Preschool Age Craft Ideas!

http://www.create-kids-crafts.com/index.html

my mom's da BOMB!
~*BonnieLea*~

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~*BonnieLea*~

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three peas in a pod. three bugs in a rug?
~*BonnieLea*~

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Holidaysssss and random ramblings

I've got a lot to do today. I've already cleaned the ferret cage and picked up and swept the foyer and gotten started on the laundry. I still need to finish picking up and sweeping, mop, wash the dishes, and switch the laundry. And clean my room. Which is always last on the list and therefore never gets done. And I need to pack for our weekend getaway.

Rayce is home today, which makes things a little rougher. He's an instigator. An antagonist. And he's bouncing off the walls today. I've got my nephews also.

I can't wait for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I just love it. It's relaxed, fun, and family oriented. It'll be just us tomorrow, so there is no entertaining. No special cleaning for company. No frantic gift wrapping. Just lots of good food and playing with the kids. It's one of my favorite holidays. The most relaxing, definitely.

We're headed to the Strong Museum of play first thing Friday morning. Less relaxed. LOL. But I am soooooo excited, I still feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I can't wait!!!

Saturday is Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family up in Rochester. I'm a little anxious. About things that I won't discuss here on my blog, things that you know about if you know me well. But excited to see (almost) everyone, regardless.

Christmas is a month away. WOW. How did that happen?? I have not done any shopping yet. I'm waiting to get paid for babysitting. Things this year are reallllllly tight, to say the least. I've been trying to prepare the kids, to not expect a mountain of gifts this Christmas, but I'm not sure how much they understand. There are a few things I want to get for each of them. Shopping for 5 kids on a very tight budget is *rough*. But it will work out, somehow... it always does :o)

Expect lots of pictures by the end of the weekend!!

Letter of the Week and more

I found a great website that has a 'letter of the week' all scheduled out, with ideas for books, songs, crafts, math, science, and social studies all going along with the letter of the week. Very neat!!

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/year_age_3.html

This is defintiely going to be a link I'll be coming back to for ideas!
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/index.html

From the same site...
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/preparatory_lesson_1.html
This is an easier 'lesson plan' that is aimed more at younger kids, focusing more on easier concepts like colors and shapes.

http://www.lapbookladies.com/what_is_a_lb.htm
This is a site about 'lapbooks'. An interesting way for kids to record the stuff they've learned. More for older kids but a fun portfolio like idea!!

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschool site. All in one!

Preschool Books

Books that I plan to get in the very near future :o)

Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games & Activities To Occupy 3-6 Year Olds

 

The Toddlers Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 1 1/2- to 3-Year-Old Busy

 

365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child: Plus 50 All-New Bonus Activities

 

We Care Revised: A Curriculum for Preschool Through Kindergarten: Grades PreK-K: Teacher Resource

 

The GIANT Encyclopedia of Lesson Plans for Children 3 to 6: More Than 250 Lesson Plans Created by Teachers for Teachers

Preschool Craft Links

http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/index.jhtml


http://www.first-school.ws/theme/holidays.htm


http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/toddler/

http://crafts.preschoolrock.com/

http://www.freepreschoolcrafts.com/

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/art/crafts.htm

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/art_station.shtml

http://www.makingfriends.com/precrafts.htm


http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Topic/kids_crafts.html

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/lessonplans/   This site is actually a site with preschool lesson plans, but it has a craft project for each day of a themed unit lesson plan. Very neat!

http://lessonplanz.com/Lesson_Plans/The_Arts/Arts___Crafts/__Preschool/index.shtml

Christmas Ornaments and a Trampoline Nap :o)

Rayce's report card, the backside. He did wonderfully, above grade level on most things, at grade level/satisfactory for everything else. Except exercising self control, which I knew was going to be an issue. The kid likes to talk and has a hard time keeping quiet!! So we're going to be talking a lot about what self control means, and consciously practicing here at home. But I am thrilled!!! He did so well, I knew he would!!! I'm a proud Mama!!!!!!!

~*BonnieLea*~

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Summer Memories

I feel like summer lasted all of about a week. Certainly not 3 months. What did we DO all summer?

We didn't really do much, and I feel bad.

At the end of next summer, I want to be able to look back and have lots of fun memories. I want to remember what we did all summer.

So I'm coming up with a plan now.

~backyard camping
~Dutch Wonderland http://www.dutchwonderland.com/
~attend a bon-fire, roast marshmallows and hotdogs
~Sesame Place http://www.sesameplace.com/
~Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom http://www.sixflags.com/greatEscape/index.aspx
~Knoebels http://www.knoebels.com/
~vacation at the BEACH!! Mom and I have been trying to plan what we can!! Yayyyy!!!
~picnics at the park
~drive in movie
~BMets game

So I'm thinking we can do one amusement part type deal per month. I bet my dad and stepmom would love to do those trips with us.

We're going to the Strong Museum of Play next week (!!!!!! SOOOOOO EXCITED I can't even stand it, I can't wait!!!!!) and I'd also like to take the kids to the Crayola Factory (http://www.crayola.com/Factory/) sometime this winter.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

~*BonnieLea*~

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~*BonnieLea*~

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New pictures of the girls

New pictures of the girls here on my photography blog.

halfway through November already?

How is it already November 14th??? Someone tell me where the summer went, please?! Here we are, on the verge of winter. Halloween has passed... Thanksgiving is almost here. The days creep by soooo slowly sometimes (most times!), but I literally blink my eyes and entire weeks and even months are gone....

I'm glad I take so many pictures!!

~*BonnieLea*~

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So much

I got so much done yesterday.

The kids rooms are (well.... were!) spotless. See videos below as proof that at one moment, the kids rooms were indeed spotless.

I got all the kids laundry put away.

That took hours. Between the bedrooms and the laundry. Literally all day until about 3pm, at which point I layed down for about half an hour, got up, and picked up and swept the downstairs.

Then we went shopping, picked the boys up, came home and had dinner, played for a little while, and the kids went to bed. I went and gave my buddy Brian a hair cut, came home and watched TV for a bit, and then crashed, hard.

The kids were up at 630 today. UGHHHH!! They were playing in their rooms, and I must have dozed off again, when they went downstairs and raided what was left of the popsicles. For breakfast. It was almost like Halloween all over again.

I've got lots to do today. I've gotta keep working on laundry. I've gotta get MY room cleaned and make my bed with fresh bedding. I've gotta give the dog a bath and clean the ferret cage. We're going to my dad's for a few hours this afternoon. And I would really *like* to clean out my van, too. Really. A lot. It's been a long while. Too long.

AND I have a few craft projects ready for the kids, too. But I don't know when we're gonna fit that in!! Maybe after nap? Which will be after we get back from Grampa's? Which will prolly be dinner time. We'll see.

Anyway, I've gotta get moving. So much to do!

~*BonnieLea*~

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the girls room is *clean*. now to get the pictures on the wall and curtains and blinds up and a door on the closet... another story!!
~*BonnieLea*~

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rayce's first real homework. family tree. he did an awesome job!!
~*BonnieLea*~

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Photography Blog

Since I've started doing some more formal photography shoots, I've created this blog for those photos and those thoughts. Check it out!!! The link is also listed to the right in my sidebar :o)

rayces school picture w more light lol
~*BonnieLea*~

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rayces school picture!!
~*BonnieLea*~

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~*BonnieLea*~

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Homeschool Preschool

I've been doing a lot of research on home education and education in general for over a year now. Since making the decision and goal to 'homeschool' the kids in preschool beginning in January, I've been doing even more research. This list from WorldBook has been the most wonderful resource so far. It lists the things preschoolers should be learning or should know by the end of preschool. My lesson plans are going to be based on that list. 

Preschool is all about playing and learning at the same time. You weave education into arts and crafts projects and the kids learn while they're having fun.

There are lots of things I have to do here to make this process easier. The first thing is to get more organized, which I am *really* working on.

I've been on a roll lately, deep cleaning, purging, organizing and reorganizing. But to start in January, I'm gonna have to kick it into super high gear! We're already halfway through November, and the next couple months are busy with holidays and birthdays and traveling to visit relatives. I've gotta make the most of the time I have to get going and get this stuff done!!

I've gotta get the dining room organized, most of all. The dining room is where most of our downstairs junk ends up. On the bookcase, the china cabinet, and the computer desk. Mom and I have a plan to put all the stuff we need to keep up in the attic, since the attic is doing no one any good right now anyway. Then we can put up shelves in the dining room for the school supplies, arts and crafts supplies, games, etc. The dining room will be where most of this happens.

I'm excited and the wheels are always turning!!!

Whew.

I got a lot done today.

I took Liliya's crib apart. She hasn't slept in it for months. I was putting Dante in it when I have the boys on the weekends, but he started climbing out and snuggling in with the girls. So it was just taking up space. I rearranged the girls room. I'm not sure the new arrangement is any good, though. Even though the crib is down and out, it doesn't look like there is any more room in there. So we'll try it out for a few days or week and maybe I'll change it again at that point.

The layout of this house really impedes it's function. There isn't enough window-less wallspace for much furniture. And I hate putting furniture in front of windows! Not to mention the very small size of the rooms and lack of closet space. We just have to keep trying to make it work better for us.

My 9 month old nephew Jeremiah has been driving me nuts today. He's just been miserable. Crying when I put him down but fussing anyway when I'm holding him. Tired but won't sleep.

His mother frustrates me too... when I reminded her that today was Tuesday so I would need her to pick the kids up before 4 so I could pick up Holden and Dante, she said "Alright I'll try". But before 4pm is not a suggestion or a guideline. I get the boys for 3 hours on Tuesdays. When she's half an hour of fourty-five minutes late picking her kids up, I lose time with my stepsons. And since Rayce started school 9 weeks ago, and she knew from the beginning that if I babysit on Tuesday she has to pick them up before 4, she has only been on time *once*. So, although I am very non-confrontational, I have to stand up for myself eventually. So if she isn't on time today, I'm going to tell her that if she is unable to pick them up on time on Tuesdays, I just won't be available to babysit on Tuesdays anymore. It's pretty simple.

I got some laundry done. Bedding washed. Still got lots of laundry yet to take care of.

I picked up and swept the downstairs, wiped down the dining room table and chairs, blah blah blah.

I'm tired. But it's 230, the kids will be up from nap soon, and there's more to be done.

Such is my life.

It's cloudy today and so is my mood :-/

crazy psycho ferret time. part 2
~*BonnieLea*~

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its crazy psycho ferret time!
~*BonnieLea*~

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Wonderful weekends :o)