a warm day in January

Doesn't seem like a warm day would be rare in Arizona, but it's been raining and cold the last two to three weeks.   I am  trying to explain to my kids that we really need to enjoy the warm winter days.. because warm summer days here may be unbearable!    So, today after homeschooling I decided to let the kids paint in the garage!  (love that they don't have to do it in the house anymore)  I sort of refrained from doing it all because I HATE those kinds of messes.

Carley and Stetson loved it.. but Colton was off catching bugs until he got the bright idea to put some on his face!
  (click photos to enlarge)

Painting in the shop!

a little plumbers crack.....

just cute!

I think it was suppose to be a butterfly.. and the more she worked on it.. the less it resembled a butterfly

My farm boy... two favorite things... climbing trees and catching bugs/reptiles

the word "fart" always makes a boy smile! 

Best Buds!

Homeschooling blues....

OK, well sort of. But here's my question.  How do YOU as a homeschooling Mom keep it fun?? Lately I feel like the wicked witch of the North. Always harping and always punishing. I still reward but it's a fight to get there some days.

My son Colton is very active. Pretty sure the public school would label him ADD. BUT I don't agree with that and have found that since we live in the country where he can totally be a BOY and run off all his energy in the wide open spaces that his attention span has already grown! I am not one to like to use bribes but of course I do.  What have you found that helps with your sons to keep them motivated and WANTING to learn.

Here's what's happened for us lately. Not sure if it's right or wrong but seem to be working.

For reading, instead of making him sit at the table with my all seeing eyes watching every move. I have begun to let him wonder. What I mean by this is... he will take his reading book to the living room or the spot of his choice and read it ALL alone! Even if he makes a few mistakes.. it seem like he is getting through the pages so much faster.  I tell him if it's a hard one to tell me part of it and then I'll jump in to help him sound it out. But for the most part he hasn't asked for help very much, since I am letting him do this on his own. The last two days his subject of choice has been reading.  Is it because I've let him have some freedom? Does he now feel more confident?

He is in first grade and is 6  years old. His attention span has grown 110% from last year. But he still can be so distracted.  Last week was tough cause we had to play some catch up. That really frustrated him. If we are on schedule and he only has to do one days requirement he can get everything done super fast and in about 2 hours time. Of course on project days it takes longer but that's usually fun anyway.

But my main question is- What are some things YOU do for your boys and girls to make class FUN? And what motivates your children?

I do try to give him treats or special privileges.  And I always encourage that if he focus' he can have fun and play the whole rest of the day!  That is his big thing... he just wants to play!  I've noticed as well that if the other two kids are out of sight he does so much better.  I don't always do school with all of them at the same time as that is also very distracting at this point. I like to work with Carley in the evenings. 

Thanks!

I took him by surprise with this picture.. :p

Carley's Staples

On December 22nd Carley was out helping daddy fix fence.. (blog post below).   I was standing next to Sean visiting when Carley came walking up from the other side of where we were standing, heading toward me and the pick up. As she walked between Sean's digging bar and Sean she bumped the digging bar.  It started to fall but didn't hit her head until was at the tail gait of the truck.  The top of the bar got her right in the back of the head. No one saw it coming.

After I held her for a minute I realized her head was bleeding.  After taking her into the house we cut away a little hair and washed her up and decided it was too big of a gap to try and seal ourselves. So we loaded everyone up and headed in. After a quick call and finding out that there was no wait... we could be in and out fast.

She did so well and felt fine so we decided to take the kids shopping so they could spend their Christmas money.

 First they numbed it with gel and we had to wait 20 minutes.

Then came the staples... and she didn't even cry!

They gave Sean the tool for taking out the staples ourselves... yikes!

 again, she didn't cry.. just said "owe"

 This is the girl that used to throw tantrums for her shots and I mean 

kicking and screaming the entire time, I've had to hold her down a few times! 

So, I was relieved to see how well she did with this. Probably helps that

it was Daddy helping and not Mommy, He is so good with this sort of thing and I 

am so happy he was home!