Happy October 1st

This has been a fun week for us. It has gotten allot colder outside. With the cold we are more reluctant to stop snuggling under our blankets to actually get the day going. Colder weather means all that wonderful cold weather slow cooked dinners. Less to do at dinner time but I am doing allot of cooking each morning between breakfast, dinner, lunch and a snack by noon.
This has been E week. It's been fun with Elephants, Eggs, Ovals, Pomp & Circumstance composer Edward Elgar, and Amelia Earhart. Granted we have had lessons after lunch everyday this week instead of our usual 10am. That just means our mornings have been free play with me cooking and our afternoons the more structured part of our day.
I did cave in yesterday and turned on the furnace. It was still 63 in the house at lunch time and when we went out to play it felt warmer outside. It was only 54 outside but the sun was warm on your back. It was 90 a week and a half ago, what happened? I will have to start my marathon leaf raking soon. The yard is actually littered with leaves now. I have ignored them until now because i am stubborn and silly and decided that I would not acknowledged the leaves until it was October. It is now the first of October and the last two cold nights have tripled the amount of leaves in the yard. Ugg!
I think we will decorate the house today for fall. My spring/summer decorations just seem very out of place with the furnace on. Daisy's to fall leaf bouquets & jacks to gourds in the vases in dining room, Flowers to leaves & scarecrows in the large picture window, sandals to slippers by the back door, fans to blankets in the corner, oh yes and the heavy drapes for our drafty windows. Yes it's fall, no more ignoring, I love the fall, but winter was just so long last year, I don't even want to consider winter, and to love fall, to embrace fall, I must consider winter.

learning, preschool, & me

I learned several new things today. Just typing this makes me giggle just a little, well OK allot.
I learned things today while teaching preschool to my darling little girls.
Yes, I said Preschool.
As the weeks have passed I have actually learned quite a few things during our hour of preschool or during my collection efforts for preschool.
I have learned allot about modern American Music through our weekly composers. The largest crab in the world lives off the shores of Japan and has a leg span of 12 feet. And I had no idea that the Dalmatian Puppy was from the country of Dalmatia.
Between the composer, sign language, 2 animals, and a historical figure each week.. so much learning for me. Then there is the other stuff too shapes, ABC's, number's, math concepts, writing, cutting & pasting, singing, and poems.... lots of learning for everyone.

pantry cleaning

I was checking dates in my pantry. I do this every now and again or at least I try to. The girls useually put away all of the canned goods from grocery shopping.... so stock rotation does not happen.
I found two large cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of chicken stock, and a can of pinto and garbonzo beans that were all due to expire next month.
So I made chili.
I now have a belly full of chili and plenty to last a few days.

Neat art project

Thursday is Social Studies and art project day in preschool.
It being "C" week our historical figure was Christopher Columbus today.
I found an awesome little art project that happened to be about our historical figure. It was "ship in a bottle" construction paper, markers, scissors, glue, and plastic wrap. Needless to say the girls had fun & their "ship in a bottle" is really cool.
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/columbus/columbus.html
If you scroll down far enough on the link you will find the instructions and a picture. Very cute and very fun project.
Tomorrow is Friday and we will be wrapping up "C" week with a cookie making marathon. We will make several different cookie doughs and then ball & freeze them. Way better than Pillsbury and just as easy. Fresh baked home made cookies when ever we want them, straight from our freezer.

Our B week

On Sunday we spent time at grandma & grandpa's house extracting honey. Honey made by grandma's Bees. Bees that had collected nectar from the Apple orchard. A wonderfully sweet transition from A to B.
Monday we had Biscuits with honey for breakfast. With honey still sweet on our lips we acquainted ourselves with the letter B. Bird, Ball, Banana, Bread, Bus, so many B things.
Tuesday we had Blueberry muffins and colored Two Blue Bears holding Birthday Balloons.
Wednesday we had oatmeal, because we were in the mood for oatmeal. We learned all about Butterflies and made a Buzzing Bumble Bee. Then we listened to "Flight of the Bumble Bee" by Beethoven while we had Bread with honey.
Tomorrow we will learn about Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe.
Friday will be all about Bananas. Banana books, Banana Bread making, and banana eating.
Have a happy B week. :)

I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Won't my mama be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Won't my mama be so proud of me

yeah

I am finally feeling better. Yeah! And so are my girls.
Kaitlyn has not had a tummy ache in four days.
Samantha is going on two days tummy ache free.
I am hoping that this means that my ability to drink coffee and still feel ok this morning is a good good sign.
To add to my overall feeling better good mood.
My house is clean. It hasn't been all clean since June. I know it may sound strange but I get a kinda zen feeling when my house is clean. To add a cherry on top I am caught up on the laundry too.
Preschool has been going wonderfully. My darling little girls are soaking up the lessons as fast as I can give them. Tomorrow will be the last day of "A" week. We are going to make an apple pie tomorrow and this weekend we will visit Grandma Bev's Apple Garden to finish off our week. If we are lucky we will get to see some honey extraction from her bee hives which will lead nicely into "B" week.
Happy learning all.

coffee, i miss you

I am tired. I wake up tired. I go to sleep tired. I eat lunch tired.
I have had allergies, some kinda bug, allergies again, and some other bug.
Being congested, nauseous, and exhausted is no fun at all.
Now my coffee is upsetting my unsettled stomach.
Tea is very good and one of my all time favorite drinks to drink.
But tea does not have the same kick that coffee does.
Coffee, I miss you.