Officer Awesome

I have had these photos printed and ready to go forever!  My nephew is obsessed with fire fighters, police, EMTs, etc., but I'm afraid in this costume he looked more like one of The Village People!  I used one of my brand new Martha Stewart border punches that I got from my sweet husband for Christmas, and a die cut from the Travel USA design card for my Slice.

A few weeks to catch up on....

It's been a crazy couple few around here.  I've spent tons of time working our our Brownie fundraiser - hoping we'll make a significant portion of our DC money in one day so we don't have to do 100 little fundraisers.  A Fall snowstorm was predicted the day before Halloween so  I ran Esme down to the pumpkin patch before it was too late.

We just can't do Halloween without a Jack O Lantern!  And I'd taken Esme to the same pumpkin patch since the year she was born, so I hated to miss it!  We also managed to run to meet Sara Pennypacker, author of the Clementine books, just as the snow started.  

The storm started early that afternoon and continued well into the night.  We had TONS of branches down in our yard, since the leaves hadn't fallen yet and it was a very wet, sticky snow.  

Luckily the city hired crews to come around and help with the debris - they are making their last sweep this week.  Even though we had lots of branches down, it looks like all of our trees will survive.  

Free-Theme Dotee

I made this dotee for a free-theme swap - you can't see it too much in this pic, but there are folded fabric layers going around the edges.  I was inspired by a game wheel.  Crafty-wise, this week is going to have to be all the Halloween costumes.  I'm working on a peacock for my daughter and a bridal gown for a little friend.

There are so many great Fall homeschooling opportunities! It has turned into one of my favorite seasons since I've been a mother. We went to the Big E, apple and raspberry picking, to the pumpkin patch, a corn maze, a pumpkin festival, we designed and built a Halloween costume together, carved our jack-o-lantern, made pumpkin cream pie, trick-or-treated, etc. And as homeschoolers, we try to make each activity educational, from talking about the life cycle of plants, and to life skills like cooking and using landmarks to find your way.

Esme just finished her first long writing project using the complete writing process, from brainstorming to publishing. She wrote about The Big E and did a wonderful job. I would definitely say it was strong third grade work. She's also been plugging along in Math - she has a lot to do this year, so she and Ethan are working hard to stay on task and even get a bit ahead.

We're very proud of our girl!

Our First Ever Halloween Party

Esme's Halloween party was a big success! She had 5 guests. They made Halloween fairies out of fabric samples, cardstock, vellum wings, sequins, and buttons. They made their own pizzas, played a couple rounds of pass-the-pumpkin, and of course had plenty of time to just play together! We loved having everyone over - it was a great time!

Just 2 Days....

Esme has read many Halloween books, done some cool crafts and fine motor skill activities, and even our annual outings have become field trips! We're taking the end of the week off to eat our Halloween candy prepare for our new Ocean unit, which we'll begin next week.

this week in homeschooling

This week's book of the week is A Very Brave Witch. We're using it to compare and contrast, and to learn about fiction versus non-fiction. Esme is also starting her very first addition lessons! Words of the week are you and love.

the start of Halloween lessons

Ethan and Esme started studying Halloween this week. They are reading a book about the history and traditions behind the holiday, and the words of the week are in and out.