Our Cute little bunnies and more...

Hello dear friends,
How are you?? We are all fine and wonderful! I know it's been awhile and for that I'm sorry, life here seems to keep moving seemingly slowly but really quite fast!
There is sooo much to share....
1) Our homeschooling is going well, including a Titanic unit study for this term.
2) We have some news.... the end of September, early Oct will bring with it a new addition to our family!
YES we are having another baby!! So excited!!
3) We are currently in the process of putting in a new Wood fire! Been soo cold since putting in the heat pump and mold has seemed to take over too. So we're putting in another wood fire and we can't wait!!!
4) We have NEW PETS!! It's been a LONG TIME since we bought some cute fluffies, in fact about ten years. SO after the loss of out last pet Kaizahn last year we decided that Easter was a GREAT TIME to buy some cute little bunnies!

 

We wanted to get 2 so they kept each other warm and company! Allan and I knew that we wouldn't be the one's naming them so it was interesting when the children came up with Honey and Spice! LOVE IT!!!

Honey is the grey rabbit and Spice is the Blackish one. Sophia came up with Honey and it just seemed to stick, though Zeke mentioned that she didn't look anything like the colour of Honey! Esther however loved it and instantly kept saying it so it was locked in. After a while of not knowing what to call the other bunny, Zeke went to Google and typed in "Names for black rabbits"
He came up with Soot, Ash, Black Moon, Dark Star, and in there was Spice! I said to him what do you think of that and he decided that it was perfect!! And so it was!
They have grown heaps already in the time we've had them, and they LOVE to get out and have a hop around! It's so wonderful to have pets again!

Well that's it from us, at least for today... I hope to be back sooner this time and appreciate you popping in and saying HI!
Smiles The Torrents'                                           

Valentine's Countdown Fun

One of the wonderful blogs that I follow is Almost Unschoolers. This lovely mum has given her children a special box FULL of Valentine's fun every day (for the week) leading up to Valentine's Day! I thought the idea was awesome so jumped on board too!! It's been a great way to slowly get my treasures used to school "officially" starting next Wednesday! We/they do all their jobs by 9 am then we pray then someone gets to open the Valentine's Fun BOX! They are having a ball!!
Here is what I've done so far....

Day1:
Play dough and heart cutters
(note the pink sparkles!!)

Day2:
Making "love" friendship cards

Day3:

Puzzles and Games

Day4:

Heart Paper craft

Each day I've also put a bible verse about God's LOVE for US! Hannah has taken great pleasure in finding the reference and reading it to us all each day! It's been sooo much fun! For the rest of the time I'm going to do some baking, counting with the cute little heart candy and then delivery our "love" on Tuesday!!
Hope your weekend is wonderful and fun!
SMiles The Torrents's :)

It's the BOOK FOR ME!!!

One of the main struggles since I've started homeschooling is that constant mind battle I have with what other people are thinking about me!!! I know that most of it is all made up in my head, my own insecurities, but there are times when what people simply say, just in passing has lasting ripples in my mind!! I'm not doing a good job, I can't spell well, I don't know maths well, how can I teach ALL my children?? How will I know I'm doing enough!!! The list goes on!!!!!
This brings me to a very WONDERFUL and MUST HAVE e-book that the lovely Jamie from Simple Homeschool is GIVING AWAY!!! SO I'm here to spread the news... the Good news that this is the Book for YOU!!! It's certainly the book for ME and I know that it will help us all!!!!
SO Jump on over HERE to see for yourself and give them some comment love!!!!
Thank you "Simple Homeschool" for the many ways you encourage me each and every post!!!
Smiles The Torrents's

Yellow makes me happy!

When Ezekiel went out to feed the chooks this morning he shouted out "Mum the Sunflower is open!" Well we ALL ran out side to see it! I was quite surprised when I saw how little the flower actually was... surely something seeming SOOO giant would be HUGE!
It was sooooo cool, the way we all were there looking at it and then discussing if it would get bigger and by how much!

THEN

garden planted 16.11.11

NOW

When we planted out our vegie garden (mostly all with seeds this year) somehow this Sunflower seed fell right near the garden gate, and right next to the path! I've been watching it grow for what seems like months, just waiting and waiting for the flower to come out! Today was the day!! YAY!
I'm looking forward to seeing the other little flowers open down the stem, there are sooo many!

I love sunflowers, the yellow and the way they follow the sun, it makes me feel very HAPPY!
Happy weekend to you,
Smiles The Torrents's :)

Planning the year ahead

It's really coming to the time when school is lercking around the corner and the Summer here in Tassie will also soon be over....
I've been sooooo deep in planning the school year for my treasures, yes you read right I wanted to PLAN the WHOLE YEAR!! To adventurous??!!?? Probably but a Mum has to have dreams and goals right??!!
In some way I do have that on paper, but as far as resources and the like and an actual week by week, term by term plan well that still needs refining!
Here is a list of what we are doing this year....

First Term we are looking at the Titanic! It's the 100th year anni in April and so thanks to the very wonderful De'Arn who gave me the idea, I thought it would be perfect to do! I've been searching the Internet for books and the like, this one I especially LIKE.
Maths for Sophia this year will be MEP. Again I was given this idea from another wonderful friend Samantha. The WHOLE curriculum on line FOR FREE just needing to be printed!!
LOVE THAT!
Zeke has chosen to study The Royal family! Well he said "I want to know who sat on the throne first!" So this will be great for a Unit study, History, Culture, Geography etc etc! I'm excited!
Hannah would love to know more about Hip Hop so we will do a mini Unit study on that.
I'm also considering going back to Five in a Row, I love this program when I did it a few years ago (before Esther was born) I really love all the subjects it covers and what the children learn from it, especially the art side, even now they can tell me complimentary colours and cross hatching drawing! Not sure how I will fit that in!!
I'd like to make special time with each child for 30mins on a subject they struggle with. For Hannah this will be Maths. Then in this time I'd love for the other older child to do some fun Maths or Phonic games with Sophia!
Lastly we will still be doing Art, Music and Geography (similar to the Charlotte Mason teachings) and of course copy work, reading, cooking etc!
Man that really sounds like a LOT! As I said it's still in the planning mode, when it's put to the test I'll see how it REALLY WORKS!
I hope that your planning is going great and you're looking forward to kicking off!
Smiles The Torrents's :)

Happy New Year 2012

It's here, the new Year!!! A chance for new beginnings, new ideas, new things to achieve, new.... well whatever you'd like!!!
I've been thinking for ages "what am I going to do this year, my children are in a grade older, Sophia is now in Full time school...... ARHHHHHh!!!
Then today I read this from one of my favourite sites click HERE to be encouraged too!!

I hope that as this New Year kicks off that you are feeling excited and enthused but more importantly ready to have some super fun and quality time with the precious children you have been blessed with!!

Catch you again soon,
Smiles The Torrents's

Kaizahn

My beautiful pussy cat Kaizahn was sadly put down on Friday. I miss her sooooo and wanted to just take a moment to share some of my favourite pictures of her. She was a super wonderful tittens (affectionately known as Fluffy Orange Tittens) with 13 years of life. Kaizahn coped through 2 moves, many a holiday being left to defend her self (with some help from friends,) multiply hit's from cars, a good few cat fights, 4 children, the occasional stuck in the garage adventure and lots and lots of love from us!

She LOVED boxes and WOOL! Yes she chewed and wrecked many a woolen jumper and especially LOTS of Allan's pairs of woolly socks! She even pulled out my knitting bag recently and munched through some of the balls of wool! he he, so funny but very TRUE! My favourite part of the day was when I came to rest on the couch and she would jump up, purr, paw and get comfy until I went to bed! I loved her soooo much and will miss her dearly!

Goodbye sweet Kaizahn, thank you for everything!
Smiles The Torrents's