Honest Abe

Robert took me to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter today. Yes, I know it's rated R and yes there are a few parts that did not need to be in there but hello..... it's a vampire movie so it's going to be violent. I didn't think I'd like it at all but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though I found myself cuddling up to Robert at the really intense scenes, I really enjoyed it and found myself getting caught up with the storyline.

It was a historical/fiction film. I love how it actually followed his life through his Presidency. The way it was presented made me feel and wish that it was real. And really.... who doesn't love a good vampire movie. There's something about vampires that intrigues me and I love the idea of it.

The best part about the movie was that It made me want to come home and read all I could about Abe. I'm thinking that this coming year that we're going to learn about a different President every week and I cannot wait to teach the kids about all of the amazing things President Lincoln did!

Good for more than...

... jumping. Last week the kids spent one very chilly Summer morning drawing on the trampoline with sidewalk chalk. They had a blast! Aurora and Gabby just drew crazy lines all over the place while Sage and Savannah had fun covering the Trampoline in chalk.

Sage's Spider

Many Mustaches

I just love this stamp set. From the moment I saw it in last years catalog I knew I had to have it. I was even more excited when Stampin' Up! released it in digital format for MDS. I made this today since I was feeling down and this set always brings a smile to my face.

Make Way for Sage Parker

...That's right, Move over Paul and Morgan Hamm! When Sage came home from Gymnastics tonight he brought me this:

We are so proud of Sage. After two years of hard work perfecting his beginner skills in Gymnastics, Sage is moving up to Advanced Gymnastics which is pre-competitive so he'll be training 2 days a week instead of one and being watched by the head coach to go to the Boys Competitive Team. He is definitely making his Grandma proud!

Hey There!

Today is last day of school for the kids and we are all ready for a break. As much as I love the idea of Summer I really dislike the Summer. The kids and I are not fans of the heat so we do all of our outings in the morning and evening hours and relax indoors with the AC in the afternoons. However, I am excited to sleep in a little later and start planning / shopping / decorating for the new school year.

Latter-Day Homeschooling

I came across this amazing blog a few months ago, and I absolutely love it! It has helped me so much to know that I am not alone in my beliefs. It has a lot of great resources and a lot of inspiration as well.


Even if you aren't a homeschooler it lots of great ideas for F.H.E and scripture study. Check it out, you won't regret it.

Disneyland

Ever since I took Robert to Disneyland in April 2010 we've been waiting for both kids to be tall enough to ride most of the rides so we could take them. We decided to surprise them and take a two day trip. I was determined to take a million pictures but half way through the first day I got lazy and the kids were tired of the photo shoots. 

We went to celebrate Sage's 8th birthday a month early. It was great and vacation none of us will ever forget.

 Sage with his birthday badge and Aurora with her first visit badge

 Aurora posing with the book in Sleeping Beauty's Castle

 Aurora on King Arthur's Carousel

 Sage in King Arthur's Carousel

 Driving in Toon Town

 Sage and his Indiana Jones hat

 Waiting for the Jedi Training Show to start

 Waiting in line for Star Tours

 Sage, Robert and Aurora on Tower of Terror

 Checking out Ariel's Undersea Adventure

The kids loved the Jungle Cruise

We splurged and bought passes for the year and plan on going back at least five more times this year.

I {HEART} a sharp pencil!

I don't know about you but I seriously LOVE a perfectly sharp pencil. In the last 9 months of Homeschool the kids and I have gone through not one but two electric pencil sharpeners and at least 100 pencils. No matter what we did our pencil always came out like this.

Half sharpened pencils are not fun or easy to write with. We were never too happy with the quality but it was our only option,. A couple of weeks ago I was cruising some of my favorite blogs when I stumbled across a review for this really cool looking sharpener. I clicked the link and it took me right to THIS awesome website.         

 

Classrooom Friendly Supplies is owned and operated by fellow teacher Troy Decoff. I contacted Mr. Decoff and asked if I could review his awesome pencil sharpener. He promptly sent me this retro looking sharpener. Isn't it awesome?

To use it, simply pull out the silver piece and squeeze those 2 little black squares on the top together to put the pencil in.

Then, place your hand on top for support and turn the handle. It automatically slows down when your pencil is sharpened. next squeeze the little black squares to remove the pencil and.......

Ta Da!!!! A perfectly sharpened pencil. I am in love and went through the house and sharpened every pencil I could find. No more over sharpened pencils in our Homeschool and the best part is that our pencils will last a lot longer thanks to our new sharpener.

Don't forget to visit CLASSROOM FRIENDLY SUPPLIES and check out these AMAZING pencil sharpeners!

Loose Tooth!

Aurora came up to me last week and showed me all four of her loose teeth. I thought we had some time since it took Sage's teeth a month or more to come out. Boy... was I wrong. Come to think of it I don't know why I assumed she'd be anything like Sage. She has been doing things on her own schedule since the day she was born.

While we were picking up kids from school today and she said her tooth hurt, so when we got home I checked and sure enough it was just hanging on by a thread. We put a paper towel over her tooth and wiggled it a few times and out it came.

I can't believe that my little baby girl isn't such a baby anymore.

The Happiest Place on Earth, Part 1

We're heading off to the Happiest Place on Earth for two days to celebrate Sage's 8th birthday a month early since we will be in Utah on his birthday, this will be the kids first time going. We waited until they were both tall enough to ride the majority of the rides.

The bags are waiting to be packed, laundry is washing. snacks are packed and new

Disney Character shirts have been purchased {much cheaper than buying them at the park}.

I couldn't keep the secret any longer so I spilled the beans this morning. Sage's reaction was exactly what I expected. Aurora's.... not so much. She's excited, she just didn't freak out like Sage did.

                                  

It goes without saying that I am the most excited. I love all things Disney and cannot wait to see the joy on the kid's faces when they walk down Main Street U.S.A and see all of  the amazing adventures that await them.