Crazy Makers, Curious Kids, Colorado ~ Collage Friday
Friday, October 5, 2012 at 5:00AM 
Collage Friday is here again. This is officially the 36th week of this link up, and it's my favorite time of the week.
Looking back on all of the posts I've felt blessed by the many blogging friendships and inspiration I have gained through sharing some simple photo collages.
If you haven't joined, I'd love to have you!
The title of today's post, "Crazy Makers, Curious Kids, Coloraodo", wasn't too hard to come up with this week. Let's take the C's individually:
Crazy Makers
Do you have people in your life that just seem to exude crazy? By this I mean those people that are ALWAYS busy, ALWAYS complaining about they have no time, or just never seem to sit still? I've come into contact with a couple this week and I decided they make me crazy, too... and not in a good way.
I am all too available and flexible sometimes... never wanting to disappoint people or put them off. I'm learning how to say "no" to the crazy makers and put my own sanity first. I'm not naturally a crazy maker, but recently they've been rubbing off on me and it's NOT a good thing.
I so enjoy people that take TIME to listen, TIME to follow through on commitments, and TIME to be present when they are with you. This is rare in our world today, and I want to make an effort to be one of those people, and surround myself with those people, too. I am thankful for a few dear friends this week who know me and know my heart. Friends like that are a GIFT.
Most of all, I'm trying to remain steeped in God's word so that I have the patience and stamina to deal with life's every day issues... of which crazy makers are one!
Curious Kids
1. It's CURIOUS to me that neatness eludes my oldest -- I know it's totally normal, but for this Type A mom it drives me kind of nuts. We finally put a bookshelf in Anna's closet and she is on the path to better organization. I have to remember that her version of "put the clothes away" is different from mine, as well as "pick up your room". I need to be more specific and lead her through the steps of organization. She enjoyed organizing just a few of her many books and getting her sewing area back in order this week.
2. Curious about an anthill - After reading about ants in The Storybook of Science Anna found this anthill at the car wash. So, as I'm vacuuming the van the kids are playing in ant hills. It was pretty cool to hear words like "larvae", "tunnels", "queen", and "chambers" in their discussion!
3. Curious about Pinterest- Anna has been curious about what all the fuss is with Pinterest. This week she made a wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight she picked from Pinterest. It was delicious!
4. Curious about the Oregon Trail - A very sweet librarian at our local library knows we are going out West on vacation. She brought in a huge box of resources about the Oregon Trail for the kids to borrow. What a blessing! One of Anna's favorites this week was Bound for Oregon.
5. Curious about Georgia - A co-op class about Georgia History has been another blessing for us. Anna is enjoying this class and brought home a clay model of our state... showing the capital, our city, and the rivers and mountains.
*Curious that I forgot to number a picture!! Did you notice that? Yep - the picture in the upper right is Anna skating on Sunday afternoon. Her sweet dad took she and a friend to a new skating rink... laser tag, video games, and a sore wrist were on the agenda!
1. A Curious Looking Boy - Thursday was Wacky Tacky Day at our co-op. Grant was looking pretty tacky in LEGO class.
2. Curious about The Oregon Trail - Tons of reading was done by both children this week. Grant has been enjoying the My America books about the Oregon Trail and also One Step at a Time.
3. Curious Weather - The beginning of the week was full of strange weather. It rained all day Monday and then in the evening we were actually under a tornado watch. It was mostly just lots of rain, but the boys played baseball in spite of that. Since their field is turf and not real grass there was no worry about mud, so they played on and had a BLAST.
4. Curious Wagon - Of course LEGO learning was a huge part of our week. Every type of covered wagon was built (thank you Oregon Trail Wii game - we love you!), and this particular wagon Grant showed me was a "prisoner wagon". Hmmm....
Colorado
Next week we will be heading to Denver and then on to Wyoming for a little Oregon Trail fun. We're very excited about visiting Fort Laramie and Ames Pyramid, along with a trail ride and other fun things. Mostly, I'm looking forward to the fall colors and some time out of our normal routine enjoying God's creation.
To prepare the kids have completed state studies of both states (thank you Notebooking Pages for the beautiful state studies) and done a lot of reading. We're also watching Ken Burns' The West on Netflix.
The downstairs of our house has been taken over by notebooking pages, books, and resources for learning about our trip. I AM FINE WITH THAT. This is LIVING!
Finally, some miscellaneous photos from the week:
1. Friends enjoying dinner on the night of the Presidential Debate. My very clever friend invited us over and had debate BINGO games for us to play. It was a late night, but the friendships and fun made it well worth a little missed sleep.
It's going to be an interesting 5 weeks, isn't it? Make sure to vote and make your choice known!
2. Once we return home we will be using The Why Box from Discovery Boulevard. This is a monthly science subscription that I'm so happy we're getting!
3. While running to and from activities this week we have been listening to a lot of Adventures in Odyssey episodes. We ALL enjoy them. I purchased the CDs on Respect, Responsibility, and Truthfulness. (We're working on some heart issues with our kids recently.)
Did you miss a post this week?
- Homegrown Learners Recommends - a list of some of my favorite things!
- Schedules, Assignments & Lists - how we are scheduling and doing assignments right now
- SQUILT Lesson 4 - Go West! with Aaron Copland
I'm taking a bit of a break from the blogosphere next week... no posting or online activity. Please check back, however, for another Collage Friday! I'll try to put something together quickly so we can all gather again.
October 15-26 there will be a series here: The 10 Days of Reading Aloud. I hope you'll put this on your calendar and join me as I try to inspire you to read aloud to your children!
Please join me for Collage Friday. The rules are simple: Use photo collages in a post about your homeschool week. Grab the Collage Friday button (in my sidebar) or text link back to this post. Visit other bloggers in the linky to offer encouragement and gain ideas!
Reader Comments (20)
As always you have lots of fun things going on! I'm glad your getting a bit of a blogging break next week, hope you enjoy your trip and have safe travels!!
Yes, neatness eludes our children too! And you're absolutely right, mom's idea of picking up and putting clothes away doesn't match theirs at all! Your trip out west sounds exciting! Enjoy yourselves - I can't wait for all the photos! Blessings.
Hello
I've been enjoying your weekly wrap ups and photo's. I have also being enjoying your Pinterest. Thank you so much for sharing.
Have a great weekend.
Blessings
I love the idea of Debate Bingo! We have been on an Adventures in Odyssey kick around here too. Blessings on your break!
I love how your post is all "C's". So is mine! Do you know that I don't have a lot of crazy people in my life. I USED to, and reading this I was trying to pinpoint the difference. I truly think it is because now 90% of the people in my life are homeschooling people. Now I am sure there are some crazies in the HS world, but not in my HS world. They can be so difficult to deal with.
Yes, Keilee's idea of 'clean and tidy' is different from mine too. I hope Anna does better. Keilee really has gotten better in the past year. I think I expect her room to be as neat and tidy as mine even though she has 80% more STUFF in her room. Love Grant's tacky self and the prisoner wagon. Seriously I could comment on every single picture, but I won't. :) Can not wait to hear about your trip. It is going to be so awesome. I love how you have prepared for it. Do you have audio books for the trip?
I would love to gather all my bloggy friends and somehow live all on one street. What a lovely, learning life we would live. Happy Friday and thank you again for the link up. It is my favorite part of the week.
Happy Collage Friday! I have some crazy people in my life! I'm probably one of them!! I did learn to say no a long time ago, though!! You guys have obviously been having lots of educational fun! Glad you finally got that shelf put in! I'm an organization freak! too bad no one else in my family is!!
Collage Friday always reminds me to take more photos. :)
Thanks for hosting the link-up and have a great time on your trip!
Another good post. I enjoy keeping up with the family stuff. And yes, actually, I did notice the non-numbered photo. But I didn't notice it in the picture. I noticed it when I went down to read the description of the anthill and I said to myself, "That's not what the photo was about!" LOL. So I had to go back and check out the photo to see how I'd mixed it up. It was then that I discovered my brain just assumed the number was in the skating picture. Funny thing how brains fill in information that isn't there but it does it so that our life continues to make sense. I wonder how much other stuff we actually "get wrong" because our brains "filled in" what we thought was correct. Naturally, I wonder how many family arguments between spouses this is actually the true root of the argument! LOL.
Anyway, thanks for making me think today! As always, I appreciate it.
Oh I am so excited for you for your trip - learning on the road. Smiling at all those notebook pages!
love the notebook pages - gotta check out the Oregon trail wii game . . .
I'm not the best at this yet, mostly because I forget to take enough pictures =) But I'm trying and it's a good motivation for me! Thanks for the link-up.
Too funny - my sister and I were literally just speaking about how our idea of cleaning up and finishing a job is far different from our children's ideas :-) Sounds like a fun week of learning as you all gear up for a fantastic fall trip! Hope you all have a wonderful time. It is beautiful out west. Oh, and I hear ya about individuals living in a rush -seems like our culture celebrates those who are always on the go. Makes me pause and wonder why is the distracted lifestyle held in esteem? I see little benefit and would much rather soak in the moments I am blessed to have.
What a great week. I have to keep boundries around a few crazy making people too. I hope you all have a blessed trip.
Blessings, Dawn
Oh, my, that's me - always doing something, never sitting still, always com...well, I don't usually complain! LOL It can be crazy at times, but agree - never get so busy you can't put your heart into those things that mean the most!
Cool Lego! The kids have been playing our OLD Oregon Trail CD-Rom game. I'm surprised it's still compatible! LOL
I hope it's okay that I added another post. I wanted to show you my very first ever attempt at a real collage! My daughter helped me. I wonder if I'll remember how to do it again next Friday!
Have a great trip, Mary!
I'm really looking forward to your series on reading aloud.
Sounds like a wonderful vacation...we are daydreaming about a trip west next summer -- we're thinking about visiting Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park!
Have a great trip and take lots of pictures for those of us stuck at home :-)
Amber has some trouble staying as neat and tidy as I would like too. She is pretty good about it, but once in a while things just fall apart and we have to have a good straightening.
Great stuff again! We started the Oregon Trail this week - how fun that you will be traveling it! We will also be watching Ken Burns The West - well Bear will watch, not sure about Noodle.
I love the way you set up this post, Mary!
I am totally with you on the crazy makers...I try to limit my exposure to them, and I feel saner for it!
I have to tone down my Type A inclinations with my girls too, (or at least I try really hard) or I make us all a bit nuts.
My girls love seeing the things I've pinned on Pinterest, and they'll often scroll through with me to find interesting projects and/or recipes.
I really hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!