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Happy At Home!

December 11, 2014 By Erika

She just had a conversation with Siri about whether or not Siri believes in God. Turns out, Siri is noncommittal.

 

 

What a week it has been!

Mr. M is working on The Bachelor now (Bachelor Chris) – and also attended a beautiful dinner party in Hollywood this week for a movie he worked on a year or so ago.  Needless to say, I have been home mostly because of the pregnancy and doctor’s orders to take it easy!  I was so bummed I didn’t get to go to the party this week – but I really need to stay off my feet as much as possible.  My swollen feet! 😉

 

So – I didn’t get to go to the fancy dinner party – but I did go to Rubio’s (Mexican Food) on Sunday with the kids!  I had been craving it and Mr. M was home so we all went together.  The girls had chips and brownies, of course! Ha!

 

 

 

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We also hit Paprika’s old school on Sunday and let the kids play on the playground for the whole afternoon.  The girls made friends with a few other kids their ages and they all played a game of basketball together.

I always try to get a picture when we are there – here is one I took of the girls with Mr. M:

I love how easy it is to take pictures now... For all the downfalls of modern technology, I can't help but be grateful for how easy and immediate it is to take photos like this one. I am trying not to blink because our girls are growing up so fast!

 

 

And he took one of me (32 weeks pregnant) and the girls:

 

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That night, he took Paprika (8) and Violet (3) to Mulligan’s to play mini golf and race go-karts!  They had a blast…

 

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Violet is an enthusiastic mini-golfer.  She kept re-positioning everyone’s golf balls before they had a chance to take a second shot. Ha!

 

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There was no way I could go to Mulligan’s – I was exhausted after eating out at Rubio’s and going to the playground with the kids.  I went home to rest and Ginger (5) wanted to stay home with me.  So, we laid in bed and watched her favorite movie together – Dumbo!

I popped popcorn and we made a girl’s night of it! 🙂

 

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So, for homeschooling this week – we have been home so much we’ve done A LOT of school work!  I guess that’s one of the upsides of being stuck at home. Haha.

I decided to make a huge change in Paprika’s Math this week!  I know…math…the bane of Paprika’s existence! LOL

She started on Teaching Textbooks 3rd grade when Paprika (now 8) was 6 years old, right after she ended Kindergarten at public school.  Since that time, she has worked through every problem…every lesson of Teaching Textbooks…all the way up through the end of 6th grade Math.  So, that’s four grade levels of math in less than 2 years!  She also does algebra, fractions, and math practice on the iPad.  She has A LOT of Math in her life!

The problem is that she can’t STAND Math.  She moans and groans and does not like to do it.  She says:  Why do I have to learn Math when I am going to be an artist when I grow up?!  Why does a Children’s Book Author and Illustrator have to know Math?!

This was her face every single day when she had to do her math lesson:

 

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So, after A LOT of careful thought – I put her back in 3rd Grade Math!  Yes – the Math that she did 2 years ago, at age 6.  She was SOOOOO HAPPY with that decision.  It was like Christmas had come early!

Now, the bargain we struck is that she has to do 3 full lessons/day of 3rd grade math (which she can do with her eyes closed in 10 minutes).  Then, after that she’ll re-do 4th grade, 5th grade, and so on.  She’s also doing geometry on the side (because of her interest in art) – and she does multiplication/division drills on the iPad for 10 minutes/day.  That’s it!  I know that sounds like a lot, but she is so much happier doing this than even 1 lesson/day of her old math regimen.

I am not really sure if that’s the right decision – not to have her push forward – but really, what is the rush?!  She is barley 8 years old, and I didn’t feel like it was worth it to force her into a set 7th grade math curriculum when she would rather spend her time drawing, imagining, dreaming, reading, and making up stories.  I think 3rd grade math is fine (for now!) – and I am soooo glad to not have to battle anymore.  She is done with math before she’s eaten her breakfast cereal!

Much happier!:

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This picture is cute of Violet (3) – not a whole lot of homeschooling going on here, except Ginger (5) is working with her on her reading.  It’s one of the cutest things ever – I need to get a video of it!

Violet looks ready for school in her backpack:

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Paprika had a long talk earlier this week with Siri (the artificial intelligence lady on the iPad).  Paprika wanted to know if Siri believes in God or not!  Siri wouldn’t give Paprika a firm answer either way – so Paprika started trying to teach her all about God, Jesus, and why faith is important.  Ha!

Also – Paprika had been asking for the The Jesus Storybook Bible on the Kindle/iPad. Last week they had a sale on it and it was only 99 cents, so I bought it for her (it’s gone up in price since then). She was so excited to have her own copy and has stayed up late, copying the illustrations under the covers at bedtime.  She has a few Children’s Bibles and she loves them all – I often find her curled up on the couch, reading them and comparing the stories across the different editions.  She analyzes why the illustrations look different across books and what that means.

Where did this girl come from?  Sweet girl!

 

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These next pictures are from earlier today – the girls had a backyard photo safari.  They took my camera and went hunting for wild animals – then found monsters (they took pictures of the trees with weird filters)- and had a grand time doing it!

 

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It was mostly just Paprika and Violet on the Safari – they even made up their own News Program using the video camera on my phone!  Ginger (5) was inside the house doing Math – which she LOVES doing.  Go figure! Ha!

 

Here are a few more pictures of Paprika and Ginger on their Photo Safari:

 

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Today they went  on a safari in their imaginations in our backyard.. :-)

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So, that’s the homebody chronicles for this week!   We haven’t gone too many places, but we sure are having fun!  This weekend I’ll have Mr. M around to scoot me in the wheelchair – so that will be nice!

Until then,  we’ve got a never-ending supply of books to read:

 

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The girls like to stall bedtime BIG TIME by reading book after book.  They take turns and then one will say – Hey, I think I should get to read the last book!  So, I let one more book be read…and then the other will say:  Hey, I think I should get to read the last book!

I think they read 20 books at bedtime alone! Ha!

Reading bedtime stories last night... They take turns and I can't bear to ask them to stop... which, you know, I guess is a good stall tactic on their part. :-) #raisingreaders  #homeschool  #magicalchildhood

 

 

And then finally, it’s time for lights out!  🙂

Happy girl!

 

 The End.

 

(Linking up with Weekly Wrap Up)

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Filed Under: All, Art, Homeschool, Math, Pillar, Reading

Erika, The UrthMama. Grateful and Inspired Living in Everyday Moments. Homeschooling Mom of Four Daughters, ages: 11, 8, 6, and 2.

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