Cool weather

We are having a great time with this cool weather. Sunday night we celebrated cool weather and had a fire. Here is a picture of us roasting marshmallows. Princess Tiger is eating hers.

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfectly Pleasing Pumpkins

Well, it was a nice day Thursday. We went to the dentist and all three girls did great! Dog Lover is planning on braces by spring time, Nature Girl is doing well with her many new teeth and little Princess Tiger was a little nervous but did wonderfully at her first dentist appointment ever! What a great dentist our girls have. I sure don't want to lose her. Afterward, we went to the pumpkin patch. It is a happy tradition of ours and it makes the best autumn pictures. The girls were so excited. They really wanted to buy a dozen or so but I have a strict rule that we don't spend too much money on things we cut up, let rot, and then throw away. One of the funniest things was how Nature Girl and Princess Tiger played with the Pumpkins. They wiped them off with wet cloths, taped paper eyes on them, and put them to bed with blankets and pillows. Thankfully, no pumpkins were mushed in the playing of this game. One day this week we will cut one of those pumpkins and wait to see if it too, will develop cavities before Halloween.

Nature Girl's organizing order!

The very organized Nature Girl with little sis Princess Tiger.

I am so proud of my nature girl! She went into her room last week, and completely of her own accord, organized her drawer space so that all of her shirts are rolled and put into two layers. We haven't always seen eye to eye about cleaning up. She used to get spanks for not picking up after herself, and I would be lying if I said we don't have problems occasionally now, but I see in her a real effort to do a good job on this cleaning up thing. When she is going to clean, she wants to do it from the roots up. If it has to be halfway, then it doesn't count. Hence, Tuesday night's complete organizing of the drawers. Just check out these pictures.

More pictures from the beach

Here are a few more pictures. The girls were trying out boogie boards. It was pretty fun and pretty funny!

This is the "Dog Lover". She never quite got under the wave, but she liked it a little.

Here is Nature girl, riding a wave!

Below, the girls say a big thank you to our friends who let us stay at their lovely beach house!

Our Trip to the Beach

Here are pictures from our wonderful trip to the beach. Yes, we did school, but we swam and played in the surf and tide pools, and took long walks on the beach. It was a beautiful trip and had a wonderful time!

And, we're off!

Well, the school year has begun. I have to write a blog that covers multiple days like that because unlike others who are more busy than I am but still write daily, I haven't even posted in a month. But, school has started back at our home and we are having a pretty good time. This first month has begun with a review and finish from last year. We have been working on catching up on history and I almost made it to the Industrial Revolution! We also finished up our study of birds with "Flying Creatures of the 5th Day" by Jeannie Fulbright. I love her books and wish we were doing another of her studies this year, but we are turning over a new leaf. Tomorrow we begin Classical Conversations here in Tallahassee. It is very different than anything we have done before but I think it is going to be really neat! Our science this year will be a combination of the human body and chemistry, so no Land Animals or Botany or Swimming Creatures for us this year-- but next year-- watch out! Anyway CC should be a fun new venture. I just have to work on getting us to bed early on Thursday and up and out the door on Fridays when we meet!

I am seriously thinking of never quitting math from now on because we have to re-learn math facts at the beginning of each year. It is so frustrating for all of us until I think I just might have the discipline to keep going with math in the summer. I always think that at the beginning of the year when the kids have just recently been to both sides of grandparents to stay for a few days. I have some of my greatest ideas then! They don't work, but I have great ideas! Anyway, I will reread this post when May comes and seriously think it over!

Dictation seems to be working very well too. I hope we will continue to work on it through out the year. I think it is making both the girls better spellers and if I could ever just drop the spelling curriculum, boy, that would be nice.

Anyway, we are off to a good start, we are having fun, and God is so with us in this journey. I couldn't even take a step if he wasn't.

Swimming with Snakes

Yes, it is true. Today my three beautiful daughters have been swimming with snakes. At least there was one snake in the springs where they were. "Just a little moccasin," my mom told me on the phone after Nature Girl had described how they had seen it twice. Twice!! According to Meme, other people chased it down the run toward the river, then they saw it again in a few minutes. Others again chased it and the little poisonous viper disappeared into a thicket near the spring, never to be seen again.

The really amazing thing is this: the girls swam again after they saw the snake AND they had a good time, too! I am completely irrational when it comes to snakes. If they are alive and in my presence then one of those two facts must change, and really quickly, too. But here are my little city girls, swimming with the snakes anyway, and evidently having a blast!

What a trip to Poppa's house they are having!

Big Girl Birthday

At the bottom of the page you can see a few pictures from the 10 yo birthday. We made the cake together and had a great time. I am very into creating birthday cakes in non-traditional ways-- none of the piping around the edges for me! (At least if I can avoid it!) I will try to post some pics from our trip to Atlanta when we get back.

A little art work

Here are a couple pictures the girls have drawn. This is a Pug that Elizabeth drew several months ago. She chose it because she thought it looked good and because Pugs are her favorite dog breed, next to Ginger of course.

This one is of the bird J.B. has now that Catherine drew and colored. She hasn't seen it, but she drew a picture based on MeMe's description and what we could find on the internet.

I think they are pretty good artists, myself, but I am their mom!

Our favorites of websites

• http://www.webkins.com
• http://www.notebooking pages.com
• http://www.americangirl.com
• http://www.bookadventure.org
• http://www.enature.com

Licks of Love By Dog lover

We have an animal rescue called
Licks of Love since we love
animals so much! I am going
to start giving weekly updates
on it. Anyone who wants to join
can!

Planning and dreaming . . .

Isn't it a nice time of the year? We are winding down our school year here, and I am already a flutter with plans for next year. I love coming up with new ideas, ways to organize, and new curriculum for the girls. I even get to order a few preschool things for Julia this year! And planning is so great. I come up with these wonderful ideas, I get to spend money on "supplies," I research the internet thoroughly, to be sure I am choosing the best books and curriculum for the said children, and best of all-- there is no messy execution when you plan. You don't have to deal with the struggle against time, the constant interruptions, or the ideas that just don't work with those wonderful children. It is homeschool utopia, and I like living there for a few months out of the year. It helps when we are down in the trenches.