Baby(doll)wearing

Living Room Fort

Learning All the Time

 Alice's unifix cube patterns.

Coloring a castle.

I'm really looking forward to our homeschooling years. The kids love learning new things and figuring things out and mastering skills. So far I LOVE the BOB book series for DD. They are little booklets that come in stages. We are reading the first set and she just read a new book today and asked me "How many books can I read now??" "Four," I said. "FOUR?!?" We tried Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and I really liked the concept, but it was too detached for DD and didn't hold her attention. It did help her with learning letter sounds and how they go together to make words and such, but the BOB books are definitely better for DD because she can just jump in and start reading. She's been reading to me and her baby brothers and anyone who will listen. 

I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of the TV. I'd like to be TV free altogether. I keep putting it on for DS1 when it's time for me to nurse DS2 or put DS2 down for a nap to keep DS1 distracted. Any go-tv-free tips would really be appreciated!

Home Economics: Babywearing 101

Learning to read!

Practice:

Alice's first book! < < Click here!

The Beast

 Cut and paste math.

 The Lady Bug Game

Playing the lady game while DS2 spits up on the floor...

The Musical Fruit

Beans beans... in this case, kidney beans. And if you want beans to be less musical, try cooking them with a strip of kombu. Anyway, there's breakfast. Rice, beans, eggs, broccoli. I seasoned the beans with salt, pepper, a heaping tablespoon of nutritional yeast, a couple squirts of Bragg's aminos, and a pinch of curry powder.

A couple simple, quick, and healthy meals:

 

Roasted Root-Veggies and Tofu

Soba (buckwheat) Noodles, Scrambled Tofu, Mixed Veggies

Advent 2010

 Advent Wreath

DH and DD, partners in silliness:-)

 <3

Leavenworth 2010

 DH pulling the kids.

 J just LOVED being pulled in the sled. I think he preferred it to actually sledding.

 Me and the little guy.

Lights:-)

During Advent last year we took a family trip to Leavenworth, WA, a Bavarian village, for their Christmas lighting festival. It was like a little winter wonderland, with parents pulling their children in sleds instead of pushing strollers. Everywhere we went was very family friendly. The Holiday Inn where we were staying in Wenatchee even had cookie and milk hour in the evening. We really have some great memories from this trip and I hope that this won't be the last time we visit Leavenworth.