Stay-cation 2013 Day 4

Day four was spent exploring Old Town. It's been a while since I've been there and the kids never have so we made an afternoon of it. 

Of course it's not really a trip to Old Town if you don't go to the Mormon Battalion. 

We ended our adventure with a late lunch at our favorite restaurant just a few blocks from Old Town.

Then we came home and we all took a nice long nap. It was a great day!

Stay-cation 2013 Day 3

Today was spent recovering from our sunburns, tidying the house and watching some of our favorite shows and documentaries on Netflix. If I'm being completely honest there was some Judge Judy and COPS and possibly some Maury thrown in the mix as well. The adventures will continue tomorrow.

Stay-cation 2013 Day 2

Day two was spent at the beach. The sunscreen got left at home so needless to say we are all a little red but it was still a great day.

Stay-cation 2013 Day 1

Day one of our Stay-cation was spent at Balboa Park having a picnic lunch, exploring the Museums and playing in the fountain. It was a great way to start our week.

                          

Camping

At the beginning of the year we decided that we wouldn't go on a vacation but rather a stay-cation since we went to Disneyland so many times this last year. We started our week of fun by camping in the backyard last night and of course no campout would be complete without Reese's cup s'mores.

 

                        

And They Call It Puppy Love

Two weeks ago we decided that we needed a new dog that was a better fit for our little homebody family. We found this handsome little 7 yr. old dachshund mix at the local animal shelter and fell in love. We brought him home and after a small escape attempt we decided on his name. The kids picked his middle name(can you tell that our family LOVES Big Bang Theory?). Introducing... Houdini Wolowitz Parker.

He is a big cuddle bug and loves to have his belly and head rubbed

At first the cats detested him and us for bringing him home and but after a week they have become the best of friends and can often be seen cuddling and napping together. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

His first night at home he slept outside but from then on out he somehow managed to con his Daddy into letting him sleep at the foot of our bed with his blanket. He has also gotten Daddy to bring him meat bones from the butcher once a week. He is a very spoiled little man.

Excitement and Fear

This time of year I get very excited and very, very scared. Excited that school will soon be starting and i'll have a routine again and scared because I remember that we homeschool our children and they will be home with me 24/7.

Now, while I love my children more than anything in the world, admittedly there are times when I wish that they didn't have special needs and that I could send them off to school like everyone else. It makes me feel like a bad Mother for feeling that way, because what Mom wouldn't want their kids with them all day everyday.

That aside, I really do love all that comes with a new school year. I LOVE buying a new lesson planner and getting all of the curriculum sorted out and divided into what TLC calls LP's(learning periods). I love getting it all written and printed out. I thrive on having it all organized and ready to go. I've got it all ready on my end now i'm just waiting for the call from the school that everything is in and ready to be picked up.

Reading

I love that Sage enjoys reading as much as I do.

Sage's 9th Birthday

We kept his party very low key this year since he went to Disneyland for his 8th birthday last year. He invited two friends over for video games, lego building and snacks. Here's what we served.

Some pictures of the birthday boy

Pictures of his friend Romeo 

Pictures of his friend Keenan.

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago today we welcomed Sage into our little family. Time has certainly flown by and he has brought so much joy into our lives.

4th of July

We had a very laid back 4th because of my arm being in a cast. We still managed to have some fun with sparklers though.

Disneyland

This was our last trip with our Disneyland Annual passes that we purchased last year. We can't wait to buy them again.

We stopped by the LEGO store in Downtown Disney on the way home and the kids had to pose with The Hulk and Olivia

Did You Know?

Alexander Graham Bell

Thomas Edison

Albert Einstein

Benjamin Franklin

Patrick Henry

Eli Whitney

Orville & Wilbur Wright

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

George Wythe

Alexander Hamilton

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

Theodore Roosevelt

Louisa May Alcott

Robert Frost

C.S. Lewis

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Leonardo da Vinci

Claude Monet

Isaac Newton

Johann Sebastian Bach

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Winston Churchill

What do these well-known people all have in common? Besides creative genius or exceptional leadership...  

Each received a large part, if not all, of their education at home. That's right folks, these people were homeschooled! Through reading, discovering and exploring. There are many, many more people who have left their mark in the world and were educated in their own home. (There is a great list of famous homeschoolers at http://www.famoushomeschoolers.net )

Whenever you feel challenged or discouraged, just take a peek at these names and realize the potential those little people in your home have if you only give them the tools to unleash it! Many of these incredibly intelligent people were poor public school students and felt like failures, yet thrived when allowed to pursue knowledge in their own way and time.