs.
My 8 yr old wanders in the kitchen,
gives me a kiss and goes to snuggle under a blanket on the couch.
Twins do finally come down in full spirit hugging everyone.
Daddy appears- showered and dressed for work.
Kisses and hugs and Daddy is off.
We, on the other hand, are home.
Home.
No rushing to get dress, no rushing to get breakfast,
no rushing to find homework, no rushing.
Breakfast is made at leisure, getting dressed delayed.
This is how we start our mornings.
We have a natural rhythm to our mornings, no clocks are attached.
How does our rhythm look, what is it filled with?
Well,
-with breakfast
-with the usual morning chores
-with free play time
-with circle time of reading, singing, snuggling, and sharing
-with more free play time for the younger ones
-with creative writing, reading, and math for the older one
-with outdoor biking and dirt digging
-with maybe just a little baking or art making
and maybe still in our slippers,
home.
Some say they would go crazy being with their kids all day every day.
Well,
just call me crazy then,smiles.
Many blessings.

Five, That Is Us

2011-01-07T19:42:00.003-05:00

Monday, our holidays truly come to a close.
My husband had taken an extra week off after
the holidays to do nothing, to relax.
We have really been soaking up the family time
with just our little five.
It will be sad to let it go.
To my husband and I family being together is important.
Just the five of us.
We have family dinners.
We go on family bike rides,
even shopping for groceries together.
We enjoy being around each other.
We have been sleeping in, snuggling on the couch,
building train tracks, out door playing,and lots of giggles.
This is my little slice of heaven.
After Monday we will still do these,
but duty does call, bills must be paid, smiles.
We will still have our afternoons, evenings, and weekends
to look forward to.
Many blessings

I Have Begun

2011-01-03T14:49:00.003-05:00

Today was day one of 90 days!
Here is where to read about day one.
I am both excited and scared.
I have always wanted to read the Bible
in its entirety.
I have started many times, but never completed.
I think with a mentor and a accountability group,
this time will the time I complete.
In reading my first 12 pages,
I got chills.
These very familiar stories took on new meanings to me.
I could really see and feel them.
God's presence was wrapped around me.
One of my twins snuggled with me quietly while I read.
Thank you Lord
for Mom's Toolbox and this challenge.
Many blessings.

One Word Resolution for 2011

2011-01-02T16:43:00.007-05:00

One word,
no resolutions, just one simple word.

Quiet.

I love this.
I want to inhale this.

Quiet

Meaning...

still,
hushed,
silent,
not easily excited,
peaceful and relaxing,
calmness.

Quiet chose me.
Quiet will be my guide for my/our daily rhythm.

I want to be quiet so I can clearly hear the Lord.
Quiet waters.
I want to be quiet so I can hear my children.
Gentle and quiet spirit.
I want to be quiet so I can wrapped my arms around
my love ones and breathe.
Quiet rhythm.

Have you chosen a word for 2011?
You can find inspiration at Ali's blog.

Happy New Year
and
Many blessings

Farewell 2010

2010-12-31T21:06:00.002-05:00

On these last couple of days of 2010

we visited another plantation,

climbed some very big trees,

chased birds on the beach,

and talked about the adventures 2011
will bring.

Happy last day of 2010.
Many blessings.

More 2010 Memories

2010-12-30T10:24:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from a
late September evening walk at the beach.

The boys love the beach,
so do I.
The sounds, the smells...
all your senses are aware.

The boys always find new wonders.

Their bare feet leave their temporary marks.

My oldest---
He is getting so big---

Many blessings.

A Few Moments to Share

2010-12-30T10:21:00.004-05:00

Seems 2010 will be gone soon.
As I look through some pictures,
I noticed a few I wanted to share.

Thanksgiving strolling

exploring,

touching and learning

and Halloween playing, of course.

Many blessings.

A Fun Surprise

2010-12-29T14:56:00.003-05:00

Look who popped in for a little visit?
And it was only 3 days before Christmas?

The twins jumped for joy!

The oldest wondered if he was on the nice or naughty list.

Thank you Santa and Mrs Claus.
So nice for you to visit during this busiest
of times for you.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T14:35:00.004-05:00

Seems like yesterday- that Advent was just beginning.
Now, Christmas is over.
Stayed away from blog land most of December,
enjoying family.
But, I thought I might share a few
Christmas memories with you.

This is a picture of our Advent tree this year.
By the date, you can see it is still early in the month.
We used a wonderful Advent devotional from here.

A simple nativity in our guest room.

Some magical and whimsical elves.
Caroling and baking...

A simple craft for hanging and sharing.

Hope your Christmas was a blessed one.

Holiday Baking Begins

2010-12-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

These yummy cupcakes and banana bread
have been made.
Tomorrow, beginning all the chocolate delights.
Then Monday, there will be coconut, jams,
cakes, etc, etc.
Good thing my diet is on hold til the new year.
Hoping you are indulging in delights this
Christmas season too.

Many Blessings

2010 Christmas Tour of Homes

2010-12-13T19:33:00.005-05:00

This is my second year participating in the
Christmas Tour of homes.
It is so much fun looking at all the
beautiful homes.
Here is a little glimpse at ours.
Merry Christmas.

This is our front door, nothing fancy.
But, I like it.

This table is in our foyer.
You can see our foyer tree in the mirror reflection.
Yes, we believe in the reason for the season-Jesus.
But, we also love the magic of Santa.

Family room tree and fireplace mantel.

Tree in the kitchen- my favorite.
It has all of our most treasured ornaments displayed
on it.
We will need a bigger one next year.
Our decor is pretty much the same as last year.
Did get some wonderful ideas from looking at
other blogs.
So, next year, I think I will change things up.
Many blessings.

Do take a look all the beautiful Christmas
decorations in the tour of homes.
Just click on my sidebar and enjoy.

"School" With the Twins

2010-12-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

For the last several months the twins
have wanted to do "school"
like their Big Brother.
I have been fighting this because
I want them to play, explore, touch, smell,
and taste things more naturally,
not structured.
But, their 8 year old Big Brother
is doing a little more formal work this year and
they want to join in.
So, twice a week for 10 minutes,
I do "school" with each twin.
Only 10 minutes, no more.
I do the twins "school" while my older son
is doing his handwriting
and math workbook.

I have been amazed.

They love the scissors.
Need to get left handed ones for my blue eyed twin.

Again, I am amazed at their letter formation.
I have seen them do letter formation
in the sand, but I was still surprised.
My instruction is simple.
Sometimes they only trace one letter
and that is okay.
Other times they do the whole sheet.
I do not push.

Letter recognition is there.

After 10 minutes, they say
"school work all done".
Then, they are off to the dirt pile outside.

Some Fun

2010-12-09T19:48:00.005-05:00

Got out the play dough for the twins yesterday.
My oldest joined in too.
It had been awhile....

Forgot about how much the kids love any kind of dough.
For my oldest, it is modeling clay he loves.
But, for the twins anything they can freely
smash, squeeze, mix, and form will do.
I like to make our own play dough,
but if there is not time,
bought play dough works just fine.

Friendly play dough monsters was the theme
this go around.

Each making their own.

My oldest kept his intact for a few days....
the twins, well....
we now own a lot of grayish, purplish play dough.
No worries.

Many blessings.

We Are Now 4 Years Old

2010-12-09T19:38:00.002-05:00

On December 6th, my two youngest turned 4 yrs old.
For twins, you will not find two any more different.
They are my wild, lovable boys.

Happy Birthday!
Mommy and Daddy and Big Brother love you!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T00:16:00.002-05:00

Hope all have a very blessed Thanksgiving.

What is Happening to Thanksgiving?

2010-11-17T14:54:00.004-05:00

Feeling a little sorry for Thanksgiving.

Had to get treat bags for a Thanksgiving party
the twins were going to and...
Well, everywhere is decorated for Christmas.
It went from Halloween straight to Christmas!
What about Thanksgiving?
It is the most traveled holiday.
People gather with their families and loved ones
and give thanks.
The wonderful recipes and the aromas...
I love Fall and all this season offers.
I refuse to rush it on its way.
I may the only one with pumpkins, scarecrows,
and finger-painted turkeys hanging up,
but I will not succumb.

I am thankful to our Lord for so many blessings.
And I will take the time to thank
Him.

Sorry for the vent, but well....

November books

2010-11-14T19:35:00.004-05:00

Some books we are enjoying this time of year.

Many blessings.

Slowing Down and Being Thankful

2010-11-13T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe it is the 13th of November.
November is swirling by.
This is my favorite time of the year,
especially now that soccer for all three
children is completed.
We slow down and focus.
Monday, we start our focus of Thanksgiving.
We will read books of the first Thanksgiving,
draw maps, globe exploring, talk about the pilgrims
daily lives of survival.
We will make "Mayflower" boats,
turkeys from leaves and acorns,
rub leaves, learn some new traditions
for Thanksgiving.
We are going to make a thankful tree
with water colored leaves.
We are going to dance and sing merry songs.
We are going to recite poems
and bake yummy things.

All this while we thank our Father
for all He provides.

Many blessings.

First Twelve Week Complete

2010-11-05T15:50:00.007-04:00

First twelve weeks of second grade completed Friday.
How did it go?
If I had to put a grade on it--- "B".
As with every year, we have had to do some tweaking.
Finding I was a little unrealistic in my goals for the first 12 weeks.
Math has been slowed down to really
focus on mastering the basics.
Also finding that I needed to step back with pushing
reading books just because "most 2nd graders" are reading it.
Have found readers that my son is much more successful with.
This has allowed his fluency and confidence to soar.
He looks forward to reading now.
My "struggling" reader loves to read.
You can always find him with a book or two.

We had lost our daily rhythm around week 5,
but slowly regaining it now.
It has really made a difference.

Looking forward to slowing down.
Soccer with all the children ends soon
and this always is bitter sweet.
It will be nice to have more free time in the afternoons
to just be at home.

As the air takes on a more chill, finally,
the comfort foods start coming out.
Love cooking soups and stews, slowly.
The smells in the house are always inviting.

Our schooling also takes on a slower pace
this time of year.
Our focus is on the holidays.
With reading the main.
I love reading aloud to the children.
I am also trying my hand at storytelling,
using ideas from others as guides.
Circle time is becoming more consistent.
Singing and dancing is a joy.
Will be doing lots with our hands,
imaginations, and creativity in the next two months.
Looking forward to where we go.
Oh, the stories we will tell.

Many blessings.

Soccer

2010-10-29T19:19:00.004-04:00

Soccer this Fall season has been humbling
for my oldest and his whole team.
They are use to being a winning team,
only losing to one team.
This year, they all moved up, new age division,
same coach, mostly same kids,
but now they are the new, younger kids.
They have only won one game so far.

But, I think they have played their best ever.
My son sometimes hangs his head after the game.
I believe learning that you will not always
come out on top no matter how hard you try
is an important reality to learn.
It is tough, as a parent, watching your child
learn this though.
The lessons learned from this season
will help them be better players in the Spring-
importance of good sportsmanship, listening,
patience, not to let up, the last 5 minutes do count, drills do work, etc......

They have 4 more games.
I still hope they win them all,
well, at least one. Smiles
Many blessings.

A Lesson

2010-10-27T18:35:00.007-04:00

It is Wednesday and we are off to the beach.
There is so much to take in at the seaside-
the sounds, sights, smells, feel, and the tastes.
This trip, I did a "lesson" with the twins.

Lately the twins have been pointing out
letters and numbers
they see from everywhere, books, road signs, etc.
So, while at the beach...

I wrote out a few letters and numbers in the sand.
They love scribbling in the sand.
I first asked them to trace my letters.
They watched me and started tracing.
Fun.

I then asked if they wanted to make letters
by themselves.
They smiled and giggled and said
"yes, mommy."

I was truly amazed.

They were forming them correctly.

Not once have the twins written
a letter or been asked to write a letter in crayon.
We have played with
shape formation with chalk,
but that is all.

They would form their letters and ask me
"what letter is it mommy?"
It was as if they were giving me the lesson, smiles.

The "lesson" lasted maybe 10 minutes.
Soon, they were off and running into the water,
chasing birds,
looking at crab holes,
and shell collecting.

ABC...1,2,3,4,...

Cub Scouts

2010-10-26T13:02:00.003-04:00

My oldest joined Cub Scouts a few months ago.
It is something he shares with his Dad.
They go every Monday evening.
My husband was a Cub Scout when he was younger.
So, this time is special for the two of them.
Last Monday,
my oldest received his first badge-
The Bob Cat.

His Daddy got to pin it on him
and paint his face.

I am told the Bob Cat badge is placed
upside down til
he does a good deed.

My husband and my oldest are truly enjoying
Cub Scouts.

Sharing

2010-10-20T15:17:00.001-04:00

My husband snapped these two pictures
of our oldest a couple weeks ago.

I love the greens and how the light and shade mix.
Of course, I love the subject of the photo
the most of all.
Many blessings.

Twins

2010-10-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

A picture I wanted to share.
Many blessings.

Field Trip Friday- Poppell's Farm

2010-10-14T15:28:00.005-04:00

This past Friday, we went with our home school group
to a local farm.

See mommy, pigs.

Watching the water games.

Big brother giving a hand.

Playing in water....too fun.

Pumpkin patch.

Corn maze. The corn was not that high,
but the kids enjoyed it.

All in all a great day.
Many blessings.

Field Trip

2010-10-12T20:39:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday after Co-op, we visited the Sea Turtle Center.

Amazing place.
This fella was found floating.
Floating is not a good thing.

You are able to read about each turtle-
why they are there
treatment plan
progress

Turtles of all sizes

These little ones actually were eggs
recovered from their mothers.
The mothers were fatally injured
by cars.

Newest arrival.

You are able to watch while they treat the turtles.

Truly amazing.
They released a sea turtle Saturday.
What a blessing.

First Bike Ride

2010-10-11T17:34:00.004-04:00

He is up for the first time.
Unsure.

Confidence soars.

First wreck.

Battle wounds.

Field Trip Friday- Fort King George

2010-10-05T19:24:00.010-04:00

My husband once again found another treasure
here on the coast- Fort King George.
It is just a little Fort that the British built
to , how can I say this nicely,
be a thorn in the side of both Spain and France.

At the Welcome center, each of the boys were
given wooden muskets to carry around
while touring.
He just won them over!
Off they went down the path.

Passing by Indian ruins along the way.

Hurry! We have a fort to protect!

The main block house.

Always on the alert.

A British soldier, telling stories about the fort.

Firing a musket.

Oh yes, there were cannons and the boys saw
them all.

A mortar cannon.

One of the lookout towers.

Yet another cannon. Smiles.

Time to check the perimeter.

Muskets at the ready.

The twins did everything their big brother did.

What a wonderful day the boys had with Daddy.

Nature Studies

2010-10-04T19:04:00.003-04:00

I cannot tell you in words how much
we are enjoying
The Burgess Seashore Book.

The stories really come alive for us.

We imagine being Danny the field mouse,
discovering new things everyday.

Can't you just see the little crab?
This book is just delightful.

Shake, Shake, Shake

2010-10-03T16:16:00.003-04:00

After reading on several blogs about butter making,
we decided to give it a try.
So glad we did.

First, we got out a pretty mason jar, a marble,
and some heavy cream.
Then we poured heavy cream into the mason jar(about half full)
and dropped in the marble.

Then shake, shake, shake...

Stopped to check and taste....
Not quite there yet.
So,...

More shake, shake, shake.

Finally, done.
We added a little honey to ours, yummy.
And as a added bonus,
enjoyed some delicious butter milk.
The sweet award for all that hard work.
If you have never tried it,
give it a shake. Smiles.

Fishing Barefoot Style

2010-10-02T00:36:00.004-04:00

While the my oldest is in his Co-op classes on Wednesdays,
the twins and I go beach exploring.
This day, the twins went fishing....

Throwing out the line.

Waiting for a bite.

No fish caught.
I was told
"the ocean is empty Mommy."
Many blessings.

Six Weeks Complete

2010-09-29T15:59:00.004-04:00

We have completed our first six weeks of this year.
How is it going?
Rewarding, exciting, ..., frustrating, hard...

Our weekdays are full, really more full than I would like.
There is Cub Scouts on Monday evenings,
soccer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings,
Church Wednesday and Sunday,
and Co-op classes Wednesday mornings,
oh, and let us not forget speech on Tuesday afternoons.
My husband and I have talked about it
and we really don't see at this time where we can cut back.
It is mainly our evenings that are so full.
We plan our family meals around the activities.
It is important that we get in our family meals
as much as possible.
Most of the time we are able.

I am in the process of tweaking our home school.

My oldest is struggling with his math facts.
We are slowing down til he has mastered them.
Going to use more of a Waldorf inspired math block
starting soon. Still reading about it.
Plan to implement around week nine.

Reading is coming along.
My oldest is showing lots more interest in reading.
He has picked out two books
that he is independently reading.
It is wonderful to see him snuggled up with a book.

We are really enjoying the Burgess Seashore book.
Living near the ocean has really brought this book to
life for us.

Our history readings are exciting.
My son drew a picture of the Lexington and Concord
battles. He can describe the bravery of the Americans
at Bunker's Hill.

Our struggles are with our family rhythm
during the day.
I take a lot of blame for this.
For the past two months, I have been working more.
This has lead to me being tired and my patience slim.
Our morning candle lighting and circle time
have been inconsistent.
Our beautiful baking days, painting, drawing days
have gone by the wayside for the last few weeks.
Again, my husband and I talked.
We feel it is more important that I am fresh for the children.
So, starting in November, I will be working only one day a week.
I think this will make a big difference.
Looking forward to getting back into rhythm.

Home schooling is hard work, but I would not change a thing.
Many blessings.

Twins First Soccer Game- Go Brasil!

2010-09-21T20:27:00.003-04:00

Looking on before the game.

What we really like to do during the game.

One tired baby- 20 minute games are long for 3 yr olds.

Okay Mommy, enough with the pictures.

Never honey.

Twins First Soccer Practice

2010-09-21T20:16:00.002-04:00

Getting some tips from big brother.

Getting encouragement from big brother.

Loving the nets.

Focusing.

Free Play

2010-09-01T20:43:00.002-04:00

Following in his big brother's footsteps,
the love of Legos.

Here is his first Lego creation
that he did all by himself.

Yes, we love Legos around here.

For the Love of Star Wars

2010-08-28T17:21:00.005-04:00

My husband and our oldest son
went to a Star Wars convention several weeks
ago called Star Wars Celebration V.
To tell you how big it is, last year it was held
in Japan.
Over 35,000 people!
George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamel,
and others were there.
Here is a picture of the lines to get in.
This thing is huge and all your Star Wars junkies
were there including my husband and oldest son.
Below are just a few pictures
of their exciting trip.

All you see were built by fans, none are originals.

I think he has hit jackpot.

R-2 Builders Club and their amazing robots.

Everywhere you looked, you ran into fans dressed as characters
of the movie/movies.

Darth Vader!

The Lego displays were spectacular.

The boys had a blast!

Two Books

2010-08-27T17:08:00.004-04:00

Two books we are enjoying right now:
Little Pilgrim's Promise
by Helen L. Taylor
and
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes

The author of Little Pilgrim's Progress took
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress book
and simplified it for younger readers.
My son loves it. So do I.

Johnny Tremain is a historical fiction, living book.
The story is about Revolutionary Boston
as seen through the
eyes of a young boy named Johnny Tremain.

I highly recommend both of these books.
Many blessings.

Painting

2010-08-21T20:58:00.003-04:00

Tuesday was our painting day.
There is no structure to our painting.
I just give them the paints
and await the results.

My oldest, only a few days back from a
Star Wars convention,
is all about his Star Wars.

The twins are all about mixing.
I love watching them be
little artists.

Next week, water color.
Many blessings.

First Day Of School

2010-08-20T09:09:00.007-04:00

Traditional first day of school front porch picture.

Morning candle lightening with breakfast.

Monday is baking day.
Started this year with simple recipes.
My oldest read the directions and measured the ingredients.
The twins stirred.

Oven preheated and pan prepped.

Spread it evenly.

Clean up a must and all helped.

Shaping our pizza dough.

Cheese, cheese, cheese!

Yummy!

Mommy did throw in some fruit and milk
to try add something healthy.

We did manage to get in reading, grammar, math,
handwriting, and science in too.
Great start of a new year.

Sea Creatures

2010-08-19T16:31:00.007-04:00

Pictures of one of the many places the boys got to visit
this Summer.
It is just off the coast and near Grandma's!
The children are able to get up close with life in the sea.

The children enjoyed the tank.
There are no "hands off" signs here.

Sting rays!

Big brother is an expert feeder.

Mommy is not brave enough for this.

Wow!

Sharks!

Beautiful walking trails.

Hello there.

Relaxing

2010-08-03T21:08:00.002-04:00

Going to take a few beach days
before our new school year begins.
Will be back once I get all the sand out of my ears!
Many blessings.

In This July Heat

2010-08-02T15:31:00.002-04:00

My husband tries to take the kids on an adventure
each week on the day I am working.
He dresses them in orange and takes off.

With the heat index at 110 degrees,
off they went to a light house.

At the top the boys were beat from the heat.
But, they enjoyed the view.
Many blessings.

2010-2011 Homeschool at Barefoot Cowboys

2010-08-02T08:38:00.006-04:00

Here is what we have for our new home school year
for my oldest son- 8 years old- 2nd grade.
Our new school year starts August 15th.

Language Arts
The Basic Cozy Grammar and Punctuation Course
DVD by Marie Rackham
Listen My Children and You Shall Hear
by Betty Lou Kratoville

Writing
Writing in Narrative
by Peter Joel and Dr. Leslie Simonson
Handwriting Without Tears
by Jan Z. Olsen

Spelling
Dolch words- 2nd grade

Math
Math-U-See
Living math books
math word problems in a notebook

Science
Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Pre-level I
by Dr R.W. Keller
Lots of hands on, whatever my son's interests are,
experiments

American History- Revolutionary War
Several spine books to be read aloud by me

World History
Greek and Roman History
The Story of the Greeks and The Story of the Romans
by H.A.Guerber
These are the spine books to be read aloud by me

Geography
Tree in the Trail and Seabird
by Holling C. Holling

Natural History
Parables of Nature
by Mrs. Alfred Gatty
Seashore Birds
by Burgess

Literature and Tales
Aesop's Fables
Fifty Famous Stories Retold

Composers
Bach, Vivaldi, and Beethoven

Artists
not decided yet

Free Reads
my oldest will choose from the library

Our Daily Rhythm

Wake up and wash faces and make beds
Before breakfast, we light the morning candle
and say our morning prayer
Breakfast
at breakfast Bible story and singing
am chores for all
Story telling and read alouds
outside time, unstructured play
snack prep with all helping
snack
M/T/W/TH/F activity
unstructured play
lunch
twins nap/quiet time
reading, math,writing, history, etc. for the oldest
up from nap/ quiet time
wash faces
snack prep with all helping
afternoon chores for all
unstructured play/soccer practice, etc.
dinner
bath time
reading and story time
nighttime candle lighting and prayer
bedtime

Monday- baking
Tuesday- painting
Wednesday- sewing/clay/play dough
Thursday-nature art
Friday- surprise

I am sure things will change here and there.
It was hard slimming down all the options out there.
I want our home school to be a gentle learning environment.
I am excited for the new school year.
Will be involving the little ones more, too cute.
Many blessings.

A Little Gem I Found For Our School Studies

2010-07-25T16:25:00.010-04:00

Excitement abounds.
We have really been struggling with planning language arts for our 8 year old.
We want his introduction to be gentle and not full with lots
of workbook instruction.
After much research, We think we might have found what
we have been looking for.
It is called
The Basic Cozy Grammar Course.

Here is the description that is on their website:
http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com

The Basic Cozy Grammar Course

Imagine learning grammar in front of a cozy fire with soft strains of classical music playing in the background, or on the beach while gulls and eagles soar overhead. Marie will quickly make you feel at home in her cozy beachside cottage. In this "living textbook", while she walks you through her cottage and around the grounds, she walks you through the rules and concepts of basic English grammar in a whimsical, fun-loving way.

Doesn't that sound fun?

We also ordered the punctuation course too.

Our school blue print is coming along nicely---finally. I will post our blue print soon.

Many blessings.

My Other Blog--- My Time/Girl Time

2010-07-21T21:19:00.008-04:00

It is my running blog, my recovery running blog,
it is a my time/ girl time blog.

Planning Update

2010-07-20T17:14:00.001-04:00

Still working on our upcoming school year.
Planning process is slow this year.
Hoping to be done by the end of July.
I will post our blueprint then.
Enjoying our hot, lazy days of Summer.
Many blessings.

Planning Time of Year

2010-07-06T11:53:00.004-04:00

It is July.
Since our new school year usually starts mid August,
I thought it might be time to start
the planning process.
Yes, probably late starting by most standards,
but it is what it is.
Really enjoying our Summer. Smiles.

Starting point:
Gathered resources we have collected
at various events like home school conferences
and used book sales.
Sorted through and stacked or bookmarked
what looked interesting.

Schedule?
Time to think about how we want
our schedule, I use that word loosely, to look.
Do we want daily, weekly or monthly goals?
We have tried all three.
What seemed to work well for us after much tweaking,
was 3 week goals.
Now, this applies to my oldest, 8 year old son only.
These goals will be for his
math, reading/language arts, history, and science.
Since he is 8 yrs old now, he has a little more
of what is called "formal" learning, loosely formal
in our home. Smiles again.

Daily rhythm:
This is the core substance of our home.
My children thrive with a daily rhythm and so do I.
We have a daily rhythm in place right now, but with the upcoming
Fall activities, this will need to change somewhat.

Still pondering on how our daily rhythm will look.

Toddler time:
With our daily living, new things are introduced gently
to the twins.
Unstructured play, unstructured outdoor play
is their main course.
But, should I start doing more?
A little more structure?
Through song and dance, the twins know their ABC's,
numbers to ten, and colors.
With the exception of the Summer months,
we have a painting, a baking, and a crafting day,
these are part of our daily rhythm.
Reading aloud and together, we do.
Should I do more?
My answer for now is no.
I might have a color, a number be our focus for the week, maybe.
Tried this before and I did not continue to follow through.
It felt so unnatural to me, tooooo much like "school".
No, for now I will let things happen.

Well, much to be done.
Still in that pondering stage.
I think I will tackle World and American history first.
Will keep you posted with what
our 2010-2011 blueprint will look like.
Knowing tweaking is a home schooling right.
Many blessings.

The Boys Adventure with Daddy

2010-06-22T13:44:00.011-04:00

Off to Fort Frederica they go.
My Hubby, love this man, likes to take the children
on adventures on the days Mommy needs to sleep
after working all night.
Thought I might share some pictures
of one of their adventures.

They started at the welcoming center at the fort.
My husband said it was one of the nicest of all
the forts so far.
They had era clothes to try on.

Of course, my oldest went for the soldier outfit.

Now, for the fort itself.
Not much left, but fun to imagine.

The fort is located on some beautiful property.

They roamed about the whole area.

Exploring every remains.

Of course, they gravitated towards the cannons.

The day was hot and the boys showed it.

But, they had fun according to Hubby.
What fun adventure will be next for the
Barefoot Cowboys?

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T19:42:00.004-04:00

To all those men who carry a heavy load,
and never complain.

To Daddy's who like to get their hands dirty,

love having their pictures taken,

and are always there with a hand to grab,

Happy Father's Day!

To my sweet hubby, I am so blessed to have you
as my husband and father to our children.
Love you very much!

Wild Blackberries

2010-06-18T08:47:00.003-04:00

We have wild blackberries growing in our backyard.
My oldest just loves picking them.

"Mommy can you bake a blackberry pie
with my blackberries?"
Yes son,
but first we need to stop eating all the blackberries.
Smiles.

Water Fun

2010-06-17T15:19:00.003-04:00

One of those simple pleasures,
the water hose.

Big Brother on the attack...

run.

Look out, now it is my turn.

Gotcha.