Look what my wonderful hubby surprised me with for my birthday!!!!!!
This is not just any blender but it is the Vita-Mix that I have been drooling over for a little over a year! I LOVE it and I have several recipes that I will be trying soon and if I don’t ruin them I will share them with you:)
The girls and I are going to continue to do school through the summer but it is going to be very light. Ellie will continue with a little writing and math and a lot of reading and Emily will wrap up Raising Rock Stars Preschool lessons but together we are going to start our State Study. I am so excited and have had a lot of fun planning:) I bought Confessions of a Homeschoolers Road Trip USA curriculum for the main part but I am changing and adding a few things. I am using The Little Man In the Map 
which is such a great book using rhyme and visual clues to help you remember the states and locations. I am also using this atlas that is recommended in Road Trip USA.
We are going to start with the Midwest states which ties into the pioneer theme from the Little House on the Prairie books we are enjoying right now. I got the girls each a passport book with the 50 state flag stickers from Rainbow Resources 
and this cool map for them to color each time we finish a state.
I also bought the girls each a Dover Coloring Book of the State Flowers and Birds to color.
Other than a few books from the library and a few puzzles that I have collected over the years I will get the rest of the information from Road Trip USA. Each state has fun facts, great recipes and craft ideas! Our plan is for both girls to make a big notebook of our activities so they can go back and look at all of the fun stuff we did.
First stop…….Minnesota!
Chris wanted to do some sort of class with the girls once a week since he doesn’t get to be a part of our morning school activities. He was thinking about doing science but decided on woodworking. The girls were so excited!!! Chris took them to the hardware store and they each got a tool box and their own set of tools:
Hammer, screwdrivers, screws, nails, pliers, safety glasses, tape measure, and a level
The first few weeks they talked about each of the tools, tool safety and how to properly use them. They were very interested in this but Emily was a little disappointed that she couldn’t use her tools anytime she wanted. Can you imagine…..I would have holes all in the walls, gauges in the floor and who knows what else.
The first project they have been working on is a fairy house to keep outside. It is coming along quite nicely! Ellie is getting really good with her tools. The other day her Leapster batteries died so she went and got her screwdriver and replaced the batteries and didn’t need any help except explaining which way to put the batteries in. I love that he is teaching them life skills!
It has been a very busy couple of weeks at our house so I thought I would just do a random post of some of the things that we have been up too.
Chris turned 40! That means that we have officially been together for half of his life:) I had a wonderful day of adventure planned for the two of us including kayaking, zip lining etc. but it rained all day on his birthday and was unseasonably cold but we didn’t let it ruin our day. We regrouped and spent a wonderful relaxing day together. He really is the most amazing, loving, giving person and I am not just saying that because he will probably read this:) Happy Birthday babe!
We had a crazy Easter!
The girls spent a wonderful weekend with their dad at Grandpa’s which means……. I was home alone. This doesn’t happen often but when it does I take advantage of it! It was such a great weekend of shopping, eating, a little exercise, pedicure/manicure and lots of sleeping but I was so ready to see the girls and Chris! It is great to have a break but even better to get to see everyone after 2 1/2 days of down time.
We recently went to Great Wolf Lodge and had such an awesome time!!! I couldn’t believe how big the water park was for an indoor water facility. I love that you can swim a little and then head to your room for a break and a snack and then walk back downstairs and swim some more. The lodge gave a great great rate for homeschoolers and I really hope they will do that again because we would love to go back! Can you believe that I didn’t bring my camera?? I’m good like that:)
A friend and I are taking a cooking class based on the book Nourishing Traditions. We just finished our 2nd class out of 6. I have already learned so much! I will be writing more on this soon!
I am in school planning mode (aren’t I always) because I will be going to a Homeschool Convention soon. I am going to be purchasing Ellie’s curriculum for 1st grade and a preschool program for Emily because she will be done with RRSP by this fall.
OK if anyone is still reading that just about wraps up our last couple of weeks!
