Daytona Speedweek - We've Arrived!

Friday, we got up and had about three more hours drive to our destination --- Daytona International Speedway. Little Buddy was tickled but wanted to spend a little while playing on his ripstik. Knowing we'd be cooped up for a while, it sounded like a great idea to this Mama.

It also would give me a chance to try my photography skills for action shots. {Pwahahah - what skills?}

Check Little Buddy out! He's got the move going on in this shot.

After a little bit of exercise, we loaded up and hit the road. We were all just ready to be there. Little Buddy and I "did school" while we traveled. Remarkably, when traveling, school helps pass the time something fierce!

Next excitement for the day, we got sniffed. Yep, we got sniffed!

The K-9 units working the security gate were so beautiful. This was our sniffer! {He didn't even ask for my phone number, either!}

And as soon as we got settled in, we were greeted with a tornado watch quickly followed by a warning.

{I really think tornado warnings follow me when we travel. But that sounds a bit vain.}

The warning cleared and God blessed us with this beautiful sign the storms had calmed.

We are having a great time this week at the Daytona 500. Now, I need to figure out who I'm pulling for this week. I am really pretty neutral, but goodness gracious - my boys are not!

Who is your favorite driver?

Teachable Moments - Weather

There are just so many teachable moments in everyday life. This week is a perfect example.

Groundhog's Day

Tuesday, February 2nd was Groundhog Day. I'm sure you knew that, unless you were hibernating yourself.

While for many, the day is just a novelty, we decided to take it just a little bit further. You know, learn something from it. We studied the history of Groundhog Day and watched the news to see if Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow. We reviewed hibernation and the animals that hibernate. And we created a calendar and are now tracking the weather each day for the next six weeks. We want to see how the real weather compares to the Groundhog's Day tale.

Here's how we track:

1. 1. Print a two month calendar from your favorite online source.
2. 2. Place a thermometer by an outside door and check it at the same time each day. If you are traveling like we are, simply check your area weather online.
3. 3. Record your weather findings each day. Include: High temperature, Low temperature, and whether or not it is Sunny, Stormy, Cloudy, or Snowy.
4. 4. Keep at it each day for six weeks. Make it enjoyable so you all look forward to weather tracking each day.
5. 5. At the end of the period, review together and determine if Pawxatawny Phil was indeed correct. Did we get six more weeks or winter as predicted or not.

(Photo courtesy WSBTV)

Weather Alerts

We also studied the importance of weather alerts and preparedness. I hadn't exactly planned on this lesson, but within an hour of our reaching the Daytona International Speedway a tornado watch, quickly followed by a warning, was issued. Again, a teachable moment.

We studied about NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). We talked about important information provided in weather alerts and monitoring the skies. We kept the discussion light since we were in the middle of a warning, but it reminded me to note in my homeschool notebook that we need to spend more time indepth on this subject.

And now, I'm off to have a teachable moment about some grub. We're starving!

I'd love it if you'd share about teachable moments you've discovered. We're still learning how to turn everyday life into a world of learning.

On the Road Again...

My family loves to travel - especially in our RV. There is just something about loading up in the RV and getting on the road that makes those cares of home just seem so insignificant. While we love it, it will wear you out getting ready for a trip.

•  - Buying groceries and stocking the RV
•  - Moving groceries from the house to the RV
•  - Packing clothes, toys, school and electronics (can't forget school or our electronics)
•  - Getting the farm animals ready for someone else to take care of them
•  - Leaving the house cleaner than it is normally for our house-sitter
•  - Placing holds on all the mail, newspapers, etc.
•  - Paying all the bills
•  - Getting client orders completed and out the door
•  - Calling friends with routinely scheduled playdates, etc. and reminding them of our trip
•  - Working out the missed dates with our homeschool co-op and getting all makeup materials

And then, we hit the road.

I think I may need a vacation from my vacation. I'm pooped.

Does getting everything ready for your vacation wear you out? Please say it's not just me!

Confessions of a Bad Photographer Trying to Learn. What Do I Need?

I'm inspired by all of the beautiful photos on blogs.

Blogs like Darcy's, Ree's, McKMamma's. Their photography is masterful. They clearly understand apeture, angle, and all that stuff that I don't. I visit their blogs and just feel whatever it is they were trying to get me to feel in the first place. That's how skilled they are with their cameras and editing software (their writing isn't too shabby either).

Y'all might just get to go on this long road I'm on to learn. Hope you don't mind.

So, here's my question. What do I need? Where do I begin?

Here's where I am.

1. 1. I use Actions from MCPActions, but I have to admit something. Mine never turn out quiet right.
2. 2. I use Photoshop and Illustrator, but am most definitely still in the Dummies catagory. (Must be why confession #1 happens, huh?)
3. 3. I stole my husband's Canon, but all I know how to do is point and shoot. In the auto setting no less.
4. 4. I took a beginning photography class years ago, but can't remember half of what they said.
5. 5. I have beautiful subjects (husband, child, farm, animals, what-not) to shoot (with the camera), but they are tired of looking weird in all the photographs that I take of them.
6. 6. I have a husband who can take wonderful photographs, but his patience trying to teach me wore thin 14 1/2 years ago. (We'll be married 15 years this September).
7. 7. I have a brother-in-law who is an expert, but I have no clue where to begin even asking for help from him. He's THAT good.
8. 8. I think if I bought a better camera, I'd take better pictures. But does a real photographer pop out of it every time you turn it on? If not, it probably won't help me.
9. 9. I think I'm too busy to sit through another photography class, but waste more time than one would take by playing with actions, setting, and still winding up with horrible photos.
10. 10. I think I may have attention deficit where camera settings, etc. are concerned. But hey, I did make it through making a list of 10 just now. That's not too shabby.

Thanks for letting me share. Being the homeschooling Mama that I am, I just decided that Little Buddy is going on the journey with me. We are both going to learn. (That way, I can pass off my still bad photography as his and his gorgeous work as mine.) *Insert evil Mom laugh here*

And for those visual folks that stop by my blog, here's an example of just how bad I really am.

 Nope, I wasn't going for the artsy silhouette look either.

 

Do You Ever?

1. Do you ever just wake up in the mornings and think, "would someone please just bring me my coffee here?"

2. Do you ever consider just moving the coffee pot to beside your bed so you don't have to wake up with that thought?

3. Do you ever want to just bundle your family all into your bed so you could snuggle all day?

4. Do you ever wish you could freeze time while your babies are so innocent so they never have to learn the harsh realities of the world?

5. Do you ever just want to turn off your television to never turn it on again?

6. Do you ever kiss your husband like the very first time you kissed?

7. Do you ever catch your children watching and giggling as you and your husband share that kiss?

8. Do you ever just throw the container away with the food because what's inside is just way too gross to have to deal with anyway?

9. Do you ever wish your family would learn how to put their dirty clothes inside the dirty clothes hamper?

10. Do you ever wish your pet could talk, but then quickly realize they would have way too much dirt on you to share?

11. Do you ever have days or weeks where you type so much your handwriting is horrid when you finally write something?

12. Do you ever handwrite your husband a love note?

13. Do you ever just laugh out loud for the fun of it?

14. Do you ever have big ole family tickle fights lose your breath with laughter?

15. Do you ever just jump on the bed with your children because you know you still want to?


What are some of your favorite "Do you ever's?" Come on, keep it going.

Olympics Unit Study Plan

I have been working for the past few weeks on gathering and reviewing materials for our Olympics Unit Study Plan. Let me just say, it was an undertaking but was also a great deal of fun. We began with our study today on the ancient games. I'm proud to say, Little Buddy enjoyed it and learned so much for the study.

I decided I would share the plan we are following for a few reasons.

 - you may want to include all or part of it in your homeschool/ afterschool plans.
 - it will save you a ton of time.
 - I actually typed it all up so I had to show it to you!



2010 Winter Olympic Unit Study Plan


Winter Olympics Unit Study Plan

Diet and Exercise Journal


I also created a Diet and Exercise Journal to go along with the study. You are welcome to download it as well.

Diet Exercise Journal


Olympic Word Search


And last but not least, I created a Winter Olympics word search. Little Buddy loves word searches, so I subscribe to Wordsheets to keep us in stock with them for whatever we are studying.

Winter Olympic Word Search

I hope you enjoy these printables as you follow the Olympics this month. 

Are you gearing up your family for the Winter Olympics? What's your favorite event? 

"Not Me" Monday

I did NOT start grooming my dog and wind up having to shave her because she looked like Edward Scissorhands had taken out his frustrations on her. {And yes, she is wearing that lovely Snuggie my sister gave her. It matches mine.}

I did NOT wear my Ugg boots in a limosine to a charity ball. {In my defense, it was called a blue jean ball and it was in a renovated barn. It was not a regular sorta barn. Pretty fancy smanzy. But my toes were warm.}

I did NOT sneak extra Language Arts into our homeschool with Mad Libs. {We've worn that book and app out y'all! I should have bought some stock in that company!}

I did NOT get my very first bloggy greatness award from Pooba. {I think it's because we became best pals over her post on how to survive a colonoscopy. Having had to have one, she nailed it my friends. NAILED. IT.}

and last, but not least ---

I did NOT set up a new Twitter account because I was "tweetin' in the wind" when I had 600 + tweeps that I lurved chattin' with all the time.

Whew! I did NOT do quiet a bit this week. How about you? What did you NOT do?