Swimming Pools, Movie Stars

A moment of honesty:

So, we live in the perfect neighborhood. The design of our townhouse is exactly our style. There is just enough space for us, plenty of room to entertain, walking distance to our favorite shops, voted safest city in America- the list goes on...

So what's the problem? IT COSTS A ZILLION DOLLARS TO LIVE HERE! (i'm exaggerating. a little.)

It's not that we can't afford it. It's just that we have dreams that need tending to. (business, travel, growing our family, home ownership, giving)

So we're literally at a crossroads.  Live a cushy life or follow your dreams. What would you do?

Christmas Swim! (Yahoo!)

Making Christmas Meaningful

If you're a Christian parent like me, you know how challenging it can be to remind your children of what the season is really about. Stop competing with Santa! Here are some easy ideas I've gathered and implemented this year:

1) Use the Christmas cards you receive as prayer cards during family devotions





PS Great decor idea from here!

2) Take your kids to the farm to and show them what a manger is

 (modern-day manger)

3) Use your nativity scene to "act out" the Christmas story over a few nights. Introduce the new characters as they come into the story (first Mary and Joseph, then Jesus, then the shepherd, wise men, etc)

4) Have a Christmas Cookie party with the neighborhood kids

5) Go see a live Nativity (we missed this event already! They re-create 1st century Bethlehem, complete with an working open-air market and Roman soldiers! A "must do" for next year)


6) Have fun as a family! Ice skating, playing in the snow, watching movies, etc.

 

Hope this helps!

-Ash

And the winner is....

A Guinea Pig! Yep, we got a guinea. His name is Obi (Like Obi-Won Kenobi). Isn't he cute?
Talk about drama! Already we've had to swap out his cage (they sold us the wrong kind) and he has a cold. I might have to take him to the vet- THE VET! It's only been 3 days!

But the kids are happy. What a mother wouldn't do... Merry Christmas, boys.

-Ash

Talking Pets

Just about a year ago we said goodbye to our dog, Louie, to move in our new townhouse. I know it sounds harsh, but I promise you, my kids didn't seem to care. At all. Especially because their buddies (another homeschooling family we know) were going to adopt him. He turned out to be the perfect fit for their family, so, end of story. Until recently...

I don't know if it's the holidays or what, but my oldest has been periodically sobbing over our not-so-long lost pup. So, what's a girl to do? I feel terrible. We can't get the dog back, and new a one will cost us the expense of the purchase + an extra $750 pet deposit at our townhouse community + an extra $50 a month in pet rent! It's just not gonna happen.

 So, here my options:

I love guinea pigs. But my boys are still young, so the maintenance could get a little...hairy

Aw, a bunny would be sweet, but can you train them not to poop on the floor?

 
Ordinarily cats give me the creeps, but my friend has a Birman like this one who may just change my my mind.

Pet hedgehogs? Who knew! It's weird and cute, we're weird and cute. Perfect match? Wait- illegal in California. Dang it!

The last option is a turtle. They live long and prosper with very little issue. But they seem kinda boring and they're creepy at certain angles.


So, anything thoughts? Thanks guys

-Ash


photos found on pinterest.

I'm Back!

I know. I've been away so long, I doubt anyone is even out there anymore. Nevertheless, I decided to come back. First, because I want my kids to be able to look back on all the cool stuff we did when they were growing up. Secondly, blogging is the best way to catalog on the cool stuff I find online. So, here we go- ROUND 2.
---:-----:-----:----:----:
January is rolling around, so I'm re-evaluating our homeschool curriculum and plans.

Resolution #1: More Art & Making Cool Stuff

I found two new excellent blogs featuring fabulous ideas for process art (I'm currently obsessed with process art): the artful parent  and  tinkerlab

Plus, God bless this wonderful lady for posting her enchanting paper toys online to make for free!!
Have a lookee:

And I've been meaning to buy a Makedo kit for the boys for the longest time. Can you say Christmas presents?

Well that's all for now, folks. See ya real soon

-Ash

Surprise, Surprise

Last night, my hubby took me on a surprise date. (I love when he does that!) Dinner and a show. The best surprise of the night was the band that opened the show: The Dustbowl Revival.

 


They were excellent! If they come to your town, run, don't walk.

Here's a little candy for ya.


The Dustbowl Revival / "Shine" from The Dustbowl Revival on Vimeo.

Note: Missing from this video is their AMAZING fiddler! Guess you gotta go to a show for that treat.

-Ash

tent bed round-up

I've got four days off!! Woo-hoo! So I'm going to catch up on some rest.

Yeah, right! (Don't you know me at all?)

Instead I'm going to build my boys tents for their beds.

The Plan:





 

Inpiration:

 

 

Thanks, Pinterest. (Sorry, I'm feeling too lazy to tag each photo)


-Ash

Tip: Save Thousands on Curriculum

Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but I have found an excellent way to save even more money on curriculum. It's apparently an old concept, but new to me.

You probably already know that you can save lots of money by buying curriculum used. But when it comes to consumable worksheets (like math worksheets), you have to buy them over and over at retail, because they can't be used more than once- UNTIL NOW!


Homeschool Creations blog shares this great idea: place the child's worksheets in page protectors and use dry erase markers to fill in the answers. That way, the page has not been marked and you are free to use the worksheets for your younger children in the future. Yay for money saving tips!

Try these dry erase markers by Melissa and Doug, which are low-odor, non-toxic, and come in lots of fun colors.

Toodles!
-Ash

Fieldtrip: Santiago Oaks Regional Park

Artist Spotlight: Hap Palmer

 

Okay. I'm not going to lie. Hap kicks it old school. But, when it comes to educational music, Hap Palmer is king.

I've been using Hap Palmer's American folk-style songs in my music program since the beginning, and for good reason. His songs are simple, fun, and catchy- the perfect combination for using songs to teach concepts on everything from motor skills to Spanish and even division. Multi-award winning Hap has been writing and performing music for children since the 70s, so any song from Hap is tested and guaranteed to be a successful tool in the classroom or at home.

Last year, I was lucky enough to to take a workshop with Mr. Palmer and meet him face-to-face. What a sweet, humble man! After the workshop, I added even more of his hits to my repertoire.

Here are some of my favorites and the concepts they teach (available on iTunes):

Percival the Parrot (direction)

What do the Animals Say?  (practice listening)

Que Dicen Los Animales?  (the Spanish version of the song above)

What Are You Wearing? (self-esteem)

Magic Scarf (imagination)

Enjoy!

-Ash