I am Moving.

Okay for those of you who may read my blog.... first of all thank you so much for reading and keeping me encourage to continue to write and post. Probably never mentioned it but I love to write, I have a million journals, mini books, poems, you name it. Anyway. I have been trying to keep up my photo blog and my homeschooling blog and decided to get more organized and simplify my life I need to combine the two. So that is what I am doing! You can now view my blog at xyzphotomemories.blogspot.com. I hope you come join me there and now share in my journey as not only a homeschooling mother, but as a photographer as well! Thanks and see you soon! 

What a great week!

We had a great first week back! It's Saturday and I feel great which lets me know that my week was not as stressful. Changing our school schedule is probably the best move I could have made. Let's keep our fingers crossed. This week we focused on Abeka and that letters G and R. We learned Cursive G and Cursive R. In math we continued to learn about the teen family and focused on the 20 family understanding that 2 comes first in the twenty family. We added A to our word wall. For art we colored a Mexican girl and a Mexican boy because she was learning about Mexico and the letter M at her tutorial. We spent our mornings at the discovery center and at the mall play area this week. With one morning at home taking a morning bath, which they love! I think I have a solution to my Curriculum situation, Next week will focus on My fathers world and Unleash the code. Then we will alternate weeks. I hope that this will work for us and that this will keep her attention and she will not get burned out by doing the same thing everyday. If we change up each week it will give her a fresh start and hopefully keep her guessing and loving to learn. So next week will be doing My Fathers World! We will Start Monday tot day/school. Our focus will be the color red and counting to 5! YAY! I am so super excited! 

Two down 7 to go!

We are back in the swing of things. We officially started back on Monday which is when Jay attends her tutorial. I spent Monday redecorating our class. I feel like we have so much more room now. So I can check that item off my list. Our schedule has changed and so far it is really working for us. I was having such a difficult time with my babies participating during school that it was distracting to Jay. So I moved school to nap time. This has worked great for us. I was a little worried that Jay wouldn't want to do School in the afternoon, but she is so happy that she doesn't have to take naps anymore, and she love the fact that it's just me and her! So she actually does her work, and gets done pretty quickly. We are now only taking about an hour to complete our actual work. I don't have to stop and tend to the babies, I can focus totally on her. Once we finish she will usually color or do something fun pertaining to school for about thirty minutes. I love it, and  I hope that we continue on this schedule. So our school time has moved from 10-12 to 2-4! I can run errands in the mornings or do activities. This week we have been going out for playtime from 10-12. This wears the babies out. They come home eat lunch and are down for the naps between 1 and 1:30. We then start school! I am still working on Tot school. What my gut is telling me is Monday's will be our official tot school day since Jay is at her tutorial. What I am struggling with is One day a week really enough for them or do they need more time? That will come in do time. I am just happy that I have two things marked off my list. Let's pray that I stick with it!! 

Wordless Wednesday (kinda)

Okay I have to explain this one! This is baby Sidney in a dresser drawer sleeping! We had been searching all over our house for her. So finally we look in her closet thinking that she was in to something and this is what we found! LOL She had pulled out the bottom Drawer put a pillow in it and made herself a nice little bed and went to sleep. WOW I couldn't believe it! But I have to admit as strange as it is she sure did look so precious and tiny in that drawer. 

Welcome 2009!

Wow I can't believe it's 2009 already, but then I say that about every year! So it's here and I am trying to decide what exactly do I want to try and accomplish in 2009 when it comes to schooling my children. Another to do list to add to the others. So here is 9 things I want to accomplish in in 2009 according to school. 

1. Get more organized/focus on one curriculum
2. Have a set routine/schedule and stick to it no matter what life throws my way
3. Redecorate our classroom
4. Complete our chosen curriculum
5. Get more activities for my toddlers
6. Make t-shirts for our homeschool field trips
7. Create an art program for our school
8. Toddlers learn colors
9. Number one Jayden starts to read! 

Not a very long list but I figure 2009 nine things should be good and I am more likely to complete this list in 2009! I am excited to what this year will bring in my life and pray that it will be joy, peace, and happiness! 

Christmas Eve Pictures

One of our traditions on Christmas eve is to open one present from other tree and our stockings. My kids know that the one present is a new pair of pajamas! But they love it, it's their very special Christmas pajamas which they usually stay in all day on Christmas. So here are a few pictures from their Christmas pajamas this year. 

Merry Christmas

And so Christmas is over! We had a great Christmas. We usually wake up our kids early in the morning, but they refuse to go to sleep and stayed up until about 3 am. Shockingly they were up at 8a.m! Everyone opened up their gifts and then we stuffed ourselves silly. We got some great deals this christmas, I must say. Many of things we got were shareable toys, well maybe not Bradly's Harley. My husband was dead set on on our Baby boy getting a jeep like daddy's until he saw the price tag! He was excited when he saw they had Harley's and not only did they have them they were 50% off. So he had to get him one! As he likes to say one of the men in this house needs a Harley. I will live through my son. :) My husband is the greatest I have to brag on him for a moment. I was surprised with a nintendo DS which I really wanted. I played this game at a friend house and next to reading it is my therapy! On top of my DS he got me first Tiffany's item a return to Tiffany's classic Bracelet. I was in shock. We usually have a pack that we will not buy each other gifts during Christmas and he is pretty good a keeping that pact. I usually get him gifts from the kids, just to show him how much we appreciate everything that he does. This year he told me that all that I do does not go unnoticed and because I have worked overtime and above and beyond the call of duty he wanted to show me how much he does notice and appreciate it! One thing my husband and I have learned is that NEXT Christmas is not guaranteed so we try to celebrate every Christmas like it will be our last Christmas together. So hugs and kisses to him! These past few days we have been relaxing around the house enjoying each other as a family! It has been great. And although we do exchange gifts on Christmas we use this time to reflect as a family not only over the past year, but over our history. We use to this time to discuss the bible and all that it means to us. We try to gain a better understanding of what this time means to us as a family. We make plans for the upcoming year, and what we would like to improve on this time next year, as well as what we want to keep around. We use this time to be thankful and to give back to others in anyway we can be it service, financial, spiritual, or emotional. I make my kids clean out their toy bins and give things away before they get more. They have to understand there is a such thing  as too much. We don't waist food during the holidays as we understand their is family they may not have food to eat. So yes for the last 3 days we have only been eating leftovers! Waist not want not. We probably have one more day of supply left! This is the only time my husband will eat leftovers! So I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas/happy holiday. I hope that your Holiday was special to you and that you had peace, joy, and happiness during your holiday time! Pictures to follow!