Name that Tune

Updated 8/28
See if you can figure out which songs these lyrics come from. It makes me laugh so hard when the kids sing what it sounds like instead of what the words really are so I don't ever want to correct them:)

Natalie-
"Sinks by the wayside" (Tell Me the Stories of Jesus)
"Onward never onward" (Called to Serve)
"It's too late to go to John's" (Too Late to Apologize-New Republic)

Levi-
"Stanky Doodle went to London" (Yankee Doodle)
"If I can button door" (I Am a Child of God-4th verse)

We made it through the week!

We finished our 5th day of school...only 175 to go:) Really, I am not counting, it's just that attendance is the only thing I have to keep track of (Indiana's rules) so I know the number. It's been a crazy learning experience... and fun and hard and trying and tiring and I could go on and on. The hardest parts being Seth and Sam not cooperating (you know, being awake instead of napping...argh:) and the fact that 5 year olds just shut down.

The naps...ah, what can you do, really? I cannot convince Seth he wants to sleep during that time. It's unfortunate since I cannot even think when the boy is crying! Luckily, Natalie is the greatest big sister and will play with him and try to keep him happy.

Trying to get Levi not to shut down is rough. He is going along great and then, all of sudden, the floppy body language sets in and he starts saying, "I'm so tired" and doing these fake yawns. I am trying to be "teacher" and find ways to motivate him. We will get it!

I love this! Wednesday was by far our best day...the boys both napped and Levi was on. I felt so fulfilled, like I am doing just what the Lord wants me to. Homeschooling is not for everyone, but I strongly believe that anyone can do it. You just have to decide that it's the right choice for your child. There are a million different curriculum choices and you can find what fits you and your child. I NEVER thought I was cut out for this, but once I decided to do it, it fell into place. I am where I am supposed to be.

PS George made our cool school logo up at the top of the page and came up with our name. He also wants to teach the kids Chinese. We'll see if that happens, but it would be pretty cool:)

Cute pics and the start of Polaris Academy

Sunday best...they do clean up nicely:)

Here's Sam's "more" sign

And our cutie, smiley Seth!

So, the Polaris Academy started this week. What is the Polaris Academy, you ask? It's the official name of our homeschool. We have had 2 days and it's been fun...well, it's been ok. It's going to take Levi and I some time to get used to the teacher/student relationship. And Natalie really wants to participate, but she's a bit young to sit still, be quiet for very long, and she has this humming noise she does whenever she is concentrating that is not good for the school environment. Seth has been really crabby both days, but our dear boy Sam has slept right through.

I think the hardest part is not trying to over teach. I see the material and the potential and I want him to do it all, right now! I wish I knew more about his progression and what teaching methods will best suit him. I believe these are things that I will learn over time. I know that teachers are way better qualified for this kind of thing, but I think that I am keeping Levi home to instill in him that he is a son of God and there are things that are expected of him. I want to establish our home as a place of love, thinking, respect, honesty, and all those other things that seem to go out the window at "real school". Maybe I am just overprotective:) But, this is a good thing, so I am going to keep at it.

Other projects that I would like to accomplish soon:

3 month food supply
Rice and beans year supply
72 hour kits
Selling stamping stuff on Ebay
Weeding our flower garden
Deep clean all bathrooms
Make chore charts and assignments

Fun stuff! I am really enjoying myself! Happy "beginning of school" to you all!!

Camping!

I was born into a camping family and loved it! I was thrilled when the ward set up a ward camp-out. George...not so much. Has anyone ever BEEN camping with 4 children under 5? It just not as relaxing as I pictured it...but still fun!

The kids help me pack the car on Friday as the rain poured down. Geo called and said, "I am getting severe weather updates on my desktop. Are we still going?" By then, the car was packed and I informed him we are GOING! Like Emily said, we packed half of our house for less than 24 hours:)

When we got there, it was still pouring, but a few people were setting up as the rain gradually stopped so we decided to at least stay for dinner. We hadn't decided to stay yet, but if we did, we would use 2 tents. Well, turned out that a couple in our ward brought a tent with no stakes so we lent them our little tent. Our decision was made. Geo would stay with Levi and Nat and I would go home with the babies. We had a blast! I left around 10:15pm and got a good night's sleep and headed back.

Much to my surprise, Geo did not have a good night's sleep. They had a huge storm hit them at 12:30-lightening, thunder and hail. He was so worried. And they didn't even have a car to sit in safely. They just toughed it out. What little troopers!

The next day was beautiful! We hiked, cooked smores, and finished at the beach. Good times! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

We let Sam play in the car so we didn't loose him. Smart!

Are all boys pyros?

Sam was happy!

Natalie was dirty:)

Everyone loved the fire pit!

Seth was a hit:)

And this was the trip home...we were all exhausted!