Countdown to 1st Grade & Preschool

Another homeschool year kicks off in just two weeks, so we are counting down the days until 1st grade begins for Linnea and preschool begins for Laurel.

We are using My Father’s World again for American history, geography, Bible, science, some art and music. RightStart Math, First Language Lessons, A Reason for Handwriting, and Spelling Workout round out the course of study. I am feeling more organized this year because (1) we have a dedicated space for homeschooling since we finished our basement last spring and (2) I have put together a homeschool planner, as suggested by www.donnayoung.org. I am most excited about studying American history with Linnea because it was one of my favorite subjects as a high schooler.

Linnea would tell you she is most excited about art class on Fridays with Mrs. Henriksen, piano on Tuesdays with Mrs. Peterson and ballet on Mondays at the PAC. Laurel would say she is most thrilled about dance at the PAC on Thursdays and storytime at the library with Mrs. Golden one Friday a month.

One project I’m personally very jazzed about for the upcoming school year is creating a homeschool yearbook. The photographer/scrapbooker in me LOVES this sort of thing! I got the idea online; here’s the link http://heartofthematteronline.com/6-tips-for-making-a-homeschool-yearbook/

Also, I stumbled across this lively homeschool version of the song “I will survive.” I encourage other homeschooling moms to check it out if you need a laugh or a pep talk as you prepare for the school year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIOogqa-5GA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fheartofthematteronline%2Ecom%2Frepartee%2Dyour%2Dyearbook%2Dmoments%2F&feature=player_embedded#t=11

13-Hour Stand-off Ends in Surprise Surrender; 1 Creature Dead

A 13-hour stand-off in an upstairs master bathroom has come to an end this morning, after an unexpected surrender that left one creature dead.

The perpetrator, Jim “Blackbeard” Cricket, tormented Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner for several hours last night as he disturbed the peace with his loud, obnoxious chirping. Hiding himself so as not to disclose his identity or whereabouts, Mr. Cricket refused to leave the Homeowners’ bathroom all night. The Homeowners became distraught searching for Mr. Cricket, and they became exhausted as they attempted to sleep in the adjoining master bedroom. Even closing the door between the two rooms did not muffle Mr. Cricket’s disturbing racket.

Finally, around 9:45 a.m. this morning, just as Mrs. Homeowner was preparing for her shower, Mr. Cricket quite unexpectedly surrendered, flinging himself onto the vinyl bathroom flooring between two sage-colored bath rugs. He appeared to have fallen from the bathroom vent fan fixture, but that could not be confirmed because there were no other eyewitnesses.

Upon surrendering, Mr. Cricket was shaken and injured, yet still considered very dangerous. Boldly acting in self defense, Mrs. Homeowner promptly detained Mr. Cricket in a small pile of Kleenex tissues, and shortly thereafter she administered the death penalty.

Mr. Cricket was quietly laid to rest in the bathroom trash can; no friends or family were present for the memorial. At press time, Mr. Cricket’s long-time girlfriend, Christy, could not be reached for comment. Authorities expect to hear from her late this evening in a yard adjacent to the Homeowners.

In an effort to preserve precious taxpayer money, Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner will file no charges.

Teddy Bear Stay-cation: Day 5

A Teddy Bear Tea Party was the highlight of Day 5, our final day.

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We invited five little friends, and their favorite stuffed animals, to join us. Course 1 included assorted bear sandwiches, baby bear cheese bites, carrots and cucumbers. Course 2 consisted of berry and white chocolate scones, clotted cream and fresh berries. And chocolate teddy grahams and gummy bears rounded out Course 3. We also served cinnamon plum tea and lemonade. Lemonade was certainly the favorite with this crowd, but most of them tried the tea. I’ve never hosted a tea for seven kids, ranging in age from not quite 2 to 8, but I was amazed that nobody spilled anything! They were all quite polite! After the tea, we read the book Jenny’s Bear, our favorite story about teddy bears.

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Teddy Bear Stay-cation: Day 4

For the fourth day of our stay-cation, the girls and their bears camped out in the guest room in our recently finished basement. This was a special treat because they don’t usually sleep in the same room, plus they were able to test their new sleeping bags.

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Of course, no bedtime routine is ever complete without a story. We read several teddy bear books throughout our stay-cation. Here are our favorites:

 

The stay-cation wraps up tomorrow with Day 5!

Teddy Bear Stay-cation: Day 3

 

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Day 3 took us to Stillwater, one of our favorite Minnesota cities, to explore Teddy Bear Park with our very dear friends, the H family. This was no ordinary park for the 7-years-old and under crowd. Greeting us near the entrance was this huge granite teddy bear.

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This smaller granite bear resided in the ampitheatre. Isn’t he cute? If only he were fuzzier…

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Linnea tests the zip line.

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Our little climbers requested this shot. It was hard to tell where the faux rock wall ended and the real rock bluff began. Pretty amazing!

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I can’t resist another picture with Fuzzy Wuzzy.

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Time to speed away from Teddy Bear Park…

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And enjoy a scoop of ice cream while watching the lift bridge over the St. Croix River.

Check back tomorrow for Day 4!

Teddy Bear Stay-cation: Day 2

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On Day 2 of our stay-cation, we ventured to one of our favorite parks to hear the Teddy Bear Band live in concert.  It’s BYOB, of course. Bring your own bear. So Sassy and Brownie came along for the fun. Good thing they have thick fur — this July was the coldest on record in Minnesota.

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Laurel does her Elvis impression.

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This is Panda, who lead our girls and dozens of other small, bear-toting kids in a dancing train around the park. Laurel loved this but was disappointed that she did not actually ever get to hug Panda. Maybe next year.

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For a minute, the Hokey Pokey really was what it’s all about.

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Bear! Bear! Bear in the air!

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What goes up, oh you know, must come down.

Stay tuned for Day 3 of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation!

Teddy Bear Stay-cation: Day 1

Last month the girls and I embarked on a week-long “Teddy Bear Stay-cation” in lieu of traveling elsewhere for an actual vacation. So today I am kicking off a 5-day blog series showcasing our local bear-related adventures.

Day 1 featured a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop to stuff, groom, dress and name two brand new teddy bears — Sassy and Brownie.

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Sassy gets filled with stuffing, and it’s a noisy job.

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Sassy gets her first hug.

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Linnea runs the pedal on the stuffing machine; Brownie is filled to just the right level of fluffiness.

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Brownie gets her first hug.

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Brownie needs a quick “bath” with the brushes to remove extra fur.

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Sassy also gets groomed.

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Fashionably dressed, Sassy is a ballerina bear, and Brownie is a bride bear.

Day 1 down. Come back tomorrow to read all about Day 2 of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation!

Never ask an August sky

“Never have I asked an August sky, ‘Where has last July gone?’ “

That’s one of my favorite lines in the song “Many A New Day” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma

Here’s where July went for our family:

  • 4 more sailing trips
  • 2 trips to the  beach
  • 1 trip to the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus
  • 1 teddy bear tea party
  • 1 trip to the Arboretum
  • 1 evening playing in the sprinkler
  • 1 trip to Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater, Minn.
  • 1 Tiny Party that was BIG fun
  • 2 birthday parties
  • 1 trip to Lowry Nature Center
  • 1 church picnic
  • 1 Teddy Bear Band Concert in the park
  • 1 trip to Sonic Drive-In
  • 1 trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop
  • 1 visit to see newly hatched Bantam chicks
  • 1 beautiful wedding & fun reception
  • 3 trips to various playgrounds at nearby parks
  • 1 trip to the community center pool
  • 1 paddle boat excursion at Centennial Lakes
  • countless picnics

Perhaps you notice a re-occurring theme? Teddy bears! I’m putting together a more detailed post complete with pictures of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation. (That’s like a vacation, only you don’t leave town.) Stay tuned for that post later this week!